The night catches her too soon. Luna’s not satisfied with her progress. She finds a clearing, where the trees that hug the mountain twist away from each other and let the moonshine through. The night sky is full of stars and they feel like a million eyes looking down at her with great expectation. The storm clouds move east, but the air is damp and trickles in sweat down Luna’s brow while she sets camp. When it gets colder, she starts a small fire and lets sleep drift her in and out of consciousness.

     It must be close to midnight, she gathers, finally giving in.

     The same dream startles her awake. In it, a voice beckons to the top of the mountain in a language she cannot understand in words, yet its meaning is unequivocally clear. The world is on fire, and she feels the need to put out the flames before they greedily swallow everything in their wake. Fuel drips from the mountain like a volcano, taunting the flames to crawl their way up to the bloodshot sky. But she is the fire.

     “You hear it too…” The voice interrupts the crackling of the burning wood, shaking her awake like a splash of cold water.

     It is another girl, like her, perhaps younger, judging by the softness of her feline features. She sits uninvited, next to the fire, rubbing her palms to capture the heat out of thin air. Her hair is short, dark as night, and tied neatly into a bun. Luna keeps calm, even when her heart beats its way up her throat.

     “Hear what?” Then feeling composed, “Better yet, who the hell are you?”

     The stranger stares at the fire as if it told her a story, oblivious to Luna.

     “The calling. You hear it too,” she says shifting an inch to face her.

     “You’re like me then…” Luna’s reply is halfhearted, as if she spoke to herself.

     “In a way,” the girl whispers. Her smile is sweet and breaks the tension. “I also hear the calling. The dream that comes to those who must act. Even now, when you’re awake, you could hear it ever so faintly. If you try to listen, you will.”

     Luna closes her eyes trying to listen. Crickets fill the air with a woodland tune. Bats flap by, every now and then, feeding off the mosquitoes that hatchet the sonic landscape with their buzz saw flight. But there is something more…unnatural. It is a faint hum that compels her to move onwards. The calling sounds like the old fridge back at her house. It eerily sounds like home.

     “You have a name?” Luna asks, now back in the moment.

     “Kali.”

     “The name’s Luna.” She pushes her hand towards Kali. “Nice to meet you.”

     Kali looks at Luna’s hand with no intention to shake it. Luna retreats it awkwardly and waits in silence for Kali to speak.

     “I know who you are,” she says. “At the very least I know what you are.”

     “Huh. Didn’t know I was a something.”

     “Well… If you hear the calling then you must know what you are,” Kali says matter-of-factly. “You’ve been chosen. Like I was chosen. Do you know what that means?”

     Luna flicks a crackling branch further into the fire. It hisses and crumbles upon itself. The smell of smoke keeps her grounded.

     “I know what it means.” Luna keeps her eyes fixed on the dying fire.

     “It means you must go to its source,” Kali adds. “If you don’t then you’ll—”

     “Then I’ll die. I know.”

     Kali stands up. Kali’s height hints Luna she must be no older than twelve. Yet there is a wisdom in her that makes her look like an old woman well beyond her years. She stares at Luna with a mix of sympathy and horror.

     “Not quite.”

     “I won’t?” A hint of hope seeps from Luna’s words.

     “Luna.” Her name made a statement. “You have three days to get there. And if you don’t, you’ll be like me.”

     “But the others… All the children that don’t heed the calling just die. One day they never wake up. I don’t…” Luna hyperventilates; the smell of smoke is no longer enough to keep her anchored. Her thoughts have taken sail in the winds of uncertainty. The hum beckons to her with unnatural strength.

     “Breathe,” Kali says unmoved.

     “I…am…breathing,” each word interrupted by a desperate grasp at oxygen.

     “My time is not long,” Kali says. She squints at the light seeping from the horizon. “You’ve heed the calling and you are here. You have two more days to reach the summit. I am the messenger of the first night. Now you know how much time you’ve left.”

     Kali walks towards the road, shying away from the light that begins to filter through the drooping leaves of the trees that hang to the mountainside.

     “What’s at the top?” Luna shouts.

     She turns, takes a long look at Luna, and goes back to her trancelike pace up the mountain.

     “If you get there, you will see.”

     The night catches her too soon. Luna’s not satisfied with her progress. She finds a clearing, where the trees that hug the mountain twist away from each other and let the moonshine through. The night sky is full of stars and they feel like a million eyes looking down at her with great expectation. The storm clouds move east, but the air is damp and trickles in sweat down Luna’s brow while she sets camp. When it gets colder, she starts a small fire and lets sleep drift her in and out of consciousness.

     It must be close to midnight, she gathers, finally giving in.

     The same dream startles her awake. In it, a voice beckons to the top of the mountain in a language she cannot understand in words, yet its meaning is unequivocally clear. The world is on fire, and she feels the need to put out the flames before they greedily swallow everything in their wake. Fuel drips from the mountain like a volcano, taunting the flames to crawl their way up to the bloodshot sky. But she is the fire.

     “You hear it too…” The voice interrupts the crackling of the burning wood, shaking her awake like a splash of cold water.

     It is another girl, like her, perhaps younger, judging by the softness of her feline features. She sits uninvited, next to the fire, rubbing her palms to capture the heat out of thin air. Her hair is short, dark as night, and tied neatly into a bun. Luna keeps calm, even when her heart beats its way up her throat.

     “Hear what?” Then feeling composed, “Better yet, who the hell are you?”

     The stranger stares at the fire as if it told her a story, oblivious to Luna.

     “The calling. You hear it too,” she says shifting an inch to face her.

     “You’re like me then…” Luna’s reply is halfhearted, as if she spoke to herself.

     “In a way,” the girl whispers. Her smile is sweet and breaks the tension. “I also hear the calling. The dream that comes to those who must act. Even now, when you’re awake, you could hear it ever so faintly. If you try to listen, you will.”

     Luna closes her eyes trying to listen. Crickets fill the air with a woodland tune. Bats flap by, every now and then, feeding off the mosquitoes that hatchet the sonic landscape with their buzz saw flight. But there is something more…unnatural. It is a faint hum that compels her to move onwards. The calling sounds like the old fridge back at her house. It eerily sounds like home.

     “You have a name?” Luna asks, now back in the moment.

     “Kali.”

     “The name’s Luna.” She pushes her hand towards Kali. “Nice to meet you.”

     Kali looks at Luna’s hand with no intention to shake it. Luna retreats it awkwardly and waits in silence for Kali to speak.

     “I know who you are,” she says. “At the very least I know what you are.”

     “Huh. Didn’t know I was a something.”

     “Well… If you hear the calling then you must know what you are,” Kali says matter-of-factly. “You’ve been chosen. Like I was chosen. Do you know what that means?”

     Luna flicks a crackling branch further into the fire. It hisses and crumbles upon itself. The smell of smoke keeps her grounded.

     “I know what it means.” Luna keeps her eyes fixed on the dying fire.

     “It means you must go to its source,” Kali adds. “If you don’t then you’ll—”

     “Then I’ll die. I know.”

     Kali stands up. Kali’s height hints Luna she must be no older than twelve. Yet there is a wisdom in her that makes her look like an old woman well beyond her years. She stares at Luna with a mix of sympathy and horror.

     “Not quite.”

     “I won’t?” A hint of hope seeps from Luna’s words.

     “Luna.” Her name made a statement. “You have three days to get there. And if you don’t, you’ll be like me.”

     “But the others… All the children that don’t heed the calling just die. One day they never wake up. I don’t…” Luna hyperventilates; the smell of smoke is no longer enough to keep her anchored. Her thoughts have taken sail in the winds of uncertainty. The hum beckons to her with unnatural strength.

     “Breathe,” Kali says unmoved.

     “I…am…breathing,” each word interrupted by a desperate grasp at oxygen.

     “My time is not long,” Kali says. She squints at the light seeping from the horizon. “You’ve heed the calling and you are here. You have two more days to reach the summit. I am the messenger of the first night. Now you know how much time you’ve left.”

     Kali walks towards the road, shying away from the light that begins to filter through the drooping leaves of the trees that hang to the mountainside.

     “What’s at the top?” Luna shouts.

     She turns, takes a long look at Luna, and goes back to her trancelike pace up the mountain.

     “If you get there, you will see.”