Solar Girl and Lunar Boy
“Good night, little chickadees,” Mom said, as she turned on the night-light by the closet.
“Sweet dreams,” said Mama, as she switched off the lamp and blew them both kisses.
“Good night, Mom,” Angelina replied.
“Good night, Mama,” Corey whispered, pulling the covers up around his neck.
The bedroom door had only been closed a few minutes when Corey heard something in the corner.
“Haaafffeeerrrahhh,” it wheezed, then “Hoooeeerrrahhh.”
He turned toward his sister’s bed but couldn’t see her under the covers.
“Angelina… Angelina …” he whispered, not wanting the thing to hear him. There was no reply.
The breathing grew louder. “Haaafffeeerrrahhh… Hoooeeerrrahhh!”
“Mom… Mom! Help!” he yelled.
“What is it, honey?” Mom asked.
Corey held the covers tightly around his neck. He nodded toward the corner of the room. “Over there,” he said. “Something’s over there!”
“There’s nothing,” his mom said. “Look.” She walked to the corner, returned, and kneeled by his side. “Go back to sleep, hon. There’s nothing to be afraid of.” She kissed him on the forehead.
Corey wanted to believe her—he really did. But as soon as the door closed, it started again, only louder. “Haaafffeeerrrahhh… Hoooeeerrrahhh!”
Corey almost stopped breathing. He saw a large swirling shadow in the corner. It was spinning like a top and was bigger than a giant bear. “Haaafffeeerrrahhh… Hoooeeerrrahhh!” it hissed. It didn’t have eyes, but he knew it was looking right at him. He squeezed his eyes shut.
“Mama… Mama! Help!” he screamed, and started to cry.
“What is it, son?” Mama said, opening the door and turning on the light.
“Something’s over there!” Corey pointed. “In the corner!”
“Sometimes the night can be scary,” Mama said, stroking Corey’s forehead. “But there’s nothing in the corner. It’s just your imagination.”
“It breathes really loud,” Corey said. “It’s real.”
“Dreams can seem very real,” Mama said. “Go back to sleep, Corey. Everything will be okay.” She tucked Corey in and gave him a kiss before she left.
“Haaafffeeerrrahhh… Hoooeeerrrahhh!” the monster moaned. “Your time has come!” It swirled closer to the foot of Corey’s bed, blocking out the night-light’s glow.
Corey’s mouth opened, but he was too scared to make a sound.
“No, it hasn’t!” someone yelled. “YOUR time has come!”
Angelina was standing on her bed in her pajamas. A bright light glowed from her chest.
Then the light was a ball of energy between Angelina’s hands. “It’s your time,” she said, “to stop scaring my brother. Leave us alone! NOW !” She threw the ball of light toward the shrinking shadow.
“It’s gone!” Corey shouted. “How did you do that?” The ball of light hovered, vibrating, in the corner where the monster had been.
“It’s easy,” his sister replied, sitting on the side of the bed.
“Easy?” said Corey. He couldn’t believe what he’d just seen.
“Yeah, easy,” Angelina said, “when you’re Solar Girl.”
“Solar Girl?” Corey said, still confused. ”Who is Solar Girl?”
“I am,” Angelina said. “And it can be easy for you, too.”
“How?” Corey replied. “I’m only four.”
“You can scare monsters away too, because you’re Lunar Boy.”
Corey’s mouth dropped open. “Who is Lunar Boy?”
“You are. You’ve always been Lunar Boy. You just forgot.”
“But I can’t do that,” Corey said, pointing at the floating light in the corner.
“Yes, you can,” said Angelina confidently. “You just need to find your own inner light.”
Corey didn’t understand any of this, but he sure wanted to be able to scare that monster away. “How do I do that?” he said cautiously.
“I’ll show you how I do it,” Angelina said. She stood up and reached a hand toward the corner. The ball of light floated back to her, and she pressed it carefully back into her heart.
“Here,” she said, leaving her hand over her heart. “It comes from here. It’s always here, but sometimes we are too scared to remember.”
Corey placed his hand on his chest. “Now what?”
“Close your eyes, breathe slowly, and repeat after me, ‘Like the sun.’”
“Like the sun,” Corey said:
“I am full of light.
“I shine inside and out.
“I am energy.
“I am a star.
“I will shine forever.”
As Corey said the words after his sister, he felt his heart grow warm under his hand. Then he saw light between his fingers. Hardly daring to breathe, he pulled his hand slowly away from his chest. A ball of light came with it. He held the light in both his hands.
“Angelina, look!” he said. “I can make the light too!”
Angelina laughed, holding her own ball of light. “See, I knew you could, Lunar Boy. Now tuck it away for tonight. Tomorrow we’ll take care of that monster for good.”
The next night, Mom turned on the night-light, and Mama turned off the lamp.
“Good night, little chickadees,” said Mom.
“Sweet dreams,” said Mama, and closed the door softly.
Almost at once, Corey heard the shadow in the corner.
“Haaafffeeerrrahhh… Hoooeeerrrahhh!” it gurgled. It looked even bigger than before.
“It sounds like water from the bath when it goes down the drain,” Angelina said, but Corey was too frightened to laugh.
“Angelina,” he said, “I mean—Solar Girl—do something!”
“Nope. It’s time for Lunar Boy,” said Angelina.
“I can’t,” Corey said. ”It’s too big and scary.”
“Yes, you can. Don’t think about it. Just do it. Come on now, like this.” Angelina threw the covers back and stood on her bed.
Corey quickly climbed on top of his bed. The swirling shadow monster was almost upon him. His body was shaking, but he closed his eyes, put his hand on his chest, and took a slow breath. He heard his sister say, “Like the sun.”
“Like the sun,” he repeated and continued:
“I am full of light.
“I shine inside and out.
“I am energy.
“I am a star.
“I will shine forever.”
His toes and fingers prickled with heat. Light flowed from the center of his body, shooting out through his hands. He opened his eyes. His arms were raised and his palms turned outward. The light was so brilliant he could barely see.
“You did it!” he heard Angelina shout. “You did it, Lunar Boy! The shadow’s gone! Now you’re a real member of the Inner Light Club.”
“I am?”
“Yes, forever and ever.”
When they were tucked into bed the next night, Mom went to turn on the night-light. Corey said, “Mom, that’s okay.”
“What, honey?” she said, turning the light on as usual.
“You can turn it off,” he said. “We don’t need it anymore.”
“Are you sure?” Mom looked puzzled.
“Yeah,” Corey said, smiling at his sister. Solar Girl winked at him.
“All right, if you’re positive. Good night, little chickadees.” Mom turned the night-light off again.
“Sweet dreams.” Mama closed the door.
Corey closed his eyes in the dark for a good night’s sleep, knowing he and Angelina were always safe with the Inner Light Club.
