The Red Moon

Episode 1

The worst thing that can ever happen to you is to believe that the world has come to an end, yet you ain’t raptured. Only then will you remember your bad deeds and beg for forgiveness, unfortunately, it would be too late. This very experience escalated in Gezos town and that very part of the geographical area of the earth.

At about seven o’clock in the evening, an unusual moon rouse from the east having a red color that did not only paint the town red but also set it in a big catastrophe. It was a full red moon. People started running helter and skelter believing that the world has come to an end. Many parked their cars while some took on their heels to their homes, some even ran into a nearby church for quick salvation.

Michael, a young guy could be seen running on the busy road as if pursued by the moon itself. In the process, hit down a man who’s eyes were fixed up in the sky.
“Who the f–k are you?” the man shrieked from the floor.

“My bad!” Michael apologized.
“You are an a—–e!”
“A—–e? That’s very bad for you to say on a rapturous moment like this” he took on his heels again.

“Oh dear God, forgive me” the man said rubbing his hands and looking into the sky pitifully. “It wasn’t my intention to say it, it was because of that a-s.. sorry, I mean f—–g.. sorry, I mean nice boy. He tempted me. Please, forgive all my sins, Lord” he knelt down.

Michael ran into their house. It was a storey building without a fence neither was it large. As he ran up the staircase, he kept shouting, “Dad! Dad!!”. Nobody responded to him until he got to the sitting room to see the television broadcasting with nobody watching it. He hurried to his twin sisters’ room, opened it forcefully to find them sleeping. Both wore white pyjamas having the same height and fair body complexion. They took over from their late mother, the open teeth found in their mouth was enough evidence with little biological variation. They were yet to celebrate their twentieth birthday.
“Vera! Dera!” Michael called on them before they woke up. “Don’t you know what’s happening?”
“What?” Vera, the smart and strong one asked.

“Look” Micheal hurriedly opened the window curtains and the red ray of the moonlight shone directly inside the room.
“Jesus!” Dera exclaimed. She was the weak one with fragile heart. Any little thing get her shedding tears.

Nevertheless, the twins ran towards the window to behold the moon in its glory and beauty. They also saw people running around like hell fire awaits them.

“What’s happening, Mike?” Vera turned to their brother.

“I don’t know. Like the world has come to an end”
“What!?”
“I’m not sure!” Michael stressed. Before they knew it, Dera began to cry silently then both fixed their eyes on her.
“Dera, what’s your own problem?” the sister asked her.

“Can’t you see rapture has taken place and we are not raptured. Please, I want to go to heaven” she replied in tears.
“Where is Dad?” Michael ignored her moving outside the room while they followed him. They begged into the father’s room, yet didn’t see him.
“I guess he’s not yet back” Vera suggested.

“Dad has been raptured” Dera added.
“I don’t believe rapture has taken place”
“How then do you explain the red moon and the disappearance of our father?”
“Let’s call his cell phone” Michael suggested thereby ending the argument between both sisters. Before he could put the call through, they heard footsteps from the staircase watching and waiting to know who comes out from there. Little did Mr Nelson, their father, came in wearing a police uniform. He has an average height, dark complexion and plumpy body. He was one of the top ranking police officer in town with three stars boldly shown on the shoulder of his shirt.

“Dad!” Dera rushed and embraced him while Vera and Michael watched them. “I thought you have been raptured” she added.
“Raptured?” the father repeated walking to the center of the sitting room. “Do you all think that rapture has taken place?”
“I never believed it” Vera objected immediately.

Mr Nelson looked at Dera. “If actually rapture has taken place, you shouldn’t be happy seeing me here, that means I missed heaven”

“It’s better that way” Dera folded her arms with a trace of smile on her face.
“Really? Why?”
“Why would you go to heaven leaving us, your children, behind?”
“Because I’m a man without sin”
“I disagree, Dad, for all has sin and come short of the glory of God”
“Then nobody will enter the kingdom of God!”

“No, coz salvation is by faith not by righteousness”
“Dad!!” Michael interrupted coz if he should leave both of them, they would argue till thy kingdom come. “What’s happening?” he asked spreading his hands.

All took a seat as Mr Nelson began to explain taking a seat at the same time too. “It’s the red moon not the end of the world” he began. “Meteorologists are yet to find out the reason for it. It is believed by some religions that the moon has the blood of those whom their souls aren’t at rest seeking for vengeance. Those murdered in cold blood…”
“Then it should be called blood moon!” Michael interrupted again.
“You can call it anything you like, Mike” the father retorted and began to tap his foot. The sound circulated the room if listened carefully. He had no knowledge or full explanation about the moon but tried to explain to the best of his knowledge. Vera understood that from his foot that tapped continuously on the floor, therefore, she stood up to the window as all watched her. After taking another glance at the moon, she turned.

“Dad, you’re not sure of your explanation” she said.

The father became disappointed. “Yes, I’m not sure, Vera” he adjusted in his seat. “You all must be careful from now on coz nobody knows the outcome of this strange moon” he added.

Dera left her seat to her father and sat very close to him. Her hands engulfed his waist while her head rested on his chest. “Dad, I’m scared” her voice came like that of a p**sycat.

The father patted her back. “So am I, Dera. But never to worry, everything gonna be fine” he concluded.

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Days passed, yet the red moon never disappeared. There was no sun or rain neither were there day and night, all they could see and experience was the red moonlight. At this point, meteorologists weren’t focusing on the cause of the red moon but began to look for a way to eliminate it.

Michael had his cell phone on the ear as he climbed down the staircase found in their house. He was on call with Nelly, his girlfriend. “..if I have the power to take this moon off the sky, I would have done that since” he said on the phone.
“Then you gonna be the world hero” Nelly replied amusingly.

“I wish I have the power to change the world entirely for good”
“Do you want to be like God?”
Michael didn’t answer that question due to what he saw at the doorstep after opening the door to go outside. He stared at the very strange book with a thick black cover and a caption on it that says: ‘Death Note’
“Hello, Mike, are you there?” Nelly grew worried on the phone.
“I’ll call you back later, Nelly” Michael hung up the call, looked around before picking up the book. Immediately it rested in his hands, the red moon began to disappear. Only then did he realise that he picked a powerful book that connected with the moon. Therefore he hid it under his shirt then ran inside without knowing that Vera, his sister, saw him from upstairs through a window..