Hopeful Under The Moon

Denis stares at the photo of the soles of Henriette's feet.

Is this part of her skydiving fantasy?

It would help if the words were not blurry.

He enlarges the photo, with his fingers.

But the blurring gets blurrier.

He makes her feet small again.

Nice feet she has, at least from this angle.

Well, he can't reply now. In the morning he'll ask Gaius's opinion.

He gets down from the box and lies on the floor boards.

What time is it?

He should have a blanket.

Captain Baudin said no blankets, but that box might contain something. 

He stands up. Opens the box. Inside are some curtains.

Who would need curtains in a lighthouse?

Ne fait rien. He will use the curtains. 

He lifts out the curtains. A few moths fly out, and flutter up the staircase.

He wraps himslf in the curtains and lies down again on the floor.

It's fine until he tries rolling over.

A row of curtain hooks jags his left side.

Curses. He unwinds himself from the curtains.

He supposes he will have to remove the curtain hooks, if he wants to sleep wrapped in the curtains.

Each curtain hook is hooked though a perforated tape, with a drawstring through the top and the bottom.

The hooks have gone rusty, and don't come out easily.

This might take all night.

Should he wake Gaius?

He hears footsteps.

Perhaps Gaius is coming downstairs, for a glass of water.

But no, it's Terence.

Terence, says Denis, will you help me get these hooks out of these curtains?

Okay, says Terence. Guess what? Ageless is asleep with his eyes open.

Is he? says Denis.

And my torch died, says Terence.

It wasn't your torch, says Denis.

So I had to stop flashing my message, says Terence.

That would have pleased Ageless, says Denis.

Why? asks Terence.

If his eyes were open, says Denis.

Terence wiggles a curtain  hook.

And there were moths on the window, says Terence.

They came out of these curtains, says Denis. 

They must not have liked the hooks, says Terence.

It's me who doesn't like them, says Denis. 

He grasps a hook and tries to extract it.

So far not one has come out.

Upstairs, Gaius is dreaming he has been forced to sleep in a barrel.

Above him, Ageless is asleep with his eyes open.

While the moths on the window gaze hopefully at the moon.