[38th Creative Inspiration for Three Topics] The Night-Selling Stall. The Crescent Moon Key. The Dragon Who Forgot Its Name | Short-Short

Title: The Night Holding a Crescent Moon Key

A stall selling the night appears at the edge of town.

There are no signs or price tags.
Only a sweet scent drifts in the air.

Like cotton candy,
like freshly baked bread,
but with the scent of slightly burnt stars.

The owner of the stall is a dragon who forgot its name.

Even though it should be huge,
it is now the size of a human,
wearing an apron, and portioning out the night.

“Welcome. What kind of night do you want today?”

I think for a moment.

A night where I can't sleep.
A night where it's okay to cry.
A night where I can meet someone.

“Please, give me a night where I pass.”

Today was an audition.

The results aren't out yet, but
something is trembling inside my chest.

The dragon chuckles.

“I can sell you the night, but I can't sell you the future.”

Saying that,
it handed me a small bottle.

Inside was a crescent moon key.

It is glowing faintly.

“What is this?”

“A key to open the anxiety you've locked away.
Conversely, it can also be a key to shut out unnecessary voices.”

The dragon narrows its eyes slightly.

“In exchange for forgetting my name,
I only remember the scents.
The night you truly want has a sweet scent.”

I grip the key.

The restlessness deep in my chest
calms down just a little.

When I look back at the stall,
the dragon is already gone.

Only the sweet scent remains.

In my pocket,
the crescent moon key chimes faintly.

I still don't know the results.

But tonight,
I think I can sleep properly.

Because perhaps, even if you don't buy the night,
you can light it yourself.

The End

*I participated in the following project*

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Thank you for reading until the end😊Suzu