When the Moon Was Ours

Best friends Miel and Sam are outsiders. Miel is “a dark eyed girl,” while Sam is “a boy whose family [has] come from somewhere else” (2). Their townspeople know them as Honey and Moon, and they tell a story of an old water tower where Miel was found. The old water tower was rusty and dangerous, so the people prepared the area and pulled it down to build a new one. They were astonished when a girl tumbled out of the old tower with no memory of how she had gotten there. No one had ever seen her before, and the crowd was afraid to approach her until a boy named Moon comforted her, took her hand, and calmed her down. From that day forward, the townspeople say, the hem of Miel’s skirts was always damp. The story leaves out a few details—the way Miel screamed as the townspeople stood watching, and screamed louder when one of the four Bonner sisters, Peyton, took a step toward her and held out the pumpkin she was holding. Only Sam could hear the words she was screaming: “I lost the moon” (5). Miel went home with Sam, and soon their neighbor