It was two-thirty am and she couldn't sleep. The trees bobbed back and forth as if they were drunk, and the cool summer wind rammed itself into the windows, shuttering the whole house. The moon was being curious and peeping through the branches, its light spilling into the room like pancake batter. A beam of light hit the girl in the face, but she did not move. She stared right back at the moon, challenging it.

(Girl) I'm going to bed.

The moon spoke back to her.

(Moon) You and I both know that isn't true. Come outsiiiide.

She grunted.

(Girl) No.
(Moon) Yes.
(Girl) No.
(Moon) ...Yes.
(Girl) What is there even to do?

The moon looked at her knowingly.

(Moon) What isn't there to do? Come on! We're bored.

The girl sighed audibly and slipped out of bed, immediately missing the warmth of her covers.  She scoped her room, looking for something.

(Girl) I can't find it.
(Moon) You suck. Look harder.
(Girl) Gee, thanks.

She looked again. The moon's beam shifted and illuminated the desired object. The girl picked up the industrial flashlight and groaned.

(Girl) We're really doing this, aren't we?
(Moon) I'm not forcing you. You want to do this. You've been planning for this  all summer, haven't you?
(Girl) Yeah. But-
(Moon) So what's the harm then?
(Girl) Why are you so interested in what I do?
(Moon) ‘Cause I’m bored.
(Girl) So me getting a milkshake from the town's diner makes you unbored?
(Moon) Totally!
(Girl) Fine.

She rummaged for some money and stuffed it into her pocket. She turned on the flashlight and tiptoed downstairs, then made her way out onto the porch. She took the key from under the welcome mat (one day they would get robbed, she just knew it) and locked up, then slipped it into the other pocket of her pajama bottoms. The cool breeze playfully rammed itself into her face, happy to have a new surface to charge at. The trees bobbed joyously, dancing to their own drunken beat, and the bugs hummed to life, like a car being turned on.

(Moon) Everyone's so happy to see you.
(Girl) Yeah yeah yeah, where's my bike.
(Moon) Where you left it.

The moon shown its light on the bike that lay limply in the grass.

(Girl) Thanks.

She walked over, her bare feet crunching against the grass. Small ants climbed onto her feet and tickled her toes.

(Ants) Can we come? Oh, can we come?
(Girl) Gah, gross.

She propped the bike up and placed the flashlight into the front basket. She walked the bike over onto the road and sat on the worn seat. The moon peered from the starry sky.

(Moon) Ready?
(Girl) To sneak out in the middle of the night for a beverage, only to be  grounded later? Sure.
(Moon) We'll have so much fun!
(Girl) Says you.
(Moon) And you. You're already pedaling.

And she was, though she hadn't really noticed.

(Girl) So I am.
(Moon) So you are. Hey! Do you think it'll rain tomorrow?
(Girl) The forecast says so, but I call bullshit. Clouds aren't thick enough. Why  do you ask?
(Moon) No real reason. It's awfully pretty out tonight.

The girl looked up at the clear sky, and at the stars which twinkled through the tree branches. The trees themselves hovered protectively above her, creating a tunnel along the stretch of road. Over the roar of the wind which whistled past her ears, she could hear the crickets and cicadas buzzing rhythmically, in the hopes of finding a mate or just for the heck of it.

(Girl) You're right.
(Moon) Are we almost there?
(Girl) It's been three minutes.
(Moon) Oh.

She laughed to herself, then pedaled harder. Despite having no map and her only light sources being the flashlight and the moon's soft glow, she knew where to turn when it came to forks in the road. She used her instinct, and with little effort she wound up in the diner's empty parking lot. The lights were still on inside, casting a warm golden glow.

(Girl) We're here.
(Moon) Let's go get that milkshake!

She leaned her bike against the brick, then trailed inside. The woman behind the counter squinted at her, surprised to see another living soul.
"Hello, can I help you?"
"One milkshake please."
"Sarah, what are you doing here? It's…” she craned her neck to check the clock. “Three am. Do your parents know you're here?"
"No, and can we keep it that way?" The owner couldn't help but chuckle.
"You do know I'm going to have to tell them."
"Alright, that's fair. Extra whip cream please." She sat down at the bar and pretended to play with the sugars.
"So, how's your summer been treating you?"
"Pretty good, I guess."
"Excited for senior year?"
"I guess." Her milkshake was ready, and she took a long first sip. She sat and sipped for a while, enjoying the comfortable quiet and the richness of her shake. She found herself peering out one of the windows, and saw that the moon was making a funny face at her. She laughed so hard that milkshake shot out of her nose.
"Goodness! What tickled your funny bone?" The woman laughed herself and got a rag to clean up the mess.
"The moon made a funny face at me, is all."
"The moon what?" She stopped wiping to look at her.
"Yeah, can't you see?" The girl pointed outside. The moon looked at her, gravely embarrassed.
"They're embarrassed now, how typical." The woman looked at her, worry written across her face.
"Sarah... I want you to listen to me honey. I think having sugar this late isn't doing you any good."
"What do you mean? The shake is delicious, thank you."
"Okay dear." The woman watched as she finished her drink. When she was done she dug around her pocket and slapped the cash onto the counter.
"Here, hope that covers it. Thanks again." She slid off the bar stool and padded back outside. The owner couldn't help but mutter to herself.
(Moon) How was the milkshake?
(Girl) Really good, until I snorted it out. Thanks for that by the way. And there  was no need for you to be embarrassed, it was my milky snot that sprayed  across  the table.
(Moon) Yeah, about that... I wasn't embarrassed for myself. I was embarrassed  for you.
(Girl) Fair enough, it was pretty horrendous.
(Moon) It wasn't that.
(Girl) Oh? Then what was it.

She got on her bike and began to pedal.

(Moon) Let's go to the beach. I'll explain there.
(Girl) I should be heading home.
(Moon) This is important.
(Girl) More important than my warm, welcoming bed?
(Moon) Totally.
(Girl) Fine.

She pedaled her way to the nearby beach. Upon arriving there, her nose picked up the oceanic scent. The crashing waves rang in her ears.

(Girl) Good job on the waves.
(Moon) Thank you, thank you.

She sniffed the air, concentrating this time.

(Girl) Lobster season?
(Moon) Sure is.

She got off her bike and walked towards the shore. The moon hung above the water, facing directly towards her.

(Girl) So you were going to tell me something?
(Moon) Yeah. Listen, that nice lady, who gave you the milkshake, can't do what  you do.
(Girl) Which is what?
(Moon) See me the way you do. Talk to me the way you do. I'm just a big  floating boulder to her, and to everyone else.
(Girl) I don't understand, they can't see you?
(Moon) Not like you can, no. You're special.
(Girl) You're joking right.
(Moon) Not really.
(Girl) What else can't they do?
(Moon) I'd phrase that differently, y'know.
(Girl) What do you mean?
(Moon) It's more like... What else can you do. Because, well, you're the only one  who can do these sorts of things.
(Girl) What sort of things?

She was alarmed at what she was hearing.

(Moon) Remember earlier how I asked if you thought it would rain tomorrow?
(Girl) Of course, I said no.
(Moon) Well for one thing, normal people can't predict the weather like you do.
(Girl) So? I was just making a prediction. Doesn't mean it was right-
(Moon) Except it was. The clouds aren't thick enough, and they won't be until  next Tuesday.
(Girl) Wrong. Next Monday.
(Moon) Do you hear yourself.
(Girl) ...Okay fine you got me there. But what's the point of you telling me this?
(Moon) The way the trees seemed to protect you on the way to the diner, the  fact that you knew it was lobster season just by smell?
(Girl) You're losing me here. Spit it out already-
(Moon) You're Mother Nature.

The waves crashed in agreement. She stood there frozen.

(Girl) You’re funny.
(Moon) I’m being serious Sarah.
(Girl) I'm not Mother Nature, it's impossible. I'm a teenage girl, on earth, down  here and not up there-
(Moon) Who said Mother Nature had to be upstairs?
(Girl) Fine, but it still doesn't make any sense.
(Moon) It doesn't have to, and it shouldn't. Overcomplicating it will do no good.
(Girl) Overcomplicating? You're telling me I'm responsible for all the plants and  animals that inhabit earth! That's complicated enough!
(Moon) Okay, you got me there. But you got to believe me. There isn't much  time left.
(Girl) What are you talking about, 'there isn't much time left?'
(Moon) Before our current mother dies, and so do we.
(Girl) Dies?
(Moon) Yes. And you're her replacement. You were chosen since you were small.  You have to take her place
(Girl) And what if I don't?
(Moon) If she dies, before you step in, all things connected to nature will wither  away and cease to exist. Earth will be no longer. The universe will be no longer.

The words were beginning to sink in. She could feel a headache coming on.

(Girl) This is why you wanted me outside. It wasn't the milkshake, it was to  save you.
(Moon) Guilty.
(Girl) Don't be. I'm glad you were able to persuade me.
(Moon) Me too. So you believe me?
(Girl) I believe you.
(Moon) Good.
(Girl) So what happens? I just take her place?
(Moon) You already have.
(Mother Nature) What?
(Moon) Yep, the deed is done. All you had to do was believe.
(Mother Nature) Can I ask you something?
(Moon) Sure.
(Mother Nature) Who was the previous mother?

The moon looked at her with a sorrowful expression.

(Moon) I lied before. You weren't chosen at random. It has to do with the  bloodline.

Her heart sank. The waves crashed violently against one another.

(Moon) She was my mother as well as yours.

The wind picked up and kicked at the sand. She ran for her bike and hurried home. The trees rattled uneasily overhead, and the animals were getting jumpy. When she turned into the driveway, she dismounted her bike and sped towards the door. After an agonizing five seconds that it took for her to get inside, she flew up the stairs and went to look for her mother. The moon shone in from the window, pain written on its face.

She slowly crept into her parent's room, and stood by her mother's side of the bed. She pulled back the covers carefully and saw that it was true.
"Don't worry mother," she said in between tears. "I'll take good care of what you started. I promise you."