Genovesa Island
When the night falls...
Our experience today in the Galapagos was unforgettable! Not only because we spent our day anchored in one of the most pristine islands of this beautiful archipelago, Genovesa Island, but because tonight we witnessed a natural phenomenon of unique characteristics, a moon eclipse!
Right after our “Total Moon Eclipse BBQ” on the teak deck of the ship we rushed to the sky deck. The earth was just starting to project its shadow over the moon, promising a great show. Throughout the phases of the eclipse, I could hear some of the commentaries of our guests and crew who had joined us. One of them was remembering how naive we were when, as kids, our parents told us that the moon was made out of cheese. I started to stare at the moon with a smile in my face, when all of a sudden I remembered that I was told something different.
When I was little, (not too long ago, by the way!) my family and I used to spend our summer time on my father’s farm, in the countryside of Ecuador. I usually spent most of my time playing and swimming in the river with my brothers and friends. When the night was coming, my mother used to rush us to our beds, but that was the last thing I wanted to do. I wanted to stay outside just to stare at the moon!
One day, while sitting at the front door of the farm, one of the farm workers told me something that would change the way I’d look at the moon forever. He rushed me into the house and told me to go to sleep before the moon came and took me with it. My mouth fell wide open! Despite my obvious reaction, he continued to talk. He asked me to look carefully at the shadows of the moon. - Can you see a man holding an axe in it? - He said. To my astonishment, I saw it! It was as clear as the man standing next to me was. I was speechless, but I nodded affirmatively. Then he continued the story. It was a long time ago when a hard working man used to live around this land- he said. - His business was lumbering. He always carried the axe that his father had given him when he had bought his first acre of land. He lived with his wife and loved to work at night accompanied by the moonlight. One day, his wife got unexplainably sick. Many doctors came to see her but no one could detect the origin of her illness. The man was devastated but worked more than ever not to think about his wife’s affliction. He usually cried by the river with the moon shining on its crystal clear waters. One day the moon heard his lament. It decided to come down in the shape of a beautiful woman. “I know the reason of your pain”, she said to the man. “I can cure your wife but I need something in exchange. I will cure your wife, and shortly after she will get pregnant! She’d be carrying my baby, and you both would take care of it until I come back to take it with me”.
Shortly after his wife recovered she got pregnant, and for four years they took care of a baby with white skin as the moon itself and golden curly hair. They were so in love with such a beautiful baby that they decided not to give it to the moon. One day while the man was working by the river the moon appeared. “Tonight is full moon. I will come down to get my baby”, she said. The man rushed to the house and warned his wife. They decided to take the baby to the woods and the wife would hide with the baby for as long as she needed.
That night the moon came with its golden apparels to the man’s house and found him holding his father’s axe cutting some lumber. “The baby is gone, take me instead”, he said. The moon shined as brilliant as ever and embraced him. “I will take you until I find my baby and I will look for it every time the shadows cover my whiteness”. Since then the shape of the man appears clearer during full moon and the moon itself would come down every time there is an eclipse to look for its baby.
I know that we were not the only people to see today’s eclipse, in fact, I know that a lot of people in other places of the world were able to enjoy such an incredible event. But what makes it special for me is that it reminded me of my childhood. We are not going to have another eclipse for a very long time, but our childhood memories will always be with us. You don’t really need an eclipse for them to come out, just let them come to you when the night falls...
