Stories from The Moon / Cuentos de la Luna

Last summer before Hazel left we went to the forest near my place. She brought Marco and Lu and I brought Kai with me. Two humans and three dogs venturing into the forest. When Hazel speaks I forget how young she is. But then again, I often forget that I am not old myself. The thing is, I don’t remember feeling young. I was given a different name when I was born. Marissa. In the forest I feel like the woman bearing that name. The first one. The one that only a few relatives remember. I wonder if I’d gotten it wrong all along. Trying to be my second name when maybe this isn’t who I am. Maybe a couple of months wearing the right name and then having it switched, misconnected the branches of fate. Maybe this is why I can’t sleep. I’m trying to be found but this wrong name makes it impossible. What life have I been living? Is this the life of the second name? Walking in this forest, am I going back to the life my first name had envisioned for me? Is this why I feel like I’m living parallel lives? From here, zigzagging in a red rope among the trees, I can see all the “what if’s” and the decisions this name took. We let our dogs wander free. We stay behind keeping a watchful eye. Most times, Kai walks behind me. He is my fluffy shadow.