Claro (Part 1)

He was born during a solar eclipse, the light of the noonday sun obscured by the moon's shadow for a total of two fleeting minutes. His mother, eight months pregnant, was at the town market, in front of a fruit stall, happily sampling a ripe plum that the vendor has given to her for free. Even though she was way past that period when pregnant women have weird, uncontrollable cravings for certain food, Dona Placida had an inexplicable craving for plums that she left her husband at their dining table, halfway through lunch. Don Jubilo, his spoon hanging in mid-air, was dumbfounded with his wife leaving the table in haste, muttering about how she needed to eat a plum at that exact moment. He shook his head and thought: "What a weird woman" and then continued to eat. Don Jubilo's and Dona Placida's house was situated at the center of the town; the market is just a good ten-minute walk from their two-storey stone house.

Eclipses happen only once or twice a year. The sun and the moon are parallel bodies that, theoretically, will never meet. They are separated by millions of light years, each with a different orbit but nonetheless, connected to each other - moonlight came from the sun. The moon has always wanted to be close to the sun; to experience the sun's magnificent light wash over its dull body; to feel the sun's delicious warmth envelope its cold, rocky surface. The closest that the moon can get to it is when it passes between the sun and the earth.

As Dona Placida bit into her plum, the moon's wish to be close to the sun was granted. Dona Placida stood there, mesmerized by the sudden nightfall in the middle of a hot, summer day. She forgot all about the plum. She didn't even notice that her waters broke. She was hypnotized and time stood still; nothing was of importance to her other than the seeming union of the moon and the sun. No one can peel their eyes off the moon, now bathed in a golden halo that was almost blinding. Gradually, the moon moved on and the light from the sun was slowly spreading over the little town. But, Placida was still caught up in her reverie.   

She was propelled back to reality when she felt a tiny hand holding the small finger of her left hand. She realized that she was sitting on the pavement, cradling an infant - her newborn son - the tiny creature, indeed, holding on to her small finger, his umbilical cord still connected to her womb. He was so small, painfully small. He arrived earlier than expected, a month before he was due. His skin glowed like the moon's golden halo. His mouth began to open and he began to swallow mouthfuls of air without making a sound. His eyes started to open and he met his mother's curious, brown eyes gazing at him. He recognized her at once and managed to give her a small smile. He didn't cry at all, unlike all other newborns. It was Dona Placida who actually cried out of joy. She believed that what she was cradling in her arms was a child blessed by the sun and the moon. Claro, my Claro, she murmured to him. Claro raised his small hand and touched her mama's face in response.