The night sky stretches wide and dark blue. One last rainbow hugs the horizon, its colors soft and thin, about to slip away. Scattered stars float among the clouds, tiny and patient.
Selene tiptoes behind the low cloud and smears red, gold, and violet across her round face. She giggles, painting the cloud in thick bright streaks.
A stripe of orange drips down her chin. She giggles and pokes the wet paint with one fingertip. It squelches. She pokes again.
The last rainbow flickers once at the horizon, then goes. Bare sky. Just the deep blue and a faint silver thread where it used to be.
The scattered stars drift closer, blinking. Selene grabs a wad of soft cloud-fluff and rubs at the paint. She expects it to wipe clean.
It doesn't. The colors spread into a squishy pink smear across her cheeks. She shakes her head fast. It sticks.
Selene peers into the cloud's misty belly. Her jumbled face looks back. She pouts and presses her flat palms against it, trying to smooth the mess.
The stars bob and wait, their tiny lights pulsing. Selene puffs out her cheeks. She thought: it will work this time.
Selene closes her eyes and blows. Pffft. The colors lift off like tiny balloons, drifting up into the dark blue sky. Gone.
She pats her smooth silver face and whispers, 'Oh.' The stars catch the last shimmer on their points, brightening one by one. Selene tilts her head and smiles.