A minute vibration echoed throughout the Lunar Palace.

It was a soft and even rhythm, and even though it was not a particularly beautiful hymn, it was still a very soothing sound to hear.

I later learned that it was similar to the sound of crickets.

When we heard this sound, both my sister and I rushed to the main hall of the Palace, dropping everything we might have been doing.

We came before a large mirror the size of a door, and our reflection upon it warped into that of a completely different person.

A man appeared upon the mirror.

He donned the dress of an ascetic, with long, puffy sleeves, and a tall dark hat made of cloth.

His hair was loose, but not unkempt, and he smiled gently at us.

He bowed. ‘I am honoured to be in the presence of the Lady Goddess of Everconstant Light.’

There was another young man standing some distance behind him, wearing much brighter and eye-catching attire, and he bowed also.

My sister hurriedly returned his obeisance, and I followed in her lead, tipping my ears until they touched the ground. ‘There is no need!’ she said briskly. ‘The Lord God of the Arts of Spheres needs not humble himself before me.’

Yes. This was the God of the Arts of Spheres, or as he was less formally and cryptically known, God of the Arts and Humanities. It wasn't too clear to most gods what his exact responsibilities were, but as he seemed to keep a good eye on human affairs and enjoyed the little things they came up with, that was how they came to call him. Some even called him a literary god.

Unlike all of the other gods of the Court of Heaven, he was a god whose domain of governance lay within the mortal realm, and he himself spent more time among the humans, than he did among his fellow gods.

It was also said that his business often required him to reincarnate into their midst in mortal form, and his appearance had altered wildly with each incarnation that it would be difficult to recognize him without his mature divine aura. I had never met him before this incarnation, however, so it was easy for me to recognize him by the familiar contours of his softly-lined face.

In a certain manner of speaking, he was the Human God.

‘Consider it my gratitude,’ the god said then, lifting his gaze to face us, ‘for all of the support the Lunar Realm had given the Earth.’

My sister smiled. ‘To what occasion do I owe this contact?’

‘I’ve reached out to you for confirmation regarding the following shipment.’

My sister nodded. ‘All is as planned, and the rice cakes will be delivered to you according to schedule.’

The god arched an eyebrow at the mention of rice cakes, but composed himself, and turned to the man behind him.

‘Be prepared so I can go to receive it.’

Discontent flashed through the young man’s face, but he reluctantly bowed, and exited our sight.

There were only us three now.

‘...I must apologize,’ the god bowed again after a small silence, ‘my oath-sworn brother the River God terribly desired to bear witness to your presence, and I could not turn him down beyond compromising him to stand in as an adjutant god.’

‘Say no more’, my sister bade him. ‘I understand your difficulties, Houyi.’

‘I am grateful, Heng’e.’

‘Lord Houyi!’ I cried and leapt from the ground.

‘I see that you have been well, Yutu’, he said and smiled warmly at me. ‘How goes the score?’

‘Dead even!’ I said, and the two gods both laughed. ‘Lord Houyi, please teach me a different game that I can actually win at!’

‘Just don’t teach her chess or cards’, my sister intervened, giggling. ‘It’s a lost cause.’

‘Why! You’ve just forbidden all the best pastimes we have down here!’ The god put a hand on his face in mock distress.

‘I’m sure you’ll be able to think of something.’

After a moment’s consideration, Lord Houyi reached into his long sleeves, and produced three hard, black objects between his fingers.

‘... How about turtle-shells?’ he said tentatively.

—‘Absolutely not!’ my sister interjected, before I could even ask what they were. ‘You will not be teaching her to play dice with the old men!’

‘I’m not teaching her to gamble’, Lord Houyi hastily explained, hands shielding himself apologetically. ‘Only fortune-telling.’

‘...Fortune-telling?’ I repeated curiously. ‘How do I play that?’

Lord Houyi smiled knowingly. ‘With yourself.’

Myself. It was a word I had never associated with play. Only with work, and independence.

Play was different. Play was supposed to be shared.

‘...What about Sister?’ I asked him, glancing aside.

‘You’ve always played with her, so it should be fun to try playing with yourself from time to time’, he replied.

‘I’m not sure about this, Houyi’, my sister said. ‘Maybe it’s too early for her.’

‘She’s grown, Heng’e. You need to give her space to be her own person.’

I was a rabbit though.

I could see that Sister was hesitant about this, but she slowly conceded to his leveled reasoning.

‘Let’s let Yu’er decide.’

They both turned toward me, and I could feel a sudden pressure.

‘...Is it fun?’ I squeaked.

Lord Houyi clapped. ‘You can make it fun! Get good enough at it and you’ll be able to tell whose meat it is you are eating within your dumplings!’

‘We’re vegetarians!’ my sister glared at him, and he shielded himself with his sleeve.

‘... ’Twas only an example.’

I giggled at the comic scene taking place before me, and freely asked, ‘What’s “gamble”, by the way?’

To which they replied in unison: ‘A foolish human notion.’

And then our shared laughter resonated throughout the Lunar Palace.

Together they taught me the basics of shell-throwing.

‘Simply clear your mind and attune your spirit with the energy of the world’, said Lord Houyi.

‘The clearer your mind, the more accurate the results’, added my sister.

As I excused myself to go practice on my own, I peered back at my sister before the mirror.

All her annoyance and anger earlier had melted, and I could only say that she was very delightfully happy.

I looked into the mirror, at the man inside it.

'...What was that about dumplings anyway?'

'...I'm certain everybody will get it in a millenium or two.'

It was he who had made her feel this way.

He had made her this happy, and annoyed and angry and sad. He had given all this range of emotions that I alone could have never gotten out of her.

She thought of him whenever she was on top of the banyan tree, or looking at the black mortar...

...It was always him.

'Why are you talking like a misunderstood tyrant?!'

…She had never shone more brilliantly than she did at this moment.

I looked back at her radiant smile, wondering.

…What does it feel like to be happy like that?

I looked at him again.

…And how does one even begin to feel like that?

Out of the corner of his eye, Lord Houyi appeared to notice my gaze, and he smiled at my direction.

My heart leapt at the surprise, and I ran around the corner and hid myself behind the wall.

I slid to my tail on the floor, and continued listening to the two of them talking cheerfully, myself panting and waiting until I could calm myself down.

What was that? I screamed inside my head.

It was a feeling I had never ever felt before.

My face was hot.

My entire body was hot as it melted against the cool palace floor.

Am I sick? I wondered with dread. But for some reason, I felt like I shouldn’t talk to anybody about it.

It felt bad… but also fun at the same time.

It felt like something I wanted to keep to myself.

I looked down at the white shells my sister had given me.

They had told me that someone skilled could find out the answer to just about anything in the world through these things.

‘Even whose meat it is you’re eating!’

...Maybe I should go practice.