Bayede is a goddess and full moon, pink in colour because that was the colour of the ocean beneath them. This moon was afraid of light but was born in a realm where moons are carried and surrounded by star dust, which was shiny and bright and always surrounded them. The star dust always made her uncomfortable but it was always there because it needed to be.

Her heart was made up of the sun and she had no eyes to see. The Gods of the galaxies believed that the beauty of their realm is one you do not need eyes to see but one that needed you to open up your heart for.

It was her life’s mission to experience the world and finite existences to their fullest. This included flying around the galaxy, meeting different stars and moons. She made sure to always do this since she was only a guest in the realm of galaxies and was to be sent to the realm of the infinite which was made up of wind and water by the guardians of their realm. This is what every moon had to go through.

Her time in the galaxies was running out and she was afraid of opening up the sun, which is what she had for a heart because she was afraid that it would blind others. Little did she know that hiding her light was what was making her time in this realm less beautiful.

Mkhathini and Skhathi, who are the guardians that were trusted with Bayede had to teach her how to see so that the star dust can carry her to the realm of wind and water, Ekukhathazekeni. Here, moons experience grief, fall in love, lose themselves, fail and try again until such time that their turn is over.

“Bayede, first you need to learn to blink so that your heart can open and close. It is good for it to open but you also need to teach it to close so that it can live longer,” said Mkhathini.

“But how will I know that it’s time for it to close?”

Skhathi talked to Bayede’s sun and said, “You never do, this is why you need to learn to blink. After you learn how to blink, you will be able to let your heart sleep for hours and awaken when you need it to. Abundance will lead and show you.”

“I do not know abundance. Could you teach me that too?”

“You do not need to learn it. It is something that will find its way to you. Bayede, open your eyes slowly so you can learn how to blink and you can be ready for the living Ekukhathazekeni,” Skhathi said.

A ray of light hit Skhathi and Mkhathini on their hearts as Bayede opened her eyes. She could feel that things around her began to shift because she was opening her heart, this frightened her because it’s something she’s never felt before. So she quickly closed her heart and wept the comforting warmth of the sun.

“You have it in you to share your light with others, Bayede. You need to try again even with the fear that you have. This is a lesson that you need to take with you when you are going to the realm of wind and water because you will have to start again and fail as many times as it is required of you.” Mkhathini said.

Bayede has always been afraid of failure, to the point where she wouldn’t even just try. This is what each of the moons needed to understand during their time here. That there will always be attempts to fly, learn and try and just as mush as those possibilities exists, so does failure.

Bayede decided that opening her eyes is not something that is comfortable for her to do and because she hated the discomfort, she begged the guardians to take away her heart at once so that she doesn’t feel anything or share her light in any way.

The guardians told her that everything happening is to prepare her to what lies ahead and that it’s not in vain; her discomfort and fears.

It is now time for the season of goodness to come to an end. Every moon has gathered their hearts to open them up for lessons. Now, Bayede felt the pressure to choose trying over the fear of failure.

Bayede remembered that all of her upbringing, the guardians had told her always that she needs to be brave. In this moment, she realised that the least that she had to do is try and the worst that could happen is that the life that surrounds her in the galaxy will be surrounded by the warmth of her heart so she dared herself to do the worst.

Rains of goodness, mercy and beauty poured the hardest than they ever have because the Gods were pleased that one of their own was brave in their finite life.

A hundred years into Ekukhathazekeni, Bayede continues to use discomfort as a means to grow. She uses her light to create warmth around her that she shares with others gracefully as it comes from a place of abundance.

Though she has no memory in her finite mind of being in the galaxy and being carried by star dust, it somehow lives in the memory of her heart.

Pula.