[ WP ] The Moon Goddess turns red with anger ( thus causing a lunar eclipse ) whenever she detects great evil somewhere on Planet Earth .

Can a man do anything more evil than hurting his own family? I sat regretfully alone. I had spent the previous day preparing for this eclipse, laying out a perfect spot with easy visibility of the moon, just minutes away from my home. Why must women always be so disagreeable? My wife had chosen to stay home after I failed to vacuum our living room. The kids, seizing any opportunity to avoid getting up, had chosen to remain at house with their mother. I had gotten angry at the lot of them, but even when I yelled they took no heed of me. I took a sip of my beer with a sigh, and gazed upwards. 
 
 The darkness was approaching quickly as the moon moved into its predetermined position, the earth resting directly between it and the sun. The moon and the sky always felt alive on nights like this; there was an electric energy buzzing through the air. The excitement was compounding as the moon began to take on its new color, shining dully like a ruby in a glass of milk. That's when the man appeared before me. 
 
 He descended in a cloud of smoke that crashed violently into the earth. No dust arose, and there was no mark of his landing on the ground, but the smoke continued to swirl slowly around his feet. His dark hair contrasted his pale face. The rest of his exposed upper body was covered in dark markings. I should've run away then. 
 
 There was no escaping his gaze after he locked onto me. Horrifyingly, his eyes glowed red. The smoke that had been shrouding his lower body pulsed quietly, and then he was upon me. His voice was gravelly and heavy, and he spoke with an unmistakable accent. He unmistakably did not belong here. `` Leave.'' That was the only word he spoke to me. I looked around and realized that I had fallen to the ground when he approached, so I picked myself up and ran as fast as my legs could carry me. 
 
 I headed instinctively in the direction of my home, and as I ran I saw that the moon had completely taken on its bloody hue. I ran at full speed until my lungs could bear the pain no longer. I checked to see if I had been followed, and relief swept through my body in giant, gasping breaths. I collapsed onto my back and rested. 
 
 `` Are you alright?'' The sweet voice pierced the silence of the night, and made me jump. I sat up to see a beautiful young woman dressed all in white across the street from me. She looked nervous, which was fair considering she had just seen a grown man sprint out of nowhere before collapsing in the road. `` Do you need help?'' 
 
 `` I'm fine. I think. Look, if you're walking that way, do n't. There's something dangerous back there.'' The message was genuine, though I said it nervously as I realized how foolish I sounded. 
 
 `` What kind of dangerous? Like, a bomb?'' She eyed me fearfully, as I quickly became the suspect. She seemed to subconsciously take a step back. 
 
 `` No, more like an animal. Either way, looks like it did n't follow me, so I think it will be alright.'' 
 
 There was a hint of relief in her eyes. `` Oh, okay. Well, you seem tired, do you need any help? Do you live around here?'' 
 
 `` Yeah, I live with my family just a couple blocks over. Once I catch my breath, I'll head right over there.'' 
 
 `` You live in this neighborhood? How have we never met before? I'm Lindsey, I live just a few houses down. Want me to walk you home?'' 
 
 Not wanting to be alone, even for the remaining short distance to my house, I nodded agreement. As we walked together she asked me some basic family questions. I told her that they would n't watch the eclipse with me, and she said that was sad. As we talked I realized the moon was still red. Nonchalantly I mentioned that the moon was still red, and a shiver ran up my spine as I recalled the shadowy figure that I had seen merely a few minutes earlier. Lindsey smiled and said that we must be lucky. I agreed. 
 
 As we drew nearer she asked `` Can I come in and meet your family?'' 
 
 I was a little hesitant. How would my wife feel if I just walked in with this random woman? `` Ehh, it's fine. I do n't really think it's a great idea. My wife might think it's weird if I bring another woman into our home.'' 
 
 `` Well, would n't it be weird not to bring me in now? I mean, if you do n't, it's like you're hiding a dark secret. If you do bring me in, everything is on the table, and we have n't done anything, so it will be fine.'' 
 
 Her logic did n't sit well with me, but I strangely did n't feel like arguing it. I must've still been shook from my run in with that thing. So, we walked inside. I saw my family still seated in the exact spots I had left them in. Surprised, I asked, `` Have none of you even gone outside since the eclipse started?'' 
 
 The kids looked up at me sheepishly, nonplussed. My wife tightened her lips and looked away from me. None of them said a thing about Lindsey. `` So this is the kind of family who wo n't even watch a lunar eclipse together? It's so sad,'' Lindsey said. 
 
 `` I agree, it is pretty sad,'' I remember responding. The anger from our argument earlier was starting to boil back up again. `` What, you do n't anything to say to me?'' I looked at my wife angrily, goading a response. She looked at me again and just sighed and shrugged. I can handle angry arguments, but nothing made me more upset than just being brushed off, like I was n't even worth the time to get mad. `` You do n't even have any questions about Lindsey?'' 
 
 His wife looked up, surprised. `` And who the hell is Lindsey?'' 
 
 `` This is Lindsey, right here behind me. Since none of you would, she agreed to watch the eclipse with me, and we had a great time!'' I do n't know why I lied about us watching the eclipse together, but I was just so angry. I had my wife's attention now, but my kids still looked down at their phones. It was almost unbelievable. 
 
 Lindsey spoke from behind me, `` I've never seen a family show so little respect to the patriarch. Does n't this just make your blood boil? I'm getting angry just watching, and I'm not even involved.'' She was right, and that made me even angrier. 
 
 My wife retorted, `` So I leave you alone for a few minutes and you go and meet a new girl? How little do you care about this family?'' When she spoke my kids listened. Why did she have their attention and not me? 
 
 `` Look how the kids listen to your wife. What's going on here? Does this family no longer care about you?'' Lindsey was speaking my heart for me. I was so angry and so jealous of my wife. `` You should n't stand for this. I know i would n't.'' I looked at her for the first time since entering my house, and noticed her smile. `` You are the commander of this family. Show them that.'' 
 
 `` Well, what do you have to say for yourself?'' my wife asked. 
 
 `` Dad?'' One of my sons asked nervously. 
 
 I tore at my hair as red filled my vision. I would stand for this no more. I looked down at my family, ready to roar at them for the respect that they would n't give me. However, when I looked down, my family was no longer. They were shreds of themselves, bloody and disheveled. My hands screamed in agony, and I saw the rest of the blood. It covered my hands and body, blood streaked over me like a gruesome tattoo. I sank to my knees, unsure of what had happened. I heard a woman's laughter fading into the distance, maliciously. It was interrupted by a deep scream of agony, a loud and resounding melancholy. Then, the shadowy figure appeared in front of me again. I was too shocked to be scared or run away, so I sat and embraced my doom as he approached. 
 
 He knelt and hugged me. `` I'm sorry,'' rang his otherworldly voice, deep as the ocean. `` I could n't save them either.'' The tears in his eyes were as genuine as mine. The blood that covered my body started to take on the color of black. I felt a changing in my body. My appearance mirrored that of the being in front of me. As we ascended to my new home, I realized that I was but the latest in a string of victims. As my family lay below, the moon had risen above and returned to white.
