Crumpling, tearing—the sounds echo through the night as Leon discards yet another piece of paper. It's cold, and clouds hide his beloved behind their faint, shifting veils. He should thank them, since they preserve her beauty from being consumed by Leon’s avid gaze. But he longs to see her, and oh, how madly in love he is.
He takes a step forward, and the oak flooring of the balcony creaks softly under his shoes. Leon rests his arms on the railing and looks up into the veiled sky. The stars shine brighter than ever, and the constellations can be seen in all of their splendor, but Leon has eyes only for one, fair lady.
Finally, the clouds move just right, and he gets to see her. She's so big, so bright; Leon swears he can see eyes in her craters, and a smile in the rays that cross her body. He smiles back and reaches his hands out towards her, as if she can grab them and bring him with her.
Hundreds of sketches lie scattered on the floor with little to no regard, and a gust of wind soon blows them across the balcony like restless autumn leaves. But even their graceful dance fails to draw Leon’s attention away from the sight that holds him spellbound—his beloved, cloaked in a silver gown, invites him to join her in a waltz.
As his drawings, each depicting a different angle and phase of the moon, flutter down to the balcony below, Leon erupts in a waltz, lovingly holding the ghost of his woman. Countless days and nights have been devoted to capturing her beauty, his efforts alternating between feverish scribbling and gazing into the night sky. All go down the drain in one, windy night.
The observatory is one of the highest buildings in town, and it reigns over houses and shops like a king on his throne. Leon can't help but feel a hint of amusement as he imagines the passerby as they discover his papers on the ground below. After all, they are just creations of the mind of a madman in love with the moon. Nothing more than that can cross people's simple minds.
Only one person can understand, but Leon is glad he isn't there. He'd distract him from looking at his beloved with his incessant rumbling. It isn't like that man can't enter the observatory at any time he wants; he has the keys—and Leon hopes he will pay him a visit in the morning so that he can taste his delicious cooking for breakfast.
Some people call him crazy, others say his love can only be translated into unhealthy obsession. But if a feeling this beautiful has only one name, and it is "obsession", Leon is more than glad to be obsessed with the moon. And so, as the night wears on and the stars twinkle overhead, Leon remains on his balcony, content to lose himself to that same madness everyone around him despises.
After filling his eyes with her glow, he decides to observe the moon through his telescope. He studies her body like the work of art she is, and writes down any change down to the smallest detail. He suddenly shivers from the cold, as he's wearing a cotton shirt too thin for a night in the middle of autumn.
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