Summary
“The Distance of the Moon” is the first in a book of short stories by Italian writer Italo Calvino. Calvino’s stories often employ fantasy elements and magical realism, but within these magical and fantastical worlds, he includes references to contemporary life that break from traditional fantasy elements. He further explores unusual narrative structures in his stories, and readers see many of these characteristics in "The Distance of the Moon."
“The Distance of the Moon” begins by explaining that Sir George H. Darwin claimed the Moon used to be much closer to Earth than it is now. The narrator, Qfwfq, remembers this time. He explains that the Moon looked huge, as though it could crush Earth at any moment, and adds that the two celestial bodies were constantly eclipsing each other, making the tides much more volatile.
He then remembers rowing out with others in a boat to climb onto the Moon, recalling that the Moon once lay just over the ocean. He explains that while rowing, they would hold up a ladder with one person standing on top. That person would reach up and grab a rock from the Moon, then “summersault” themselves onto the Moon’s surface, which had just enough gravity to hold them there. Qfwfq’s deaf cousin, “the Deaf One,” was especially good at this maneuver. To descend to Earth, they would have to jump as high as possible while another in the boat grabbed them and pulled them back in.
Qfwfq explains that they went to the Moon to gather a thick, milky, cheesy substance that collected under the Moon’s scaley rocks. Comprised of assorted terrestrial refuse, including food items, sea creatures, and garbage, the substance floated up to the Moon where it would ferment into a cheese. With giant spoons, Qfwfq and his peers would collect and catapult the cheese back to Earth. The Deaf One was also skilled at this; he could catapult his cheese directly into waiting buckets in the boat. He could also more easily locate areas on the Moon with cheese than the rest of the group, and he took great joy in this. There were also areas of the Moon made of clay; once, they almost lost Qfwfq’s cousin as she ran to play there.
On special nights, the captain of the boat's wife, Mrs. Vhd Vhd, would come and play the harp. She played so sweetly, Qfwfq explains, it was painful. Qfwfq remembers one night in particular when he watched jellyfish and other small creatures rise from of the sea and float into the Moon’s atmosphere. Xlthlx, a small girl that sometimes came with them, jumped to catch some, but she was so light that she got stuck floating between Earth and the Moon. She began to eat some of the creatures around her, and as she gained weight, she began floating down to Earth. Sea life clung to her as she fell; for weeks afterward, they found bits of sea life lingering on her body.
Sometimes, even after coming down to Earth, the Moon would try to pull Qfwfq back up, and he would have to grab onto anything around him for purchase, which, once, included Mrs. Vhd Vhd’s breasts. A moment that led him to begin to fall in love with her. However, it was clear that she had feelings for the Deaf One; when they would pull him back into the boat from the Moon, she would try to position herself to touch or catch him. The Deaf One seemed unaware of her advances, but she became jealous of his relationship with the Moon, and Qfwfq was...
(This entire section contains 1014 words.)
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jealous of his cousin.
Qfwfq remembers that one night, he opted to stay in the boat with Mrs. Vhd Vhd, but she decided she wanted to go up to the Moon with the Deaf One. The captain agreed, as he wanted to be rid of his wife. Qfwfq supposes she planned to run away with the Deaf One for a month, hiding on the Moon with him. However, when she arrived on the surface, she could not find him, despite her efforts to look for him. Qfwfq explains that this night was strange for other reasons. The tide was flatter than usual, and the Moon shone less brightly. Eventually, those on the surface realized the Moon was pulling away from Earth. The Deaf One appeared and somersaulted his way back to Earth. The other sailors still on the Moon had to cling together to form a heavier mass before Earth’s gravity would take them. Mrs. Vhd Vhd, however, was still trapped on the Moon.
Qfwfq climbed the ladder and jumped to reach her, and they embraced to try to make themselves heavier. However, the Moon had already pulled too far away, so they fell back to the Moon. He remembers they had to spend a month there until the Moon passed over their home next. While he thought he would be excited to spend a month with Mrs. Vhd Vhd, he recalls that he only felt a longing to be back on Earth. Meanwhile, she became a shell of herself, wandering the Moon’s surface, playing her harp, and singing sad songs.
After a month, the Moon appeared back over their home. Qfwfq was dismayed at how far away the Moon had gotten from Earth, but boats came with a long pole. The Deaf One was in control of the pole, and Qfwfq realized that instead of helping to reach them, he was trying to push the Moon away—as if he sought to fulfill the Moon’s desire to be farther from Earth. Realizing the Deaf One's love for the Moon, Mrs. Vhd Vhd stayed while Qfwfq climbed down the poll back to Earth. He closes the story by remembering his last image of her, standing on the surface of the Moon. Although the Moon is so many miles away now, he still tries to catch a glimpse of her there. Now, he, like a dog, howls his sad song at the Moon, remembering her.
