Moonlight Moonshine

20250522

Prompt from DailyPrompt.com

It was incredibly difficult to tell if a fey was messing with you.
“Is this, uh, everything?” Davis scratched his head and surveyed the line of casks they’d arranged on the hilltop.
“Yes, this should be more than enough.” Cassiopeia said confidently. “Even for a summer moon.”
“Mkay?”
Seven casks, the insides rubbed with salted butter and spritzed with rosehip juice. Waiting to be filled with moonlight.
“Now, you need to seal each quickly.” Cass’s tone was serious. “As soon as I say it’s done, get the lid on.”
“Gotcha. No worries.” David glanced up at the moon. “How long does, er, it usually take to fill a barrel?”
“It varies.” Cass stared upwards, her amber eyes narrowing in thought. “Tonight I think it will take perhaps a minute. There’s a good flow going.”
“Oh. Good?”
The moon was still short of the zenith. Website reckoned that was due in twelve minutes. Cass had insisted on getting everything ready well in time. Which he was in favour of. No sense having to scramble.
But it did leave him wondering if this was some elaborate bit.
He hesitantly cleared his throat. “Say, um, do you… do this with sunlight too?”
Cass shot him a bemused sideways glance. Her expression faintly pitying. “Sunshine makes beer.”
“Oh.” Well, silly me.
Wait.
“Y’mean… that ‘Sunkiss’ beer you sell…”
Cass beamed. “Exactly! Isn’t the mouthfeel incredible?”
“I, uh, I’ve never actually tried it. I’m a whiskey guy.”
“Oh. Well, then you’ll love this.” Cass’s attention returned to the slowly peaking moon.
“Looking forward to it.”
And he was, even if this was all really weird. Leave it to fairies to make “moonshine” literal.
Or… had they come up with it first? He filed that question away for later. Yet another online rabbit hole to wonder down.
Hopefully with a nice drink at his elbow.
“Alright, that’s close enough.” Cass was massaging and flexing her hands. Warming up. “Are you ready?”
“Uh, sure.” Davis grabbed the cask lid and rubber mallet. “Good to go.”
Cass nodded and raised her hands, staring fixedly up at the moon. Like a cat watching a laser.
For a moment nothing happened. Nothing Davis could see, at least.
Then the moonlight pulled together, thickening into a curtain, then a shaft, which pointed squarely into the first cask. And a silvery liquid formed in the bottom, bubbling up from where the moonlight landed.
“Oh wow…”
It was a rush after that. The liquid fought the lid, as if carbonated. But he only lost a little.
“Whew!”
Six casks filled and sealed. Cass had called it before the seventh.
Hold up…
“When you said I’d get one of the casks…”
Cass’s followed his gaze and her eyes crinkled. “I mean, if you want that one… But I assumed you’d prefer filled.”
Davis relaxed. “I’ll take the first. Lost the most on that one.”
“There’s a trick to it.” Cass said graciously, her expression approving, and they shook.

Prompt was “Write a piece centred on the words ‘moonshine’ and ‘moonlight’.”