Home far away from home

“Mom, why are the sun and the moon always up in the sky? Won’t they come down to earth?” my daughter asked me. Hmmm. What could I say! Does anyone have an answer to this? Well the question she asked became an idea for a story. So, today I will make-up a story about the sun and moon for story-time tonight…

“Millions of years ago, both the sun and the moon lived on the Earth. The Sun and the Moon were like twins; they were always together! Water was their close friend. The trio would meet every day and spend the day chatting. It so happened that each time the friends would meet at Water’s place. The Sun was curious to know why Water never visited their home.

One day he asked water, “Why do you not visit us?” Water smiled at his friends and replied, “I have lots of other friends too. I can’t leave them behind and come alone. If I bring them along, your house wouldn’t accommodate all of us. That’s why”.

“If we build a bigger house will you visit us?” said Sun instantly!

“Yes of course! I would love to.” Water said.

Both Sun and Moon began to build a bigger and much more spacious house. They used timber from all the trees and lots of mud to keep the logs together. They were so busy that they even forgot to meet Water for quite a few days. When the new house was ready, the friends, full of enthusiasm, invited Water to visit them.

The day came; Sun and Moon decorated their house. And lo! There was their much awaited friend with his other pals. “Can we come in?” asked Water. “Oh yes! You are most welcome”. Poor sun! He didn’t see the scene outside his house.

The moment he opened the door, Water rushed into the house followed by his fellow mates. Any guess who his friends were? Well, they were none other than a great shoal of fishes, knot of snakes, a bale of turtles and other water creatures. Water, with great enthusiasm, entered every nook and corner of the house. Along came his friends wriggling, waggling, and swimming, occupying the entire house!

As time passed, more and more of Water’s friends came into the house, icebergs and seals and huge squids, and the water level started rising. The Sun and the Moon looked at each other worried. The level of water rose so fast that the hosts had no choice other than to stand on the roof. To their surprise and shock, their friend came up there as well! Both of them now had nowhere to go. Embarrassed, they climbed up to the sky and stood there. It was the only place where their friend Water could not reach.

Sun and Moon heaved a sigh of relief. From then onwards, the Sun and the Moon started living in the sky!”

Do you think that with all this, they would still be friends with Water? To our surprise, they are still close friends but at a distance!