the moon

Once upon a time, there was a moon.

The moon felt very plain and ugly. She felt terrible next to all the stars in the night sky.

I’ll never be as pretty as them, she thought. I’ll never be one of those beautiful dainty stars. Why can’t I be a star?

The moon looked her holey surface and felt sorry for herself. Why can’t I shine as prettily as the other stars? she wondered. Why am I just a rock while all of them can glow for themselves?

The moon was very sad and hid in a corner and cried.

The sun noticed the moon crying.

“Why are you crying, little moon?” the sun asked.

“I’m ugly,” the moon sobbed. “I’ll never be a pretty star.”

The sun looked at her with compassion in his eyes. “It’s okay, little moon. Come out of your hiding place.”

The moon looked up at the sun and dried her tears. Slowly, she inched closer to the sun.

“Don’t be afraid, little moon,” the sun said. “Come closer to me.”

Soon, the moon noticed a peculiar thing. The closer she moved to the sun, the more she shone!

“I’m glowing!” said the moon excitedly. Suddenly, all the stars in the background didn’t seem to bother her anymore.

“Little moon, you’re beautiful,” the sun said.

“I am beautiful,” the moon said, moonbeams shining from her lovely face.

The sun smiled. “Don’t worry about how the stars shine in comparison to you. Just know that when you’re close to me, you’re the most beautiful thing to grace this universe. And you’ll always be the most beautiful thing in this universe, to me.”

The moon shone more brightly than ever.