Lonely Luna

Long ago, there lived two sisters on the edge of the great forest. Lola, the elder sister, and Luna, the younger sister. They spent their days foraging in the forest, fishing in the river, or crafting pottery from clay they dug up from the earth. When night came, they were sure to be safe inside, for back then the night was pitch black. There was nothing to illuminate the forest, nothing to drive back the creatures that made their homes in the darkness. On the darkest nights they could hear the shuffling of heavy feet and the scraping of claws through the dirt. On those nights Lola and Luna huddled together beneath a blanket by the hearth. They watched the embers of their modest fire and held each other close until sleep transported them to the morning and bathed them in its merciful light.

One winter was grueling, cold, and dark, more so than any other before. The fish could not be caught through the layer of ice on the river, no flowers grew, and the bushes could bear no berries. To avoid starvation, Lola and Luna had to venture further into the forest than they had ever been. Each evening they returned home later and later, with the light dwindling, and the darkness creeping in. One night, Lola did not return.

Luna stayed up as late as she could, hoping to hear the door to their cabin opening, and the familiar sounds of Lola’s footsteps. But they did not come. For 3 weeks Luna held back her tears, hoping that her sister would return. By the 3rd week Luna could hold them back no more, she cried and cried and cried. For days straight she cried, before noticing something strange. Her tears seemed to glow white in the darkness of night. When the sun set, the whole cabin shone with a pale, almost silver light. It was then that Luna knew what she must do.

She took her tears and wove them into a great cloak. For six days she worked, until the cloak itself filled the whole cabin, and still she wove. Finally, the tears stopped and the cloak was completed.

The next day at dawn’s first light, she ventured out into the wilderness with her sights set on the ancient oak at the heart of the great forest. For days she walked. At night the cloak she wove shone bright, illuminating the dark forest and keeping at bay the creatures skittering around in the darkness. After a week of walking, she made it to the base of the great oak.

Upon reaching the tree, Luna began to climb. She climbed past the tips of the other oaks that made up the forest. She climbed past the point in the sky of rain turning to snow. She climbed through the clouds, and up into the bright sky beyond. She climbed until she could look down and see the mountains beyond the forest. Until finally, she came to the very top.

Luna gripped the very top of the tree and gathered up all of her strength. With a great heave she threw the giant cloak up into the air. It floated for a moment, unfurling to its full splendor, before catching a breeze and ascending further up into the sky.

At night, the cloak would shine. Its pale light would give hope and solace to those lost in the darkness, illuminating their path and keeping the creatures of the night at bay. We call it Luna, after the girl who lost everything, but who used her pain and sorrow to illuminate the world for the rest of us, so that we may always find our way home.