Moon's Tears

In the beginning all of the people were together as one nation. They lived together not always in harmony with one another but in peace, because for them the world beyond was the only true enemy they knew. But as in all things, this did not last. The people brought up great warriors to protect themselves so that they could venture to the far beyond in search of more. For it is always in the people’s nature to want more.

Of these great warriors, the greatest was Sun, for he had great strength and power. But many feared him because he could be merciless and cruel to those he considered weak. To appease him, the people sought to find him a mate. The elders urged him to search amongst the women and choose a bride. They felt that if he chose the right woman, she would be able to teach him to be gentler and be the protector the people needed.

Sun did not believe that he needed a bride but since the elders were so insistent, he went among the women to see what he could find. Sun had not searched long before he saw the most beautiful of them all. She shone with an inner light so radiant and soft that he felt the need to have her. When he told the elders that he had found the woman he wanted for his bride the elders were ecstatic. They asked her name and Sun could not give it for he had fell in love with only her beauty. As he described her to the elders, they knew exactly who he spoke of but they became hesitant for they had just realized their mistake in telling him to choose any woman.

The woman Sun wanted was called Moon and unlike the rest of the young maidens, she was not one of their daughters. She was an orphan who had been raised by the wise woman Earth. The elders feared Earth because she had great power and was very protective over those she claimed. They did not know what to do because if they told Sun that he could not have Moon he could turn against them and if they tried to give Moon to him, Earth would seek vengeance. After much council they decided to approach Earth to reason with her.

Earth saw the elders approaching and knew that trouble was soon to follow their words. She had seen Sun watching Moon and feared that he had fallen in love with her beauty. When the elders confirmed this, she asked them what they thought she could do about this. Not wishing to anger Earth, the elders asked her to speak with Moon and convince her to wed with Sun. Earth, being patient and deep, saw wisdom in what they were asking, but rather than agreeing to tell Moon to marry Sun, she told them she would speak with Moon about meeting Sun to see if she could ever love him.

When Earth approached Moon with this news, Moon was devastated. For quite some time she had been keeping a secret from Earth, and while she was ashamed with not trusting Earth with it, she knew that it was time to let Earth know of it. Moon was already in love with another and they were planning on building a family together. When Earth asked her what warrior had captured her heart, she was pleased when Moon replied that it was no warrior. It was the young craftsmen Mountain. She had seen one of his crafts one day in the market and loved it for its simple beauty. When she had met the one who had created it she saw his beauty as well, for Mountain, unlike the warriors of the people was not beautiful on the outside. He was dark and scarred but his heart was pure and untainted by war. This pleased Earth because with this knowledge she knew that Moon’s heart was as beautiful as the rest of her.

Earth returned to the elders and told them that Moon would not marry Sun. This angered the elders but they were not powerful enough to challenge Earth. They debated what to do about Sun, but they had no need to worry about his wrath because while Moon was telling of her love to Earth, Sun had been listening. Sun was furious and went to see his only friend Day. Day listened as Sun told him of Moon and how he must be the one to have her. While Sun could be merciless and cruel, Day was no better for he was sinister and calculating. He had no love of Earth or the people and saw in this his opportunity to punish them all. He told Sun that together they could steal Moon away and flee into the sky where the people would have no warriors strong enough to follow them.

Sun and Day found Moon while she slept and grabbed her. She cried out at their cruelty and Mountain heard it. He came running after them and began to follow them into the sky. Sun turned and seeing Mountain struck him down. Moon was devastated as she saw her love falling out of the sky. Earth hearing their cries knew she could not save Moon now that she was in the sky but she could protect her love. She rose up and captured Mountain and folded him into her embrace. He was now higher than the rest of the people but he would never be able to reach the sky to rescue his love.

Sun and Day were triumphant but Moon escaped them. She could not get out of the sky but she ran across it continually to avoid those who had taken her from the one she loved. The people could hear her cries but no warrior knew how to rescue her from the sky. Night, the bravest of all warriors, recognized that if she could not be rescued, she needed a protector. Night donned his darkest armor and darkest cloak and journeyed into the sky. He caught Moon and wrapped her in the cloak to hide her from Sun and Day. He then turned to fight them to keep them away from Moon. Sun and Day shone so brightly in the sky that they would push back Night but his darkness would not be out done and he would turn and push them back for a time. So the people begin to see the time of Night and Day and they could constantly see Sun trying to get past Night to find Moon.

Moon was finally able to look down on the people and see her love risen above all of them. She began to cry knowing that they would never be together again. The people looking at Night’s part of the sky were amazed to see light coming from it. It was not the harsh light that Sun and Day sent down upon them but the soft radiance that reminded them of Moon. The more Moon cried, the more the people could see of her until her tears shown so brightly they could see her face in the sky. They marveled at the sight of it, but Mountain did not want to see his love cry so deeply. He began to whisper to her and tell her of his love and how it would never end and slowly her tears began to dry until she could be seen no more. This would last for a small time and then she would no longer hear the voice of Mountain and she would begin to cry again.

The people eventually separated and began to war among themselves but wherever they went they would look up into the sky and remember their past. They would remember that love can be a powerful thing that moves even Earth. They would remember that Day and Night must always be at war to keep Moon and Sun apart. The people would always remember that their world was once one and that pettiness and jealousy were what broke it apart.