A Tale of the Moon, the Wind and the Clouds

The moon peered down from her perch in the night sky and sighed contentedly. Her light radiated as far as the eye could see. On Rosemont Street, a man hurried home from work guided by her silvery beams.  A block further at the park, a Mom and her two children glided across a skating rink, the ice and snow glistening in the moon’s rays.

But the poor unsuspecting moon would not have a peaceful night. Close by, the wind and the clouds conspired. “Let’s make the world dark! People will lose their way; children will be afraid of the dark. It will be fun!” They laughed out loud as they huddled together to hatch their plan.  Minutes later, the clouds floated toward the moon, riding on the wind’s gentle breath.

Suddenly, the wind puffed out his cheeks and blew hard, sending the clouds barreling over the moon. The moon, who had been napping, woke with a start. She looked down to make sure everyone on earth was fine, but all she could see was grey mist. The clouds giggled and wrapped themselves even more tightly around her, plunging the earth into total darkness.

The poor moon tried as hard as she could, but she couldn’t see a thing.  Suddenly, she knew what to do. She took a big, deep breath. Then she exhaled slowly as she repeated softly, “Wind, be gone. Clouds, be gone.”   Each time she said it, her light burned a little bit brighter and a little bit hotter. Soon the clouds began to feel scorched.  They loosened their hold and began to drift away.  “No!” howled the wind. He scooted past the clouds and tried to blow them back over the moon.

But the clouds had had enough. They stole away like thieves in the night, leaving only a smudge of grey behind. Once again, the silvery light of the moon lit up the world. The man on Rosemont had made a wrong turn in the dark. He turned around and headed back in the right direction. The mother and her two children had stopped skating, afraid to fall and hurt themselves in the blackness. As the light shone down on them again, they smiled and sailed across the ice.

The wind shook his head in disgust and left to wreak havoc elsewhere. The moon smiled to herself and settled again to keep watch on the world below.

 

 

© Linda Thompson, August 26, 2020

By the Light of the Silvery Moon

Image by GooKingSword from Pixabay

Like most days, it was still dark when I woke yesterday morning. Early morning is my favourite time of day. I love the silence and the stillness and for a few stolen moments, I feel like the world is mine alone.

I crept out of bed and went to start the coffee, another guilty pleasure. I revel in that first sip of rich, hot liquid and it never gets old. As I filled the coffee pot , I looked out the kitchen window. There was a magnificent full moon, still shining silvery and bright. Its light radiated outward illuminating the inky sky around it. It bounced off the carpet of fresh, white snow left in the wake of Friday’s storm, and made the backyard look like a night-time winter wonderland. It was breathtaking.

This morning I woke again in the darkness. Hurriedly, I made my way to the window, hoping for the same postcard-perfect view. But there is cloud cover today and the moon is hidden behind it. The snow is still there, of course, but without the glistening  coat of the moonbeam.

I was disappointed, but only for a second. I realized the view was a gift, like a birthday or Christmas present. If I had it every day, I’d take it for granted. This way, I’ll remember and savour it in my mind until the next time.