The Mischievous Moon
The moon can be very mischievous at times. She feels bored hanging in the sky. The little stars around her are all very polite and quiet, speaking and singing in such soft voices that without straining her ears, she can’t even tell what they’re saying or singing. The moon always gazes down at the ground, thinking that life down there must be fun. But whom could she play with? She could never figure it out.
One day, the moon saw a field of watermelons on the ground, filled with many round and plump watermelons. The moon thought the watermelons looked fun; they were so similar to her, except they all wore colorful striped green coats, making them look very pretty. Besides, the round, bulging bellies of the watermelons must hide many wonderful stories.
The moon looked around. Today’s clouds were especially numerous, providing her with the perfect opportunity to slip away. Without hesitation, the moon descended from the sky and arrived at the edge of the watermelon field. She walked along the ridges between the fields and happened to meet a rabbit painter returning from sketching on the mountain.
The moon grabbed Mr. Rabbit and said, “Mr. Painter, please help me by disguising me as a big watermelon. That way, I can hide in the watermelon field and chat with the watermelons without anyone realizing I’m the moon.”
Opportunities to serve the moon don’t come often, so Mr. Rabbit was, of course, happy to oblige. He readily agreed, saying, “Sure!” The kind-hearted Mr. Rabbit picked up his paintbrush, squeezed out some paint, and began painting the moon. He painted the moon into a bright green watermelon with beautiful stripes.
Mr. Rabbit put away his paintbrush and looked the moon up and down. Proud of his painting skills, he said, “No problem, you look just like a big watermelon! You can chat with the watermelons without worry. Before dawn, I’ll come to help you wash off the paint, so you can turn back into the moon right away.” Mr. Rabbit added with a laugh, “Otherwise, if people see a big watermelon rising in the sky, they’ll bring you down to eat you!”
The moon thanked Mr. Rabbit for his kindness and jumped into the watermelon field to chat with the watermelons. The moon had such a great time talking with the watermelons. They shared many interesting stories, all sweet and delightful, making the moon feel both refreshed and cooled.
However, just as the moon was engrossed in the stories, a clumsy little black bear stumbled into the watermelon field, scaring the watermelons into silence. The little black bear picked up one watermelon and examined it, then another, tapping it. Finally, he chose the moon watermelon, picked it up, and started to leave. The greedy bear wanted to eat the big watermelon. The moon watermelon had been in the field long enough to get covered in mud. As soon as the little black bear put the moon watermelon into the river, the moon watermelon slipped away with a splash. The moon enjoyed a refreshing bath in the river.
As for the little black bear, he stood in the river, feeling around for a long time but couldn’t find the watermelon. He only saw a round, bright moon in the water, thinking it was the moon’s reflection. In fact, he didn’t look up to see that there was no moon in the sky. The little black bear climbed ashore, dejected, and went back home. The moon, meanwhile, climbed out of the river and ascended into the sky.
By this time, Mr. Rabbit had taken a nap. The alarm clock woke him up, reminding him to go help the moon wash off her disguise. Mr. Rabbit went to the watermelon field but couldn’t find the moon watermelon anywhere.
Mr. Rabbit looked up and saw the moon smiling at him from the sky. He couldn’t understand why the moon no longer looked like a watermelon. She looked like a freshly washed silver plate, so bright and lovely…
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
