Long ago, when the world was brand-new, before people counted time in minutes, days, weeks, months and years, there lived a lonely girl who had no name.
She had no name because she had no family, no one to name her. She was the first orphan on Earth, and no one looked after her. She was a small girl, beautiful, delicate and gentle-voiced. Still, no one offered to be her mother, and no one offered to be her father, and so she traveled from place to place, searching for a family.
No matter how far she traveled, she found no one to give her shelter, no one to adopt her.
There was another problem. The world was so new, there was no such thing yet as tears. The orphan girl was full of sorrow, and that sorrow welled up inside of her, but she could not weep because there were no tears. Instead she swelled and swelled, and grew rounder and rounder. She was so full of sorrow, she could not speak. So after a while she could not ask anyone to be her friend or her family. She could only drag herself around the world, searching for some relief from her sorrow.
Each night as the little girl traveled, the Moon rose and gazed down at her. The Moon watched over the girl, and so, in truth, as the Moon knew, she was not completely alone. The Moon hoped to tell the girl this, to give her some comfort. She tried to send her messages to tell her that someone was watching over her.
First the Moon sent her bright white moonbeams down to offer comfort to the girl, but the girl did not seem to notice. Then the Moon turned her full face to the girl, and still the girl did not see. The Moon whispered to the stars, and the stars twinkled and shone, trying to show the girl she was not all alone. Still, the girl noticed only her own swelling body and felt only her own misery, and after a while she did not see the Moon or the stars at all.
At last the Moon decided she would not rise one night. Instead she would travel to Earth to find the orphan girl, and that's precisely what she did.
She found her traveling over an empty desert. The girl sighed with sorrow, and the Moon scooped the little girl into her arms and flew her into the sky.
For a long time the Moon rocked the girl, gazing down at her, shining her light on the child. The girl sighed again as the Moon continued to rock her.
"You cannot stay up here forever," the Moon said. "You belong on Earth, and I must stay in the sky for all the other people."
The Moon could see the girl's body swell with still more sorrow.
"But I will help you," the Moon said. "Let your sadness flood out of you."
The orphan girl listened, wondering what the Moon could mean, but the Moon said it again. "Let your sadness flow," she said. "It is all right to let out your sorrow."
And suddenly the little girl, without quite understanding what was happening, let her first tears -- the first tears in the world -- well up in her eyes.
The Moon was glad to see the tears, but she knew they would be salty, and if they fell upon the Earth, the fields would drown, the salt would burn the plants and the people would suffer.
And so the Moon said, "Weep, my child, but let me catch your tears," and the girl let her tears flow. Moon caught those tears, and they left rivers and streams and pools on her body.
But the orphan felt such release, such joy after shedding them, that the Moon knew that tears were a blessing. From that day on, everyone in the world was blessed with the gift of tears.
Another thing happened. The girl felt so light after she wept, and felt so loved when she looked at the Moon, that she began to smile. When she smiled, people fell in love with her, and soon people began to care for her, and never again was she alone. Wherever she traveled, people welcomed her into their homes. Over the years, she became known as the Child of the First Tears.
The stains left by the tears upon the Moon remain, and when we look up at the sky, we see the pools and streams of the tears that once flowed. And these remind us of the time when the Moon protected Earth from bitter tears, and of the ways the Moon still nurtures all human beings.
A collection of wonderful tales from "Tell Me a Story," titled "The Spectacular Gift," is available for $14.95, plus $3.50 for postage and handling. Send your orders to "The Spectacular Gift," in care of Universal Press Syndicate, 4520 Main St., Kansas City, Mo. 64111, or call (800) 255-6734 and ask for the Permissions Department.
She had no name because she had no family, no one to name her. She was the first orphan on Earth, and no one looked after her. She was a small girl, beautiful, delicate and gentle-voiced. Still, no one offered to be her mother, and no one offered to be her father, and so she traveled from place to place, searching for a family.
No matter how far she traveled, she found no one to give her shelter, no one to adopt her.
There was another problem. The world was so new, there was no such thing yet as tears. The orphan girl was full of sorrow, and that sorrow welled up inside of her, but she could not weep because there were no tears. Instead she swelled and swelled, and grew rounder and rounder. She was so full of sorrow, she could not speak. So after a while she could not ask anyone to be her friend or her family. She could only drag herself around the world, searching for some relief from her sorrow.
Each night as the little girl traveled, the Moon rose and gazed down at her. The Moon watched over the girl, and so, in truth, as the Moon knew, she was not completely alone. The Moon hoped to tell the girl this, to give her some comfort. She tried to send her messages to tell her that someone was watching over her.
First the Moon sent her bright white moonbeams down to offer comfort to the girl, but the girl did not seem to notice. Then the Moon turned her full face to the girl, and still the girl did not see. The Moon whispered to the stars, and the stars twinkled and shone, trying to show the girl she was not all alone. Still, the girl noticed only her own swelling body and felt only her own misery, and after a while she did not see the Moon or the stars at all.
At last the Moon decided she would not rise one night. Instead she would travel to Earth to find the orphan girl, and that's precisely what she did.
She found her traveling over an empty desert. The girl sighed with sorrow, and the Moon scooped the little girl into her arms and flew her into the sky.
For a long time the Moon rocked the girl, gazing down at her, shining her light on the child. The girl sighed again as the Moon continued to rock her.
"You cannot stay up here forever," the Moon said. "You belong on Earth, and I must stay in the sky for all the other people."
The Moon could see the girl's body swell with still more sorrow.
"But I will help you," the Moon said. "Let your sadness flood out of you."
The orphan girl listened, wondering what the Moon could mean, but the Moon said it again. "Let your sadness flow," she said. "It is all right to let out your sorrow."
And suddenly the little girl, without quite understanding what was happening, let her first tears -- the first tears in the world -- well up in her eyes.
The Moon was glad to see the tears, but she knew they would be salty, and if they fell upon the Earth, the fields would drown, the salt would burn the plants and the people would suffer.
And so the Moon said, "Weep, my child, but let me catch your tears," and the girl let her tears flow. Moon caught those tears, and they left rivers and streams and pools on her body.
But the orphan felt such release, such joy after shedding them, that the Moon knew that tears were a blessing. From that day on, everyone in the world was blessed with the gift of tears.
Another thing happened. The girl felt so light after she wept, and felt so loved when she looked at the Moon, that she began to smile. When she smiled, people fell in love with her, and soon people began to care for her, and never again was she alone. Wherever she traveled, people welcomed her into their homes. Over the years, she became known as the Child of the First Tears.
The stains left by the tears upon the Moon remain, and when we look up at the sky, we see the pools and streams of the tears that once flowed. And these remind us of the time when the Moon protected Earth from bitter tears, and of the ways the Moon still nurtures all human beings.
A collection of wonderful tales from "Tell Me a Story," titled "The Spectacular Gift," is available for $14.95, plus $3.50 for postage and handling. Send your orders to "The Spectacular Gift," in care of Universal Press Syndicate, 4520 Main St., Kansas City, Mo. 64111, or call (800) 255-6734 and ask for the Permissions Department.
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