Rose Sembatya
In a sky full of stars, the Moon always kept to a perfect bedtime. Every evening, it rose with a yawn, lit up the night, and watched over the world below like a gentle nightlight.
But one day, the Moon made a decision.
“I’m not sleepy,” the Moon said, rubbing its glowing eyes. “Tonight, I’m staying up to see what the Earth looks like during the day!”
The stars gasped.
“The sun will be grumpy,” said Moesh, the brightest star.
“You’ll mess up everything!” warned the wise old North Star.
But the Moon had already made up its mind.
Down on Earth, things got really strange.
Fishermen could not use the movement of the clouds to know when to check their nets.
“Why is the Moon out? Is it lost?”
Owls blinked at the sun, confused and wide awake.
Ebony looked out of her bedroom window and wondered what had happened to the moon.
‘O! Poor Moon! Aren’t you sleepy?
But now it looked tired. Its round face had slipped into a droopy half-frown. It was pale, not glowing — more like a lightbulb running out of spark.
“I think the Moon forgot to sleep,” Ebony whispered
“Hey, Moon! You look exhausted!” she called.
“I am,” the Moon sighed. “But the daytime is so interesting! I saw gardens blooming and babies laughing and someone shouted chapati!”
Ebony giggled: “That sounds like fun.”
“But now,” the Moon yawned, “I’m stuck. I forgot how to fall asleep.”
Ebony thought hard: “I think the best thing is to command sleep to come to you.”
“But I don’t know how to command,” said the Moon
“To command is to declare it in faith, and it will be.” said Ebony
“I must sleep now,” declared the Moon.
It wasn’t long before the strong rays of the sun seeped through the clouds and all the night animals rushed to sleep.
