How the Moon and the Stars Became.

In the beginning, the nights were dark.  There were no stars to light them.  All the animals had to hide away in holes before the sun set, or they would be lost in the complete darkness.  One of the animals was Marrajoubi the possum and another was Rowanooka the boobook owl.  At that time, they couldn't see any better than the other animals, but they were great friends.
  One evening, Marrajoubi was sitting by himself under a huge gum tree when he looked up and saw a tiny shining light.  It was a strange pearly gemstone, right at the top of the tree.  He was so fascinated by the stone, he forgot how late it was and started to climb.  Soon the sun began to set.  Quickly, Marrajoubi started back down, but he was not fast enough.  The sun set and left him in total darkness.  Frightened, he called out for help.
  Rowanooka was hidden nearby in a hollow log, and he heard his friend's cries and answered.  When he realised who it was, he flew out of the log to help.  At once he realised what a silly mistake he had made - he didn't know if he was going to fly into something, he couldn't see to land and he had no idea where his log was.  Then he saw the pearly gemstone.  It was shining through the night like a beacon.  He still couldn't see anything else, but he kept his eyes on it and flew straight towards it.  Amazingly, he didn't even brush against any obstacles.  Soon he heard Marrajoubi calling him again from very close by.  Following the voice, he carefully flew to his friend.
  Realising they could not get home until sunrise, they decided to try to reach the shining stone.  Rowanooka picked Marrajoubi up in his claws and flew upwards, but however high they flew, the stone seemed higher still.  They had left the trees far behind, and were beginning to have trouble breathing.  Then they could breathe easily again and they finally seemed to be reaching the stone.
  Suddenly the bright gem was right there in front of them, ten times bigger than it had been.  Unable to stop in time, Rowanooka crashed straight into it.  The stone shattered and bits and pieces flew everywhere and became the stars.  The heart of the stone was not shattered, and it became the round moon.  The two friends were flung back to Earth.  As they fell, some tiny specks of the stone got into their eyes, and they could see as if it were day.  Down on the Earth, some of the animal had come out to find out what the explosion was, including the flying fox and the sugar glider.  They also got specks in their eyes.  The animals who remained in hiding did not receive night vision, but the night was lit up so they could find their way around.
  Still falling, Marrajoubi cried out, and Rowanooka suddenly remembered his wings.  He started flying and quickly caught his friend.  The two of them landed safely on Earth and the moon and the stars shone bright above them, and have done ever since.

(c) Copyright Hespa.
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