The Moon's Quiet Offering

The Moon-Eater's Secret

The moon, a silver coin in the navy blue sky, wasn't always round. Sometimes, a tiny, invisible creature, no bigger than a dream, would float up, up, up. This was the Moon-Eater, and it wasn't greedy, just a little bit hungry for light. It would take a tiny bite from the moon's glowing edge, nibbling just enough to make a soft crescent, or a gentle sliver.

But it wasn't to take the light away forever! Oh no. The Moon-Eater gathered those nibbled bits, shining and sparkling, and sprinkled them down as dewdrops on sleeping flowers, or tucked them into the eyes of tiny, blinking fireflies. That's why the dewdrops gleam so brightly in the morning, and why fireflies carry their own little stars. The Moon-Eater just borrows a bit of shine, only to scatter it back as a thousand tiny blessings before the sun wakes up.