Many Moons

Will a child become ill if she does not get something that she wants very much? Will she be well again if she gets what she wants? Here's a delightful story about a girl who wants the moon.

Once upon a time, in a kingdom by the sea, there lived a little Princess named Lenore. She was 12 years old, going on 13. One day Lenore fell ill and took to her bed. The Royal Physician came to see her and took her temperature and felt her pulse and made her stick out her tongue. He was worried, and sent for the king, Lenore's father. The king came to see her.'I'll get you anything you want,' the king said. 'Is there anything you want?' 

'Yes,' replied the Princess. 'I want the moon. If I can have the moon, I'll be well again.


Then the king went to the throne room and sent for the Prime Minister. Soon the Prime Minister came into the room. He was a large, fat man with thick glasses.


'I want you to get the moon for the Princess Lenore,' said the king. 'If she can have the moon, she'll get well again. Get tonight, tomorrow at the latest.'


'The moon,' said the Prime Minister, 'is 35,000 miles away and its bigger than the room the Princess lies in and it is made of copper. I cannot get the moon for you.'


The king flew into a rage and told the Prime Minister to leave the room and send to the Royal Magician to him. The Royal Magician was a little, thin man with long face. He grew very pale  when the king told him to get the moon for his daughter.


'Nobody can get the moon,' said the Royal Magician. 'It is 150,000 miles away, and it is made of green cheese, and it is twice as bis as this palace.'


Then king flew into another rage and sent the Royal Magician back to his cave. Then he sent for the Royal Mathematician, a bald-headed, near-sighted  man with a pencil behind his ear.


Then the king asked the same question to the Royal Mathematician.


'The moon is 300,000 miles away,' said the Royal Mathematician. 'It is round and flat like a coin; it is made of cement, and it is the half size of this kingdom. Moreover, it is pasted on the sky. Nobody can get the moon.'


The king flew into still another rage and sent the Royal Mathematician away. Then he rang for the Royal Court Jester, who came dancing into the room in his cap and bells, and sat on the foot of the throne.


'What can I do for you, Your Majesty?'


'The Princess Lenore wants the moon,' said the King sadly, 'and she cannot be well till she gets it.'. But nobody can get it for her. Every time I ask anybody for the moon, it gets larger and farther away.'


'They all are wise men,' said  the Court Jester, 'and so they must all be right. The thing to do is to find out how big the Princess Lenore think it is and farther away.'


'I never thought of that,' said the king.


'I'll go and ask her, Your Majesty.'


The Princess Lenore was glad to see the Court Jester, but her face was very pale and her voice was very weak. 


'Have you brought the moon for me yet?' she asked.


'Not yet,' said the Court Jester, 'But I'll get it for you right away. How big do you think it is?'


'It is just smaller than my thumbnail,' she said, 'for when I hold my thumbnail up at the moon it just covers it.'


'And how far it is?' asked the Court Jester.


'It is not as high as a big tree outside my window,' said the Princess, 'for sometimes it gets caught in the top branches.'


'I'll climb the tree tonight when the moon gets caught in the top branches and I will bring it to you,' said the Court Jester. The he thought of something else. 'What is the moon made of, Princess?' he asked.


'Oh,' she said, 'its made of gold, of course.'


The Court Jester went to see the Royal Goldsmith and had him make a tiny golden moon just a little smaller than the thumbnail of the Princess Lenore. Then he had him string it on a golden chain so the Princess could wear it round her neck.


The Court Jester took the moon to the Princess, and she was overjoyed.  |The next day she was well again and could get up and go out in the gardens to play.


But the king knew that the moon would shine in the sky again that night. If the Princess should see it, she would know that the moon she wore on a chain was not real moon. So he said to the Prime Minister, 'We must keep the Princess from seeing the moon tonight. Think of something.'


The Prime Minister said, 'We can make some dark glasses for the Princess.'


This made king very angry. 'If she wore dark glasses, she would bump into things,' he said. 'and she would be ill again.' So he called the Royal Magician, who stood on his hands and then stood on his head and then stood on his feet again.


'I know what we can do,' he said. 'We can stretch some black velvet curtains on poles to cover all the palace gardens like a circus tent.'


The king was so angry that he waved his arms around. 'Black curtains would keep out the air,' he said, and Princess Lenore will be ill again.' And sent for the Royal Mathematician.


He walked round a circle, and then he walked round in a square and then he stood still. 'I have it!' he said. 'We can set off fireworks in the garden every night. When they go off, they'll fill the  sky with so many sparks  that it'll be as light as day and the Princess Lenore will not be able to see the moon.' 


The king flew into such a rage that he began jumping up and down. 'Fireworks would keep the Princess awake,' he said, 'and she would be ill again.' So he sent the Royal Mathematician away.


When he looked up again, it was dark outside and the moon was just appearing. He called the Court Jester and said, '' When the Princess sees the moon, she'll be ill again.'


The Court Jester said, 'If your wise men can not hide the moon, then it cannot be hidden. But who could explain how to get the moon? It was Princess Lenore. Therefore, the Princess Lenore is wiser than your wise men and knows more about the moon than they do. So I will ask her.' He went to the Princess Lenore's bedroom.


The Princess was in bed, but she was wide awake and she was looking out of the window at the moon shining  in the sky. Shining in her hand was the moon the Court Jester had got for her. 


'Tell me Princess Lenore,' the Court Jester said, 'how can the moon be shining in the sky when its hanging on a golden chain around your neck?'


The Princess looked at him and laughed. 'That is easy,' she said. 'When I loose a teeth, a new one grows in its place, doesn't it? And when the Royal Gardener cuts the flowers in the garden, other flowers come to take their place.'


'I should have thought of that,' said the Court Jester.


'And in the same way with the moon,' said the Princess Lenore. ' I guess it is the same way with everything.' Her voice became low  and faded away, and the Court Jester saw she was asleep. Gently he tucked the covers around her.




                                                                                                        JAMES THURBER




JAMES THURBER (1894-1961) WAS A FINE AMERICAN HUMORIST WHOSE STORIES HAVE GIVEN PLEASURE TO GENERATION OF READERS.

thought For The Day 9/2/2012

This education forms the common mind, Just as twig is bent, the trees's inclined.


                                                                               Pope- Moral Essays

Thought For The Day 8/2/2012

Advice is like snow -- the softer it falls, the longer it dwells upon, and the deeper it sinks onto the mind.



                                                                                               Samuel

                                                                                                            Taylor

                                                                                                                          Coleridge

The Rain Angel Chrissy was a new angel. She had only been in Heaven a few days. Everything was so beautiful there, and everyone was so nice. And even though she was the newest angel she had been given a very important task. Chrissy was in charge of the rain. Every week, on Monday and Thursday, she had to be sure that the clouds opened up and spread their raindrops all over the world. Because every so often, every living thing on the earth needed rain. The trees needed the rain to grow tall and strong. The grass needed the rain to stay green, and the cattails needed it to be soft and furry. All the animals had to have water to drink and to take baths in.And of course the many flowers needed the rain to look lovely and smell wonderful. Making the rain come was a very important job! But no one had told Chrissy how to make it rain, and she didn't know what to do. Chrissy asked one of the older angels if he could help her. "Well," said the old one, "the angel that had the job before you used to tell sad storys to the clouds, and that made them cry." But Chrissy was a very happy little angel and she didn't know any sad tales. So she didn't think that would work. One night Chrissy flew up to see the Man In The Moon to ask him if he knew how to make it rain. "Hmnnn," said the moon as he thought about the question. "You might try pinching the clouds to see if that would make them cry." But Chrissy didn't want to hurt the clouds and so she decided that was not a good idea. What was she to do, it hadn't rained for more than a week, she had to think of something soon! The next morning, as the little angel was walking around Heaven, skipping from cloud to cloud, she heard someone giggling. It was the little cloud she was walking on! Chrissy bent down and asked the fluffy white cloud what was so funny. "It's your toes," replied the soft one, "They tickle us when you walk!" "Oh, I'm so sorry," said Chrissy, "I shall try to be more careful." "No, no, please don't," said the cloud, "We love to be tickled. It makes us laugh so hard we almost cry! Well, that gave Chrissy an idea! She bid the cloud goodbye and went off to think. The next day was Monday, and it was raining all over the world! And there was a very strange sight in Heaven! Little Chrissy was running and skipping and wiggling her toes across all the clouds in the sky. The clouds were giggling and laughing so hard that tears were coming to their eyes! And the tears were falling to earth and making a wonderful rain. The grass was getting greener, the trees were growing taller, the flowers were looking lovelier than ever and all the animals had water again. Everything looked bright and fresh and happy. The little angel named Chrissy had done a wonderful job and she still does it to this very day. So the next time it rains in your part of the world, just think of Chrissy, way up in Heaven, tickling all the clouds with her toes. And if you should hear some thunder don't be frightened. Sometimes the clouds laugh so hard it sounds like a roar, but they're really just having a lot of fun. The End

I'm sure you have all heard the story of Cinderella. You know the beautiful girl with the two mean step-sisters, and wicked step-mother. Well you already know the ending, the beautiful girl marries the handsome prince, and they live happily ever after. Well that was the fairy tale, this is the real story.

My name is Oscar and I am a mouse.

I am not related to Mickey, Minnie, or Mighty, (even though there is a small resemblance to that super-hero Mighty mouse). I live in the attic in Cinderella's house. You might say Cindy and I were roommates.

When she was small, and her father was alive, we shared a beautiful room downstairs. But after her father died, she was put in the attic. I naturally followed, because I knew she would need my company. And need me she did.

At first, she thought of me only as a common ordinary mouse. Night after night she would throw me crumbs. (I thought she was very kind). Then one night, after her step-mother locked the door, she began to cry. I climbed up on Cindy's lap. She talked to me and gave me my name. I thought at the time it was a nerdy name, "Oscar", but I am used to it now. I even kind-of like it.

Everyday I watched Cindy work sooo hard. Finally one day, quite by accident, I found a way to help her. You see, her step-sisters were ordering her around, and they made her cry. Cindy cried a lot. ( I never knew a girl could hold so much water!.) Anyway, I ran to Cindy and they saw me.

Boy, you should have seen them clear the room!. Faster than a speeding bullet-- they almost broke their necks as they ran screaming from the room. You should have heard them! "Eeeek... a Mouse!","Mother!!", "Help!!!". Cindy and I laughed so hard. It was a really good moment.

Then there was the time when I hid on a plate of food that was meant for Cindy's step-mother. When she saw me, first she fainted, then she had hysterics for three days!. Three days of peace!, that was really nice!.

The only other person who was not afraid of me was Esmerelda. She was Cindy's fairy God-Mother. We called her Essie for short. She just popped up on the day of the big ball.

Poor Cindy had run herself ragged waiting on those step-sisters, trying to do the impossible, and make them.. not beautiful..but justpresentable. I mean they were sooo ugly... it wasn't skin deep, it was all the way to the bone!.

Anyway, Cindy was talking to me in the garden, when this strange looking woman walked through the gate. Most people think she magically appeared in a beautiful white light, but she didn't.

She just walked in the yard with a brown Foodtown shopping bag in her hand. I really thought she was here for a hand-out. Cindy must have thought the same thing, because she offered her a glass of milk and some cookies. She didn't look much like a fairy God-mother, either. Her dress was torn, her shoes had holes, and her hair... well, let's just say I've seen a better hair-do on a horse I used to know.

I mean, this fairy God-mother looked like she needed a fairy God-mother.

I was about to say something like "Hit the road", when Essie asked Cindy why she was not preparing to go to the ball. Cindy told her she had no clothes or transportation.

Well!, faster than you could say " the rat ate the cheese", the old woman reaches into her bag and pulls out the most beautiful blue ball gown you have ever seen!. It was royal blue, with little white stars, and it was justCindy's size!.

Then, she reached in her bag again and pulled out a white evening bag, a silver crown, and the famous glass slippers. ( I had to turn my head while she provided the unmentionables.)

Then she told Cindy to hop to it, and go change her clothes, while she sees what can be done about the transportation. I told her to call a cab, but she said "One does not arrive at a Kings palace in a cab or a rent-a car!".

Anyway, while I'm looking around for something to use, the old girl goes in the bag again, and pulls out a small coach. It was just about my size.

She put it on the ground, and darned if the thing didn't begin to grow!. I ran for cover. When the coach finally stopped growing, it was just right for Cindy. The wonders of modern science!

Right then Essie called me, and.. like a dumb-dumb, I came. Before I knew what hit me, I had four hoofs and a tail. Seeing my alarm, Essie assured me it was only temporary. I didn't mind a little sacrifice for the cause (but I hate oats!).

By this time Cindy appeared, and she was looking hot !. (I even tried to whistle, but it came out a whinny). Cindy got into the coach and then we all realized the old girl had forgotten one thing... a driver.


So she grabbed a frog hopping through the garden, and turned him into a driver.
If you ask me, we would have saved a lot of time if she had just made him a Prince instead. They're always doing that in other fairy tales, but noooooo, we had to do things the hard way.

Cindy was a smash at the ball. The Prince was totally captivated.

At midnight, they were going to get a cold drink of lemonade, when Cindy's dress started to come apart. Well!, it didn't take a genius to figure out that she'd better get out of there. So she took off, with the Prince on her trail. .

Fortunately he was clumsy, and he tripped. That gave Cindy just enough time to jump into the coach and leave the Palace grounds. About half-way home the coach shrank so small, that Cindy had to get out and walk. It was then when she realized she had lost a shoe. Hobbling home on one shoe is no joke!.

All night long, Cindy talked about the Prince, the ball, and the great time she had. It was like her tongue got stuck by a phonograph needle. Essie finally gave up and left about 4:30 a.m., mumbling something about creating a monster. Cindy wore herself out around 6:00 am. It was a good thing the "steps" slept late that morning, or Cindy wouldn't have had any sleep at all!.

Later that afternoon, the word came through the cheese-vine. The Prince would begin a search for the love of his life tomorrow. He had fallen in love at the ball last night, with a young lady he knew only by a slipper she left behind.

I was so excited to hear this news, I immediately went to tell Cindy. I must say she took the news rather well. With just a "Oh, that's nice to hear", she went back to her work. (I was expecting at least one jump for joy!)

The next day, the Prince came to our house and the "steps", (including their mother!), all tried to get their size 10 feet into this size 4 slipper. It's a wonder the poor slipper didn't break!. Cindy was locked in the garden and had no chance to try on the slipper.

That ...is when I saved the day.

As the Prince entered his coach, I ran under the horses hoofs. The stupid beasts were so frightened of a little mouse, they ran straight through the garden gate, nearly trampling Cindy in the process. It's a good thing that girl is light on her feet!.

The Prince was so apologetic it took him at least ten minutes before he realized this girl had not tried on the slipper. Well... we all know the end. She tried it on, it fit like a glove, and they lived happily ever after.

So the next time you hear the story of Cinderella, remember you heard the real story here first...from...


a small grey mouse named Oscar.