The Man, The Moon

The Man, The Moon.

Once Upon a Time, there was a humble blacksmith living in a small village at the base of a great mountain. Every day the blacksmith took a break from his tedious labor by the fires to get a drink from a stream that flowed from the mountain near his shop. On this break the blacksmith would admire the cool and rigid stones of the mountain."How strong and cold the mountain is," the blacksmith would sigh; "if only I were as strong as these stones my labor would never tire me, and if I were as cool, I would not need to rest so often."

One hot summer day a young girl was walking by as the blacksmith took his rest, and she overheard his sigh. After hearing of his admiration of the mountain she approached the blacksmith and said, "It saddens me to see you tired and weary. I only wish that you could be the mountain- strong and cool." In that instance the blacksmith was transformed into the stone of the mountainside, and the girl was gone.

Years went by and the blacksmith remained stone, unable to speak or move but able to contemplate his choices. One fall evening the girl returned, now a young woman. She walked to the stone by the stream and reached a hand out to feel the cold rock. "I see that you are still cool and strong, blacksmith. How does this mountain suit you?"

The mountainside rumbled as the blacksmith found words, "I am strong and I am cold, but I miss my labor. Day by day I admire the stone-cutter and his purpose, as he chisels and carries large parts of me to home-builders and artists."

"I understand that you long for your labor," the woman replied. "I will turn you into the stone-cutter so that you can work once again and find purpose." Once again the blacksmith was transformed, and once again the woman was gone.

A few more years passed and the blacksmith continued to labor as a stone-cutter, until one winter day the woman returned again. "Hello, old friend," said the woman. "I see that you have found purpose in your labor. How does stone-cutting suit you?"

The blacksmith thought for a second before he replied, " I have found purpose, but this labor is hard and I have aged into an old man. Every day I climb high on the mountain to cut stone and I look to the sun for warmth."

The woman replied, "The sun is warm and good, so the sun you will be," and was once again gone.

More years went by and the blacksmith thought he would never speak to the woman again, until one spring day she returned, now an old woman. "I see that you are still filled with the warmth of the sun, blacksmith, but how does being the sun suit you?" the woman said tiredly. The blacksmith almost did not want to answer, since the woman had already done so much for him but he knew he had to be honest. "I do enjoy being the sun and encompassing its warmth, but warmth alone cannot sustain me."

The woman thought for a moment before replying, "I have grown old, and in my age I have grown wise. For years we have tried to find the perfect version of you and it has never been so clear. Now you will be the moon. You will be cool and strong, yet warm on the side the sun touches you. You will have purpose in pulling the waters of earth, without the labor being too hard."

The blacksmith smiled for the brief moment before his final transformation- sure that the moon would suit him well. And to this day that is where the blacksmith remains, the moon.