The Bamboo-Cutter and the Moon Child

An old bamboo cutter entered the grove one morning and saw a stalk shining from within. He opened it carefully. Inside sat a tiny child, bright as moonlight, waiting to be held.

He carried her home in his cupped hands. His wife made a soft little bed. They called her Moon Child, and their once quiet cottage filled with small songs and delighted laughter.

Moon Child grew faster than an ordinary child. Soon she could walk beside them through the garden. When the cutter returned to the grove, he sometimes found gold hidden in the hollow bamboo.

They repaired the cottage and shared their good fortune with neighbours. Moon Child learned songs and cared for the flowers. Yet on clear evenings, she often sat quietly, gazing towards the shining moon.

Her parents noticed tears in her eyes and gently asked why. Moon Child told them she belonged to a faraway moon world. At the coming full moon, its people would call her home.

The old couple wished she could stay forever. She wished so too, but could not change the journey. Together they spent the waiting days cooking favourite meals and telling the story of her arrival.

Moon Child wrote a letter for them to keep. She thanked them for the little bed, the garden, and every loving day. Her mother folded the letter carefully inside a small wooden box.

On the full moon night, a gentle glow spread across the garden. Moon attendants arrived in a shining carriage. They waited respectfully while Moon Child held her parents' hands and said goodbye.

The carriage rose slowly above the bamboo, carrying Moon Child towards the sky. The couple watched until its light became a distant speck. They stayed together on the veranda, holding the little box.

When the moon shone over their cottage, they read her letter again. Their sadness still mattered, but so did their happiness together. The garden remained full of flowers they had planted with love.