Josh and the BIG Moon

Josh and the BIG Moon

It is almost time to go to bed and Josh is worried. He still hasn’t written a story for homework and if he doesn’t hand it in tomorrow, his teacher, Mr Jenkins, will go crazy at him again.

Even worse, he doesn’t even have an idea for a story. Instead of thinking about what to write he has been playing games on his Nintendo 3DS.

Josh closes his eyes and cries out loud, ‘What am I going to do?’

‘Do about what?’ Comes a clear, still voice.

Josh turns around quickly in his chair and opens his eyes.

But no-one is there.

‘Who said that?’ Josh calls back.

‘I did.’ Comes the same clear, still voice, now from the window behind him.

And when Josh turns back around to catch the voice he just about falls off his chair.

It is then he sees the whole window of his bedroom is filled up by the biggest moon he’s ever seen.

‘Wow!’ yells Josh ‘Why are you so big tonight?’

‘Because this is the closest I have been to the Earth in eighteen years.’ Smiles the moon.

‘So how far away are you now?’ Asks Josh

‘let me see.” says the moon, ‘From my speedo calculations, it looks like I am three hundred and fifty six thousand, five hundred and seventy seven kilometres from Earth.’

‘Thats amazing!’ Josh replies excitedly. ‘Thats still a long way. My Grandma lives thirty kilometres from here and that is pretty far.’

The moon laughs quietly but Josh doesn’t hear him. ‘Well I am glad that I got the chance to meet you Josh. It’s only when I’m this close to the Earth that I get to talk to kids.’

‘Well what do you do the rest of the time then Mister Big Moon? Josh asks respectfully.

‘let me see now.’ The big moon closes one eye while he thinks about Josh’s question. ‘I guess my main job is to reflect the qualities of the sun by bringing light into the darkness and into people’s lives.’

‘That sounds like a big job. How does your light help people exactly?’ Josh is curious to find out all about his new friend.

‘It guides the ships across the deep and rocky parts of the oceans.’

‘Yeah, and...?’

‘I shine light off the high mountains to show planes where not to fly at night.’

‘Cool. What else?’  

‘And in the deserts, my moonbeams show the way for the camel trains to find the paths to water wells and small villages.’

‘What a great job you do Big Moon.’ 

‘Then there are the birds and bats and animals that need to find food and their way home at night. The nocturnal ones. I’m always there for them.’

‘Nocturnal birds and bats and animals. They sound awesome.’ Josh says laughing his head off.

‘And finally,’ explains the Big Moon, ‘I always tell the waves this far... and no further!’

Then Josh gets frightened.

‘But Big Moon you are now smaller than you were when we started talking. What’s wrong?’

‘Nothing’s wrong Josh.‘ Came the reply in the same clear, still voice. ‘The Earth is turning on it’s axis and so am I. We are just spinning further away from each other, that’s all.’

‘Then I have one more question for you Big Moon?‘ Josh put his hands up to his mouth and calls out through the window. ‘What do you do in the daytime?’

‘Mostly I just sit up in a corner of the sky, soak up the sun and read books.’

‘I love reading books.’’ Josh calls back as loud as he can, the Big Moon getting smaller by the second.

‘Keep reading books Josh and I will talk to you next time I pass by this way. But if I seem too far away from you don’t forget to wave to me.’

‘I won’t.‘ Josh calls out, while waving madly out the window.

‘Josh‘ Came his dad’s voice from the doorway of his bedroom. ‘Who are you waving to?’

‘My new friend the Big Moon.‘ Josh replies as he turns around.

‘Have you finished writing your story yet young man?’ Asks his dad in a more serious voice.

‘Almost.’ Says Josh as he jumps and spins back into his chair and opens his writing book. ‘I’ve almost finished.’ he smiles to himself as he writes down the name of his story at the top of the empty page. Now that he has a really excellent idea to write about, it will be easy... 

‘Josh and the BIG Moon’... 

(c) Rob Swales 2013