The Lady in the Moon

The Mooncake Festival has arrived!  The nuns call it the Mid-Autumn Festival and devotees are again bringing gifts of mooncakes to the temple.  I like this time of the year as everyone seems to be in such a happy mood.  Mooncakes are a great favourite with Ning and both he and Lao Lo were delighted when Head Nun sent a box of four mooncakes for them to enjoy.

On the evening of the 15th day of the 8th moon, after finishing prayers, Head Nun set up a table in the garden and we drank tea and ate mooncakes, while a yellow moon hovered in the sky above us. One of the nuns was telling the story of Change E, the lady in the moon.  I thought it was rather sad for a lady to be imprisoned in the moon for so long with only a rabbit for a companion.  "It must be pretty lonely up there,"  I said.  The nuns laughed and said it was only a legend.

After we had finished, the nuns went back into the temple but I remained outside looking at the moon.  It seemed to be larger than usual, which I am told is usually the case on the 15th day.  I tried to imagine Chang E up there and looking down at us.  As I looked, the moon seemed to become bigger and bigger and I found myself floating towards it.  It was drawing me to it like a magnet and no matter how hard I resisted, I couldn't free myself from its grip.  "Oh no, not again!  Help, help!" I cried but I was too far away for anyone to hear me.

I whizzed through clouds and stars and then found myself caught in swirls of pink silk ribbon.  I looked up and to my amazement saw a beautiful young woman holding a plate of mooncakes.  She was dressed in flowing silk robes and wore flowers and jewels in her hair.  Beside her sat a white rabbit. I blinked and looked again, unable to believe my eyes.

"Here, have a mooncake," she said, smiling at me.  It was then that I realised that I had reached the moon and this young woman must be ..... the lady in the moon!!

"You must be ... you must be ..."  I gasped, unable to recall her name.

She smiled again.  "My name does not matter.  Sure you won't have a mooncake?"

I shook my head.  She sighed and said sadly, "I'm so tired of these mooncakes.  Every year they offer me plates and plates of it.  Look, I'm getting fat! Alright, come with me then and we shall talk."

She led me to a beautiful place which hardly looked like the moon.  I expected to see craters and rocks but here there were pretty cherry blossoms, weeping willows and a small waterfall.  She sat down and the white rabbit snuggled up to her.

"I heard what you said, about me being lonely up here," she said, stroking the rabbit.  "You are the only one in many, many years who has sympathized with my plight.  That's why I brought you here, to thank you in person.  All those people on earth worship me only for their own selfish ends - they ask me for beauty, rich husbands, good fortune ...none of them ever think of how miserable I am up here."

She sighed again and a tear trickled down her cheek.  I was still too dazed to say anything and when I finally found my voice, I said, "I'm sorry ... how ... how long have you been up here?" and then wished I had shut my mouth - what a stupid question!

 She looked at me and said, "How long?  I don't even remember!  I'm so bored up here ..."

For a while,  both of us remained silent, then she suddenly sat up.

"Look, I've got an idea!" she cried.  "Why don't I follow you back to earth?  I want to see everything there is to see, it's been so long since I've been down there!"

I was stunned.  "Er ... follow me?"  I gasped.

"Yes," she replied excitedly.

"But ... but what am I going to tell the nuns?  They will never believe me if I told them you're the lady in the moon!"

She laughed.  "I shall make myself invisible and nobody will be any wiser.  Come on, let's not waste time!"  And before I could say anything further, I found myself being whisked from the moon and descending at an amazing speed down to earth.

We landed in the temple grounds.  I looked around for the nuns and saw to my relief that they were in the prayer hall doing their evening prayers.  Chang E followed me around the temple and it certainly felt strange having an invisible being next to me.  I could talk to her and hear her but could not see her.  She gasped in wonder at everything she saw especially the beauty of Lord Buddha's golden statue and the chandeliers  in the temple.  When we finished going round the temple, we went outside and I panicked when she started screaming.  She had never seen cars, buses and motorbikes before and the noise they made terrified her!

"Maybe it's not such a good idea after all, coming here," I said.  "You've been in the moon too long."

"Yes, you're right," she stammered.  "How horrible it is here!  All that noise and smoke!  I must go back.  I never realised until now how peaceful and serene it is living on the moon.  Goodbye, little cat and thank you.  When you next look at the moon, think of me!"

With that she was gone.  I sat for a while, still dazed. I must be dreaming, I told myself and pinched myself several times to make sure I was awake.  Then I saw something glittering on the ground.  I picked it up - it was one of the jewels that Chang E wore in her hair!

"I wasn't dreaming," I gasped.  "I did go to the moon and she did come down to earth with me!"  But who is going to believe me?

I looked up and saw a faint shadow flit cross the moon. Chang E had arrived home safely.

 "Happy Mid-Autumn Festival, Chang E!" I yelled as I made my way back into the temple.