Moon

By Aaron J. Miller

Once upon a time, there was a happy family. There was a happy mother and the happy, tall, and proud father. There were three children: the eldest brother, the younger brother, and the youngest of the siblings; the little sister.

The family had always spent so much time together: going on picnics; visiting amusement parks; watching movies and eating popcorn at the cinema; or just playing in the backyard and relaxing at home.

One day, the mother and father had packed a suitcase full of luggage. Because he was curious about it, the eldest brother asked his parents what it was for. They smiled and each showed him a ticket. "It's just wonderful!" exclaimed the mother excitedly. "An angel came and gave us these tickets," said the father. "We're going to the moon!"

And so the eldest brother was then tasked with taking care of his younger siblings.

That family was happy still. The eldest brother did his best to take care of his younger brother and little sister. Sometimes they would play together in the park, or go swimming at the beach. If it was raining, they would stay inside and tell each other stories. But sometimes they would play in the rain too. Even so, they would go back inside and dry off, then wait for the sun again.

One day, the younger brother had a suitcase―somewhat smaller than their parents'―packed full of his luggage. "Where are you going?" asked the older brother. The younger brother smiled proudly and showed off a ticket. "An angel gave me this. I'm going to the moon!"

And so the big brother was left to take care of his little sister.

Even with just the two of them, the family was happy still. They would go watch the waves at the sea; they would walk through the forest looking for strange creatures, and the big brother would comfort his little sister when she was scared, even when he was scared too; and they would lay in their backyard at night, looking at the stars... and the moon.

Because it was just the two of them, the big brother wanted to spoil his little sister more. He got the feeling that she was lonelier now, because he was too. He didn't want her to feel lonely though, so he bought her a teddy bear. When she got her present, she smiled so much brighter than before. He couldn't remember ever seeing a smile quite so genuinely happy.

They continued their time together, playing and laughing, exploring and learning, and watching the stars. Whenever the little sister was scared or sad, her big brother would rush over to cheer her up. Sometimes just hugging her teddy bear―her present from her beloved big brother―was enough to cheer her up. She really, really loved her big brother.

One day, she had a small suitcase packed with most of her luggage. The big brother looked at her, hesitantly, and asked "Where are you going?" She smiled, with tears in her eyes. "An angel gave me a ticket, so now I have to go to the moon." Seeing that tears were starting to well up in her strong big brother's eyes, she wanted to make him feel better. "I won't be alone there, and I don't want you to be alone either, big brother... So please, take this."

After she left, the big brother looked at what she gave him: a teddy bear; the one he had given her.

And now he was alone.

The big brother decided to leave that house and go on a journey. He decided that he was going to make his way to the moon. The only thing he put in his backpack was a teddy bear.

He walked, and walked, for days, and days. A baker who was sympathetic gave him some food. A sewer who was sympathetic gave him warmer clothes. A traveler who was sympathetic gave him an umbrella. Even so, it was his little sister that gave him the teddy bear. That helped him continue his journey more than anything else.

One day, after traveling for so long, he came across a steep cliff. He took in the view, and determined which way to go. Then, he looked down. His eye was caught by the sight of a family at the bottom of the cliff. They were in trouble, because they had tumbled to the bottom.

So he made his way down the cliff, well-seasoned by his journey. When he got to the bottom, he saw a scene familiar to him. There was a happy family. A mother, a father, an older son, and a younger daughter. The mother, father, and son were all facing the daughter with smiles, and suitcases. The little girl asked them where they were going. Their reply was: "An angel gave us these tickets. We're going to the moon!"

And so the little girl, the daughter of the family, was left all alone.

He, the big brother who had experienced this before, did not want her to feel all alone though. So he told her "You don't have to feel alone. You don't have to worry. We're all traveling to the moon, so you'll definitely see them again. But, you need to bring them stories to tell." The girl was crying, and he did not want to see that. "Here, this is for you. Now you won't feel alone, because you'll have a companion on your journey." He handed her a teddy bear.

Upon turning around he heard a small cry from the girl. "Where are you going?" she asked. He showed her. "I have a ticket, from an angel. I'm going to the moon now, too."