The Sun, The Moon And The Wind

I had an idea that I wanted to expand into a short story.  I hope that you enjoy it. 

The Sun, The Moon And The Wind
The wind was having a blast, roaring through the forests, filling the leaves, so that the snow that had lain on the boughs of the trees all that day, fell in clumps all around the base of the trees.  It was one of the wind's many games and in this one, it often tried to see if it was possible to make the snow fall on top of some poor unsuspecting rabbit or fox.  Harrgh-harrgh roared the wind as it raced across the prairies, grass and crops swaying this way and that.  Out across the open ocean pushing water in its wake, creating the swells that would become waves that crashed against the shore.  Harrgh-harrgh it roared again and again.

So busy was the wind having fun and rushing from one place to the next, that it almost didn't notice that another day was ending and night was beginning.  It slowed down and as it did so, it heard voices.  Curious, the wind went to see what was going on.

"I tell you that I am the strongest."  It was the moon.

The sun continued to shine down almost as if it was smiling and said, "Oh moon.  Dear sweet moon.  If you are the strongest, then how do you explain that you disappear every morning when I rise?"

The moon was momentarily flustered.  "Disappear?  Disappear?", it repeated.

"Yes" said the sun, "I come up bringing light to the world and as I do so, you disappear.  You scurry off some place."

"I do not disappear and I certainly do not scurry.", said the moon indignantly.  "I just go and rest for a while, that is all.  If you had to stay up all night long, then you would understand how tiring it can be.  All night, watching over all the people, the animals, the fish, the trees and the plants.  It's very tiring indeed!"

"And what do you think I do all day long?", asked the sun.

"Exactly!", beamed the moon even more brightly.  "And so you disappear at night time so that you can go and have a rest, just the same as I have to, during the day."  The moon was triumphant.

The wind was listening in great interest to this debate between the sun and the moon.  So many times the moon and sun argued about who was the strongest.  It really was quite a bore sometimes, but the wind liked to listen because it too needed to rest after so much blowing.

"Every evening, as soon as I appear, it is you who goes running away.", continued the moon, believing it now had beaten the sun.  "You cannot stand to be in the same sky as me, because you are afraid that I will outshine you.  You are afraid that you will look pale in comparison to me.  You are afraid that the people will see how weak you really are!"

The sun merely smiled.  It knew that here was again its moment of complete triumph over the moon.  So, it waited just a little bit longer before it played the winning card.

"See! See!", yelled the moon.  "You have no answers."

"Oh dear, sweet little moon.  Ever you have been my companion.  When will you ever accept the truth?  When you are shining at night, illuminating the night sky for all of the creatures that wake and hunt and must be about their business after dusk, do you not wonder what it is that makes you glow?  Do you not wonder from where the beams of moonlight come?"  The sun paused a moment, so that the moon might consider these things.  "They come from me dear moon.  Even while I sleep, I am lighting you up so that you may light up the sky for all the creatures that need some light.

The moon looked dismayed as it considered these things.  Then came the decisive blow from the sun.

"Dear moon, if I so wished it, I could darken you forever and all the creatures would forget that you ever existed.  So, you see sweet moon, I am the strongest by far."

The moon was crest fallen and sad.  It had been made to look weak by the sun and now the wind had heard everything.  The wind would travel the world and spread the news that the sun was the strongest.  The wind, however, had a different idea.

"Dear sun, dear moon.  My companions for an age.  You might well fight about which one of you is the strongest, but you have forgotten one important thing."

"What is that?", both the sun and the moon enquired in unison.  Neither could believe that they had forgotten anything at all.

"It is simply this." replied the wind.  "You moon, yes you have dominion over the sky during the night.  And you sun, you have the power to shine all of the day and to lend some light to the moon during the night time.  But it is only I, the wind, that is able to blow hard both day and night and to be in all places, whenever I so choose.  The clouds, they block your sunlight and your moonlight.  If the clouds were there all the time, no creature would know either of you ever existed.  But it is only the I, the wind that has the power to move the clouds away so that you may shine once more and so that creatures may see your faces.  So, it is I, the mighty wind, who is the strongest!"

The sun was shaken because it realised the truth of the wind's words.  The moon quietly laughed to itself because it was happy that the wind had shown that the sun was wrong and not as powerful.  The sun sank away and the moon raised itself up, feeling a whole lot better now that the wind had spoken.  The wind, now rested, blew on into the night.

And listening to all of this was Mother Nature, who had been completely unseen by either the sun, the moon or the wind, because they were too busy talking.  Mother Nature had heard everything that was said and now she sat smiling to herself.  Because Mother Nature knew that it really didn't matter which was the strongest, since all things were equally needed to keep the balance.  And the balance was really the only thing that mattered, since all things had always been and would always be forever more, One.