The Pine Needle and the Moon

One day there was a little pine needle.

All its life the pine needle lived very high up in a tree. It was surrounded by all of its friends, many many other pine needles that grew in the tree along side it. It was never alone.

When the wind blew the little pine needle would hold on tight. It loved the way the tree would sway back and forth, back and forth (rock your body). It was very exciting! As the wind blew, always there was the sound of his neighbors rustling together.

Late at night, when everything was dark and the stars were winking in the sky, the little pine needle would look up at the full moon. Its heart ached with the beauty of the moon. With all its might the little pine needle would stretch up, trying to touch the moon. But it never could.

Time went by. The pine needle got older. One night the time came when he was very old, and he was going to fall off the tree. His friends all said, "Hold on! Don't let go!"

The little pine needle held on tight until the moon rose. He looked at it, huge and luminous, one last time. The pine needle said, "I have lived a long time. I am ready to go."

So he let go and drifted down, and down. He was not sad to leave all the other pine needles, who had been with him all his life. He was only sad that he had never gotten to touch the moon.

He fell onto a trampoline.

The next day the sun rose. A boy named Will (your child's name) visited the trampoline that day. The little pine needle saw him bounce up and down, up and down. The pine needle watched everything.

The next night, the little pine needle practiced jumping. Each day the boy came, and each night the pine needle practiced. Higher and higher it learned to jump, until one night it was ready.

The moon rose high up into the sky that night and the little pine needle jumped. Up, and up, each jump higher and higher, it jumped so high that it reached the moon and stuck right into its nostril just like a nose hair.

And that is the story of how the little pine needle touched the moon.

The End
(c) 2007 Ken Demarest