Long ago, there was no such thing as nighttime. Sun and Moon were the best of friends and they
never left the sky. Moon looked after the quiet oceans, and Sun
shone brightly over all the land. Elephant lived on the plains. The sunlight made his skin very hot. He tried to cool off in a mud bath, but Sun dried it
up. He tried fanning himself, but his ears got tired. One day he called out to Sun, “You dry the
ground and burn my feet! I cannot stand this
awful heat!” But Sun did not listen, and Moon did not say a
word. Owl lived in a tall tree in the forest. She could not hunt in the sunlight. She tried to catch Mouse for dinner, but Mouse
saw her coming and ran away. She tried eating berries instead, but they did not fill
her up. One day she called out to Sun, “Mouse can see me
in the light, I cannot hunt with you so bright!” But Sun did not listen, and Moon did not say a
word. Baby Turtle hatched on the beach by the ocean. To reach the sea, he needed the tides to pull him
in. He tried to swim out, but the waves pushed him
back on shore. He waited for the tides to come, but they never
did. One day he called out to Moon, “I need the tides
to reach the seas, I beg of you to bring them
please!” Moon heard the animals and she asked Sun if
there was a way they could help them. Sun cared deeply for Moon and he agreed.
Together they came up with a plan. Sun called down to all the animals. “For the sake of Elephant, Owl and Baby Turtle,
Moon and I have decided to share the sky. When I rise, Moon will set and leave the
sky bright. When Moon rises, I will set and leave
the sky dark. Moon will bring the tides each day as she travels
through the sky and it will be cool and dark. Sun
continued. And when I rise, I will once again
make the sky bright... But we need one of you tell us when it is time for
us to switch.” “It cannot be me,” said Elephant, “for I am
forgetful.” And this was a lie. “It cannot be me,” said Owl,” “for I cannot be
trusted.” And this was the truth. “It cannot be me,” said Baby Turtle, “for I am just
a baby.” And this could not be argued. One by one, the animals declined except for
Dullfly, who was resting in the shade of a banana
leaf. Sun shone his great heat on Dullfly and spoke to
him a booming voice. “Dullfly, this is Sun! Do you
hear me?” “From now on, you will tell me when it is time for
me to set, and we will call it dusk. And you will tell
Moon when it is time for her to set, and we will call
it dawn.” “I cannot!” Dullfly said, frightened by Sun’s loud
command. “I am too small for you to see!” Sun exhaled and shot a burst of light straight into
Dullfly’s body, making it glow brightly. “There. From now on you will be known as
Firefly, and you will flash your light to send us a
signal,” said Sun. And from that day forth, Firefly
did just that. So, if you happen to catch Firefly at dawn or
dusk, you must be sure to let him go, because it is
he who decides when Moon brings the tides, and
when Sun rises and sets.