Week 2 Story: Genesis of the Moon

 Panda had always been mature for his age--but there was more than just that.  He wasn’t just more mature, he was different from his friends.  Not different in a bad sense, but there was a clear distinction from Panda and his best friends Monkey and Viper.  Panda was wise beyond his years.  Even when his friends would throw tantrums or get upset as children, Panda was always able to see the bigger picture.  Apart from this, Panda was always physically different as well.  While the rest of his family was the typical mixture of black and white, Panda had been grey/white from birth.  While being different would have been a cause for insecurity for most children, Panda was always content with who he was.  As a young adult, Panda was seen as one of the wisest and most respected in his village.  

One day, people from Panda’s village reported mysterious happenings down by the beach.  The tides and weather were all out of sorts.  Perplexed, but confident that he could find the source of the problem, Panda set out for the beach.  Along the way Panda felt confident in his journey; it was as though he had already been where he was going.  Everything felt so familiar for Panda as he entered the beach.  Automatically, Panda knew to approach a cavern that was just a little ways to the east.  It was around these parts that the weather and tides had been mysteriously funky.  Upon entering the cavern, Panda found a natural spring in a part of the cave that was open towards the sky.  Looking down at the spring and expecting to see his reflection, Panda instead saw a reflection of the moon.  In a moment of self-realization, Panda became the moon.  Now, every night Panda comes out to watch and guide those as they journey towards their own destiny.  

Bibliography: The Hare that Was not Afraid to Die by Marie L. Shedlock

Author’s Note:  I based my story off of the origins story called The Hare that Was not Afraid to Die. In the original story, there is a hare (the Buddha) who is the virtuous leader of his similarly minded friends. They all agree to fast on a certain day and feed any beggars they find. The Hare takes this to the next level, however, by deciding to offer his own flesh to any beggars that pass by. His virtue was put to the test by Sakka, king of the gods. After passing the test (and not dying), the hare had its markings placed on the moon by Sakka so the hare's virtue could be remembered by all. I based Panda off of Hare--they both are virtuous leaders. They both appear to be distinct in their friend group as well. However instead of including gods in mine, I chose to have Panda find his own way to his destiny. Instead of just taking markings from Panda for the moon, in my story Panda becomes the moon.

"Panda" coming out at night to watch over others.

source: commons