Short Pictorial Stories: The Moon’s Lost Shadow

One night, the moon glowed bright and round, but something was wrong. It had no shadow. The stars blinked in confusion, and the forest animals whispered among themselves. 'The moon has lost its shadow!' said the wise old squirrel, chewing a nut. 'Without it, the night is too bright, and the dreams are too loud.'

Ollie, a young owl with feathers as soft as dandelion fluff, tilted her head. 'I’ll find the shadow,' she said. 'I’ve always been curious about the dark.' With a flutter of her wings, she took off into the sky, leaving behind the soft rustle of leaves and the hoot of her friends.

Ollie flew past the whispering trees, past the silver river, and into the quiet hills. There, she met a sleepy badger named Bramble. 'I know where the shadow went,' he said, blinking slowly. 'It was taken by the sleepy cloud, who wanted to hide from the stars.' Ollie nodded. 'Then I’ll ask the cloud to return it.'

The cloud was floating lazily, dreaming of raindrops and thunder. 'I don’t want to be seen,' it said. 'The stars are too bright.' Ollie smiled. 'But without your shadow, the moon is too bright, and the world can’t sleep.' The cloud sighed and, with a soft puff, let the shadow fall back to the moon. The sky turned calm and quiet once more, and the forest fell into a peaceful slumber.

Ollie returned home, her heart full. She had found the shadow, made a new friend, and helped the world sleep. From that night on, every full moon was a little softer, a little kinder, and a little more full of wonder.