The Girl Who Married the Moon - Inuit

My name is Ayla, and I live where the world is dressed in white snow and the night sky glitters with a million diamond-dust stars. Long ago, under the dancing northern lights, I used to sit by my warm igloo and watch the moon, a big, glowing pearl in the dark. I thought he was the most handsome and quietest person in the whole world, and one night, I made a secret wish to marry him. This is the story of The Girl Who Married the Moon.

The very next night, a sleigh made of ice and starlight slid down from the sky, pulled by dogs with fur as white as clouds. A man with a kind, shining face stepped out. It was the Moon Spirit himself! He asked me to be his wife and live with him in his home in the sky. I said yes! We flew up, up, up, past the swirling green lights, until my village looked like a tiny, twinkling star below. His home was a big, quiet igloo made of silver light, and everything was beautiful and still.

But living in the sky was not what I dreamed it would be. The Moon Spirit was often away, traveling across the dark sky, and I was all alone in his silent, silver home. I missed the sound of my family laughing, the warmth of the fire, and the happy barking of our dogs. The sky was beautiful, but it was cold, and my heart grew lonely. I realized that my home, with all its noise and warmth, was where I truly belonged. I knew I had to find a way back to Earth.

One day, while the Moon Spirit was gone, a warm, golden light filled the sky home. It was the Sun Spirit, a kind woman with a bright, smiling face. She saw my sadness and offered to help. She spun a long, strong rope made of sunbeams and lowered it down to the Earth. I grabbed on and began to slide down, down, down toward my snowy home. But just as I was halfway there, the Moon Spirit returned! He saw me escaping and began to chase me, trying to catch me before I reached the ground.

I slid down the sunbeam rope just in time, landing softly in the snow right outside my village. I was so happy to be home! But the Moon Spirit never stopped looking for me. Even today, if you look up at the night sky, you can see him searching. When the moon is full and bright, he is close. When it is a thin sliver, he is far away. His endless chase is what creates the phases of the moon. This story helps us remember that the sky is always telling stories, and it reminds people to appreciate the warmth and love of home, which is the brightest light of all.