Read The characters
The story below is a chapter from the children's book The Central Park Tales, written and illustrated by Marcus Meesters.
All use of it, other than reading it on this website, is prohibited. ©2014 Marcus Meesters, all rights reserved
All use of it, other than reading it on this website, is prohibited. ©2014 Marcus Meesters, all rights reserved
CHAPTER 9
THE MOTH
THE MOTH
ONE
EVENING, FATHER Mouse and Mother Mouse heard the sounds of a music box coming
from behind Mousekin’s bedroom door.
“She's gotten out of bed again,” sighed Mother Mouse.
Now there was a thumping noise from the bedroom. Father Mouse opened the door and stepped inside Mousekin’s room. He saw Mousekin lying flat on the floor in front of her wardrobe. On top of the wardrobe, Mousekin’s windup music box played, and the little ballerina inside it turned round and round.
“What's the matter?” asked Father Mouse. “You should be asleep by now, what are you doing on the floor?”
“I was practicing ballet, but I fell,” said Mousekin, and she stood up slowly. “I want to become a ballerina.”
She watched the ballerina on the wardrobe, longingly.
“Can Mommy teach me how to dance ballet?”
“She's gotten out of bed again,” sighed Mother Mouse.
Now there was a thumping noise from the bedroom. Father Mouse opened the door and stepped inside Mousekin’s room. He saw Mousekin lying flat on the floor in front of her wardrobe. On top of the wardrobe, Mousekin’s windup music box played, and the little ballerina inside it turned round and round.
“What's the matter?” asked Father Mouse. “You should be asleep by now, what are you doing on the floor?”
“I was practicing ballet, but I fell,” said Mousekin, and she stood up slowly. “I want to become a ballerina.”
She watched the ballerina on the wardrobe, longingly.
“Can Mommy teach me how to dance ballet?”
“Mom can dance
the Mouse Dance,” said Father Mouse. “And very well too! She even taught me, so
that on our wedding day . . .”
“But I want to learn ballet!” said Mousekin. “Who can teach me? Is there anyone in the park who can dance ballet?”
Father Mouse began to think.
“Butterflies,” he said. “The butterflies dance aerial ballet. Watch them closely, when you see them fluttering past.”
“Is that a butterfly?” asked Mousekin, pointing to an insect with brown folded wings who was sitting on the wall in a dark corner.
“That's a moth,” said Father Mouse. “And if you get into bed at once, I'll tell you a story about a moth.
Sometimes, when you look up at the stars, at first you see just a few stars in the sky, but if you look longer, you see more and more stars emerge. Have you ever noticed that?”
“Yes,” said Mousekin, tucked under her blanket.
“I’ll tell you why.
Once in a while, a star falls from the sky, and there is always someone that sees it and makes a wish. When that star hits the ground, it does its best to make the wish come true, and after that, the star is too tired to fly up to the sky again. But if the moth flies through the park, with its beautiful wings and its beautiful sky dance, all the fallen stars get so excited that they manage to fly up again. They dance in the air with the moth, higher and higher, until they take their place in the sky once more.”
Mousekin looked at the moth on the wall.
“Is that the moth from your story,” she asked?
“Maybe. You never know,” said Father Mouse.
The insect was still sitting quietly in the dark corner. It was small and there were no beautiful colors to be seen on the outside of its wings. Mousekin shook her head.
“No, that's not him,” she thought to herself. “Such a small gray creature, with its wings closed, sitting quietly in a dark corner could never be like the beautiful moth Dad was telling me about.”
She closed her eyes. Father Mouse gave her a kiss on the forehead, wished her goodnight and left the room.
A little while later, Mousekin opened her eyes again.
“If I see the moth fluttering through the park,” she thought to herself, “then he could teach me ballet!”
She crawled out of bed and looked through her open window.
“Maybe he's flying above our house,” she thought, and she climbed out the window. Outside, on the grass, she looked up. She saw that the moon had risen right above her house. But she didn’t see the moth.
“I could walk for a while,” she thought to herself, “and I won’t get lost because I can see the moon from anywhere in the park and our house is right underneath it.”
Mousekin walked through the grass and the trees. A few moments later she was standing in an open field. She looked around. The moth was still nowhere to be seen. She looked up at the moon. It stood high above the trees at the edge of the field.
She walked across the field and saw that the moon didn’t stand still above the trees as she had first believed, but moved along with her, as now it was standing above another group of trees.
She began to think.
“But I want to learn ballet!” said Mousekin. “Who can teach me? Is there anyone in the park who can dance ballet?”
Father Mouse began to think.
“Butterflies,” he said. “The butterflies dance aerial ballet. Watch them closely, when you see them fluttering past.”
“Is that a butterfly?” asked Mousekin, pointing to an insect with brown folded wings who was sitting on the wall in a dark corner.
“That's a moth,” said Father Mouse. “And if you get into bed at once, I'll tell you a story about a moth.
Sometimes, when you look up at the stars, at first you see just a few stars in the sky, but if you look longer, you see more and more stars emerge. Have you ever noticed that?”
“Yes,” said Mousekin, tucked under her blanket.
“I’ll tell you why.
Once in a while, a star falls from the sky, and there is always someone that sees it and makes a wish. When that star hits the ground, it does its best to make the wish come true, and after that, the star is too tired to fly up to the sky again. But if the moth flies through the park, with its beautiful wings and its beautiful sky dance, all the fallen stars get so excited that they manage to fly up again. They dance in the air with the moth, higher and higher, until they take their place in the sky once more.”
Mousekin looked at the moth on the wall.
“Is that the moth from your story,” she asked?
“Maybe. You never know,” said Father Mouse.
The insect was still sitting quietly in the dark corner. It was small and there were no beautiful colors to be seen on the outside of its wings. Mousekin shook her head.
“No, that's not him,” she thought to herself. “Such a small gray creature, with its wings closed, sitting quietly in a dark corner could never be like the beautiful moth Dad was telling me about.”
She closed her eyes. Father Mouse gave her a kiss on the forehead, wished her goodnight and left the room.
A little while later, Mousekin opened her eyes again.
“If I see the moth fluttering through the park,” she thought to herself, “then he could teach me ballet!”
She crawled out of bed and looked through her open window.
“Maybe he's flying above our house,” she thought, and she climbed out the window. Outside, on the grass, she looked up. She saw that the moon had risen right above her house. But she didn’t see the moth.
“I could walk for a while,” she thought to herself, “and I won’t get lost because I can see the moon from anywhere in the park and our house is right underneath it.”
Mousekin walked through the grass and the trees. A few moments later she was standing in an open field. She looked around. The moth was still nowhere to be seen. She looked up at the moon. It stood high above the trees at the edge of the field.
She walked across the field and saw that the moon didn’t stand still above the trees as she had first believed, but moved along with her, as now it was standing above another group of trees.
She began to think.
“Will I be able to find my way home again?”
Mousekin ran to the trees underneath the moon. But her house could not be seen behind them. She ran ahead and climbed a hill. She looked around but couldn’t see her house anywhere.
She was lost!
“Will I ever get home?” she thought. “Will I ever be with Mom and Dad again . . . or will I always be here, all alone in this park. And Mom and Dad, they will be so worried, and sad . . .”
Slowly, two big tears ran down her cheeks.
But then she saw something moving through the air! It was an insect that fluttered about gracefully. She looked at it closely. The insect had big velvet wings with colors that glistened beautifully in the light of the moon, and it
danced . . . like a ballerina in the air. It was the moth from her father’s story!
Then Mousekin saw something that she would never forget. Out of the bushes and the trees, many little lights flew up and up. They were fireflies who loved the moth’s aerial dance so much that they wanted to dance with him, and so they fluttered around the moth. Mousekin looked up at the sky and saw more and more stars appear.
“Dad was right! When the moth dances through the park, all the fallen stars fly up into the starry sky!”
Mousekin ran to the trees underneath the moon. But her house could not be seen behind them. She ran ahead and climbed a hill. She looked around but couldn’t see her house anywhere.
She was lost!
“Will I ever get home?” she thought. “Will I ever be with Mom and Dad again . . . or will I always be here, all alone in this park. And Mom and Dad, they will be so worried, and sad . . .”
Slowly, two big tears ran down her cheeks.
But then she saw something moving through the air! It was an insect that fluttered about gracefully. She looked at it closely. The insect had big velvet wings with colors that glistened beautifully in the light of the moon, and it
danced . . . like a ballerina in the air. It was the moth from her father’s story!
Then Mousekin saw something that she would never forget. Out of the bushes and the trees, many little lights flew up and up. They were fireflies who loved the moth’s aerial dance so much that they wanted to dance with him, and so they fluttered around the moth. Mousekin looked up at the sky and saw more and more stars appear.
“Dad was right! When the moth dances through the park, all the fallen stars fly up into the starry sky!”
Something
started to happen in her body. She couldn’t resist it. Her little legs started
to move and she began to turn in circles. The moth fluttered toward the tall
trees and Mousekin danced behind him, following him through the trees, along
paths and meadows, until they arrived back at her house.
The moth flew
through her open window and into her bedroom. Mousekin stood on tiptoes and
looked through the window. She saw that the moth had landed on the dark spot on
her wall and closed his wings.
So it was true! That little dark creature who was sitting silently in the corner was the moth who makes fallen stars fly up into the sky!
She crawled through her bedroom window and wanted so much to ask the moth all kinds of questions, but she was so tired that she flopped down on her bed and fell asleep at once.
When she awoke the next morning, she crawled to the edge of her bed. She watched the moth, who was still sitting on the same spot on the wall.
“Are you the moth I danced with last night?” she asked. “Or have I dreamed it all?”
The moth didn’t answer.
“I'm sure you are,” said Mousekin. And then she stood up and danced like a real ballerina, gracefully through her room.
The moth briefly spread out his big velvet wings. Its colors glistened in the morning light. How beautiful they were!
So it was true! That little dark creature who was sitting silently in the corner was the moth who makes fallen stars fly up into the sky!
She crawled through her bedroom window and wanted so much to ask the moth all kinds of questions, but she was so tired that she flopped down on her bed and fell asleep at once.
When she awoke the next morning, she crawled to the edge of her bed. She watched the moth, who was still sitting on the same spot on the wall.
“Are you the moth I danced with last night?” she asked. “Or have I dreamed it all?”
The moth didn’t answer.
“I'm sure you are,” said Mousekin. And then she stood up and danced like a real ballerina, gracefully through her room.
The moth briefly spread out his big velvet wings. Its colors glistened in the morning light. How beautiful they were!