Moth and Crow

One evening in winter, in the city of Tokyo, a little moth flew around a tree. The sky was clear and the moon was bright. Little Moth beat his wings as fast as he could so as to reach the highest branch.

 

'Yoo-hoo!' he shouted. 'It's me, Little Moth. I've come to say hello.'

 

Sitting at the top of the tree was a very big, very black, crow.

 

'Not you' said Crow with a sigh.

 

'Isn't it a beautiful night' said Little Moth. 'In fact, it's so beautiful I thought I'd come and say hello to my friend Crow.'

 

'I'm not your friend' said Crow. 'My friends are other big crows and we fly around the city scaring birds we don't like.'

 

'Well, there's no need to be so angry, Crow' said Little Moth, who was still beating his wings as fast as he could. 'I just wanted to tell you I'm going to fly all the way up to the moon.'

 

'That sounds so boring' said Crow. 'I'd rather be in the city where the action is' and with that he began to Caw-caw-caw very loudly indeed before flying off in the direction of the train station to meet his crow friends.

 

Little Moth hovered around the tree for a while longer. He looked up at the clear night sky with its vast array of stars and shades of darkness, before his little moth eyes settled on the bright silvery moon. What a wonderful sight it was! But so far, far away. 'Crow thinks going to the moon is boring' Little Moth said to himself. 'But I'll show him it's not boring.'

 

Little Moth began to flap his wings even faster and soon found himself looking down at the tree where Crow lived. Up and up he went. Now he was higher than he'd ever been. 'Ooooh!' he said. 'I've still got such a long way to go.'

 

Then something terrible happened. The wind began to blow and drops of rain began to fall. Soon the wind was blowing Little Moth this way and that way, sending him even higher than before.

 

'Whoah!' cried Little Moth. 'This wind is too strong. And these raindrops are too big. I need to find somewhere warm and dry as quickly as I can.'

 

Soon Little Moth was being blown towards one of the old apartment blocks that stood facing the trees. A particularly strong gust of wind sent him hurtling towards the balcony of an apartment on the sixth floor. 'Aaargh!' said Little Moth. He was heading straight for a big window.

He closed his eyes and said his prayers. Then, just in the nick of time, the wind lifted him up and through a smaller window which had been left partially open. Little Moth crashed to the floor.

 

When he regained his senses he realised he was in a living room. It was very warm and soon he felt much better. He looked up and began to flap his wings excitedly because on the ceiling he could see a bright light. It must be the moon, he thought, and it doesn't look very far away.

 

What Little Moth didn't realise was that there were two people in the living room: a young boy named Yusa and his grandfather. Yusa was playing with his dinosaur figures while his grandfather was watching TV. As soon as Little Moth began to fly up towards the ceiling Yusa cried out: 'Grandpa – there's a fly in here.'

 

Yusa's grandfather said: 'That's not a fly, Yusa. It's a little moth.'

 

'I'm scared' said Yusa and his grandfather laughed. 'There's nothing to be scared about, Yusa. Moths are harmless. Some of them have got very nice patterns on their wings. I know, shall we catch the moth and put it in a jar ?'

 

Yusa and his grandfather got an empty jar from the kitchen. As Little Moth flew closer and closer to the bright light on the ceiling Yusa's grandfather unscrewed the cap and with a swift move set the jar in Little Moth's path. Little Moth flew straight into the jar.

 

'Got him' said Yusa's grandfather and quickly re-placed the lid.

 

They set the jar on the table. Yusa and his grandfather looked through the glass.

 

'Hello' shouted Little Moth. 'I'm trying to fly to the moon.'

 

'Hmmm' said Yusa. 'He's not scary.'

 

'Not at all' said Yusa's grandfather. 'He's probably very scared of us, though, so we shan't keep him for long.'

 

They continued to peer into the jar. 'Hello' shouted Little Moth. 'Pleased to meet you. I'm flying to the moon.'

 

After a moment or two Yusa said: 'He's making some very strange sounds, gradpa.'

 

'Perhaps he's trying to communicate with other moths' said Yusa's grandfather. 'His antenna vibrate. That's how he knows where he's going.'

 

Little Moth shouted: 'I don't know where I am. The rain and wind blew me here, there and everywhere. I'm on my way to the moon and I think it's on your ceiling.'

 

Yusa and his Grandfather looked at Little Moth for quite a while. They looked at the patterns on his wings and at his hairy tummy.

 

'I like the Little Moth' said Yusa. 'Can we keep him ?'

 

Yusa's grandfather said no, they couldn't keep him. That would be cruel. They had to release him outside.'

 

'But it's so windy and it's raining' said Yusa.

 

'Hmmm' said Yusa's grandfather. 'I know, we'll let him fly out of our front door onto the landing. That way he can stay in the dry.'

 

So that's what they decided to do. They opened the front door and unscrewed the top of the jar. Little Moth flew out.

 

'Goodbye  little moth' shouted Yusa. But someone had left the far door of the landing open and a strong gust of wind caught Little Moth and carried him all the way back inside Yusa's apartment.

 

'Whoah!' cried Little Moth.

 

'Oh no – we'll have to try and catch him again' said Yusa's grandfather and waved the jar this way and that way.

 

Yusa laughed. 'There's the little moth grandad' he squealed.

 

Eventually, Yusa's grandfather caught Little Moth in the jar for a second time.

 

'It's stopped raining now, grandpa, and the strong wind has passed. Let's go out on the balcony and set the little moth free. He can stay safe in one of the trees over there.'

 

Yusa's grandfather agreed. So they stood out on the balcony and watched as Little Moth flew away.

 

'Goodbye' shouted Yusa.

 

Little Moth was so tired after his adventure that he decided to return to his tree and soon he was hovering near the highest branch where he saw a familiar figure.

 

'Hello Crow' he said. 'You'll never believe what happened to me.'

 

Crow said: 'Not you again. I'm not interested in the slightest what happened to you, Little Moth.'

 

'Well, there's no need to be like that' said Little Moth. 'I just wanted to tell you about the adventure I had on my way to the moon.'

 

'I'm going to see my friends again' said Crow and began to shout very loudly 'Caw-caw-caw' before flying off, this time in the direction of the children's playground.

 

Little Moth hovered for a while near a small branch before settling on the underside of a leaf. He was so tired he could barely keep his little moth eyes open.

 

'Goodnight' shouted Yusa from his balcony but Little Moth was already fast asleep.

 

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