The rabbit who loved the moon

Many years ago in the Oaxacan Valley, there lived a rabbit named Juan Pablo. He was a good and kind soul, and there was no better forager in the valley. While his sense of smell was legendary, so was his poor eyesight.

Juan Pablo usually smelled the world around him instead of seeing. But one night, exhausted from a hard day of foraging, he decided to lay back and finally look up at the night sky.

That night, there was a vibrant full moon. Juan Pablo strained to look. To his reckoning, it was the shape of a beautiful white rabbit!

But what was she doing up there? Being a rabbit, Juan Pablo's logic could only stretch so far. He thought she must be there to give light to the world at night. He was moved by the thought, because night is when people need light the most.

Juan Pablo didn't know much about affairs of the heart, but even so, he was certain he was in love with her.

Every night afterward, Juan Pablo would find the highest point in the valley to greet the moon. The human folk had a name for her - "la luna" - but he called her Luna for short. Juan Pablo liked to talk to Luna, but of course, she never spoke back.

Maybe she thought they didn't have much in common, Juan Pablo thought to himself. How might he show that they were alike?

During those days, there was a terrible famine, and many people in the valley struggled to find food. Juan Pablo saw a way to do what Luna did - give to others at a time they needed it most! As the best forager in the valley, he could always find food when others couldn't.

Juan Pablo set to work. The people of the valley started to find find mysterious deliveries of fresh vegetables and berries. When Juan Pablo saw their happiness, it made him happy too. At night, he'd talk to Luna about the people he helped, and how he understood now why she shared her light each night.

Eventually, Juan Pablo's friends and family caught on to what he was doing. Most rolled their eyes and said he was wasting his time - the moon would never love him back. His brother teased that he should love the sun instead, since it gave off more light.

But Juan Pablo was undaunted. To his brother, he replied that while he was grateful for the sun, it had so much light that it seemed only fair to give some away. Luna was special because she had so little light, but still chose to share it when it was needed. And besides all that, helping the human folk made him happy, and it didn't matter who else noticed.

Juan Pablo continued long after the famine had passed. Weeks turned to months, and months turned to years, and every night he'd talk to Luna about the day's adventures. She never spoke back, but Juan Pablo didn't mind. She was so busy, after all, with the whole world to light up.

But even so, Juan Pablo hoped one day to hear her voice.

After many helpful years, Juan Pablo had grown old. One day, he felt in his heart it would be his final day on earth. He decided to use his remaining strength to climb to the highest point in the valley, and talk to Luna one last time.

But on his way, he encountered a man who was injured, and on the brink of starvation. Juan Pablo knew that without his help, the man would surely die. So Juan Pablo searched for food and water, and brought it to the man so he could eat and drink. He searched for herbs and fibers the man could use to dress his wounds. It took all day, but as night fell, the man already looked to be in better health.

The night was cloudy, and when Juan Pablo looked up, Luna was nowhere to be seen. As he felt the life fading from his body, he wondered if his friends and family were right, and that he had wasted his life on a silly dream.

But then with a flash and a clap of thunder, the man he'd spent his last day helping transformed before his eyes. It was the wind god Quetzalcoatl, walking the land in human form. Quetzalcoatl could see the wish in Juan Pablo's heart, and with a wave of his hand, he dismissed the clouds to reveal the full moon.

He picked up Juan Pablo, and with a mighty heave, threw him all the way up to the moon. Some say the markings on the moon resemble a rabbit because of the force of Juan Pablo's impact. When he regained his senses, Juan Pablo realized he was restored to perfect health, even his eyesight. But he also found he was all alone.

Little did Juan Pablo know, all these long years, the moon goddess Metztli was looking down on him. She saw his acts of kindness and sacrifice. But now that Juan Pablo had found his way to the moon, she cried, because the kind rabbit found himself alone.

Such was her grief that her tears formed a small pool. And from that pool emerged a brilliant white crystalline rabbit. Born from the moon goddess, she retained a measure of her memory and wisdom. Metztli knew immediately what to do. She knelt from the stars, released the rabbit on the moon, and whispered that her name was Luna.

Before long, Juan Pablo met Luna, and they sat next to each other on a ridge of the moon. He shyly asked her - "Were you always here? Did you know I loved you all this time?"

Luna sat for a moment to reflect on memories both hers and someone else's. After a few moments of silence, she smiled softly and said she was always here. And she did know, all this time.