Written by

Shterna Greenberg and Danny Zeff

Spring 2002

Note: Before, the world was pitch black and had no temperature. Everybody had to use candles to walk around earth. But nobody noticed that anything was missing.

“Hey, José!” called the General Store owner. “Come and buy a ball!”

“Boy,” said the boy named José Mañuel. “I like all the balls. But I think I’ll buy some of these little ones.”

So one night, José threw one of the small balls into the air really hard. In a few seconds, it was out of sight and in five minutes, it still could not be seen. He waited for ten minutes. No sight of it. Fifteen minutes. Nothing happened. Twenty minutes. He just gave up.

“Why...!” said José. “I paid money for that ball! I want that ball back!”

Then suddenly, he saw something glowing in the dark.

“My ball! It looks so star... I mean far. Hey, that’s a great name. I am going to call little balls that stay in the air stars.”

Then he threw more balls into the air. They became more stars.

“I am starting to see earth without my candle!” José said joyfully.

Then, the next day, the stars could not be seen. A friend gave him some money. He directly went to the General Store to buy some more little balls and throw them up. He thought if he could make enough stars, he could see without his candle.

“I’m sorry, José,” said the General Store owner. “All the little balls are sold out. But I have a smaller, white ball, with holes. It’s magic because it’s heavier than the kind of balls you bought yesterday.”

José was upset, but since he wanted to make another star, he bought it.”

That night, he saw the stars again. Then, he threw up the ball. It did not come down. Since the ball was heavier than the stars, it did not go as far as the other balls.

“I have an idea! Smaller balls that are heavier than stars and have holes in them will be coon... doon... proon... I’ve got it! Moon! And the holes will be called creators because... because... uh... I created it! Hey! I can see perfectly without my candle!”

A few days later, the stars nor moon could be seen in the daytime. Also, the candles had to be used during the day. José earned more money. He saw a new, huge, yellow ball inside the General Store.

“I bet if I buy that ball and throw it up in the daytime,” José said, “I could see perfectly in the day. Let’s see if I have enough money. 20... 30... 40... yes! I have enough money!”

Then, he went inside and asked the owner if he could have that yellow ball.

“I guess so,” said the General Store Owner. “But you might have to roll it home because it is so heavy.”

“I will,” said José.

After that, José had an idea. Why not throw it up outside the General Store if it is so heavy? José did want the ball to be thrown in the day time.

José threw the ball up with all his might. As hard and as hard as he could! Hard! Very hard! Super hard! Up it went. It passed the moon fast. Then came the heavy part. The ball did not go pass the stars, but it did still go.

Suddenly, a flame burned over the ball.

“Oh, there is so much to say about this ball! I made it what it is today, so it is my son. I don’t like using an “o” in son, so I’ll use a “u”. Let’s see, sun. That is a great name for a ball that I created! And that flame shall be cire... dire... prire... fire! Fire sounds like a good name for such a... such a... what kind of flame is this? Well, it is like standing in a hot... I mean pot. That’s it! It’s a hot flame! The sun has a hot flame called fire and boy, I am so tired! I think the flame makes the town hot. I guess the hotness makes people tired. But... I can see without a candle! The day is great! Plus, I can see better in the daytime than in the nighttime. Probably because the flame makes it sunnier. Wow... a tree! I can see a whole tree! Wow... I can see...”

And he continued on seeing lots of other things like houses, flowers, etc. He thought that the sun would only appear in the daytime because it was thrown up in the daytime and the moon and stars would only appear in the nighttime. It was a happy time.

 

And that’s how the sun, moon, and stars came to be.