The Comet's Tale

"Mom, please tell me a story," little Lisa bade as her mother gently tucked her in.

"It's late, darling, you should sleep," her mother replied.

"But I'm not tired at all! Please?" Lisa exclaimed and looked at her mother from beneath her fluffy blanket.

Lisa's mother sighed, then smiled. "Alright I think we have time for a short one. Hm. Do you want to hear the Comet's Tale?" she suggested.

Lisa clapped her hands happily. "Yes, please!"

"Alright," her mother sat beside her on the edge of the bed.

"And it goes like this:

A long, long time ago the world looked very different from today. The sky was so clear you could see millions and millions of stars at night without even squinting, and the sun was very bright at daytime. People lived in caves beneath the earth and only came out at night, because then most of the monsters which roamed the world during the day were sleeping. Shhhhh." She put a finger to her lips.

"You didn't want to wake those monsters because they were a lot bigger than people and had sharp claws and teeth, and when they saw you they wanted to eat you." Lisa's mother leaned in and tickled her belly with big gestures. "Nom, nom, nom!"

Lisa squealed with laughter and wiggled a little until her mother let go.

"So people hid during the day, because they were so afraid of the big hungry monsters," the mother continued. "Then there was this little girl, let's call her Maia. Every night her family sneaked out of their cave to bring home some food for dinner, and her father always told her to be very quiet and tiptoe very carefully, so the monsters wouldn't wake up.

But Maia didn't want to be quiet. She was a bright and brave little girl, and didn't want to be afraid of the monsters. She wanted to play during the day, under the sun, and without fear. So Maia looked up at the stars, all those beautiful stars twinkling in the night.

'Oh, how I wish the monsters were gone and we could go outside and play whenever we want!' she sighed.

And someone heard her. 'I can help you,' they whispered. It was the comet Xulub, who was flying through space and crossed the solar system on their way. 'The monsters only come out during the day, right? I'll hide the sun for a while, until all the monsters are gone. Okay, here I come!'

And Xulub flew towards Earth as fast as they could, faster and faster, eager to help little Maia.

Maia could see Xulub approaching as Xulub's tail was glowing bright and hot as they rushed into the atmosphere.

'Oh, no. You're going too fast!' she worried.

'Oh, oh!' Xulub exclaimed, 'I can't stop anymore. Go home with your family and stay there until it's safe to come out.'

So Maia told her family and they hurried home and hid inside their cave, while Xulub crashed into the ground so hard, that you could feel it at the other end of the world. The earth shook and trembled and dust and ash flew into the air in thick clouds of smoke that surrounded all of Earth. Finally the shaking stopped.

'Is it safe to go out now?' Maia whispered.

'No, it's too dangerous; the monsters just woke up,' Xulub answered from where they had molten into the ground. And indeed, the monsters were roaring and screaming outside, stomping to and fro. They were confused and frightened, because it was pitchdark; the dust and ash in the air blocked out the sun. They couldn't see at all.

Maia and her family waited in their home, cuddled and huddled close together in the cave below the earth, while the monsters ran in circles and bumped into each other as they couldn't see.

After a couple of endless nights Maia asked again: 'Is it safe to go out now?'

And Xulub, still glowing in their crater, answered: 'No, it's too dangerous. The air stinks, be careful, little Maia!'

And so Maia and her family stayed in their cave and waited. They waited for a long time and only ate the food they could find in the earth.

Meanwhile, outside it became very quiet. The monsters stopped screaming and roaring, and they stopped stomping after a while.

Maia listened into the quietness, but she couldn't hear the monsters anymore.

'Is it safe to go out now?' she whispered anew.

And this time Xulub murmured, cushioned deep in their crater: 'Yes, I think it's safe now. The sky has cleared and the air is fresh. Come out to play.'

And brave little Maia poked her nose out of the cave then crawled outside. The sun was still low on the horizon and painted the sky in reds and golds, and it was beautiful. The world was colourful, and the sun warmed her so gently. Yet when Maia squinted against the brightness of day she couldn't see any monsters, and she couldn't hear them either.

'Come out!' she excitedly called to her family, 'All the monsters are gone. We can now play in the sun!'

Happily she hopped through the fields. Hop, hop, hop.

'Thank you, Xulub!' she remembered who did this with a smile.

'You're welcome,' Xulub whispered sleepily, 'This is a nice place. I think I can rest now.' And so Xulub fell asleep in their crater, while from then on Maia and her family could enjoy the day freely and without fear and didn't have to sneak around in the dark.

And that's why we can now play during the day and sleep peacefully at night."

Lisa's mother became more quiet at the end of the story and smiled. "So let's do as Maia did. Rest well, my dear, and sleep tight. So you can play in the sun tomorrow."

She gently kissed Lisa's brow as she already fell asleep.