Moonlight and Mango Leaves

Chapter 1: The Missing Moon

Inside a small bedroom, a lumpy blanket moves. ⟨Character 1⟩, a grown man on all fours, wakes with a big yawn.

⟨Character 1⟩: Mmm. Stretch. Stretch. My paws feel heavy. My ears are floppy. I am a sleepy puppy. The floor is cool. The blanket is warm. I want to sleep more. But something feels wrong. The room is too dark. The window is too black. I will look outside.

He pads to the window and puts his nose to the glass.

⟨Character 1⟩: The sky is empty. No moon. The moon is gone. It was there last night. A big round ball of light. Now there is nothing. Just dark. I must find it. But first, I yawn. Yaaawn. Okay. I will go outside. My paws know the way. Sniff. Sniff. The air smells like grass and night.

⟨Character 1⟩ pads out the door and into the garden. The grass is wet. He sniffs a flowerpot.

⟨Character 1⟩: Sniff. Sniff. This flowerpot smells like dirt and worms. No moon here. Where can it be? I will ask someone. Anyone. Oh, there is a light. A torch. It bobs up and down. Maybe the watchman knows.

A night watchman in a blue uniform shines his torch across the garden.

Watchman: Who goes there? Oh, it's you, ⟨Character 1⟩. You're up late. What are you doing out here? You look like you're sniffing for something.

⟨Character 1⟩: I am looking for the moon. It is missing. Have you seen it? It is big and round and shiny. I need it to sleep. Please help me.

Watchman: The moon? Let me think. I saw it earlier. It was hanging near the mango tree. Then some clouds came. Big grey clouds. They covered it up. Maybe it's still there, behind the clouds. You should check the mango tree.

⟨Character 1⟩: The mango tree. Okay. I will go there. Thank you, watchman. Yaaawn. My paws are slow. But I will try. The mango tree is not far. I can smell its leaves. They are dark and sweet. I will walk to the mango tree.

⟨Character 1⟩ walks toward the mango tree, yawning. The watchman watches him go.

Chapter 2: The Cat and the Cloud

⟨Character 1⟩ pads up to the mango tree. Its dark leaves rustle above him. Below it, a small cat sits by a water bowl.

⟨Character 1⟩: Here is the mango tree. Big trunk. Rough bark. Dark leaves. But no moon. I look up. I look left. I look right. Only leaves and branches. Yaaawn. My eyelids are heavy. Where is the moon? The watchman said it was here. Maybe the leaves ate it. No, leaves do not eat moons.

Cat: I heard you. You are loud for a sleepy puppy. You are looking for the moon? I saw it not long ago. It was right there in my water bowl. Round and shiny. I tried to drink it. But it was just a reflection. Only water.

⟨Character 1⟩: A reflection? What is that? I do not understand. I look in the bowl. I see water. Just water. No moon. My nose touches it. It is cold and wet. If the moon was there, it is gone now. Did it swim away?

Cat: A reflection is like a picture. The moon shines on the water, and you see a copy. But the real moon is up in the sky, not in the bowl. Do not drink too much. You might get a wet nose.

A grey cloud slides across the dark sky. For a moment, a small white glow peeks out, then disappears behind the cloud again.

⟨Character 1⟩: I saw it! A light in the sky. Round and bright. It came out of the cloud and then hid. It is playing hide and seek. The moon is behind the clouds! The watchman said the clouds came. The moon is hiding behind them.

Cat: Yes. The clouds are like a blanket. The moon is under it. You cannot find it by sniffing water bowls. You must look up. But maybe you should wait. The clouds will move when they are ready.

⟨Character 1⟩: Wait? I am so sleepy. My paws want to rest. My tail is droopy. But I want to see the moon first. I will lie down here. On the cool grass. And look up. Thank you, cat. You are very calm. I am not calm. I am sleepy and confused. But I understand now. The moon is hiding. I will wait.

⟨Character 1⟩ lowers himself onto the grass by the water bowl. The cat watches him with round green eyes.

Chapter 3: The Moon Says Goodnight

⟨Character 1⟩ lies on the grass by the mango tree. The cat sits beside him. Both look up at the dark sky.

⟨Character 1⟩: I am lying down now. My belly is on the cool grass. My four paws are stretched out. I am a sleepy puppy. I look up. Up, up, up. The sky is dark and wide. The cloud is still there. It is grey and soft. I will wait. My eyes are heavy. But I will not close them yet. I want to see the moon.

Cat: Look. The cloud is moving. It is sliding away. Slowly. Slowly. Can you see it? There is light at the edge. The moon is coming out.

The cloud drifts to the side. The moon slides out from behind it. Big and round and white. It shines down on the garden.

⟨Character 1⟩: There it is! The moon! I found it! It was hiding behind the cloud all along. I looked up and there it is. Big and bright. It makes the grass shine. My nose is silver. My paws are silver. I am a sleepy puppy and I can see the moon. Yaaawn. I am so happy. And so sleepy.

Footsteps cross the grass. The night watchman walks over with his torch switched off.

Watchman: You found it, then. I told you the mango tree was the place. Looks like the clouds let it go. Good job, little puppy. You looked up and there it was. Now it is time for sleep. Everyone is sleepy now.

⟨Character 1⟩: Yes. I am sleepy. Very sleepy. The moon is watching us. It is like a night light. The cat is curling up next to me. Her fur is warm. The watchman pats my head. Goodnight, moon. Goodnight, cat. Goodnight, watchman. I will close my eyes now.

The cat curls into a small ball beside ⟨Character 1⟩. The watchman pats ⟨Character 1⟩'s head once, then walks softly away. The moon shines over them all.