The Moon’s Cave

Long ago, in Jayaque, its citizens were very humble, and their lives were around working and meditating without any worry. They mostly understood some basic things like the sun hides behind the clouds and always returns every morning, and its light gives them life allowing them to farm.

Furthermore, the people gathered around a cave in a half-moon shape and wondered about everything related to nature like the rain, the wind, the volcanoes, mountains, everything around it. However, for them, nothing was more magnificent than the moon. It always changed its shape, and during the new moon, the cave majestically illuminated. They always wondered, how was it possible it illuminated when the beautiful moon vanished from the sky? Where was it going?

This cave certainly raised more questions than answers, and its mystery remained unanswered for hundreds of years. Nevertheless, one night, a curious man undertook the quest to chase the beautiful moon, and with a herculean effort, he hoped he would discover where the moon was going.

After the moon had left the lovely starry sky on that night, he tirelessly followed the trails of the moon, crossing wide valleys and high mountains until he achieved his reward. The moon began to descend, and he was impressed by what he was seeing because the moon’s light was becoming more and more intense until, at the edge of the Shutía River, near a pile of large rocks, he observed the beautiful moon enter in the cave and became fully illuminated!

The man was thrilled that jumped so high that he injured his head with a branch of an avocado tree. He had unraveled the millenary puzzle from his ancestors! He discovered what the reason was for the absence of the beautiful moon on those mysterious days! He couldn't believe his luck, but something else astonished him even more! Little by little, the beautiful moon transformed into a divine and brilliant woman (figure 1) who very slowly and delicately, leaned over the rocks in the form of a half-moon just in front of the cave.

Figure 1. The Moon. ¹

This was unbelievable! He felt like the luckiest person in the world and ran to his town as fast as possible. When he had reached his home, he told his family what he had discovered! No one could believe it! How was this possible? In the end, his family trusted him, and by the power of the mouth, the news spread throughout the town. Everyone wanted to see this magnificent woman!

From then on, all the citizens during the new moon traveled to the Shutía River to see the beautiful moon transformed into a woman resting on the rocks of its cave. Everybody sat down, contemplating her without bothering her nobody dared to speak with her. They only admired her grace, finest, and elegance, as her magnificent smile!

Time passed, the years, and generations changed, and evil became more prevalent in their society, filling with selfishness, evilness, and cruelty among the following generations. All these situations saddened the moon, and it decided to leave and never return to the world of men.

At present, nobody knows where the beautiful moon is resting. However, the citizens of Jayaque still explore the cave in the hope that one day, their beautiful moon would come back and delight them with its presence one more time.

Credits:
¹ Cuentos de Don Coco.
Location: Jayaque, El Salvador

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