The Rabbit on the Moon

Long ago, the great god Quetzalcoatl looked down from the sky and wondered what it was like to be human.

"I want to walk among my people," he said. "I want to feel the earth under my feet and see the world through human eyes."

So he disguised himself as a simple traveler — just a man in a plain white cloak and sandals — and stepped down to walk the land of Mexico.

The mountains were tall and beautiful. The rivers sparkled in the sunlight. The flowers were more colorful than he had ever imagined.

"What a wonderful world," he whispered.

But Quetzalcoatl walked for a very, very long time. As a god, he had never felt tired or hungry before. Now, in his human body, his legs ached and his stomach growled.

The sun set behind the mountains. Stars appeared one by one. A big, bright moon rose over the hills, turning everything silver.

Quetzalcoatl sat down beside the path, too weak to take another step. There was no food anywhere. No water. No one to help.

"So this is what it feels like to be hungry," he said quietly. "This is harder than I thought."

Just then, he noticed a small rabbit sitting nearby in the moonlight, nibbling on grass.

The rabbit's ears perked up. "Hello," she said. "You look very tired."

"I am," said Quetzalcoatl. "I haven't eaten all day."

The rabbit hopped a little closer. "What are you eating?" he asked her.

"Just grass," she said, chewing thoughtfully. "Would you like some?"

Quetzalcoatl smiled sadly. "Thank you, but I'm afraid grass won't help me very much."

The rabbit tilted her head and thought about this.

The little rabbit looked up at the tired stranger. She could see how much he was suffering.

Then she did something very brave.

"I know I am only a small rabbit," she said. "I have no gold, no treasure, no great feast to give you. But I can offer you the only thing I have — myself. You may eat me so that you won't go hungry."

Quetzalcoatl stared at the tiny rabbit. Of all the creatures in the world, this little one — who had almost nothing — was willing to give everything.

His eyes filled with tears.

Quetzalcoatl gently picked up the rabbit and held her close.

"Little rabbit," he said softly, "do you know who I am?"

Then something amazing happened. The tired traveler began to glow. His plain white cloak transformed into brilliant feathers of green and gold. A magnificent headdress of quetzal plumes appeared on his head. Jade and turquoise ornaments shimmered around his neck.

He was no longer a weary man. He was Quetzalcoatl, the Feathered Serpent, one of the greatest gods in all the world.

The little rabbit trembled in his hands, but she was not afraid.

Quetzalcoatl raised the rabbit gently toward the sky.

Higher and higher he lifted her — past the treetops, past the clouds, all the way up to the great round moon that hung like a glowing lantern in the night.

He pressed the rabbit's image softly onto the moon's bright face.

"There," he said. "Your portrait, painted in silver light for all the world to see."

Quetzalcoatl set the little rabbit back down in the soft grass, safe and unharmed.

"You may be just a small rabbit," he told her, "but tonight you showed a kindness greater than any treasure. You were willing to give everything you had to help a stranger."

He pointed up at the moon, where the rabbit's shape now glowed for all to see.

"From this night on, whenever anyone looks up at the moon, they will see you. They will remember your kindness. And your story will be told forever."

The little rabbit looked up at the moon and saw her own portrait shining back — two long ears, a round little body, and soft, brave eyes.

She smiled.

Quetzalcoatl rose back into the sky in a swirl of green and gold feathers, leaving the world a little brighter than before.

And if you look up at the full moon on a clear night, you can still see her there — the little rabbit who had nothing to give but gave everything. Her image has been shining on the moon for thousands and thousands of years.

Because the biggest hearts don't always belong to the biggest creatures.