Episode 13: Grandma Ume's 'New Japanese Folktales'! 'The Man Who Sold the Moon'

Narrative

Riku-chan, these days, there are a lot of people who decide everything based on 'how much it costs,' aren't there?
But you know, Grandma thinks that the truly important things cannot be measured by money.
Today, I'm going to tell you the story of 'The Man Who Sold the Moon.' It's a strange story, but listen closely.

Folktale

Once upon a time...
There lived a slightly unusual man in a village. His name was 'Sorajiro,' and he would always look up at the sky and mutter to himself.

One night, while looking at the moon in the village square, he said this:
If I bottle this moonlight and sell it, I'm sure it will bring peace to people's hearts.

The people around him laughed out loud!
Sell the moon? Is this guy crazy?
There's no fool who would buy something like that!

But Sorajiro didn't care. He waited for the time when the moonlight would shine into small bottles and began to carefully fill them one by one.
Here, this is 'Moonlight Serenity.' I've bottled the silence of tonight.
And this one is 'The Forgetful Moon.' It's a light that makes you remember someone you used to love.

At first, no one bought any.
But one night, a young man came to the square crying, and Sorajiro quietly handed him a bottle.
There are nights when you don't need words, you know.

The young man went home clutching the bottle. From the next day on, his expression had become a little gentler.

From then on,
People from the village started visiting him one by one, saying, 'I want this bottle!' or 'Won't you share a memory of the moon with me too?'

Sorajiro didn't take money. He only said, 'In exchange, tell me just one of the most important memories remaining in your heart.'

— Oh, Riku-chan, Grandma is starting to tear up. Oh dear, oh dear, I'll continue the story.

Before long, the whole village began to change little by little.
People started sharing memories with each other, and the 'richness of heart' they had forgotten returned.

In an era where value could only be measured by the price of things, perhaps Sorajiro was selling the 'value of the heart.'

To the children

See, Riku-chan, 'True value isn't in money or things, but inside people's hearts.'
The moonlight doesn't belong to anyone. But by quietly passing it on 'for someone else's sake,' it becomes a power that illuminates the heart.

Well then, let's leave it at that for today.

(End)

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