“The Earth is a beautiful place,” The Sun thought. He couldn’t help a lump of awe from lodging itself in his throat as he studied her expanse. He laughed as he watched the dolphins leap with the ocean and the birds play with the breeze. He turned and, with a simple stroke of his brush, added rich ruby and violet colors to the sky. He sprayed out his light so that it reflected on the surface of the water causing it to appear like millions of diamonds bobbing in the waves. He spotted a Sea-lion basking in his light on a rocky ledge. The Sun directed a little more warmth in his direction. A bit of pride swelled in his chest as he reminded himself that, although this was all the design of Mother Earth, it would not thrive if it wasn’t for him. All the plants and animals depended on the light and nurturance that he provided. The Sun didn’t want to be arrogant, but there was nothing like the feeling that he was doing something important for someone else.
The Sun then cast his eyes past the blue expanse and marine life to the land. There he saw bears, deer, coyote, rabbits, and birds high in the emerald trees lounging in his light, but the most glorious of all the creatures were the humans. They were more intelligent than the other wildlife and had a written language. They were the Earth’s pride and joy. One of the humans was hunched over in the dirt, a wooden tool in one hand and eyes intently studying the ground. The Sun assumed that the human must have been studying the dirt so intently because he couldn’t see properly, so he positioned himself right over him and intensified his light and heat. The human glanced at the sky and grumbled. He wiped a forehead soaked in sweat and returned to his work shuffling along in a lopsided gate.
“Can he still not see?” The Sun wondered. He brightened even more. The human scowled. He hobbled to a tree and sat beneath its cover where The Sun couldn’t reach him.
“Stupid Sun.”  He spat. The Sun’s heart skipped a beat.
“What?” He inched closer and hesitantly reached out a hand to help. All he needed was a little nurturance.  But the human spat again and retreated into a little dwelling. The Sun sat outside it for a moment wondering what he could have possibly done wrong.
He moved on to someone else. A female, who was also hunched over something in the dirt, retreated inside after only a few minutes of The Sun’s help.
Next a few boisterous teenagers ran inside complaining profusely about the heat.
The Sun watched them go confused. Did they not like him? But why? He had given them their way of life and expected nothing but a simple thanks in return, instead he got rejection? Maybe it was just those few people. The Sun was sure that if he looked hard enough he could find someone who appreciated him.
And that’s what he set out to do. He shined on the sick to lighten their day, the parents as they worked, and the old as the lounged, but not one appreciated all that he did for them. It crushed The Sun. What had he done to anger these people? Was he hurting them? Suddenly horrified with himself, The Sun backed away slowly. He passed over the Dolphins but their persistent giggles sounded like taunts. He could please the simpleminded animals, but he couldn’t help the ones that truly mattered? The red and purple clouds enveloped him, obscuring his view to the land below. Abruptly The Sun hated the masterpiece, and with a quick draw-in of breath, he withdrew his light.
The Moon appeared soon after to light the earth as she did each night when The Sun grew tired and needed sleep. The Sun sat back to watch for a few moments. He was curious to see how the Humans would react to The Moon. He hated to admit it, but The Sun would feel a lot better if she was chastised for being too cold or dim. But that wasn’t what happened. The Humans filed out of their houses to lay in the grass gazing into The Moon’s beauty. An old man even began to speak of captivating tales of bravery and magic about The Moon’s cousins, The Stars.
Instant jealousy pierced The Sun’s heart. What did The Moon have that he didn’t have? Nothing! He kept it cool and dark! The Sun could do that too. He vowed to prove to the humans that he was worth praise and possibly even a story. As The Sun lay back in his cloud, he became obsessed with the idea of his own tale.
And so, when it was time for the mourning to come, The Sun stepped forward, and sucked in a breath to withdraw the fire burning amidst his heart. Time and time again he did this, and slowly the days got colder. Humans began to flourish in the cooler temperatures, yet The Sun still continued to extract his light. He was still too bright. As days passed the trees began to yellow. The plants began to starve without his energy, and even the water slowed his sprightly dance. But not until the very earth had to lay a thick white blanket upon herself to keep warm did the Sun stop. He gazed down upon the land pleased with his work.
He had successfully complied with the people’s wishes. Now they would love him like they did The Moon. So he brushed back his spikey hair and puffed put his chest in his best imitation of a hero. But no one came. For hours he floated there waiting, but not one soul came out to thank him.  Frustrated, The Sun approached one of the Human dwellings and shone directly outside the door coaxing them to come out and yet they stubbornly refused. The Sun peered through one of the windows to see what was going on. Inside he saw a Man and a Woman with steaming cups in their hands and blankets over their shoulders. Both were huddled around a tiny, encased Sun.
The Sun’s startled heart-beat halted its rhythm for a moment. Thoughts escaped from his brain and his vision tunneled until all he saw was his treacherous brother taunting him in a sea of hazy confusion. The Sun’s stomach lurched and his eyes suddenly lost focus. His chances at pleasing the humans may have been slim before, but now they were nonexistent. His own brothers had ruined his one chance at happiness. The Sun fell to his knees and let out a lamented wail. It felt as if someone had ripped a hole into his very soul--like they had torn out all the joy he had ever felt and left all the pain of loneliness behind. His heart quivered as if it was trying to decide to return to life or die permanently. The Sun hoped that it would stay dead. He wished that he could escape his life as a failure. As his thoughts returned, The Sun realized that he couldn’t see because tears were clouding his vision. His broken heart beat a heavy thump that shook his frame and knocked the tears loose. They were so numerous and so heavy with hurt that they put out his inner fire. The world darkened with each tear that slid down the Sun until there was but a little fire left in his heart.  The once mighty heartbeat was reduced to a hesitant tap that would take only one last tear to burn out forever. That last tear dribbled down the Sun’s frame. He watched as is fell, inch by inch, tracing dark rivers along his fiery frame. It drew closer. The tip brushed against the flame, sizzling on impact, and The Sun wiped the tear away. He instantly wished he hadn’t, but his hands had obeyed the will of his inner instinct and not his own brain screaming at him to let the tear fall. Tired, confused, and scared of what he might do to himself if he stayed, The Sun escaped into the sky.
The Moon and Stars illuminated the earth beneath the pacing Sun. He avoided any glimpse. The pain was still too great for his heart, and the cloud of confusion too thick for his mind. Hours had gone by. The Sun knew that soon he would need to return and shine for the earth again, but something inside him had broken and he couldn’t bring himself to go back. When The Moon yawned and turned to leave, he made no move to replace her. She paused, puzzled, and gestured to the earth. The Sun avoided her gaze and continued to pace.
“Sun!” The Moon called and she drew near. The Sun paused and turned towards The Moon, but kept his head lowered like an ashamed child. “What is wrong Sun? It is time for the day to start.”
“I can’t”
“What do you mean you can’t?”
“I can’t keep doing it. I can’t spend any more of my life helping these people when all they do is hate me for it.”
“They don’t hate you Sun! They need you, and they know it.”
The Sun sighed and risked a glance at the earth, but it was now too dark to make anything out. “They don’t need me anymore. They need your light and my brothers’ fire. We would all be better off if I was left out of the equation.” His voice broke as he spoke. Understanding dawned in The Moon’s eyes.
“Oh Sun.” She cried, “if only you knew how many down there adored you.”
“Who? I have looked but they are never there. Not when I shined and cared for them, or when I dimmed so they wouldn’t need to hide. The Humans hate me. They have never adored me, Moon, but they have always loved you.” The Sun felt a tear creep into his eyes.
“They don’t all hate you.” The Sun rolled his eyes.
“Come with me.” She said. “I can prove it.”
“Did you not just hear me?” The Sun shrieked. “I can’t go back.”
“Then close your eyes. I need to show you something.” Still The Sun hesitated. But what if she could clear the cloud of pain and confusion? The Sun took a deep breath. Then another. He closed his eyes and gripped the Moon’s awaiting hand.
                The first thing The Sun noticed was how cold the earth was. He strained his ears, but couldn’t hear any wildlife either. A sense of dread filled him and he resisted peeking. What had he done?
“We’re here.” The Moon announced. The Sun opened his eyes. They were facing a small schoolhouse almost completely hidden by the earth’s blanket. He opened his mouth to speak, but The Moon cut him off. “Look in the window.” The Sun did. Nothing but a wall of drawings. He reported his findings to The Moon. “Look at the drawings.” She instructed. The Sun squinted to get a better view of them. They varied in crudeness, but they all had a few stick figures next to a house or surrounded by a rainbow. Some had both. Then he saw it. In the top left corner of every picture was a giant yellow sun.
He backed away from the window confused.
“I don’t understand.” He stammered. The Moon smiled.
“These kids all drew what they love the most. Their families, homes, the beauty of the earth, and you.” She peered through the window herself.
“Me?” The Sun felt tears in his eyes again. But these felt different somehow. They didn’t hurt. “But they’re just little kids. How can they understand what I do for them?”
“Sometimes children understand things better than the adults do. They have a greater capacity for faith and love.” The Moon backed away from the window to allow The Sun to look through it again. “These children drew you when you were truly being you. Not when you were blaring your glory or hiding your fire. They may not openly praise you, but they understand your importance.”
The Sun felt a fiery warmth appear in his heart. Not the kind filled with anger that he had felt before, but one overflowing with a peaceful warmth. It sped up and grew strong. Stronger than it ever was before. He closed his eyes to savor the feeling of the triumphant beat and knocked a tear loose from his eyes. It fell onto his heart before he could stop it, but instead of extinguishing the warmth inside him, the tear kindled it. His heart’s flame enveloped him returning all his radiance to its fullest. He opened his eyes. The Moon turned him around.
“Now Look.” She said and he beheld what he had done to the humans. All of their homes were frozen over in a thick white blanket. Trees strained under the added weight. The weaker ones snapped in two. The Animals, were the worst off. Most had frozen completely and the ones who hadn’t were barely hanging on, their ribs visible underneath their fur. Even The Ocean had frozen over. Dolphins and other mammals tapped frantically at the covering, desperate for air.
                Shame stabbed The Sun’s heart as he realized that he hadn’t failed when he had blared or dimmed his light, but when he had given up completely. He had failed when he had abandoned the Humans, and all of his previous friends because of his silly little obsession. “Come back Sun.” The Moon pleaded. The Sun nodded. He squared his shoulders, lifted his chin, and exhaled all his hidden glory. The Earth shed her blanket slowly. She was hesitant to trust The Sun with the welfare of her children again. However, she eventually brushed off the snow off of the tree’s limbs until they stood tall. She awoke the animals and broke open their ice coffin allowing them to dance once more. Bids raised their heads to sing, the Water leapt into the air and roared with joy. Dolphins sang a triumphant tune with the birds. Then the Humans emerged. One by one they stood beneath his radiance faces towards him. Their eyes were closed but heir smiles told of their joy. Finally the Children bounded out of their homes. Cheers erupted from their throats. A chorus of laughter spread throughout the earth as they played in the grassy plains.
                The Sun shone above them, amazed that he could have missed the way the children and the others creatures pranced in his presence. He had been so caught up in what a few humans thought of him that he missed the true song of the earth. Then The Sun’s own heart stepped forward and added its own beat to the master chorus.