The Legend of the Stars

What are stars made of?

Twinkle, twinkle little star. How I wonder what you are.......

Do you really wonder what stars are made of? Or how come they seem so far
away? As we learned in school, stars are made up of hot gasses which is
hydrogen and helium. But still, it seems like the stars are alive and watching
over us.

On a clear night sky, one can observe and enjoy all those stars that come in
different sizes and colors. And they are really such an amazing thing to watch
which is why many of us had developed a hobby of star gazing. I even
enjoyed this myself as I would spend some time at night watching the stars
from my room's rooftop when I was in high school. It has been my way of de-
stressing.

However, there is an interesting legend about the stars. And how come they
are so far away, so high for us to even reach.

A giant mortar and pestle being used.

There was a couple a long, long time ago. The only man and only woman
when the Earth was young and new. The young couple relies on their
surroundings for food, shelter, and they use leaves as a way of clothing.

The man would usually go fishing or hunting for food and they plant crops too.
He is strong and well built. The woman on the other hand, is beautiful. Each
morning as she wakes up, she would start the day by spending time combing
her long, wavy black hair. After that, she would put on her jewels. Her
necklace is made of pearls and so as her earrings. The young woman used to
hang her jewels on clouds as the Earth is new, the sky and clouds are so
close that a human hand can reach it. Each night as she retires to sleep, she
would hang back her jewels on the clouds and wear it in the morning.

Then one day when the woman was using the big mortar and pestle,
removing the rice bran from the grains, she found it hard to do so as she
keeps on hitting the clouds every time she use the pestle. So when her
husband came home that night, they talked about the situation and agreed to
try asking God the next morning.

The woman, as always, started her day by spending time combing her hair
before putting on her jewels. As she started her tasks, it bothers her hitting the
clouds again. She just wished she could have more room to do her work.

So she finally said, "God. I had a favor to ask. If you could please make the
sky a little higher so I won't hit the clouds?" And so, the sky got a little higher.
And she continued her work.

The night came, and it's morning again the following day. This time her
husband is helping her on her work. They both used the mortar and pestle.
But still, the sky is still close that they could still hit it. And so they asked
again, "God, I already asked the other day but the sky is still low that our
pestle can still touch the clouds. If you could make it a little more higher this
time?" They were heard so the sky became much higher.

But the two aren't satisfied yet. They want it much higher, to give them more
space. And so they called again to ask the favor, "We still can't move around
the way we want to. The sky is still low that we can still reach it. Could you
please make it much higher?"

But this time, God wanted to teach both of them a lesson. Being given the
favor and still not satisfied of what they have, God did make the sky higher.
The couple watch in astonishment as the sky keeps on getting higher, higher
that they can't even reach.

But alas! The woman's jewels hanging on the cloud are now gone too as her
jewels went up with the clouds. They said it was alread high enough but still,
the sky keeps on getting higher and higher and the clouds appeared smaller
and smaller to them.

And soon, they realized they were being taught a valuable lesson but it was
already late for them.

Why is the sky so high?

And when the darkness came, that was the first time the couple witnessed the
brightly shining jewels scattered in the sky, her jewels.

Since then, those tiny, brightly twinkling stars can be seen up in the sky at
night. So high that no one would be able to reach them.