The Hodja and the Moon in the Well
The Hodja sees the moon in the well, tries to rescue it, and puts it back in the sky.
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One night Nasreddin Hodja went to the well to draw water. He bent over and looked; at the bottom of the well was a huge, shining moon. "Oh no!" said the Hodja. "The moon has fallen into the well! The sky will be left in the dark; I must rescue it."
He lowered the bucket and shook the rope, but the moon would not go into the bucket. He took the hook from the side of the well, tied it to the rope and let it down. The hook caught on a stone at the bottom of the well. The Hodja pulled and pulled; the rope went taut. He hauled with all his might; the hook came loose from the stone, and the Hodja fell flat on his back.
As he lay on his back, his eyes went up to the sky. There was the moon, a full moon, shining bright, right overhead.
The Hodja smiled. "Well," he said, "it was hard work, but I put the moon back in its place."
He got up, filled his bucket and went home. He told his wife, "I rescued the moon tonight." His wife looked out of the window: the moon really was in its place. "Well done, Hodja," she said.
You look out of the window tonight too. Is the moon in its place? If it is, thank the Hodja and go to sleep.
The tale ends here. Sleep well.
The Hodja and the Moon in the Well is a children's tale from Nasreddin Hodja, suitable for ages 3-8 and about 1 minutes long. Read it free on Masal Merkezi, play a lullaby or nature sound in the background, tap any word to see its Turkish meaning and save it to your favorites. For similar tales browse the Bedtime Stories category.
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