Chapter One - The Moon is leaving.

           

One night the Moon rose high above the North Pole, looked down on the Earth and sighed deeply.

          "Oh dear," she said softly to herself, "I've circled the Earth for over four and a half billion years and it used to be such fun; I liked watching the volcanoes explode, pushing up mountain ranges and forming huge continents. I was particularly fond of the dinosaurs who once roamed the surface. 

I loved the giant green forests that covered the land and when the seas turned blue and began to grow to such a size that I could make them dance, I was so very happy."

          The Moon sighed again.

"But lately, the seas have been turning black, the forests are shrinking and generally the Earth has been getting dirty, very hot and rather smelly, not to mention the constant noise of all those satellites buzzing around. It's making me feel quite dizzy, in fact, I can feel one of my migraines coming on right now. 
      I'm just going to have to find somewhere else to live. I mean, there's a whole universe out there just waiting to be explored."

          "I'll be very sad to see you go," said the Earth, who had been listening all the time, "But I suppose you're old enough to make your own decisions. If you've really made up your mind then I won't try and stop you."

          Reluctantly she handed the Moon a small bundle of provisions to help sustain her on her travels. "Take care of yourself and promise me that you'll keep in touch.”

          "Of course I will," replied the Moon, who was both embarrassed that she had been overheard and relieved that the Earth wasn't angry with her.

          "Right then, that settles it. I'll be going," said the Moon and with that, she turned around and went on her way.

          The Earth watched as the Moon shrank into the distance and disappeared amongst the millions of stars that studded the blackness. 
      She cried salt water tears at her loss, causing the oceans to rise even further and then immediately stand still, for there was no longer a Moon to move them.

          "Oh dear," said the Earth, “The astronomers aren't going to be happy about this, not to mention the sailors, fishermen, and all manner of scientist.

Chapter Two - The little asteroid

          The Moon had been travelling for quite some time, before it dawned on her that she had no idea of where she was going. Just as she was beginning to think about starting to worry, she heard a small cry of alarm.

          "Look out!"

          The Moon turned just in time to see a small asteroid shaped like a banana come hurtling toward her. The asteroid hit the Moon with a loud crash, burying himself in the Moon's surface and gouging out a deep crater that sent huge plumes of rock and dust out into space.

          "Sorry," said the Moon, for she was always very polite.

          "My fault entirely," replied the asteroid, who was now considerably smaller and somewhat pear-shaped.

          The Moon recovered her dignity and blew the dust out of her craters.

          "You're not angry with me, are you?" asked the asteroid. "Planets are notorious for getting angry with asteroids for bumping into them, but we really can't help it; you see, their gravity pulls us towards them and then, KABOOM!"

          "Of course I don't mind," said the Moon, who was used to being hit by asteroids and was actually quite pleased to be mistaken for a planet.

          "So, what brings you to this neck of the woods?" enquired the asteroid.

          "Oh, just exploring the great cosmos," replied the Moon casually, as she was far too proud to admit that she had no idea whatsoever of where she was going.

          "Actually, you might be able to help me; you see I'm looking for other planets to er... visit and discuss planetary matters. Perhaps you could recommend some?"

          "The most I'm ever likely to see of a planet is the inside of a crater when I hit one,” was all the help the dejected asteroid could offer.

          "Oh," said the Moon, disappointedly, as she was hoping that the asteroid might be able to shed some light on her predicament.

          "You could ask the Sun," suggested the asteroid.

          "Is the Sun a planet?” asked the Moon.

          "No silly, the Sun is a star! You don't get about much, do you?" exclaimed the asteroid, who was pleased to be able to show off his superior knowledge of travel. "After all, the Sun is by far the brightest thing in the Solar System; I'm sure he'll be able to help you."

          "That's it then,” said the Moon with fresh enthusiasm, "I'll go and see the Sun."

          And with a little wave the Moon set off.

Chapter Three - The Sun sheds some light

         
        It took a long time for the Moon to reach the Sun and the nearer she got to the giant ball of fire, the hotter she grew, until she dared not go any closer.

          The Sun was taking a nap.

          "Excuse me," said the Moon timidly.

          The Sun didn't answer.

          The Moon coughed and spoke a little more loudly.

          "Hello, is anyone at home?"

          Still the Sun didn't stir.

          The Moon was about to shout when the Sun yawned and slowly stretched, sending out giant tentacles of fire for tens of thousands of miles in every direction.

          "Yes little moon, what can I do for you?" boomed the Sun.

          "I'm sorry to bother you mister Sun... sir... I mean, your worship," the Moon spluttered and stammered, "I've decided to leave the Earth and I was wondering if you could recommend any nice planets to live with."

          "YOU'VE LEFT THE EARTH!" roared the Sun, in a voice that made the Moon's dead volcanoes rattle.

          "I didn't mean to upset you, your majesty," grovelled the Moon, "It's just that I've been going around the Earth for so long that I began to get a little bit bored."

          The Sun scowled. "These days it seems that everyone is wanting something other than what they have got. What would happen if I decided just to get up and leave? It would be absolute chaos…" and on he went until the Moon was so terrified that all her loose rocks began to tremble.

          When the Sun finally stopped to take a breath and saw the Moon cowering in fear, he softened a little. "Well, I suppose you could go that way," he suggested, pointing behind him toward the Crab Nebula, "Or you could go that way," pointing towards Proxima Centauri.

          The Moon looked one way and then the other, but was none the wiser.

          "Look little Moon, let me try and explain," said the Sun. "This is a Solar System, a place where everything revolves around a star, in this case - me. But this is just one Solar System among the millions that make up our Galaxy and..." the Sun paused for effect, "there are billions upon billions of Galaxies in the Universe."

          The Moon’s eyes opened wide. "I'm not sure my brain is large enough to imagine numbers that big!"

          "Well, try and imagine this," said the Sun, "There are more Solar Systems in the Universe than say, grains of sand on all the Earth’s beaches."

          The Moon suddenly felt very small, but was determined not to be put off. "I don't mind travelling," she declared defiantly, "Why, I’ll go to the ends of the Universe to find a new home if I have to."

          The Sun let out a deep chuckle.

          "That’s a very long way, little moon," and he laughed again. "The Universe is a vast place. Some of the stars are so far away that the light you can see now has taken hundreds of thousands of years to get here, in fact such a long time, that if you ever were to reach them, they might not even be there anymore."

          "That does sound like a bit of a worry," frowned the Moon. "After all, I wouldn't want to make such a long journey for nothing."

          "And just think, if you did ever manage to reach the end of the Universe, then that would be it," added the Sun cryptically.

          "That would be what?" asked the Moon.

          "The end of the Universe, of course."

          The Moon was more than a little confused.

          "Is there an end to the Universe?" he enquired cautiously, as she was feeling a lot less brave and even a little daunted about the journey that lay ahead.

          "Of course not," said the Sun. "The Universe is said to be almost infinite,” he added somewhat casually.

          "Infinite?" quizzed the Moon, who had never heard the word before.

          "Yes, infinite," retorted the Sun, "It means it goes on for ever and ever."

          "Surely it must end somewhere?" she asked.

          "How can it?" replied the Sun. "If it were to end with, let's say a wall, then what would be behind the wall?" he declared, triumphantly.

          "I see," pondered the Moon, who was actually none the wiser. "That certainly gives one a lot to think about."

          She wasn't sure but she thought the Sun might be smiling.

          The Sun decided to take pity on the Moon, who he could see was beginning to wilt with the intense heat, and from out of his fiery interior he produced a map, which he thrust in the Moon's direction. "Here, take this, it's a map of this Solar System, that should get you started.”

          And with a long yawn the Sun closed his eyes and went back to sleep.