Jumping Moon lay by the lake and saw a round moon floating in the water. It reached out and, to its surprise, pulled the moon out of the water and quickly stuffed it into a leaf bag. Suddenly, the forest went dark, and sounds rustled all around. Jumping Moon hugged the shining leaf bag tightly and hurriedly climbed up a tall tree.
Jumping Moon climbed to the top of the first tall tree and tossed the moon up high. Thud! The moon hit the treetop and bounced back down, waking up a whole bunch of sleeping little birds. Jumping Moon shrank its neck and quickly climbed down the tree, wanting to find a higher place.
It decided to hop on the mountain stones. One stone, two stones, three big stones were flipped over. The moon in the leaf bag glowed brighter and brighter, lighting up the stone path, and Jumping Moon didn’t dare to stop for a moment.
Jumping Moon reached the top of the highest stone and jumped with all its might, raising the moon high above its head. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew open the leaf bag, and the round moon rolled out. Jumping Moon shouted, “Wait!”
Jumping Moon chased after the moon, bouncing all the way down. Below, the lake sparkled like a round mirror. Splash! The moon fell in, then bounced right back up to the sky, making the whole forest shine brightly.
Jumping Moon slid down the stone slope to the lakeside. Looking up, it saw the moon safely hanging back above the treetops. The night path, leaves, and little flowers all quietly glowed. Jumping Moon spread the empty leaf bag flat and gently placed it by its feet, whispering, “I won’t take things without asking next time.” It sat by the lake, watching the round moon reappear in the water and smiled.
