It was the week before Christmas in a town much the same as yours, in a land beyond faraway.
The Richest Man In Town was sitting behind his desk, thinking. He was thinking of what present he would buy his wife for Christmas. You may think that such a decision was not hard, but you'd be wrong. All the gold in the world had been used up in making wedding rings and lucky charms, so this present had to be different. And it had to be the best present in the world for, after all, he was The Richest Man In Town.
He sat behind his desk all day. But then he had an idea - an idea so great, so special, that it made him laugh!
That night, while the world was sleeping, The Richest Man In Town crept out of his house and into his garden. From the shed by the back fence, he took out the tallest step-ladder you have ever seen. He set it up carefully on the damp grass and began to climb into the sky.
The Richest Man In Town climbed quickly and very soon he reached the prettiest star in the sky. He dug into his pocket and pulled out a length of silver wrapping paper. With lots of care, he began to wrap the star up.
The moon saw what he was doing. "Don't do that," she whispered, "Please don't take my friends away."
The Richest Man In Town became angry. "I'm the richest man in town!" he shouted, "I shall do as I please. I decided to get my wife the best present in the world, and get it I shall! When the rest of the town hear of my gift, they'll know how rich and clever I really am!"
The moon smiled sadly. "The best presents in the world are kisses, flowers and love as bright as sunshine," she whispered.
But The Richest Man In Town only laughed. "Any old fool can give gifts like those. But only my wife will receive a star as a present this Christmas."
With these words, and without further ado, he finished wrapping the star and hurried quickly down the ladder.
In a house on a hill, The Next Richest Man In Town was staring through the kitchen window onto the houses below. He'd been awake all night, unable to sleep for thinking. He wanted to buy his wife the best present in the world for Christmas, but simply couldn't decide what. As he stared out of the window, he saw The Richest Man In Town set up the tallest step-ladder he'd ever seen and climb into the sky. And then he had an idea - an idea so great, so special, that it made him laugh!
The following night, while the world was sleeping, The Next Richest Man In Town crept out of his house and into his garden. From the shed by the greenhouse, he took out the longest rope you have ever seen. He threw it so hard that it snagged itself around a comet that has stopped for a rest. Then he pulled the rope tight and started to climb into the sky.
The Next Richest Man In Town climbed quickly and very soon he reached the brightest star in the sky. He dug into his pocket and pulled out a length of silver wrapping paper. With lots of care, he began to wrap the star up.
The moon saw what he was doing. "Don't do that," she whispered, "Please don't take my friends away."
The Next Richest Man In Town just stuck his nose in the air. "I may not be the richest man in town," he shouted, "But I shall make sure my wife gets just a good a present as his. If his wife receives a star as a present this Christmas, then so shall mine!"
The moon smiled sadly. "The best presents in the world are kisses, flowers and love as bright as sunshine," she whispered.
But The Next Richest Man In Town only laughed, and, without further ado, he finished wrapping the star and slid quickly down the rope.
Now The Next Richest Man In Town was very good at making money, but he was terrible at keeping secrets. The day after, he couldn't help but tell his friends just what he'd done. His friends told their friends who told their friends until, very soon, every man in town knew what had happened. "If the wives of the richest men in town are to receive a star as a present this Christmas, then so shall mine!" they said to themselves.
Christmas Eve came along and darkness fell upon our town. As the church clock struck midnight, the same thing was happening in every house.
In The Richest Man In Town's house, his wife was opening her presents from under the tree. As she took out a gift from the last package with smiling eyes, The Richest Man In Town pulled out a large silver parcel from its hiding place and handed it to her. "For you," he said, "The best present in the world!" The face of his wife lit up with joy, but as she removed the wrapping paper, the joy disappeared.
"What's the matter?" he said angrily. "I've given you a star as a present this Christmas. Isn't that the best present in the world?"
His wife handed him the parcel. Inside lay a piece of rock as dull and black as coal, for, like fish can't survive without water, stars cannot shine without the sky. She smiled sadly. "The best presents in the world are kisses, flowers and love as bright as sunshine," she whispered.
At once, The Richest Man In Town realised how foolish he'd been. He took his wife's hand and led her into the garden. Together they stood and looked into the sky.
But something terrible had happened.
There were no stars left.
The Richest Man In Town couldn't be sure, but he thought he heard a faint sob and a gentle voice whispering, "You took all my friends away." As he stood with his wife in the garden, the moon fell apart like a broken heart and the night was black.
"Don't be afraid," he told his wife, "I love you. And soon the sun shall rise on a new day."
As the sun woke up on Christmas morning, he was looking forward to seeing the moon. For millions of years, he had loved the moon but told no-one. And each day, he had given her love as bright as sunshine, for that was all he had to give.
But, as he peered over the horizon, he saw that the moon had died. He looked at the broken pieces for many moments, and then a tear fell from his eyes.
Below, The Richest Man In Town stood in the garden and looked at the sky. As the rain fell and the morning grew darker , he began to understand the terrible mistake he'd made. He let go of his dear wife's hand and wiped the rain from his face.
The sun had never cried before. And as he cried, his light died.
The Richest Man In Town stood in the darkness amidst the rain. He called his wife's name, reached for her, but couldn't find her.
The Richest Man In Town stood alone in the darkness that would last for ever more. He knew what he'd done. The sun was crying.
Then, slowly at first, he began to cry too.
A very merry Christmas from The SJC!
(Pictures by Archie and Ellie-Mary)
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