Why is the Moon White?

(The origin of this tale of fantasy shall remain a whimsical mystery. The reader is requested not to delve into scientific facts and read the story with the same curiosity as a child does and perhaps begin to question the world the way a child does.)

As all tales would stereotypically begin, this one begins once upon a time. When I expressed the title of the tale, there were excited suggestions if milk or paint was spilt on it. I would not have expected any less from an audience who was two and three-quarter years old. The tale begins when the universe was the young. It was an age when Earth was unpolluted and unblemished. It was an age of the balance between harmony and chaos. It was the Age of the Planets. It was the age when planets had a voice and they could speak to each other. The Universe was a big family of brothers and sisters. The black holes were the brothers and the stars were the sisters. Some sisters had a family of their own which was called a solar system. Each solar system was a family with its sun being the mother. All the planets in the solar system were children of the same mother.

As always, in any family, the Earth was the special one of all the children in the family. The unique one. All his brother planets were jealous. Earth was different. He did not grow like the other planets did. The other planets were too hot or too cold. All the other planets were dull and pale. They were not as colourful and cheerful as Earth was. Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus were the haughtiest of them all. Jupiter was the big bully of the lot. He was the largest among his siblings and several sisters (moons) who went around him singing his praises and fuelling his inflated ego. He believed that being the biggest, he was the natural leader of the family. Saturn, Neptune and Uranus were very proud of their rings. They called it their halos rather than calling them as rings. They believed that they were blessed by a higher power in the Universe, not realizing that there could no higher power than their Mother. All of the planets could make it rain diamonds on their surface which made them look all the more handsome. Mother was never pleased with their demeanour. None of the planets wanted life on them. They were too proud to carry life. They believed that life on them would their doom. 

Earth, however, grew up to be more colourful and more beautiful by the age. The other planets believed that he was the weakest link in their family. He became the outcast in the family. He was considered a handicap. The other planets began to be mean to him and shoved him around. He was always unwelcome at every gathering of his brother's birthdays. He lost all hope in himself that he believed that he truly was an impediment. Soon he was lonely and nobody but his Mother used to turn for his birthday celebrations as the rest of his brothers and sisters were too ashamed of him.

Mother decided that her most promising child would not be left behind by his brothers. She did not want him to end up like his brothers. When Earth was finally ready to take up life on himself, his mother gave him the most wonderful gift any planet could ask for. A white moon. Every moon's colour was a reflection of the heart of the planet. The sun gave him a sister who was as pure as his heart. Earth had a sibling. A sister who would cherish and accompany him forever. A moon that would always be a reflection of Earth's heart. A heart that has allowed a multitude of life to grow and prosper on it and still continues to do until today.

(Disclaimer: Yes, the story is full of stereotypes. White does not equate to purity. I do not believe that colour can decide what is good and what is bad. It is the nature of the one's heart that will decide a person's worth.)