In the endless Steppe, the Sun shines brightly during the day. The Sun gives life, and warmth, and gives a blush to the Children of the Steppes. But at night the Steppe is covered with darkness, and none of the Children of the Steppes dare to go out. The darkness is absolute black, quiet and enveloping, and even if you open your eyes wide, you won’t see anything. Shulmas, the evil Steppe Spirits, lurk in the darkness, stealing people and lost animals. Travellers who get lost at sunset risk falling into darkness and an abyss forever.
One day, the Children of the Steppes were playing not far from their gers, the nomadic tents. They ran, played and laughed loudly, chasing each other, and did not at first notice how the Sun was slowly hiding behind the horizon. “Oh friends,” one boy shouted, “the sunset has begun, and soon darkness will cover the Steppe. Let’s run home as soon as possible so that the Spirits don’t drag us away.” And all the children quickly rushed home. The last to run was the smallest girl. She moved quickly with her small legs, but her dress caught on dry thorns and she fell. She hit her head and lost consciousness. The Sun sank below the horizon, and darkness covered the Steppe. The girl woke and opened her eyes and saw nothing. She blinked, but nothing changed. She began to cry. She cried loudly, then quietly, then sobbed and tears flowed like a river down her cheeks.
Suddenly, someone stroked the girl on the head. “Why are you crying?” It was a Spirit. “I’m lost, or I’m dead. I can’t see anything!” the girl sobbed. The Spirit embraced the girl and carried her away into the darkness. The girl’s tears were so sincere and alive that they fell into the darkness and became translucent shiny pebbles. The Spirit wiped her cheeks and said “Don’t cry, you are so beautiful.” And then the girl’s face lit up, and she smiled. In the darkness, the Steppe Spirits now had their own light. They named her the Moon Girl, and her tears became the Stars.
The Moon Girl sat in the black night sky. She was very shy and hid from people so that they only saw a slim crescent of her full form. They called her Sarul — the Crescent Moon. Each night, Sarul decorated the sky with golden Stars. Under the starry sky, the Children of the Steppe made fires and told each other extraordinary legends and stories.
One night, as the Moon Girl hung her beautiful Stars and admired how the Children of the Steppes slept peacefully in their camel blankets, the Wind flew past and waved its long tail to greet her. His tail brushed all the Stars from the sky, and they fell into the steppe swamp. The nomads who grazed camels and horses that night were frightened when they saw the shooting Stars and began to pray for all life on Earth. They only wished for one thing – that it did not portend the wrath of the Great Blue Sky.
“Oh my Stars!” the Moon Girl said, quite upset. The Wind apologised, “Please forgive me, I will now return them all to the sky.” The Wind collected the Stars from the swamp and brought them to the girl. She rubbed them until they gleamed. Then, she took a needle and thread and sewed them in the sky. “Now, you will not fall,” she whispered. The Stars twirled on strings and gleamed in the moonlight. People saw that the Stars became even brighter, and the Moon Girl stopped hiding. Now, she goes out regularly to check whether all the Stars are firmly sewn to the sky.
Since then, if a Star falls in the endless Steppe, people make a wish …
