The moon in the well
Nasreddin Hodja


One night Hodja was walking by a well when he had a sudden impulse to look inside of it. To his amazement he saw the reflection of the moon in the water and exclaimed:

" The moon has fallen into the well! I must save it somehow!"

He looked around an found a rope with a hook on the end of it so he threw it in the well and shouted:

"Grab the hook, moon, and hold tight! I'll pull you out!"

The rope latched onto a rock inside the well and Hodja pulled back on the rope as hard as he could. Suddenly the hook broke free from the rock and Hodja fell over on his back. Lying there, he noticed the moon high up in the sky above. He heaved a sigh of relief and said:

"Well, it wasn't easy, but it's sure a wonderful feeling to know that I've delivered the moon from the well!"