THE MAN ON THE MOON

Story by Manoel Johann Ces


Once upon a time, there lived a very rich man named Don Bukriv. He lived in the biggest house in the land and owned the most expensive things.

Every night, he would sit in his throne adorned with priceless jewels. He would look at everything he owned and laugh with satisfaction.

He happened to glance into the night sky and saw something of great brilliance. A star! The brightest star he had ever seen.

“That must be the most beautiful star in the heavens,” he said.

And he was right. The North Star had been admired by men from distant lands and for centuries had looked at it in awe and admiration. Many have dreamed of possessing it, but knowing it was impossible, they contented themselves with just its presence.

He leaned on his throne and said excitedly, “It must be mine!”

The next day, he called his servants and ordered them to make him the biggest hot-air balloon.

“I want it so big that it will eclipse the sun as it floats to space,” he commanded.

And the men quickly went to work.

The days passed and soon Don Bukriv’s giant balloon was the talk of the whole village and nearby towns. They could see from the distance, protruding from his wooded garden, a massive bright red balloon.

“What is that thing for?” the villagers asked each other.

“It might be another one of his fancy toys.”

But Don Bukriv paid them no attention. His thoughts lie only to the stars. These lowly people are not worth my time. He thought.


One morning, the balloon was finally finished. The rich old man stepped into the huge basket attached to the balloon by four ropes. He then bid everyone goodbye.

“Don’t you worry,” he assured them. “For this is not really goodbye. I’m just going on a journey that would take me where no man has gone before. When I return I will be the richest and most famous man in history.”

The people who gathered in his garden just watched as he floated to the sky. He waved to them.

“I’ll be back soon,” he shouted. “With the brightest star in my pocket.”

But they ignored his voice. Nobody waved back. He did notice though that the people seemed to be in the gayest mood he had ever seen them. They must be very happy to see me off. He was right. They were just too happy to see him float away.

Up and up he went. For the first time in his life he saw what the rest of the land looked like from above. The hills were teeming with flowers of all kinds. The great river was flowing down gently from the mountains.

Don Bukriv was very happy. Not just because everything he saw was beautiful, but because they were all his. Soon he was already in the clouds. He took out a clamp tied to a rope and threw it at a cloud. He stepped out of the basket and hopped around on the giant white puffs.

“Oh, this must be the softest thing I’ve ever felt!” he exclaimed. “It’s so good on my back. I think I’ll take home some and have it made into a mattress.”

He took a part of the cloud and carefully laid it on the basket’s floor. He removed the clamp and continued on his journey.

Up and up beyond the clouds he floated until finally everything around him became very dark. He could now see countless stars all over him. Don Bukriv looked down and was amazed at what he saw.

“What a beautiful sight!” he said as looked at the whole world. “If only I could have it all for myself, I would be the happiest man that ever lived.”



The great blue orb called Earth was the most wonderful thing the eyes could ever be blessed to see.

Then he heard a great rumbling from the distance. He turned around and saw a shooting star coming straight his way!

He quickly grabbed his clamp and waited for the shooting star. As it flew pass him, he threw the clamp and snatched it. “Ha! Now it’s mine!” he shouted.

But the shooting star was traveling too fast and it dragged the old rich man and the giant balloon along. He couldn’t do anything but hold on as his balloon was pulled around space.

He cut the rope that connects the balloon to the clamp that was holding the shooting star. The balloon was finally set free!

“Too bad,” he sighed as he watched it flew away. “It could have been a pretty ornament in my garden.”

Don Bukriv continued on his journey. Finally he reached the North Star. It was smaller than what he imagined it to be. It could easily fit in one of his coat’s pockets.

“Just as I expected! It’s even brighter than all of my diamonds and rubies,” Don Bukriv laughed. “I will be the envy of every man.”

He leaned over the edge of the basket and reached out for the star. He was surprised that it didn’t burn his hands as he touched it. It actually felt warm and soothing.

“You don’t belong out here, in the darkness,” he said to the star. “My mansion will be a finer home for you.”

And with that, he put the North Star in his pocket and started on his way home.

But as he was nearing the planet Earth, he noticed not too far away, a huge bright, ball of fire. It was the Sun. He could see that it was bigger than the planets and brighter, too. “It’s a lot magnificent than my star,” he said.



He quickly forgot the North Star.

He turned his hot-air balloon towards the great Sun. But as he got closer, he felt warmer every minute. He removed his coat. Still, it was very hot.

Then he realized he had a problem. The Sun was too big. The silly Don Bukriv just shrugged it off and continued on his way.

“Ha! Nothing can stop me from getting what I want,” he thought.

Finally, he flew too close to the Sun that the balloon burst! The silly old man in the giant red balloon was sent flying all over space. He flew pass the gaseous atmosphere of Venus, he went under the giant rings of Saturn, and dodged some asteroids.

And when the balloon at last lost its steam, the old man was sent crashing to the moon.

He landed in the moon’s Sea of Tranquility, a barren plain of moon dust and rocks.

As he stood by the wreckage of his once great hot-air balloon, he felt his pocket getting warmer. He slipped in his hand and took out the glowing North Star.

“At least you can keep me company in this quiet place,” he whispered.

When he opened his hands to admire the last of his possessions, the star floated upward far beyond the old man’s reach. It flew back to its rightful place far away in the galaxy.

There it remains to this day, unselfishly guiding anyone journeying. And the greedy Don Bukriv was left on the moon, awaiting the arrival of anyone who would dare to again try and get the North Star.



The End