Moonland
Moonland was called Moonland for a very simple reason: every night the Moon shone so brightly that it lit the way for wanderers in the deep woods. Many wanderers, however, found this extremely annoying whenever they happened to pass through. They navigated by the stars—something they were exceptionally good at—unfortunately, their sense of direction during the day left much to be desired.
If they lost their way in the thick forest in the middle of the night, they simply climbed the tallest tree, settled on the topmost branch, and began reading the sky. A few star positions were enough to tell them exactly where they were. Once they had their bearings, they climbed back down, went to sleep, and continued their journey in the right direction the following morning.
There were, however, more experienced wanderers—those who never got lost anywhere, especially not in a dark forest at midnight, because they would have been fools to enter one in the first place. They didn’t need to climb any trees. It was perfectly sufficient to spread their coat on the grass, lie on their backs, and study the sky from a comfortable position.
These wanderers could observe the celestial patterns far more clearly, and thus believed they could detect deeper meanings: where their place was in the grand cycle of life, what dangers might await them in the future, or that Alpha Centauri was at least four light-years away.
Unfortunately, in Moonland, whenever they looked up, all they saw was the enormous, glowing Moon beaming cheerfully down at them, pushing the stars out of the night sky with its bright, round face. Because of this, even the most seasoned star-readers often had to take half-mile detours just to relieve themselves behind a roadside willow tree. As for those wanderers who were always getting lost anyway, they practically never found their way out of the kingdom again. They couldn’t navigate at night, and during the day they would set off in what seemed like a sensible direction—one that usually turned out to be completely wrong.
And so Moonland swallowed wanderers like a vast, softly glowing black hole.
The local people were quiet, calm, cheerful, and for the most part, quite hospitable. Wanderers therefore loved to stop here, rest a little, and throw themselves into the local cultural, social, and romantic activities. Although they were constantly getting lost, this was perhaps exactly what they liked about the place. Since they couldn’t change it, they didn’t worry about it, and instead looked for what might be enjoyable about the situation.
Wanderers always yearned for discovery, and in this kingdom they never arrived where they had intended to go—something that often helped them find what they had truly been searching for. Not to mention the bodily pleasures: hot baths, long sleeps, and lavish meals. It is also worth mentioning that wanderers often had a very kind and lovely local girlfriend—usually in more than one part of the kingdom. They fluttered from one flower to the next and spread a little pollen wherever they could.
The luckier ones even managed to get lost all the way to the royal estate. This was cause for great joy, because they were then formally invited to the royal court for several days, and it would have been considered impolite to decline. In other words, they had no choice but to go. The even luckier ones were admitted into the inner halls of the palace, where time could be spent far more pleasantly. Much depended on when and by which route the wanderer arrived. The more calculating travelers waited for the most favorable conditions, choosing the perfect moment and approach to appear before the king. In such cases, hospitality lasted longer, the meals were more plentiful, and they were often invited to join some cultural event with the locals.
There was, however, one particular wanderer who surprised the royal family—not only with the timing of his arrival, but even more so with the manner of it. You will soon learn everything about him.
Guests could stay at several places within the royal estate, but no matter where they ended up, they were always given plenty to eat and drink, and their entertainment was often arranged as well. Wanderers most enjoyed attending the dances and the “consultations” afterward, which were held in one of the many small taverns scattered throughout the estate. Two words: pure fun.
And the king always welcomed his guests with a warm heart.
