A Night’s Wait

　　years ago, i was still a little girl and didn’t have any worries. at least, i thought so. but what happened one summer night changed my idea.

　　it happened like this. one summer night, my grandma and i sat in the yard to take some cool air. i still remember that it was a very beautiful night: the sky just like an endless dark-blue silk, decorated with the countless shining stars which were like the diamonds in the cloth; the wind stirred a few fine filaments of cloud and the moon gave out gentle light; the breeze stroked my face and the crickets sang songs by my ears. all of these made me intoxicated. my grandma, sitting by my side, was telling me some stories about the moon. the world was peaceful and quiet.

　　then, as i was so fascinated by the charming moon, i stretched out my finger, pointing to the moon, turned to my grandma and asked:“ grandma, does somebody really live there?” suddenly, grandma beat my finger down, stared at me, and said seriously:" don't point to the moon, never! ever! if she gets angry, she'll cut down your ears! it's anything but a joke. she'll come to you tonight!"

　　i was greatly astonished, and had lost interest in the scene or the cool air. i went into my room and lay on the bed, turning over and over. it was the first night that i had known the taste of insomnia. i vaguely recalled that one of my kindergarten friends had come to school one day with his ear red and swelling, and seemed to have a wound on it. he told us it was because he had pointed to the moon and that was the punishment. that day we all laughed at him. but, now, it would be my turn. what would i be?

　　my whole mind was occupied by the scary thought. however, i didn’t dare to tell my parents, because i thought they would not accept the fact that their daughter would become a one-eared or non-eared monster. then, i began to think about the pointing. for the pointing, i have to suffer from a cut! the cut must be very very painful and would make me bleed a lot and even die! the damnable finger! maybe i can make a deal with the moon--could she just take my finger away instead of the ear? oh, no! finger is also important to me...could she be so kind to save my neck? but it seemed impossible; my grandma said she would come tonight! what shall i do! the whole night i was harassed by these random thoughts and i couldn’t fall asleep until dawn.when i was awaked the next morning, for some minutes, i couldn’t remember what had happened. suddenly, the memory came back! i rushed to the mirror, thank goodness! there were two ears on my head! they were both ok! my tight-drawn nerves relaxed. during the night's wait, i nearly got neurasthenia!

　　it was one of the most unforgettable nights in my life. from then on, i know that the moon will never ever cut my ears. the experience of the night gives me an idea: childhood is not necessarily the happiest time of one's life. no matter how kind and loving adults may be, children often suffer from terrible, illogical fears, which are the result of ignorance and an inability to understand the world around. even the moon can make them worry for a long time.