About this story
It’s the last night of the year, and Pippin the cricket is tuning up on his banana leaf when the sky explodes in red, green and gold. The bunny hides, the owl shuts its eyes and an ant cries that the sky is breaking. Pippin keeps watching.
Ages: 4–8 · Reading time: about 2 minutes
Moral: Every morning is a new chance to start again.
The forest was silent, waiting. It was the very last night of the year.
Pippin the Cricket was on his banana leaf, tuning his back legs. *Chirp-chirp… chirp-chirp.* But suddenly, the sky exploded. KABOOM!
A flower of red light bloomed in the darkness, reaching much higher than the trees. Then came a green one, then a golden one that wept sparkling stars. The forest creatures were startled. The bunny scurried into his burrow. The owl shut its eyes tight. The noise was much too loud for sensitive ears.
The Sky is Breaking
“The sky is breaking!” cried an ant. Pippin stopped singing. He stared at those lights. They were scary, yes, but they were also beautiful. They blinked and vanished, leaving behind trails of smoke. The thunder lasted a long time, and Pippin felt the very ground beneath him shake.
But then, the last golden light flickered out. Silence returned. A different kind of silence—clean and fresh, like a wiped chalkboard. The smell of gunpowder was carried away by the wind, replaced by the scent of fresh morning dew.
The First Sun
On the horizon, an orange line began to glow. It was the First Sun. It made no noise. It rose slowly and majestically, painting the clouds in shades of pink and lilac. Pippin realized that the humans’ noisy lights were just a passing party, but the real show was this: the sun rising again, bringing 365 new chances to sing.
Pippin took a deep breath of the new air and restarted his music, louder and happier than ever before. *Chirp-chirp! Chirp-chirp!* The New Year had truly begun in the forest.
