The moon in the pond
THE MOON IN THE POND
'Frog, I want to ask you a question.'
'Hello, Toady. Is there something troubling you?'
'I am troubled Frog. Why do things appear and then disappear?'
'What sort of things, Toady?'
'The moon in my pond. I like to sit by the pond at night and look at the moon but the moon sometimes just disappears. I don't know where it goes. The pond is very deep. Does the moon go to sleep at the bottom of the pond where I can't see it?'
'No, no Toady. You can see it in the pond at night, . but that is not where it is.'
'What did you say, Frog? I can see it in the pond but it isn't there. How can I see it if it isn't there?'
'I swim in my pond Toady and I swim right through the moon. If it was there how could I do that?'
'I don't know Toady. Is the moon a magic moon? Is it a moon ghost! Oh! Frog have I got a moon ghost in my pond!?'
'Don't take on so, Toady. Do you ever have dreams?'
'Yes, of course, I do.'
'Do you have your eyes closed when you dream?'
'Yes, my eyes are closed when I dream because I'm asleep, Frog.'
'Well, then, how can you see in your sleep? You have your eyes closed yet you can see in your dream. Isn't that so?'
'Why yes, Frog.'
'When you are asleep do you see with your eyes?'
'No.'
'What do you see with when you are dreaming?'
'I don't know Frog but I do see the sun and moon in my dreams.'
'So Toady, you see the sun and moon in your dreams but not with your eyes. Is that right?'
'Why yes. I am asleep so I don't see them with my eyes when I am asleep. But Frog, I do see them.'
'Yes, you do Toady and the reason is this: you see them in your mind.'
'In my mind?'
'Yes, Toady in your mind. You have sight in your mind. You asked me how can I see the moon if it isn't there didn't you?'
'Yes I did Frog.'
'Well, are dreams there.'
'What do you mean?'
'Are they really there when you wake up?'
'No, of course, not.'
'So when you wake up they disappear, don't they?'
'Yes Frog. When I wake up they disappear.'
'They are like the moon in the pond aren't they?'
'Dear me! Frog! How did you know that the moon isn't there when I see it?'
'Because it is like a dream. You see it in your mind. but the real moon, Stoaty, is in the sky. You see it in the water because you imagine it to be there.'
'But what is there, Frog?'
'Nothing but water, Toady.'
'It is hard to believe, Frog, for I do see the moon in the water.'
'Yes, you do see it but it isn't there. Do you know what an echo is Toady?'
'What is an echo, Frog?'
'An echo is a sound that you can hear after you hear it.'
'After I hear it. Oh Frog this is not possible. If I hear it, how can I hear it after I hear it?'
'Because you do. If you do hear it then it must be a sound, right?'
'Why yes if I hear it it must be a sound.'
'So if you hear it after you hear it, is it not there?'
'Yes, I suppose it must be.'
'Is it the same sound?'
'If I hear it it must be.'
'Do you hear an echo in the same place or far away?'
'Why, I didn't think of that. I hear it far away.'
'So it isn't in the same place is it?'
'No it is the same sound but not in the same place.'
'So when you see the moon in the pond is it the same moon that you see in the sky?'
'It looks exactly like the moon in the sky but it can't be in the sky because its in the pond.'
'So it's the same moon in a different place.'
'Yes. I think I see what you mean, Frog. Is the moon in the pond a reflection of the moon in the sky? The moon in the sky is really there but the moon in the pond is in my mind.'
'Yes, Toady you've got it.'
'Thank you Frog. I won't worry if it disappears again, Frog.'
Even penguins see themselves in a pond.'
'They do!'
'Yes Toady, they do. Don't worry Toady. God has made everything to be what it is. He made a tree to be a tree, the moon to be the moon, a a boy to be a boy and a girl to be a girl. And a penguin to be a penguin.'
'Frog, I want to ask you a question.'
'Hello, Toady. Is there something troubling you?'
'I am troubled Frog. Why do things appear and then disappear?'
'What sort of things, Toady?'
'The moon in my pond. I like to sit by the pond at night and look at the moon but the moon sometimes just disappears. I don't know where it goes. The pond is very deep. Does the moon go to sleep at the bottom of the pond where I can't see it?'
'No, no Toady. You can see it in the pond at night, . but that is not where it is.'
'What did you say, Frog? I can see it in the pond but it isn't there. How can I see it if it isn't there?'
'I swim in my pond Toady and I swim right through the moon. If it was there how could I do that?'
'I don't know Toady. Is the moon a magic moon? Is it a moon ghost! Oh! Frog have I got a moon ghost in my pond!?'
'Don't take on so, Toady. Do you ever have dreams?'
'Yes, of course, I do.'
'Do you have your eyes closed when you dream?'
'Yes, my eyes are closed when I dream because I'm asleep, Frog.'
'Well, then, how can you see in your sleep? You have your eyes closed yet you can see in your dream. Isn't that so?'
'Why yes, Frog.'
'When you are asleep do you see with your eyes?'
'No.'
'What do you see with when you are dreaming?'
'I don't know Frog but I do see the sun and moon in my dreams.'
'So Toady, you see the sun and moon in your dreams but not with your eyes. Is that right?'
'Why yes. I am asleep so I don't see them with my eyes when I am asleep. But Frog, I do see them.'
'Yes, you do Toady and the reason is this: you see them in your mind.'
'In my mind?'
'Yes, Toady in your mind. You have sight in your mind. You asked me how can I see the moon if it isn't there didn't you?'
'Yes I did Frog.'
'Well, are dreams there.'
'What do you mean?'
'Are they really there when you wake up?'
'No, of course, not.'
'So when you wake up they disappear, don't they?'
'Yes Frog. When I wake up they disappear.'
'They are like the moon in the pond aren't they?'
'Dear me! Frog! How did you know that the moon isn't there when I see it?'
'Because it is like a dream. You see it in your mind. but the real moon, Stoaty, is in the sky. You see it in the water because you imagine it to be there.'
'But what is there, Frog?'
'Nothing but water, Toady.'
'It is hard to believe, Frog, for I do see the moon in the water.'
'Yes, you do see it but it isn't there. Do you know what an echo is Toady?'
'What is an echo, Frog?'
'An echo is a sound that you can hear after you hear it.'
'After I hear it. Oh Frog this is not possible. If I hear it, how can I hear it after I hear it?'
'Because you do. If you do hear it then it must be a sound, right?'
'Why yes if I hear it it must be a sound.'
'So if you hear it after you hear it, is it not there?'
'Yes, I suppose it must be.'
'Is it the same sound?'
'If I hear it it must be.'
'Do you hear an echo in the same place or far away?'
'Why, I didn't think of that. I hear it far away.'
'So it isn't in the same place is it?'
'No it is the same sound but not in the same place.'
'So when you see the moon in the pond is it the same moon that you see in the sky?'
'It looks exactly like the moon in the sky but it can't be in the sky because its in the pond.'
'So it's the same moon in a different place.'
'Yes. I think I see what you mean, Frog. Is the moon in the pond a reflection of the moon in the sky? The moon in the sky is really there but the moon in the pond is in my mind.'
'Yes, Toady you've got it.'
'Thank you Frog. I won't worry if it disappears again, Frog.'
Even penguins see themselves in a pond.'
'They do!'
'Yes Toady, they do. Don't worry Toady. God has made everything to be what it is. He made a tree to be a tree, the moon to be the moon, a a boy to be a boy and a girl to be a girl. And a penguin to be a penguin.'
