Back in the village, everyone was still waiting anxiously. As they returned, Grandpa stepped forward to speak.
“My friends,” he said, “I’ve learned something amazing tonight. The red moon is caused by a lunar eclipse. It’s a natural event, and we don’t need to bang on pots to save it.”
But one man shook his head. “If you don’t do it, I will. We must save the moon!”
An old woman added, “We all know a wolf is attacking the moon. Making noise is the only way to scare him away. It’s always worked before.”
“I want to bang on my pots too!” shouted a small child.
Grandpa sighed. It seemed that no one believed him. But Jimmy had an idea. He leaned close and whispered into his grandfather’s ear. Then he turned to the crowd.
“Everyone, listen!” Jimmy said. “On our way back, we met someone who heard the wolf howling nearby. If we make noise now, the wolf will know where we are… and he might come for us instead of the moon!”
The villagers gasped. Their eyes widened in fear.
“Quick! Run home!” someone shouted.
In a matter of seconds, everyone dropped their pans and rushed to hide in their homes.
A few minutes later, Jimmy pointed to the sky. “Look, Grandpa! The red color is gone—and we didn’t bang a single pot.”
The villagers slowly peeked out. When they saw the moon had returned to normal, they were amazed.
“We were wrong,” one of them said. “You and the boy were right all along.”
From that night on, the villagers no longer feared the red moon. Instead, they looked forward to the next eclipse—ready to admire the sky’s wonder, not chase away imaginary wolves.
