West

West looked out over the ocean, trying to catch a glimpse of the sun. Every morning East would toss it into the sky, and West would watch it glide through the air to land in her hands. Then she would toss it back, and the world would go dark until the next morning, when East sent it once more into the sky.

West leaned back against a cloud and sighed. Truth be told, she was sick and tired of tossing and catching. The same routine every day. The only time anything got interesting was when a storm came and catching the sun was a challenge. West looked over toward East. No sun yet. Then she had an idea, a tickle in her mind. She slid off her cloud and down to earth. No one would miss her. No one needed her. All she did was catch the sun.

Up in the sky East tossed the sun. She watched it soar through the sky, but suddenly it fell, and she watched in horror as it fell to the earth, landing in an ocean. Where was West? Why hadn’t she caught the sun? East got off her cloud and went down to Earth, intent on finding her sister.

North and South were shocked when the sun fell, and they stood tall and looked over the world, using their power to find their daughters. They saw East, running across the lands, calling for West. West was sitting on a mountain, singing. North stepped down and put his hand on West’s shoulder. She looked up, startled.

“The sun has fallen,” said North. “The world is dark, the people confused. West, you are not merely a word; you are a direction, and a direction that is needed.”

West shook her head, but then East came bounding up the mountainside and hugged her. “You’re my sister, I need you,” she said.

West smiled and suddenly she leapt away. She dived down into the ocean and picked up the sun. She tossed it to East, and never again wished she did anything else but catch the sun.