There was a place called Carland which was marshy and full of bogs–large patches of water with weeds and mounds inside it. There were pools of water, often black or green, with all kinds of weeds and when you walked through them, the ground was squishy and squelchy.
The Moon shone brightly over the marsh and on those nights a person could walk safely through them. But on dark nights, the place became very dangerous. All kinds of strange evil things came out of the bog and grabbed the passer-by. The Moon had heard these stories and felt very sad. She decided to go down and find out for herself.
At the end of the month, the Moon came down. She wore a long dark cloak with a hood that covered her gleaming hair. Only her bright feet peeped out from under the cloak and lighted her path.
The Moon saw the bog was dark and there were muddy mounds all over. She stepped onto them, walking over the bumps and mounds. Suddenly, her feet slipped and as she got her balance again, some kind of a long weed, called a snag, caught her by the wrist. She tried very hard to untangle herself, but the snag held fast.
Then, in the darkness, she heard someone utter a sobbing cry. Looking around, she saw a white face, eyes wide with fright. It was a man who seemed to have lost his way in the bogs. He saw the light flickering from her feet and was coming further in.
The Moon struggled to free herself from the snag and suddenly, her hood fell back. The brilliant light from her hair lit the whole area. The man could see everything clearly and, crying out joyously, he ran to safety. But unfortunately, as she struggled, the hood fell back and the evil things came right back.
They caught her with strong bony fingers and pushed her into the weeds and pressed her down with a large stone. She couldn’t escape, for they set a watch on her too.
It was time for the new Moon, but there was no sign of it. People were worried. One evening, in an inn far away, a man heard people wondering about the Moon. He was the lost man and he remembered seeing her in the bog and shouted, “I know where the Moon is!”
All the men ran to the bog with sticks. They shoved the stone aside and there was the Moon. She was back in the sky–gleaming brightly.
