A Bridegroom for Miss Mole

Long ago, a proud mole father wanted to find the mightiest bridegroom in the world for his beautiful daughter."My daughter must marry only the mightiest being there is," he said.

First, he went to the Sky and asked, "Will you marry my daughter? You cover the whole earth.""I am not the mightiest," said the Sky. "The Sun is stronger than I am, for its light passes right through me."

So the mole father went to the Sun and asked the very same question."I am not the mightiest either," said the Sun. "A single cloud can hide my whole face."

The mole father went to the Cloud next, but the Cloud said, "The Wind is stronger than I am — it blows me wherever it likes."So he went to the Wind and asked, "Will you marry my daughter? Surely nothing is mightier than you."

"Not so," said the Wind. "I can blow down a tree, but I cannot even shake the great stone Miryek — go and ask him instead."The mole father found Miryek, a giant stone statue standing quietly in a field, and asked him to marry his daughter.

Miryek smiled and said, "I have stood in this field for a thousand years, and no wind or rain has ever moved me. But there is one thing that can.""What is that?" asked the mole father, surprised."A small mole, digging quietly under my feet, could make even me fall down one day," said Miryek.

The mole father thought about this for a long time."Then the mightiest one in the whole world," he said, "was living in my own house all along."

He went home and found a fine young mole for his daughter to marry.And on the wedding day, the whole mole family agreed: there is no shame in being exactly what you are.