"Mama, tell me a bedtime story," said the little boy, eyes shining bright. The moon loomed over the cold campfire, embers and sparks slowly fading into the warm night. The cool night's breeze washed over them like a blanket.

The woman laughed, running her fingers down the little boy's face, pinching his pudgy cheeks. "It's getting late."

Giggling from the gesture, he snuggled closer, into her arms. "Storytime, you promised," he exclaimed.

She hugged him tightly and ruffled his hair. "Just this once, my little glowbug."

She sighed, looking into the distance. "Once, long long ago, there were three gods, the god of light and the sun, Yama, and his sister, the god of the night and the moon, Yvna. If you look up right now, there's Yvna staring at us."

The little boy gazed into the starry night, into the face of the crescent moon. "Who's that," he asked, pointing up at a smaller full moon trailing behind.

"That's the third sibling, my glowbug," she said, pointing at the crescent moon. "Yvna was always the older sister, but they had a third, a younger brother. He was young, for a god, so he didn't have a name yet, always choosing to hide behind his younger sister."

"Younger than me," the boy asked.

"No no," she said laughing. "Much older."

"So why didn't he have a name yet? Even I have a name."

"Names are powerful things, and Yama and Yvna were waiting for the day for their younger sibling to choose one."

"What do you mean?"

She ruffled his hair once again and pulled him in closer. "You'll understand one day my little glowbug, but tonight the story isn't about him."

"Can you tell me about him tomorrow?"

"I will."

"You promise?"

"On your belly button," she said, tickling him on his stomach. The little boy giggled and burrowed closer.

"Now, where was I? Oh yes, Yvna and Yama. Yvna and Yama were close, as all siblings are, and they spent all their time playing with their friends, the stars and the clouds."

"And their brother as well?"

"And their brother as well."

"Good."

"Now Yvna and Yama, they spent many years like this, with their friends, spending days playing away, but it gets boring doing the same thing every day."

"Like playing in the woods all the time?"

"Just like that"

"So what did they do when they got bored?"

"Yama and Yvna wanted some new toys, - "

"What about the clouds, and the stars," the little boy asked, "Did they want new toys as well?"

"Yes they did, so they helped Yama and Yvna in making the toys. They didn't have any merchants up there, so they had to make it all on their own. It took a long time, but Yama and Yvna worked together, for days and nights, toiling away in their workshop."

"What's toiling?"

"Toiling means to work very hard."

"Oh, like how I helped mister bunny to push the rocks out of the wagon's way today. I worked hard."

"Yes you did, my little glowbug. I bet that was a lot of work."

"Mister bunny gave me a glowing pebble to tell me how much of a good job I did."

"Really? A glowing pebble? Can you show me?"

"No," the boy said, giggling. "Mister bunny said it's my little secret good luck charm."

"Your good luck charm? Well, in that case, keep it very hidden. You don't want people to steal your magic, do you?"

"Never," the boy said solemnly. "You wouldn't steal my magic, would you."

"I would never," she replied. "Never in a million years."

"It's okay if you want. I can share my magic with you," the boy replied.

The woman simply laughed and hugged him. "You're more than enough magic for me. Now, where was I again?"

"Yvna and Yama were working hard in their workshop."

"Ah yes, that's right. Now, Yama wanted to make the best toy in the world, something they would never get tired of. So they went all around their homeland, and got all their friends to help."

"Like the clouds and the stars."

"Like the clouds and the stars, but the earth, the winds, the rain, they all came together to help. The earth gave the body, an empty shell for the rest to fill, and Yama gave it life. The wind gave it the power to move, to run, and rain gave it grace and poise. The clouds gave off softness, and the stars made the twinkling eyes. Yvna gifted the most important thing of all, and do you know what that was, my little glowbug?"

"What was it?"

"Yvna gave it the ability to think, to experience, and that, that right there, made all the difference."

"What about their little brother? What did he give?"

The woman smiled. "His gift came later on. But Yama and Yvna did something that was never done before, they gave the breath of life to us."

"To us?'

"Yes to us," she said, tweaking the little boy's nose. "Even you."

"What happened next?"

"Well, Yvna and Yama were very happy that they were able to make us after so much time and work, so they decided to celebrate by making us a house to live in. And they wanted to make it a big house, a place where all their friends could live as well, where they could spend time watching and playing with us."

"A house? How big was it? Bigger than a town?"

"Bigger."

"Bigger than a city?"

"Bigger than that. They made this entire world, just for us."

"Just for us? Even the trees? And the water?"

"Even the trees and the water. Those are where the friends lived, remember?"

"Even the sea?'

"Even the sea."

"That's a big house."

"It's a very big house. And for a long time, everyone was very happy inside. Until the bad gods found out and wanted to join them."

"Bad gods?"

"The demons and monsters."

"The scary ones? I don't like them," the little boy said, burrowing under the blanket.

"Yes, the scary ones," she replied, ducking under the blanket as well. "But you don't need to worry, because Yama and Yvna said no way, and kicked them out."

"Good."

"But the story doesn't end there."

"It doesn't?"

"No, the story just begins there. But that's a story for a different time, a story you need to learn on your own, my little glowbug," she said, petting his head.

"Will you be there to tell me the story," the little boy murmured, letting sleep take over his drooping eyes."

"I'll always be there with you," she replied, as the embers of the campfire died out, leaving them draped in the darkness of the night. "But you have to find the story on your own."