Nahau and the Day in the Sun

A little boy went to the light, a little boy was killed by blight.

'Come into the light,' said the sun, 'Aren't you tired of the dark and cold?'
'They say you will harm me,' Nahau replied,
'They lied.' answered the sun. 'They lied.'

"The Day in the Sun" is a popular children's tale in the Outer Shell, told as a way of warning children about the dangerous surface. In the story, the sun is a living thing that speaks and attempts to lure the child out from the safety of the caverns. The child's name varies depending on where the story is being told but is either the most common name in the area or some twist on their word for 'idiot' or 'fool'.

Summary

Though there are cultural variations, the story follows the same beats: a rebellious child disobeys his elders and runs away to escape either punishment or duties. They stumble upon an entrance to the surface and meet the sun, who attempts to lure the child to go to the surface and into its light. In the end, the child ignores the warning of wiser elders and ventures into the surface. What fate exactly befalls them depends on where the tale is told. The original telling had the sun turn the child to ash, while modern versions have them eaten by cannibal Exiled.

'Never go into the light,' warned the elder, 'There's naught up there but death and danger.'
'That's your claim,' The child exclaimed, 'The sun says 'you lie, you lie', and he's my friend',
No warning could deter the curious child, all he'd say 'you lie, you lie!'

The Sun is always a malicious thing and the child a disobedient fool, cruel to his parents and to other children. The story is told in some form or another in any settlement with access to the surface. It is a common cautionary tale that encapsulates how much feel about both the sun and the surface: a place of blight and death, best avoided.

Behave, or the sun will get you.

Variants

Alterations in the story revolve largely around the name of the child and the acts of his disobedience, as well as his final fate. Ever since The Exiled King's mad crusade, the ending has changed more often then not to end in the pot as a cannibal's stew.

---

Nahau stepped out into the light,
And soon regretted his mistake,
Above, an endless chasm yawned,
And he felt like he would fall,
Up and up, away from all,
Nahau had stepped into the light,
And now his bones are crowned by blight.
Good night!

by David Penfound