Long ago, so long ago that most of us have forgotten this, there were seven suns in the sky. This made life really difficult. The suns would chase each other merrily across the sky. First one sun would rise, and before it had a chance to set, another would come chasing it; before the second sun could set, a third would pop up into the sky. In this way, there was always at least one sun in the sky so that it was never dark – and no one could ever sleep! What’s more, with seven suns shining brightly in the sky, it became so hot that people could bake bread and fry eggs without a fire. This was convenient at times, but the heat was unbearable.

The people grumbled and groaned, and appealed to the suns, begging them to set once in a while so that they could sleep and the earth could cool down, but the suns only laughed and chased each other faster and faster across the sky. The people could do nothing about them.

Till one day there came a young man called Erlang. Erlang was tall and handsome, and as strong as three ordinary men. When he saw how miserable the people were, he decided to do something about it. ‘Perhaps if I caught the suns and had a talk with them, they might agree to behave themselves,’ thought Erlang to himself. So he set about catching the suns. But that was harder than he had thought it would be – for as soon as he would catch a sun and put it down, it would jump back into the sky. ‘I must find a better way to trap them,’ said Erlang to himself, and, sitting down in the shade of a tree, he began to think. At last he had it, the perfect plan.

Erlang cut himself a long, stout pole from a branch of the tree, and to each end of the pole he tied a small hill. Then he put the pole upon his shoulders and went once more to catch the suns. The suns, seeing Erlang coming towards them again, began to run wildly here and there. Erlang had to run twice as fast to catch the suns. Each time he caught a sun, he would quickly put a hill upon it; the sun, trapped, would not be able to jump back into the sky, and Erlang would have his hands free to catch the next sun. He rushed around, catching the suns and fetching more and more hills to trap them under. In this manner, he caught six of the seven suns. But by then he was so tired that he lost count of how many suns he had caught, and he really couldn’t be bothered to count them just then.

He sat down by a river to rest. After a short nap he felt much better. ‘Ah well, back to work, Erlang!’ he said to himself and putting his pole on his shoulders again, he went back to chasing the suns. He searched for a long time, but he could not see any suns in the sky.

The sun that remained had hidden himself behind some thick, black clouds. Anxious to know whether Erlang was still chasing him, the sun peeped out cautiously from behind the clouds.

Erlang saw the sun peeping at him. ‘Hey! You there! Come down here at once!’ he cried.

The sun, terrified, dived back behind the clouds.

‘Very well then, I am coming after you!’ cried Erlang and ran off after the sun. He searched everywhere for him, but could not find him. He was about to give up and go home, when he saw a crowd of people coming towards him, laughing and shouting. ‘Erlang!’ they called. ‘There is only one sun left in the sky!’

‘How do you know?’ asked Erlang.

‘Well,’ said a farmer, ‘I was planting paddy in my field when I heard someone crying. I saw a tiny little sun hiding among the plants and weeping. ‘What’s the matter?’ I asked, and the sun replied that all his brothers had been caught by Erlang and trapped under hills, so now he was all alone in the world and very frightened.’

‘Well, if there’s only one sun left, then I’d better let him be,’ said Erlang thoughtfully. ‘But bring him to me. We need to talk, the tiny little sun and I.’

So the farmer ran back to his field, and came back with the little sun, who was still sobbing sadly.

Erlang look at him sternly. ‘If only you and your brothers had behaved, none of this need have happened.  Now, you must promise to do as I tell you, or I’ll have to trap you under a hill as well,’ he said.

The little sun looked even more frightened. ‘I’ll do what you say, Erlang,’ he promised.

‘Very well,’ said Erlang. ‘Every morning rise in the east, sail slowly across the sky to the west, and then hide yourself for the night. During the day, shine brightly so that the people can work by your light. At night, stay hidden, so that the people can rest and the earth can cool down. Do you understand?’

The little sun nodded. ‘Yes, Erlang,’ it said. Then, seeing that Erlang was not shouting anymore, the little sun plucked up his courage.  ‘Will I ever see my brothers again?’ he asked, in a sad little voice.

Erlang looked even more sternly at the sun. ‘If you do as I have asked you to, then you may see your brothers every night. You must stay hidden, ALL of you. Else you will have me to deal with again,’ replied Erlang. ‘Do you promise to do as you are told?’

‘Yes, Erlang, I promise,’ cried the little sun wiping his tears.

It zoomed up happily into the sky and from then on has behaved exactly as Erlang had asked him to. He rises in the east, sails slowly across the sky during the day to the west, and then stays hidden at night so that people can rest and sleep, and the earth can cool down. Erlang has kept his promise too; he has left the little sun alone, and every night he lets him meet his bigger brothers. The brothers greet each other with joy, and the big suns listen with wonder to all the stories that the little sun has to tell them of the sights that he sees every day in his wanderings across the sky.