Way back, when the world was brand new, something amazing was in the sky. Not one sun, but ten! These ten suns were brothers, and like many brothers, they loved to play. They lived in a giant, magical tree in the East, and every day, one sun brother would take a turn to ride his chariot across the sky, giving light and warmth to the world.

They were supposed to take turns, like good little suns. But one morning, the sun brothers had a mischievous idea. "Hey," said one, "why don't we all go out together today? It'll be a super bright party!" The others thought this was a fantastic plan. So, all ten suns jumped into their chariots and zoomed into the sky at the same time!

Oh dear! The Earth below started to sizzle like a pancake on a hot pan. With ten suns blazing, it was incredibly hot. Rivers began to dry up, plants drooped and turned brown, and people fanned themselves saying, "It's too, too hot! We can't even go outside!" Even the rocks felt like they were melting.

The kind Emperor, seeing everyone so miserable, knew he had to find help. He called for Hou Yi, the bravest and best archer in the whole land. Hou Yi could shoot an apple off a tree from a mile away! (Well, maybe not with his eyes closed, but he was really good!)

"Hou Yi," said the Emperor, "the people are suffering. Those naughty suns are making the world too hot. Can you please help us?"

Hou Yi saw how much trouble the ten suns were causing. He nodded, picked up his giant red bow and a quiver full of special, strong arrows. He climbed to the top of the highest mountain.

He looked up at the ten blazing suns. "This is too much!" he thought. He took a deep breath, nocked an arrow, and aimed carefully. WHOOSH! An arrow flew. TWANG! It hit one of the suns. Poof! Like a giant fiery bird, one sun fell from the sky, turning into a three-legged crow as it disappeared.

The Earth felt a tiny bit cooler. "Nine more to go!" said Hou Yi.
WHOOSH! TWANG! Poof! Another sun gone.
The people below started to peek out. It was still very hot, but a little better.
Hou Yi kept shooting. WHOOSH! TWANG! Poof! And another. And another. He shot down sun after sun.

Soon, there was only one sun left in the sky. Hou Yi lowered his bow. "One sun is perfect," he thought. "It gives us light and warmth, but not too much. We need this one."

And so, thanks to brave Hou Yi, the Earth was saved. The last sun shone gently. The rivers flowed again, plants perked up and grew tall, and people could go outside and play without getting toasted. Everyone cheered for Hou Yi, the hero who saved the day with his amazing archery! And from that day on, there has only ever been one sun in our sky.

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