Aiiiyeeee! The moon is being eaten by a giant! We need to sacrifice a virgin.
Or have a second cup of hot cocoa. One or the other.
There's a story that Columbus was once having trouble getting some natives to deliver supplies to him. Having an astronomy almanac aboard his ship, he knew that a lunar eclipse was approaching. So he warned them that if they didn't deliver the supplies, he would cause the moon to go away. They laughed and laughed . . . and then they delivered the next day.