The Fire Fairies

AND THE NIGHT OF THE ORIGINAL LIGHT

Dusk.

A cornflower blue sky deepened around brother and sister as they sat by their small campfire. He was
six, she was ten. Each was cozy and drowsy after a day of walking high in the mountains with their
parents.

"Tell me a story," the boy said to his sister for the second time, his eyes now closing. "Your turn," she
whispered again, the long trail and thin air catching up to her now.

And together, they fell silent, the only sound in the air now the crackle of the fire and the gentle clinking
of parents washing pots from dinner, just out of sight.

Then suddenly, a spark caught the boy's eye. He nudged his sister awake. The sky was black and
something was in the fire. Like the shimmer of crystal. Fiery, magical shimmers of color streaked through
the yellow fire.

Neither child spoke for a very long time. Then the girl said, "It's like dancing...."

"And dancing we are!" shot back a voice from the fire. From the fire? It was a voice in only the strangest
sense of the word. High and thin, like the squeal of pitch escaping from a burning log.

The children were amazed, but not afraid. This dancing light, this tiny voice filled them with something
just short of giggles but twice as deep.

"What is in our fire?" the girl asked, at last. "Are you alive?"

"As alive as every flame that licks the forest with its hot, tongue and awakens the valley with its burning
howl!" screeched the voice, through the crackling.

"That sounds scary." said the boy.

"They're children. Remember children carry the Original Light," another fiery voice called out, deeper
and stronger than the first.

"They are young, like you." The voice added.

For a long time, there was no other sound but the snap and spit of the logs. No other light than the
flame and embers they has seen on so many trips to the mountains.

Then, just as the boy and girl began to nod off once more, it happened. Spectacular fountains of colored
light rose and swirled above the fire, which had become larger now. On every log, the yellow flame was
separating into many more brilliant lights. Swaying, leaping, swirling, their shapes becoming like
dancers.

The girl and boy looked at each other in delight. How was it that at this moment, on this mountain, in
the deep of black night, that they were watching such wonder?

"I can tell by your eyes we're the first you have seen," the lower voice sighed warmly from the fire. "The
first! The first! Let us show them, then, the glory of the Fire Fairies!" squealed the smaller voice. And
the sky became a theater of exquisite light and color.

The boy, who had sometimes feared the dark, exclaimed to his sister, how splendid and joyful to be
surrounded in this way. The girl wondered aloud, where did these dancing lights come from and why
were they here?

"The Original Light." Said the deeper voice, plainly. "You will lose it soon, my child, as all the people of
flesh and bone do in time. Unless you learn how to tend it while you are still young enough to believe
you need it.

Though she was only 10, the girl understood. Although it was hard to put into words.

"Hard to put into words, yes." Agreed the deep voice, knowing her thoughts as she thought them. "But
you must try, you see. And often. That is at the heart of the tending."

Perhaps it was the night air or the excitement of this sublime discovery, but the girl suddenly spoke
exactly what she thought. "The Original Light is the place in me where the joyful things live...like hope
and wonder and surprise and believing...like believing in this night." She said.

The boy, though six, was especially full of the Light, and so, young as he was, he spoke clearly of things
that might confuse one much older. "The Original Light is my magic. And my power to see magic...like
tooth fairies and Easter bunnies and Santa and other things."

"The Original Light," said the boy, with a smile that was missing two front teeth, "is the power to see the
most wonderful things. Even when no one else can see them.

"Like...Martin Luther King."

"Interesting!" "Delightful" "A dance for the boy!" sang many voices at once from the fire. "Martin
Luther King kept his light forever," said the deep voice after a long, glimmering dance in, around and
above the fire. "The orginal light is about believing."

"I know." Said the boy, so young he still slept with a large, stuffed tiger, even on trips to the mountain.

"I know." Agreed the girl softly.

"You know." sang the fairies, now spreading so far across the sky that the boy wondered if others, if his
parents, might be awoken by the light and color and strange song. "You KNOW."

Sparkling, bursting rivers of fiery color filled the eyes of the boy and girl. Brother and sister. Side by side
by the fire, which was nothing but a charred piece of log when the distant fire of the sun began a new
day on the mountain.

And the boy and the girl sat up. And yawned. And wiggled out of their sleeping bags and joined their
parents for a breakfast of trout and strawberry bars.

And they said absolutely nothing about the night before. About whether it was real. Or dreamt.

They knew.

2002 Kurt Guenther
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The Kingdom of Light

In the Kingdom of Light there were twin boys named Shay and Dawn.

Shay and Dawn would play in the light of the sun, in the light of the stars, in the silvery light of the
moon.

Wherever there was light, there were Shay and Dawn.

They would dip their toes in rays of sunshine.

They would twirl their fingers in the twinkle of stars.

They would swirl around in the glimmer and shimmer of moonlight.

Shay and Dawn were always together.

The boys loved each other very much and never tired of chasing beams of light from the moon, stars, or
sun.

The boys had only one wish that they could be together forever in the light they loved so much.

Because the boys had this wish, they decided to visit the King of Light, and ask him to grant their wish.

One day they decided to make the journey to the King of Light's castle. It was a marvelous castle,
shinning and twinkling like diamonds on the hillside.

The boys were granted entrance to see the King, and when they saw him, they nearly fell down because
of his brightness.

The King was the most beautiful light they had ever seen.

He shone from head to foot. He seemed to walk on rays of light.

The King was brighter than the sun, twinkled more than the stars, and his glow out did the moon.

The King asked the boys, "why have you come to see me?"

And Shay and Dawn answered him by saying, "We have come to ask you to grant our wish. We love to
play in the light together and we wanted to know if you would allow us to be together in the light
forever?"

The King took a liking to the boys, and because they had traveled so far, and loved the light and each
other so much, he decided to grant their wish.

The King said, "Because of your love for each other, I will grant your wish, for you and all people.

From now on you will be called Shadow, and you will follow all people when the light is bright.

That way your love will be a witness to everyone when they walk in the light of the sun, they will see
their shadow, and remember the love you have for each other and for light."

Copyright 2000 Rebecca Chamaa
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The Treasured Rock

By Francis Allgood

Not too long ago, a little boy sat under a shady tree thinking about what fun he was going to have this
summer. He was daydreaming about Whispering Pines Pond. The pond came about when the men quit
mining for rock in the quarry about ten years ago. The pond is about two hundred feet deep and just as
clear as a cool drink of water. Every year all the kids from town run down on the last day of school and
dive in. The last one in is a big LOSER! It takes a lot of nerve to jump in because the temperature is only
65o.

"Bob!" called his friends. "Come on down, we're skipping stones!" Shaken from his daydream, Bob ran
towards the pond. Jeremy, Myra, Bryan, Daniel, and John were all running around gathering up stones
and skimming them across the water. The sky was beginning to grow dark behind the gray clouds. The
reflections in the water took on a spooky appearance as the storm moved in. "Guys, let's get out of
here!" cried Myra.

Thunder cracked and then the rain came pouring down. "Everyone to my house!" Bob cried out over
the thunder. The kids knew to get away from the pond during a lightening storm. They raced down the
well-worn path, under the old oak trees. The rain barely trickled down through the thicket of leaves.
Then they cut through old man Benny Logan's house, picking up the pace because of his short temper.
Finally they reached Bob's back porch. They threw off their shoes and socks, scampered through the
kitchen, and ducked into the safety of the basement. Bob's mom hollered out, "Bob, is that you?" Her
footsteps and Bob's twin brothers' sounded like a little army approaching. Bob's mom asked a million
questions about school and such before she finally left to get the kids a snack.

"Well, we've only got three more weeks of school before summer! What are we going to do that first
magnificent day?" Everyone fell silent. "Well?" Myra was a bit bossy with the rest of the guys. Everyone
was thinking about the science project that was due. Of course, Myra had completed hers two weeks
ago. "I think we should have a big picnic at the Whispering Pines Pond. We can each bring something
different." Everyone agreed.

Bob's mom broke up the party and ushered the kids out through the front door. It had stopped raining
and all the plants looked alive. Bob's twin brothers escaped and dashed in different directions. It was
always a bit unpredictable at Bob's house. Bob's family finished dinner and he was just getting into his
research on the life span of various amphibians when his little brother, Darren, burst into the room. He
ran around grabbing Bob's papers and messing with his computer. When Bob finally got him under
control, he had completely lost his concentration. School was almost out! He just had to concentrate on
his schoolwork for a few more weeks.

Bob and his friends finally made it to summer. They brought a huge picnic to celebrate the first day of
summer. The weather was perfect. Myra laid out a red checkered tablecloth and everyone contributed
food. Jeremy brought a delicious honey baked ham and the others brought biscuits, cheese and
crackers, juicy red apples, grapes, chocolate brownies, and a caramel cake. Myra decided the food
would taste better if everyone went swimming first.

John and Bryan jumped up and ran for the pond. Everyone else was quick on their heels. Other kids
were already playing in the water. Everyone was laughing and screaming and having so much fun!
When they couldn't fight their hunger pangs any longer, they went back to eat the picnic. That's when
Bob found the rock. He picked up the shining purple rock and gazed at its splendor. Bob could barely
think about his lunch.

The kids had a wonderful day. Nobody seemed to notice that Bob had drifted off into his own world.
After cleaning up the big picnic mess, the kids slowly walked home. By this time, everyone was in his
own world. They agreed to get together tomorrow afternoon.

The next day, Myra called everyone on the phone to meet in Whispering Pines after they had done their
chores. But Bob decided not to join in. He stayed home and thought about his treasure. It was the most
beautiful rock he had ever seen. He was sure that his prize was very valuable. All day long he imagined
the good fortune he would have in the future because he owned "the rock." He closed the curtains and
got out his detective flashlight and shined it on the rock. Beams of rose-colored light flickered against
the wall. The whole room came alive. All day Bob admired his treasure. The next day and the entire
next week Bob could not think of anything but his rock. His mother began to have a difficult time
getting Bob to finish his chores and get dressed for baseball practice. His friends began to wonder why
he was ignoring them.

Bryan, who lived next door to Bob, began to hassle him. "Bob, don't you like us anymore?" Bob just
shrugged it off. All he could think about was getting another fascinating rock for his treasure collection.
Bob actually went with his friends to Whispering Pines several times. But each time, he spent the entire
day looking for rocks. By the middle of summer, Bob had piled up over fifty rocks. His sock drawer was
completely full of rocks and his mother was becoming aggravated. She was getting concerned that Bob
was sulking in his room instead of playing in the sunshine with his old friends.

In the meantime, several new kids had joined the group. They got up games of kick ball, baseball, ghost
in the graveyard, and many other activities. But Bob just retreated to his room with his treasures. He
really lost interest in his friends. And his friends lost interest in him, too. Myra said, "A collection is one
thing, but Bob has become completely obsessed with his rocks. Have you even had a conversation with
him when he isn't talking about his treasures?" Bryan defended him by saying, "Bob is just going
through a phase. This infatuation will wear off eventually and Bob will be back to normal." But Bryan
really had his doubts. He thought Bob was almost worshipping this collection of his. And he had broken
off contact with his friends. He decided that a true friend should really step in and talk to Bob. But it
wasn't going to be easy.

Bryan got up his nerve and went to Bob's house. Bob said, "I don't really want to play today." But
Bryan insisted, "Look, Bob, you've been hiding out in your room with your rocks. You've missed the first
half of summer. We'll be going back to school soon and you haven't had any fun yet!" Well, that made
Bob furious! "How do you know I haven't had any fun? I've collected some rare and unusual rocks. I've
searched for them, cleaned them, sorted them, and rated them. I've never had such fun in my life!"
Well, Bryan thought it was time to leave. "I'm sorry buddy. The rest of the gang has missed seeing you,
that's all." Bryan sadly walked home. He felt like he really blew it with Bob. Maybe Bob was right. He'd
just gotten real serious about rock collecting. But it did seem like he was going a little overboard.

The next day, everyone was at Whispering Pines. They were tossing a volleyball up in the air, playing a
new game. Bob slipped up behind Myra and said, "Guess who?" Everyone turned around to see Bob.
"What are you doing out in the sunshine?" Myra asked. "Well, Bryan talked some sense into me
yesterday, but I didn't realize he was right until this morning. I'm going to postpone my rock collecting
for the evenings and enjoy the rest of my summer days."

Everyone was glad to have Bob back.

THE END
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A Special Gift

Saturday was going to be a special day. It was Grandma Lucille's birthday! She would be turning thirteen
years old that's one hundred in dog years! When she was younger, Grandma Lucille was Farmer
Johnson's favorite dog on the ranch. Thirteen years ago he decided that his old Basset Hound, Gus,
although a good companion to take with him on hunting trips, was not a very good helper on the farm.
He needed working dogs, so he bought four Australian Cattle Dogs to help him herd the cattle and guard
the property. Lucille could run faster, jump higher, and bark louder than any boy dog in the whole pack
of cattle dogs. She obeyed his every command she would sit when he said, "sit" and stay when he said,
"stay." She even won the town of Canine's Frisbee Tournament five years in a row! The barn wall was
covered with her prize ribbons. She was clearly a very special dog. But now she was too old to win any
prizes. She slept most of the day and limped around the farm with Mrs. Johnson as she tended to the
garden. Her once shiny coat was now dull and almost all gray. But the Johnsons still loved her dearly,
and they planned a big party for her upcoming birthday.

By now Farmer Johnson had eight young Cattle Dog pups on his farm (grandchildren of Lucille) and one
Basset named Poser (son of Gus). They were all very excited about the big day. They started to take
time out of their busy workday to make Grandma Lucille a special gift. Even Uncle Poser was making a
present for Lucille. He swam in the pond every evening and collected water lilies in his mouth. By
Saturday he would have a big bouquet of flowers for Grandma. The other pups each gave up their
playtime to search the land for possible gifts. Zach and Maribel found four pine cones and wrapped
them in an old, red cowboy's bandana they found miles from the farmhouse. Cattle Dogs love pine
cones. Popper and Nugget took pine needles and stuffed them in an old horse blanket to make Grandma
a soft bed. Miles, Slooper, and Daisy saved the milkbones Farmer Johnson gave them each evening after
supper to make a big milkbone pie.

But there was one dog who didn't take time to make anything at all. When the other dogs were thinking
of what Grandma Lucille would like, Addie only thought of what SHE would like, which was to play, play,
play! Addie did not want to give up any of her milkbones! She ate them quickly, as if they were grapes.
And she did not want to walk miles searching the land for silly pine cones; she would rather chase lizards
and rabbits. She would think of a gift later, tomorrow, or the next day. But when the big day came,
Addie still had nothing to give. Addie figured that nobody would even notice she had forgotten, after all,
Grandma Lucille would be getting so many gifts from the other pups!

That Saturday morning, Farmer Johnson emerged from the farmhouse. He gathered all the dogs
together in the barn to celebrate. The pups were so excited. They ran to the haystack to retrieve the
gifts they had hidden there. Now Addie started to feel a bit guilty. She had no gift to retrieve.

Farmer Johnson began the ceremony with a little speech dedicated to Lucille, his prize-winning dog.
Then he presented a big rawhide bone and a new, blue sweater to keep Lucille warm that winter. Mrs.
Johnson gave Lucille a big hug and a bundle of homemade biscuits. Then one by one the dogs
approached Lucille who was sitting like a queen on top of a bale of hay. They gave her the pine cones,
the bed, and the milkbone pie! Lucille was so happy; she smiled a big dog smile! Then Poser gave her the
biggest bouquet of white water lilies you have ever seen! And Lucille cried with joy. Then every one got
silent and looked at Addie who stood in the shadow of a horse's leg. Everyone knew by the ashamed
look on Addie's face that she had forgotten to make a gift. In fact, it was worse than that! She had not
forgotten, she just didn't want to take the time to show her own Grandma how much she cared. All
Addie thought about was herself. Grandma looked straight at Addie, for a minute her eyes looked very,
very sad. Her smile faded and her ears folded back on her head. Then she quickly turned to Farmer
Johnson and changed the focus of attention away from poor Addie. "Let's start the games!" she said
exuberantly. Farmer Johnson said, "Yes, let's go out to the pasture for some ball tossing and frisbee
catching!" But as he said it, he glared at Addie. She knew by his look that she was not allowed to join.
She stayed in the barn and sulked. She felt terrible for not making Grandma a gift. Addie looked up at
the barn wall. The sun shone in through a tiny barn window and lit up all of Grandma's prize ribbon.
Even though they were dusty, you could still see their different colors of blue and red and purple. Some
even had gold tassels. Addie suddenly had an idea....

Outside Grandma Lucille was resting next to Mrs. Johnson, watching the young pups and even Uncle
Poser run after balls and chase dragonflies. They had already finished the milkbone pie. Addie crept up
behind Grandma and made a muffled barking sound. Grandma turned around and saw Addie holding a
big, colorful hat in her jaws. It was made from straw and had bright colorful ribbons woven in between.
There was also a large gold tassle hanging from the side. Grandma smiled a wide dog smile and walked
over to Addie. She put the hat on and licked Addie's face which was wet from tears. Everybody now
caught a glimpse of the spectacular hat and was crowded around the two dogs. "How lovely," they
cried! "How creative!" said Mrs. Johnson. "How wonderful," said Mr. Johnson and he scooped Addie up
into his arms and said, "come on girl, now let's play!"

Addie never forgot a birthday again. And instead of displaying her own ribbons she won at that year's
dog tournaments, she placed her ribbon on Grandma Lucille's grave that winter. She said, "Thank you
Grandma, for teaching me how important it is to GIVE."

2000 Susan Levines


The Rainbow

There was a little girl who loved the rain.

She danced in the drops as they landed on her skin.

She skipped rope in the puddles.

She stretched her arms out and spun around with an open mouth to let the water tickle her tongue.

One day while the girl was twisting and turning underneath the raindrops, a beautiful rainbow lit up her
path.

She had always heard that there was a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

She did not see a pot of gold.

She saw light streaks of many colors.

Red.

Blue.

Yellow.

While the girl was looking at the colors of the rainbow, it turned into a bridge.

She began to walk towards the bridge that was all bright and shiny.

She danced across the bridge and disappeared into the red, blue and yellow rays.

In that town, you can hear people talk about the little girl who loved the rain.

You can also hear them talk about a bridge that leads to heaven.

The little girl crossed that bridge, and on a rainy day when the sun peaks through the clouds, you can
see and hear her dancing, swirling, grinning, and laughing.

You can, just look.

Copyright 2000 Rebecca Chamaa
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The War of The Biscuits

The chocolate digestives lived peacefully on the shelf in Tescos until one afternoon they were taken.
Once they were brought home to Mrs Speeds house she undid them and put them in her biscuit box.
The chocolate biscuits felt very intimidated, as some of the other biscuits who were there were quite
resentful of these new additions to the biscuit box. There were plain digestives, ginger nuts, bourbons,
custard creams and Jaffa cakes.

The custard creams and digestives looked down their noses at the Jaffa cakes and bourbons. This was
because those biscuits with a hint of chocolate were always eaten first, by the humans. Whereas the
other biscuits were left to go stale and that was a really unpleasant death. The ginger nuts were fiery,
and were always bossing the other biscuits about. They would always jump the queue every time the
biscuit box was opened because they wanted to be eaten first. But little did they know that these new
chocolate digestives wouldnt be bullied by the ginger nuts, like the other biscuits were.

Every time the ginger nuts pushed the Jaffa cakes around when the biscuit box was opened, the
chocolate digestives would jump about as high as they could so theyd find themselves being picked up
by the humans first. The plain digestives and custard creams, started to feel guilty seeing how the ginger
nuts behaved towards the other biscuits. So the next time the biscuit box was opened when the ginger
nuts were pushing the Jaffa cakes and bourbons about, the digestives lifted the Jaffa cakes and
bourbons up to the top of the box so that the humans could eat them. After the chocolate digestives,
the Jaffa cakes and the bourbons had been eaten, the ginger nuts came to realize that they couldnt
boss around any new additions to the biscuit box anymore. As the plain digestives and the custard
creams wouldnt tolerate it.

Sadly though this was forgotten, as one afternoon Mrs Speed took her grandson Martin to the bakery to
buy him a treat. He was spending the afternoon with her helping her sort through some old
photographs. Martin licked his lips as he looked at all the cakes and pastries, what shall I have he
thought to himself. Do you want a gingerbread man? asked his grandma; go on then gran replied
Martin. So the lady behind the counter having heard his request got her prongers, and put one
gingerbread man in a paper bag and handed them to Mrs Speed. Thatll be 2.30 please said the lady;
here you go keep the change said Mrs Speed handing in 2.50. Once Mrs Speed and Martin got home
they removed the gingerbread man out of the wrapper, and put him in the biscuit box for Martin to
have after his lunch. All the biscuits stared at this new and strange arrival, as half of the gingerbread
mans leg had been eaten. Martin had sneakly taken a bite of it when his gran wasnt looking. What are
you? asked the custard creams, Im a gingerbread man he stammered in fear. He didnt like being
stared at one bit, and it made him feel intimidated. The ginger nuts recoiled in horror at him, the Jaffa
cakes and Boubouns laughed at him because his leg was missing and he had to hop around. The plain
digestives were the only ones, who didnt laugh, they were very angry with the other biscuits. What they
were doing was bullying the poor gingerbread, they should have known better as some of those biscuits
had been bullied themselves. The plain digestives decided two speak to the chocolate digestives about
this bullying, as it had to be stopped. If the poor gingerbread man didnt get eaten soon, he may go stale
even quickly than usual with being so unhappy at being picked on.

Later on the biscuit tin was opened again and a few chocolate fingers were dropped in, the attention
was now on the fingers. And the gingerbread man was left alone for a while. The chocolate fingers were
very jolly and always seemed to be laughing, some liked to dance about and throw themselves up and
down. But there were two amongst them that were very different to the others, they were always on
their own and ignored. When the plain digestives asked why they were on their own, all the other
chocolate fingers would say was ones odd, and the other is slow, they arent one of us. The poor
chocolate finger that was referred to as odd just stood in the corner in his own world. And when the
other biscuits tried to approach him to introduce themselves he would cower away in fear. The other
chocolate finger who spoke slowly chatted away happily, but the biscuits would laugh at the way he
spoke. This made the poor finger burst into tears and walk away, to be with the other finger. Weve got
to do something about this its wrong, the plain digestives said to the chocolate digestives. Just
because somebody is different doesnt mean its right to be cruel to them, the Jaffa cakes and the
custard creams should know better. They were pushed about by the ginger nuts, said a plain digestive.

So it was decided that a meeting be held with all the biscuits together, to talk this through. Meanwhile
one of the chocolate digestives would go and sit with the two fingers to try and befriend them. By this
point the gingerbread man had joined them, as he too was made to feel isolated. At the meeting the
Jaffa cakes, custard creams, chocolate fingers and ginger nuts bowed their heads in shame, as the plain
and chocolate digestives told them exactly how they felt about the cruelty towards the gingerbread man
and the two chocolate fingers. Imagine how you would feel if people laughed at you, because you
looked different or you were slow to understand what was said to you. We are very sorry said the
biscuits together, We would like you to start being nice straightaway said the chocolate and plain
digestives. Especially to the gingerbread man as I suspect hell be eaten soon.

All the biscuits together walked towards the two chocolate fingers and gingerbread man, and all said
we are very sorry we were unkind to you and left you out. They held out their hands and said can we
shake hands and be friends?. They gingerbread man and the two chocolate fingers warily held their
hands out to shake the other biscuits hands, and with that the chocolate and plain digestives went
hurray! and gave them a round of applause.

Later that afternoon the biscuits all mixed together freely, happily chatting away. The gingerbread man
felt accepted by the other biscuits, as did the two chocolate fingers. The biscuits were very patient with
the chocolate finger who spoke slowly, and they let the chocolate finger who found it difficult to
communicate to only talk when he felt comfortable to. And by the time Martin put his hands into the
biscuit tin to collect his gingerbread man, all the biscuits were content and happy. Several custards
creams and ginger nuts were also taken to go with Mrs Speeds cup of tea. But the important thing was
that all the biscuits that were left in the tin, treated each other with respect and kindness that was how
it should be.

2012 Siobhan Donnelly

Emmas Secret


Emma had kept her secret for so long, letting it grow in her heart. But the secret was so big, she knew
she couldnt keep it inside much longer. She wanted to show people how beautiful it was, like Heaven
on Earth, but she wasnt sure how.

At first she noticed the secret trying to get out when she began smiling at everyone, and they smiled
back. Oh, that felt good. So she did it some more. Then she saw her secret working its way out when
she talked to people in the grocery store, or on the school playground, or in the neighborhood. Shed
say simple things to them like, Nice weather, or I like your baby, or Whered you get those cool
shoes? And they would answer with simple Yes it is, or Thank you, or At Penneys. Theyre real
comfortable too. She found that being friendly to others made them friendly to her.

Next she tried telling some of her best jokes to someone she thought might need a good laugh. Then
she would get to laugh along with them. And she made and sent cards to people she thought might
enjoy some mail. These were things shed appreciate from others herself.

Then shed use her imagination to pretend to be a bird, flitting on her tiptoes down the sidewalk, singing
happy songs. She liked the way the breeze brushed against her body. Next she tried being a puppy and
explored the walking trail in the city park, looking under bushes and growling at squirrels.

She would write silly stories in her notebook and paint watercolor pictures on a tablet to make herself
smile. Then she would neatly tear them out and give them to her friends.

Her secret was getting out. She was sharing her happiness with others. At first she was a little afraid
she might run out of good feelings for herself, but what she soon discovered was it was quickly being
refilled as others shared their happiness with her.
2007 Laura Flett

The Magic Pen

Im sitting in my backyard on a sunny early spring afternoon. My blue spiral notebook is on my lap and a
magic pen is in my hand. The pen doesnt look that special if you see it in my bag or on my desk, just a
black gelstick pen with a cap. The magic begins when I touch it to paper.

Two fussy blue jays chase each other overhead. Are they mad at each other or just playing? My pen
writes the question before I have time to think of it.

A squirrel buries a pecan in the next door neighbors yard, his bushy tail twitching as he digs. How will
he remember where he hid it? my pen asks. I really dont know.

There are tiny yellow flowers tucked throughout the greening grass. Why do we call them weeds? the
pen questions.

Oh, and there are six fluffy dandelion seed balls lined up against the side of my house. You can make a
wish, you know. What will you wish for? my pen asks. I stop writing for a moment to think of all the
possibilities.

A yellow and black butterfly the size of my hand flits by. My pen records its brief appearance. A gentle
breeze stirs the air around me and my pen takes note. I hear children playing down the street, and my
pen scribbles the sounds across the page.

The sun goes behind a cloud, then peeks out again but Im not looking at the sky. I know this because of
the shadow of my pen that follows the in and out dance with the sun.

What good is all this magic from a pen on such a pleasant day, I think. I really dont know.

But my pen keeps writing. Taking word pictures of the world around me and the thoughts running
through my head to be read to some child I dont even know before he or she goes to bed.

They will be able to see the pictures and hear your thoughts, the pen explains.

Oh. Now thats magic.



2007 Laura Flett

PRINCESS



Once upon a time there were three beautiful princesses. Their names were Kimmy, Katie, and Kristen.
Kimmy was 3, Katie was 5, and Kristen was 8.

They all lived in a manor, with butlers, maids, cooks, and lots of people. But the princesses did not treat
them like slaves, they treated them with respect and kindness.

The princesss mothers name was Krystal. She was very kind, and taught her three girls how to treat all
people with respect and kindness. The mother had long flowing black hair.

The princesss fathers name was Kevin. He taught his three girls to be lady like. He had man like blond
hair. He was very nice man.

They also had a tutor named ken. He had light brown hair. He was very handsome.

One sunny morning a messenger came with very sad news. The mothers mother was very ill. The
mother and father had to leave.

They left the princesses with the uncle. The uncle was very mean to every one. His mood made
everyone in the manor miserable except the princesses.

One time he told the cook to make steak and spaghetti. The uncle changed his mind but didnt tell the
cook. The cook could not read minds so he still made what the uncle said to cook. When the uncle saw
this he stormed off. The cook was not happy. But Kristen told him it was ok, so that made the cook feel
better. Everyone else ate what he made and it tasted delicious.

Another time the butler made the beds as usual, but when the uncle inspected them, he did not like
what he saw and he blew up at the butler making him feel awful. Kristen saw this scene too. After the
uncle left she told the butler it was fine. She made the butler feel better.

He did this to maids and lots of other people too. One day after dinner Kristen told her two little sisters
about these scenes. The girls agreed to have a meeting in their tree house and discuss how to make
there uncle learn a lesson to be respectful and kind to others just as they had been taught.

The girls made a plan to be very kind to there uncle hoping to teach him a valuable lesson.

First, while eating their breakfast they said to the cook, Thank for our breakfast, this is a very nice
meal. As the uncle watches his nieces polite behavior, he feels awkward that he has never said
anything nice or polite to the cook.

Later on that day, the girls offered to help their very special butler with his chores. The Uncle sees this
behavior and reacts with anger telling the girls to stay in their rooms for the rest of the day. He does
not want the girls to do butlers job.

The angry uncle goes into the library to think about how he has behaved towards the butlers, the maids,
the cooks and also his three sweet nieces who he made very sad.

As the uncle was thinking about them, the girls were thinking about their uncle hoping that he had
learned a lesson.

After the uncle had time to think, he let the girls out of their rooms to have a talk with them.

I have been acting silly these past few weeks. I have been yelling at cooks, maids and butlers. I have
not been respectful to anyone in the manor. Watching the three of you be kind and polite to everyone,
has taught me to be kind and caring to others as well. Thank you for teaching me this valuable lesson
and I am very sorry I have not been so nice to you

The girls thank their uncle and are happy that they taught him the lesson of respect, kindness, and love.

The next day a messenger came and reported that the mother and father would be arriving home within
the next few days and that their grandmother was feeling much better.

The uncle was on his best behavior for the rest of his stay with the girls.

The mother and father never found out about their uncles bad behavior. The girls kept this a secret. A
secret they only told to their children, and their childrens children. And this lesson was passed down to
many, many more.



The End!
2007 Sara McKenna