Story for Indi to read

From Cherie, for Indi *Chapter One* *The Gift Of Remembering Your Story* Once upon a time there was a special tree that grew beside a house in a special kingdom. One day a golden leaf fell from the tallest branch. It landed right beside Mouse. “What in the world is going on?” screeched Mouse. He ran to tell Cat and Dog. “A leaf fell from the Mystery Tree!” “Ruff-Ruff?” Dog barked. Cat pounced on the leaf and stared. She turned it over with her nose. “Look, Dog! There’s writing on it!” “It looks like an invitation,” said Dog. “It says- ‘Come to the old house on the hill. Be there precisely at midnight. Be on time. —FG’” “Invitation? It doesn’t sound friendly. Sounds bossy,” said Cat. “More like a command.” Leaves landed on ten bluebirds, and six mice. Both Cat and Dog got one. Each animal was invited—or commanded—to show up at midnight. Good Heavens! What was going on? The Mystery Tree was dropping leaves? The Tree had never dropped leaves before. They named it ‘The Magic Mystery Tree” for lots of reasons. After every rainfall it glowed for exactly one hour. Each midnight *FG* appeared at the top in sparkling letters. What did the letters mean? Why did they disappear at sunrise? Nobody knew. That night, just before midnight, Cat led the way. Dog was right behind her. He sniffed the path for suspicious smells. The ten bluebirds and six mice followed Cat and Dog. “Be brave”, said Biggest Mouse. “I’m scared!” said Littlest Mouse. Fairy Godmother looked down from the top of the tree. “Good. They are right on time.” The animals arrived at the old house. “What’s that? What’s that?” twittered the birds. They saw a small light flitting from branch to branch high up in the Tree. “Sounds like trouble to me,” thought Dog. “Birds don’t twitter in the dark unless there’s trouble.” The birds flew up to take a look. “It has wings! It’s wearing a hat!” they reported back. “Uh Oh. I’ve been spotted. Time for me to get down there,” said Fairy Godmother. She headed for the old house. She flew to a tree stump near the back porch. The air got quiet when she landed. The stars and moon got brighter. She raised her wand. The animals stared at her. When a fairy raises her magic wand, animals can understand and speak words just like people. “Hello.” she said. “Thank you for coming and thank you for being right on time.” “I understand her words!” barked Dog! “Me too!” meowed Cat. The birds and the mice moved closer. Six mice wiggled pink noses. Ten bluebirds shiver-shook, puffed feathers and got still. Cat twitched her nose. Dog pricked up his ears. They were ready to hear every word. “First,” allow me to introduce myself. My name is *F*airy *G*odmother. The ‘F’ and ‘G’ on the Tree are my initials. I am here to help you remember forgotten secrets for you have forgotten your own stories!” What? They had forgotten their own stories? How could that be? “And I shall tell you the secrets of the Tree.” The secrets of the Tree! They had hundreds of questions! “Why does ‘FG’, appear on the tree every midnight?” asked Dog. “Why do the letters disappear at sunrise?” asked Cat. “Why does the tree sparkle after it rains?” asked the birds . “Why don’t the leaves fall in Winter? “ demanded the mice. “So many questions!” said Fairy Godmother. “You shall have answers. Calm down! Now– please ask me your questions one at a time.” “Why do your initials, ‘FG’ appear at midnight?” asked Dog. “I carve my initials in the bark each midnight to give you a clue. When my initials appear they let you know that I am always with you, even if you can’t see me.” “Why do the letters disappear at sunrise?” asked Cat. “If the letters didn’t disappear at sunrise,” chuckled Fairy Godmother, “they couldn’t surprise you by reappearing at midnight!” The birds flapped their wings. “Why does the tree sparkle after it rains?” “I sparkle the tree to replace the magic the rain washes away. “ “Why don’t the leaves fall in the Winter? “ demanded the mice. “Oh my. Falling willy-nilly would never do. They must stick to the tree until invitations are ready to be written.” The animals were silent. They had a lot to think about. Fairy Godmother interrupted the silence. “It’s time for me to give you my gift. I am here to give you The Gift Of Remembering Your Own Story.“ The animals settled in to listen. “Long ago this was a sad and miserable kingdom.” They could not believe their ears. A sad and miserable kingdom? Their kingdom was famous for being the happiest kingdom in the world. “It’s true,” said Fairy Godmother. “It was so bad here that the King of the fairies sent me to fix things. As soon as I got here I flew over the kingdom to take a look. There was worry in the castle. There was trouble in this house. Fixing all this worry and trouble was going to be a big job. I needed help. You are the ones who helped me!” “We helped? How did we do it? Tell us! We want to know!” “Of course you want to know.” The animals gathered even closer. Fairy Godmother continued, “A long time ago the Queen lived in this house.” They couldn’t believe it. “You’ve got to be kidding. Queens live in palaces!” “I know,” said Fairy Godmother, “Today our Queen does live in the palace. Back then, before she was Queen, she lived in this very house. Everyone called her Cindy. She had no mother or father. She was sad, lonely and broken-hearted. She wished she could find someone to love her but she didn’t expect she would find anyone. She didn’t expect things to get better. She felt sure she would be sad forever. Cindy’s stepmother was so mean that Cindy called her ‘my Wicked, Wicked Stepmother. Her stepsisters were just as mean as their mother.” Brain-buzzing started in Cat’s head. Then brain-buzzing started in Dog’s head. It started in the heads of the mice and the birds. It was the first buzzing of remembering! “The daughters were bullies,” remembered the mice. “They made a mean song. ‘Cindy, Cindy, Doesn’t have a fella Cover her with cinders And call her Cinderella’ Remember that?” asked the mice. Cat said, “Yes. I do remember that. Do you remember when Wicked Stepmother threw a shoe at her? The poor girl cried while she scrubbed the floor. Her tears got all mixed up with the sudsy water.” Then, in unison, all the animals looked up at Fairy Godmother and said, “NOW WE REMEMBER YOU! After they left for the ball- that’s when YOU flashed up!” Now they knew who they were talking to—it was Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother! “I am so happy, my dears. You remember!” “Yes! Yes!” they cried. “We helped sew Cinderella’s dress!” sang the birds. “Remember the flower we stitched at her waist?” Cat’s eyes got big. “I remember! You told me to bring you six mice. You said, ‘Be careful. Don’t eat them. They have to be alive!‘“ Biggest Mouse spoke up. “I thought I was a goner when Cat caught me. I couldn’t believe my bones when she plopped me down and I was still alive!” “Smallest Mouse said, “Fairy Godmother, I didn’t like it when you said ‘Hold your breath, little mouse—I ‘m going to change you into a horse.’ It’s scary when someone says they are going to change you!” “It was scary- but also FANTASTIC!” said Middle Mouse. “Weren’t we beautiful horses? We felt so fancy.” Dog whined. “Did I do anything?” “Yes, indeed,” said Fairy Godmother. “You were Cinderella’s one true friend. You loved her. You listened to her.” Dog sat up straight and looked proud. “Wonderful.,” said Fairy Godmother. “I have given you The Gift Of Remembering Your Story. Now I shall give you The Gift Of Understanding Someone Else’s Story. Everyone has a story. Everyone you meet has their own story.” *Chapter Two* *The Gift of Understanding Someone Else’s Story * “Here is the story of our King. When he was a young Prince his parents were pushing him to choose the right girl to marry. ‘You must find the right girl to marry!’ they told him. ‘Find her soon!’ They wanted him to find the right girl to be Queen. Being Queen is an important job. The Prince knew he had to find her. But how do you find the right person to marry? It is not easy. You might have to need meet hundreds of people before you find the right one. The King said, “Son, being King is a good job. You will enjoy it. Make sure everyone in the kingdom has a good life. Help the farmers grow food for the people. You must make schools for the children and find doctors to take care of anyone who gets sick.” “Father, do you think I can do all that?” the Prince asked. “It sounds difficult. What if I can’t do a good job?” The Prince worried that he might not be able to do all that a King must do. ”True, it is difficult, my son, but you will rise to the task. And remember- you must also take care of the plants and the animals. And don’t forget to protect the water and air so they stay clean.” The job was SO big that the Prince felt very concerned. “ I must find someone very special,” he thought. “She will have to be kind and strong. We will work together to make this the happiest kingdom in the world.’ Then he thought to himself, “ I hope we will love each other with our whole hearts.’ One day the Prince met a girl who was very beautiful. But she was selfish. She only wanted to be Queen so she could have beautiful gowns and jewels. Another day he met a girl who was lots of fun. But she only wanted to be Queen so she could boss people around. ‘This is not going well,’ said the King and Queen. ‘What can we do to help our son find the RIGHT girl?’ ‘I know!’ exclaimed the Queen. ‘Let’s make sure he meets every girl in the kingdom! Surely he will find the right girl if he meets all of them!’ ‘But how can we be sure he meets every girl in the kingdom?’ asked the King. ‘I have a plan,’ said the Queen. ‘Let’s have a ball at the castle and invite every girl in the entire kingdom. We shall let them know that the Prince will choose one of them to become his wife. First she will become a princess and then later she can be Queen.’ It was a good plan. Their son MUST find the right girl. The prince was nervous and scared. He felt a lot of pressure. Would he find a girl who was smart enough? Would she make a wise and loving Queen? He hoped she wouldn’t be ugly. Would she be beautiful? Maybe there wasn’t a “right” girl in their kingdom! That would be terrible! ‘Oh dear,’ thought the Prince. ‘She has to be just right. Choosing this girl is the hardest thing I have ever done.’ But he had to try. His parents were counting on him to make a good choice. The whole kingdom was counting on him! He would do his best. The night of the ball he danced with girl after girl. Many of them were smart. Many of them were beautiful. He felt confused. Which of them was the right one? Then, the Prince saw Cinderella at the top of the stairs. “Could she be the one?” He went up the stairs, took her hand and walked her to the dance floor. As they danced around the ballroom, the prince heard the guests asking each other, ‘Who is she?’ No one recognized Cinderella. No one knew who she was! She was a mystery girl. Cinderella and the Prince talked while they danced. ‘What are your favorite things to do?’ he asked. ‘I love animals.’ she said. ‘I play with them when they are well and I take care of them when they are sick. Sometimes I think animals are my best friends.’ ‘Hmmm. She loves animals. I like that,’ thought the prince. ‘Your gown is beautiful,’ said the prince. “Do you always wear such beautiful gowns?’ Cinderella smiled at him. ‘No,’ she said. ‘My clothes are quite simple.’ ‘Oh dear.’ she worried. ‘What if he thinks I am not fancy enough.’ Cinderella considered saying something to make herself seem more fancy. Then she decided against it. ‘Better to be myself and speak my mind,” she thought. “I don’t think it takes gorgeous clothes to make a person beautiful, do you? It seems to me that beauty shines forth from a kind heart.” ‘Hmmm. I like the way she thinks,’ the Prince said to himself. As they danced and chatted the prince learned that Cinderella was smart and strong and kind. ‘I like her. And best of all, I feel so happy when I am with her. OH MY! She IS the ONE! I’ve found her!’ He looked over at his parents and smiled a big smile. Cinderella was having the best time ever. The prince was smart and strong and kind. ‘And best of all,’ she thought. ‘I feel so happy when I am with him!’ She liked the prince as much as he liked her. ‘OH MY!’ thought Cinderella. He IS the ONE! I’ve found him!’ Then the clock began to strike midnight. In moments the magic would wear off! ‘I don’t want to be standing here in grubby clothes covered in cinders and smuts!’ Cinderella ran as fast as she could. Fairy Godmother looked at her animal friends. “The magic was gone. She ran all the way home. You made it back to this porch. There you were- mice and birds sitting next to a cat and a dog and a sad girl in a tattered dress. You were confused and distressed. You were so sad for Cinderella. She met her Prince and then she had to run away. Her happiness was close at hand and then it was gone. Cinderella felt worse than ever. Each of you felt worse than ever. I couldn’t stand seeing you so sad and upset. That’s why I decided to make you forget. I raised my wand and you forgot the entire night.” “THAT’s why we forgot!” cried the animals. “Yes. That’s why you forgot,” said Fairy Godmother. “Later, I was worried that the wind might blow you a whiff of remembering. I didn’t want you to feel sad again so used my wand to make the Magic Mystery Tree pop up. Every midnight I carve my initials there to remind you that I am here to help you even if you can’t see me. The initials are a clue telling you I am still here. The message from the Tree is, ‘You never need to feel afraid. Help is always here.’” Fairy Godmother smiled her biggest smile. “I have now given you two gifts- The Gift Of Remembering Your Own Story and The Gift Of Understanding Someone Else’s Story. Never forget that EVERYONE has their own story.” She stood up straight and tall. “And now- a final gift. The Gift Of Deep Understanding.” *Chapter Three* *The Gift of Deep Understanding* Deep Understanding requires that you think about another person’s story and THEIR feelings. “Little Mouse, do you remember the feelings in YOUR story? “ “Oh yes! I felt scared! My story is about changing from a mouse to a horse! I was afraid it was going to hurt. Then, all of a sudden I was pulling a big coach! I was a tiny mouse on the inside but I was a handsome horse on the outside! I felt strong!” “Birds, what were the feelings in your stories?” “Tweet Tweet! We felt proud. We helped make the most beautiful gown at the ball! “And Cat? What were the feelings in your story?” “I felt good about myself because I did something that was VERY difficult. My story is the story of stopping.” “Stopping?” asked Fairy Godmother. “The story of stopping?” “Yes. When I had those mice in my mouth, I wanted to gobble them down! I’m a cat! Cats are SUPPOSED to eat mice! I had to be fast to catch them. I had to STOP! to keep them alive! I did such a good job of stopping!” “Yes you did,” said Fairy Godmother. “You did a very good job of stopping. You should be proud of yourself. You should all be proud of yourselves.” Fairy Godmother began to glow. “Now I shall tell you the feelings in MY story. I am proud of myself, too! The reason I feel proud of myself is that I didn’t give up! You see, after the Prince found Cinderella he took her to the palace. They got married. There was a big celebration. I thought my job here was done, Shouldn’t this be the ‘HAPPILY EVER AFTER’ ending? But something was wrong. I could still smell unhappiness. Where was it coming from? I didn’t know what to do. Then I remembered- whenever you have a problem you can go inside yourself to look for the answer. That’s what I did. I got very quiet and still. I listened to the quiet inside myself. Then-AN IDEA CAME! Maybe I could clean up the sadness with Deep Understanding. I needed to find the feelings that were causing the unhappiness. I began to search. I thought about everything that had happened. I thought about all the people’s stories. First, I thought about Wicked Stepmother. When the Prince chose Cinderella, Stepmother yelled and kicked and screamed. She was angry that the prince had not chosen one of her daughters. I used my Deep Understanding to see into her heart. Here’s what I saw. Yes- she was yelling and screaming. Yes- she was angry and mean. But there was love in there too. It was a tiny bit of love- only enough for herself and her daughters—but it was there. Then I used my Deep Understanding to look into Cinderella’s heart. Do you know what I saw? She was good and kind. There was love in her heart. But there was anger, too. She was still angry that her Stepmother and Stepsisters had been so mean to her. Stepmother’s heart couldn’t fill up with love because she was scared. She had run out of money. She was afraid that if the Prince did not marry one of her daughters they would be beggars in the street. If the Prince did choose one of her daughters, then they would all be rich. If he didn’t, how would she get clothes and food for her children? Cinderella’s heart could not fill up with love because she was still angry, Neither Stepmother nor Cinderella had Deep Understanding. What if I gave it to them with my wand! All I had to do was take away the anger and fear. I raised my wand and made Cinderella’s angry feelings disappear. Poof! Just like that – the angry feelings were gone. I raised my wand and made the scared feelings in Stepmother disappear. Poof! Just like that—the scared feelings were gone. When angry, scared feelings go away, you can change your mind. Cinderella saw the love in her Stepmother’s heart. She changed her mind and she knew just what to do. She sent a letter to her Stepmother. It was written on golden paper. It said- Dear Stepmother, I used to be mad at you. You were mean to me. Now I know you were scared and afraid. You wanted the prince to choose one of your daughters so you could live in the palace and be safe . Now I am a princess and I can make you safe. Please come live with me in the palace. You will have plenty to eat and beautiful clothes. You will never have to worry or be afraid. Can you be here on Monday? Sincerely, Cindy’ Fairy Godmother said, “Last Monday Stepmother and her daughters moved into the palace. And guess what– Cindy and her step family are now friends. So this is why I called you here tonight. The kingdom is finally happy! The King of the fairies says this is now the happiest kingdom in the world.” She waved her wand over them. Fairy dust sprinkled down. They would never forget again. “My job here is done. Thank you for helping me!” And with that, Fairy Godmother flew up into the trees. The animals looked up and saw a shooting star—traveling through the sky.