Tanuja and the Genie

          Once upon a time, a young girl by the name of Tanuja was sitting sadly in a prison cell. She had been accused of a crime she did not commit and she had to suffer for it. Her life had always been a hard and depressing life.

          First she had lost both of her parents at the age of six months. The Tahan family, who adopted her first, loved and cared for her like she was their daughter. Even though they had six children of their own, they still treated her like family. Sadly, when Tanuja turned eleven, Mr and Mrs Tahan died from a terrible fever. The children were taken in by relatives, but none of the relatives wanted her. So Tanuja was put up for adoption again.

          The second family, who adopted her, was the Sayegh family. They were a rich family, but they were not nice. Mr and Mrs Sayegh were greedy, proud and only cared about their riches. The reason they adopted her was that she would do the housework, without being paid. Their daughter Amirah was not better. She was spoilt, selfish and proud like her parents and liked giving Tanuja orders all the time. Amirah was the reason Tanuja was in a prison cell. After Tanuja turned sixteen she became more beautiful than Amirah. Men admired her all the time and Amirah hated her for that. So she decided to do something that would make Tanuja be sent away. She stole a diamond ring from her mother’s room then hid it in Tanuja’s room. When Mrs Sayegh noticed it was missing she ordered everyone to search for it. Amirah quickly found it in Tanuja’s room and told her mother. Mrs Sayegh was furious with Tanuja and accused her for being a thief. Tanuja had tried to tell her that she didn’t do it, but she wouldn’t listen. So Tanuja was arrested for theft and disowned from the Sayegh family.

          Tanuja was just about to cry when a voice called out to her. “Tanuja” it said. “Who’s there?” asked Tanuja. “Don’t be afraid I’m not here to harm you” the voice said. Then a spirit appeared in front of Tanuja. “Are you the genie who helps those who are unhappy to find happiness?” asked Tanuja, surprised. “Yes” said the genie “and I sense that you are unhappy. Why are you unhappy?”

          Tanuja told the genie all about her tragic past. “I see” said the genie “I can help you, but you will have to do something for me”. The genie told Tanuja that an acquaintance of hers is looking for a woman to become his new wife and his son’s new mother. His wife had recently died and he wants to remarry. “I believe that you will be perfect for him”. “This man isn’t mean, greedy and selfish is he?” asked Tanuja worriedly. “Oh no you will like him” replied the genie “he is kind and gentle. But he is unhappy because of his wife’s death”. Tanuja understood that and agreed to the deal; even though she was going to be married to a man she didn’t know. The genie clicked her fingers and she and Tanuja disappeared into a puff of smoke.

          They appeared, in a puff of smoke, at an oasis. Tanuja noticed that she was wearing different clothes. Before she was wearing a torn brown dress, but now she wore a beautiful dress of white and light blue. That was part of genie’s magic.  Then some men, riding camels, arrived. One of them noticed Tanuja, got off his camel and walked over to her. Tanuja bowed down to him; this man was Rajan, the sultan of Arabia.

          “You don’t need to bow down to me” said Rajan “please stand up and show me your face”. Tanuja did that and Rajan smiled. “You’re the most beautiful girl I have ever met. You shall become my new wife and queen”. Tanuja couldn’t believe it; it was the sultan that the genie wanted her to marry.

          Tanuja rode with Rajan on his camel all the way back to his palace. She felt nervous and frightened, but Rajan’s kind smile and gentle hands gave her confidence. As soon as they got to the palace a wedding was planned immediately. It was to be held in three days. Tanuja couldn’t believe that she was going to be the new queen of Arabia, but she felt happy and safe with Rajan and accepted her fate.

          The next day Rajan had to leave on business, so Tanuja was left alone with the servants. She asked a female servant, who was a nurse, to show her around the palace; she wanted to get to know her new home. The nurse gave her a tour of the downstairs rooms and was just about to show her the rooms upstairs when they heard someone crying. “Sounds like Raja has woken up” said the nurse. Raja was Rajan’s son. The nurse and Tanuja ran into a bed room with a cradle in it. Raja was a seventh month old baby. The nurse was about to pick him up, but Tanuja picked him up first. “There, there Raja” she whispered to him. Raja stopped crying immediately and smiled at her.

          “You have such a way with children” the nurse said.

          “I like children” replied Tanuja “I must ask, what was his mother like?”

          “Well his mother was a beautiful woman” the nurse replied “but there were times when she ignored the fact that she was his mother”.

          Tanuja felt cross by what the nurse had said. “I hate parents who are like that” she said “it is really mean to treat your own child like he or she doesn’t exist”. And she swore to herself that she would never treat Raja and the children she would bear with Rajan like that.

          That evening Tanuja was standing out on the balcony of her room. She was thinking about her wedding to Rajan and about his dead wife. Then the genie appeared. “Tanuja” she said “how are you doing?” “Genie” said Tanuja “I am happy here with Rajan and his son Raja. I thank you for this”.  “I’m glad I was able to grant your wish and Rajan’s wish as well”. Then the genie disappeared in a puff of smoke.

          Just then there was a knock at the door. “Who is it?” asked Tanuja. “It’s me” answered Rajan. Tanuja opened the door and Rajan walked in. “Rajan, welcome back” she said. “I meant to be back early” said Rajan “but my business took longer than expected. I wish to spend the rest of the evening with you”. Tanuja accepted the wish, she had missed him. “Rajan there is something I wish to ask you” she said. “What is it” Rajan asked. “Well I don’t wish to pry, but what was your late wife like?” Tanuja said. Rajan had a feeling that she would ask him that soon and he actually wanted to tell Tanuja about her. So he decided to tell her now.

          “My late wife, called Tamarai, was a beautiful woman” he began “my father, the late sultan, chose her for me. He and Tamarai’s father knew each other and it was their dying wish for us becoming husband and wife. So we did just before they died. I adored her, but she was unhappy with the marriage”.

          “Are you saying she didn’t love you?” asked Tanuja, hoping this wasn’t the case.

          “Well she didn’t hate me” replied Rajan “she just didn’t have the same love for me as I for her. Even before and after Raja was born she was still not happy. Her unhappiness is what killed her”.

          Tanuja decided that Tamarai was not a loving wife. First she didn’t give Rajan any love, after he gave her his love and then she didn’t love her own son. Tanuja felt sorry for both Rajan and Raja.

          “I don’t know if you have, but have you ever met a genie?” asked Rajan.

          “Yes I do know the genie” answered Tanuja “she told me that your wife had died and you wanted to marry again”

          “It’s true” said Rajan “I did want to marry again but I wanted a woman who loved both me and my son and I told the genie that. When I saw you in the oasis, I noticed the genie was standing beside you which meant that you were the right woman for me. I am grateful to the genie, I love you”.

          “Yes” replied Tanuja, who was now blushing, “I love you too”. They kissed each other deeply.

          Two days later Tanuja married Rajan and became Arabia’s new queen. In time she gave birth to a daughter, but she still loved Raja as if he was her real son. Rajan was happy to have a wife who loved both him and their children. And Tanuja was happy that she was finally living a full life filled with love and happiness.

Tsukiko and the Wolf Siblings

          In Japan there are stories about wolf people. Some say they are wolves by day and humans by night. Others say that they can transform into human or wolf whenever they want to. No one had seen for themselves what really happens, except one girl.

          This girls name was Tsukiko and she lived in a house by the forest with her father, stepmother and two younger half brothers. Tsukiko was a beautiful and kind girl, but she lived a miserable life. Her real mother died when she was only five years old and her stepmother was not a nice woman. She made Tsukiko a servant of the house and didn’t treat her like she was part of the family. Her half brothers didn’t treat her with kindness either. Her father was no good either; he preferred his sons than his own daughter. Tsukiko missed her real mother terribly; her real mother loved her until the day she died.

          One morning Tsukiko was out in the forest picking berries. Suddenly she heard a noise of someone or something struggling. When she saw what the noise was about she was horrified. A wolf cub was caught in a snare trap; the wire was caught round its right leg. Tsukiko rushed over to set it free.

          “It’s alright” hushed Tsukiko “I’ll set you free”. She slipped the wire of its leg. The wolf cub nuzzled her in return to say ‘thank you’ then ran off.

          When Tsukiko got home she heard her father and stepmother talking. “Husband did you meet the woman?” asked the stepmother.

          “Yes I did” the father answered “and it has all been arranged. Tsukiko will become a servant to Lady Azusa tomorrow and we will get the payment then”.

          “That is fine with me” replied the stepmother.

          Tsukiko could not believe what she had heard; her own father was selling his own daughter into slavery. It was bad enough for her to be ignored and unloved by him, but now Tsukiko couldn’t stand it much longer. So she decided to run away. When no one was looking she slipped out of the door and ran back into the forest. She ran and ran until she was far away from home. So far that she couldn’t remember the way back home. ‘I don’t care that I’m lost’ she thought ‘no one will worry about me, besides I’m not wanted at home anyway’. Finally she could run no further and collapsed onto the grass.

          Just as she was about to look for shelter a wolf came out of the bushes. It was a big brown and white wolf and looked very fierce. Tsukiko was scared, but just sat up looking calm. “Go ahead wolf” she said “you may eat me”. She decided to end her misery by becoming the wolf’s meal. But instead of eating her, the wolf just walked over to her and just stared at her. “Are you alone?” Tsukiko asked the wolf, petting its head, “I’m alone too. My father, stepmother and brothers don’t want me around and I can’t go home anymore”. Tears poured down her face. The wolf licked her face to cheer her up, turned round, and then it moved its head to tell her to follow it. Tsukiko understood and followed the wolf.

          The wolf led Tsukiko to a village that stood deep in the forest. When the wolf took its first step into the village, it transformed into a man, a human man with wolf ears and a tail.

          “You’re a wolf man!” gasped Tsukiko “Then this is the village of the wolf people?”

          “That is correct” said the wolf man “I’m Ichiro and I have brought you to my home”.

          “My name is Tsukiko” said Tsukiko, still in shock, “but I thought you wolf people were just stories”.

          “Oh no we are real” replied Ichiro “it’s just we can only turn into humans when we are in the village. We become wolves when we step out of the village”.

          “I’m surprised you have brought me here” said Tsukiko.

          “You said that you have no home” said Ichiro “besides I can’t leave a pretty girl like yourself alone in the forest”.

          “I thank you for your kindness” said Tsukiko, bowing her head in respect.

          Ichiro took Tsukiko’s hand and brought her to his house. “I’m home!” he shouted, when he opened the door. Four wolf children ran up to greet him. Three of them were rather young, around five years old. The fourth one was a bit older than them, around eight years old. Tsukiko found them rather cute.

          “Tsukiko these are my siblings” said Ichiro. The eight year old was called Jiro and the younger three were triplets; the boy was called Goro and the girls were called Hatsuko and Kuniko. Jiro ran up to Tsukiko “Nice to see you again” he said “thank you for saving me from that trap”. “Are you the wolf cub?” asked Tsukiko. Jiro nodded yes. “Well since you’re the one who saved Jiro” said Ichiro “I have another reason for letting you stay with us. Everyone, Tsukiko will be living here with us”. The wolf siblings jumped up and down shouting ‘Hurray!’

          So Tsukiko lived with the wolf siblings. She cleaned and cooked for them, with their help too, and she played with the younger siblings. And she would nurse them if they were sick or hurt. Jiro, Goro, Hatsuko and Kuniko liked Tsukiko as if she was their mother and elder sister. Whenever Ichiro came home from hunting they would always talk to him about her.

          One evening when Ichiro came home he saw Tsukiko singing his siblings to sleep. “That sounds nice” he said to her “that song makes me feel all relaxed and calm. What is it?” “Oh it’s called a lullaby” Tsukiko answered “my real mother used to sing them to me all the time”. Ichiro asked her to follow him to his room. “I wanted to talk to you but I didn’t want to wake them up” he explained “but I had to ask you. You’re a beautiful and kind girl and you’re very helpful, yet you were driven from your home. Why is that?”

          Tsukiko explained about her real mother’s death at age five, how her own father always treated her like she didn’t exist and when her father married her stepmother. “When my father married again I thought my stepmother would love me like my real mother did”. She said everything about how her stepmother didn’t treat her like family and made her a servant of the house. Even about how her half brothers never treated her like she was their sister, even though she was. Last of all she talked about her parents’ plan of selling her into slavery and her run away from home. Ichiro became more and more cross by every word she said. He pulled her into a hug. “I cannot believe that you were treated like that” he said “you didn’t deserve that life”. Ichiro broke the hug and just held her hands. “Tsukiko I know my siblings and I are wolf people. But would you live with us forever? Ever since I first met you I’ve being wanting to have you by my side forever and I will make you happy. So would you stay with us?” “Yes” replied Tsukiko “I feel much happier here with you and Jiro, Goro, Hatsuko and Kuniko than I was back at home”. Ichiro pulled her into another hug in response.

          And so Tsukiko lived with the wolf siblings for the rest of her life. She was loved by all of them, as if she was a real family member, and of course she loved them too. Tsukiko finally had a loving, happy family.

The Wish Upon a Star

          Long, long ago, in a small Chinese village, there were two children, a boy named Jie and a girl named Lei. They were brother and sister; Jie was eight years old and Lei was six years old. It was night time and they were supposed to be asleep but Jie wasn’t asleep; he was staring up at the stars in the night sky from his bedroom window.

          “Jie I can’t sleep” said Lei, who was still awake.

          “I can’t sleep either” said Jie “I can’t stop looking out at the stars. Whenever I look at the stars it reminds me of how our wish came true, and how you and I now live a happier life”. It was true; Jie and Lei used to live an unhappy life before.

          Their story began a week ago, at that time they lived with their Aunt Mei-Zhen. Their parents died when they were still young and they had lived their aunt ever since. But they lived a miserable life with her. Mei-Zhen was not a very nice woman; she never treated Jie and Lei with kindness. She made them do all the cleaning and would abuse them if they misbehaved. Worst of all she made them sleep in the cold cellar, with only one blanket for them to share between them. Jie and Lei were unhappy living with their aunt; they missed their parents and would often wish that they were still alive. Jie remembered that their parents really loved them, not like their aunt who hated them.

          One night Jie could not sleep, he had dropped a bucket of water onto the floor and he had been beaten by Mei-Zhen and it hurt him very much. He was staring at the stars from the cellar window; it made him wonder if his parents in heaven could see the same stars. Then he saw a very bright star, he remembered when his mother was alive she would tell him that a very bright star is known as the wishing star. Jie wasn’t sure if that was true, but he got onto his knees and made a wish upon the star.

          “Wishing star I wish that my sister and I had a happier life than the life we are living now” he said.

          Next morning Mei-Zhen told Jie and Lei to clean the house while she was at the market. “If this house isn’t clean by the time I get back” she said “you will get no dinner and sleep outside tonight”. Then she left. Jie and Lei got to work straight away; Jie washed the windows and chopped the wood, while Lei washed the floors and cleaned Mei-Zhen’s room. By splitting the work between them, Jie and Lei got all the house work done in no time at all.

          They were just about to go have a rest after all that cleaning, when they both heard a yelping noise from outside.

          “That sounds like an animal that’s in pain” said Lei.

          “You’re right it does sound like that” said Jie “come on let’s find out”.

          When they got out the door they saw two big black dogs lying on the ground. They were a male and female and both looked exhausted and in pain. “We have to do something Jie” said Lei “we can’t leave them like this”. “You’re right” said Jie “but we can’t let our aunt see them. I know we will put them in our room. She never goes in there”. Lei went into the cellar and spread the blanket out onto the floor, for the dogs to lie down on. While Jie picked the dogs up and carried them to the cellar (one at a time). Lei filled two bowls with water for the dogs to drink and found some spare bread for them to eat.

          “What do you suppose happened to them?” asked Lei.

          “I don’t know, but my guess is they were abused by their owners” answered Jie.

          It was at that moment when Mei-Zhen returned home. “Oh no aunt is back” said Jie “we must not tell her about the dogs, okay?” Lei nodded yes in return. They ran out of the cellar and welcomed their aunt home. “I take it you did what I told you to do?” Mei-Zhen asked. “Yes aunt all the rooms are neat and tidy” answered Jie. “Fine” replied Mei-Zhen “well now you two can go wash yourselves. I don’t want you two to make this place smell. I’ll have your meal ready when you’re done”.  Their meal was really just a tiny portion of rice each; Mei-Zhen hardly ever fed them with enough food, while she had more than them.

          That night, after Mei-Zhen went to bed, Jie and Lei continued to care for the dogs. Suddenly one of the dogs, the male one, woke up. “Are you all right?” whispered Jie. “Yes thank you child” the dog whispered back.

          Jie and Lei could not believe what they just heard; the dog actually spoke to them. “Did you just talk?” gasped Jie. “Yes he did” said the female dog “I can talk too”. “How can you talk?” asked Lei “dogs aren’t supposed to speak”. “We will explain everything to you” replied the male dog.

          The two blacks introduced themselves as Sheng-Li and Mei-Lien and told Jie and Lei their story. They were actually humans living peacefully as husband and wife in a mansion in the middle of the forest.

          “I’ve heard of that mansion” said Jie “are you two the master and mistress of that mansion?”

          “Yes we are” answered Sheng-Li “we were living happily, until that day”.

          What happened was that Sheng-Li’s younger brother, Feng-Li, wanted the ownership of the mansion. During that time Sheng-Li and Mei-Lien were friends of a magician named Ju-Long. To get what he wanted, Feng-Li imprisoned Ju-Long somewhere in the mansion and used his magic spell scrolls to gain control of the mansion by turning Sheng-Li and Mei-Lien into black dogs.

          “How did you end up hurt like you are now?” asked Jie.

          “We tried to fight back when he turned us into dogs” replied Sheng-Li “but he seemed too powerful for us”.

          “Is there a way to break this spell?” asked Lei.

          “The only one who can break this spell is Ju-Long” replied Mei-Lien “but with him tied up in prison and us like this, it will be impossible for us to be free of this spell”.

          Jie and Lei were just about to think what they could do to help, when they heard shouting from their aunt. “Jie and Lei get up here now you little brats!”

          “Oh no aunt Mei-Zhen is in a bad mood” said Lei.

          “We better see what she wants” said Jie. They quickly ran out to see what their aunt wanted.

          “From the sound of her voice” said Mei-Lien “I don’t think that woman is very nice”.

          “I don’t think so either” said Sheng-Li.

          When Jie and Lei came back to the cellar, Lei was crying and had bruise on her face. “What happened?!” said Mei-Lien, running over to Lei. Jie explained that their aunt had hit her because she thought that Lei hadn’t made her bed properly. “Does she always do this?” asked Sheng-Li. Jie told Sheng-Li and Mei-Lien how they had lived a miserable life with their aunt ever since their parent’s death.

          “Aunt Mei-Zhen hates us” said Jie “I think she only decided to take us in, so we would do all the housework for her”.

          Sheng-Li and Mei-Lien felt sorry for them and were angry about Mei-Zhen’s cruel ways. Mei-Lien licked Lei’s face to make it feel better. Lei felt happy with Mei-Zhen and fell asleep on her back. Jie fell asleep on Sheng-Li. While they slept, both Sheng-Li and Mei-Lien agreed to take them away with them.

          The next morning Sheng-Li and Mei-Lien woke up just before the sun started to rise. “Wake up Jie and Lei” whispered Sheng-Li. He explained to them that he and Mei-Lien were going to leave now and decided that their wish is to take them with them.

          “Is it okay for us to come with you?” asked Jie.

          “Yes it is” Sheng-Li answered. Jie and Lien looked at each other and with a smile they both agreed.

          So Sheng-Li, Mei-Lien, Jie and Lei quietly and quickly got out of the house and left. This was the last time Jie and Lei were ever to see that house, nor were they to see their aunt again. But Jie and Lei were happy, leaving their house and aunt was one of their wishes come true.

          On their journey they came across a market. “This is the market that aunt Mei-Zhen always goes to” said Lei. “You’re right it is the same market” said Jie. They were just about to continue when they heard a man talking to someone else; “Have you seen two black dogs?” he said.

          “Oh no that’s Chi-Fu, Feng-Li’s servant” said Sheng-Li.

          “Your brother must have sent him to look for us” said Mei-Lien.

          They needed a way to get through the market without being seen. Then Jie had an idea; “There is a horse and cart around here that goes to and from your mansion. I saw it when I came here with aunt Mei-Zhen once. We can use that to the forest then will walk the rest of the way to the mansion”. Everyone agreed that was a good idea, so Jie and Lei went to find the driver of the horse and cart. Sheng-Li and Mei-Lien stayed outside the market, so Chi-Fu could not find them. Jie and Lei returned with good news; “We found the driver and he was just about to leave” said Jie “we asked him if he would give us a lift to the forest and he said he would”. Without being noticed, they quickly and quietly ran to the driver and got onto his cart. “Thank you for the lift sir” said Jie. “No problem son” said the driver “I always give lifts to those who head towards the forest”. The driver brought them to the forest in no time at all. Jie, Lei and their dogs got down from the cart, said thank you to the driver and waved good bye to him (Sheng-Li and Mei-Lien barked at him).

          “How far is it from here to your mansion?” asked Jie.

          “Not that far” answered Sheng-Li “we will get there soon enough on foot”. He was right; they soon arrived at the mansion.

          “What should we do though?” asked Mei-Lien “we need to look for Ju-Long, but Feng-Li will be looking out for us”.

          “I know Lei and I will look for Ju-Long, while you keep Feng-Li busy” said Jie.

          “All right” said Sheng-Li “but be careful you two”.

          Jie and Lei entered the mansion and started to look for Ju-Long, without running into Feng-Li. They looked through all the rooms, until at last they found him. Ju-Long was in the cellar, tied up with ropes and his mouth was gagged. Jie and Lei set him free immediately.

          “Thank you” said Ju-Long “but who are you?” Jie and Lei introduced themselves to him, and then explained what was happening. “We must hurry” said Ju-Long “Sheng-Li and Mei-Lien will need help at once”.

          Sheng-Li and Mei-Lien were facing Feng-Li in a fight. “I never thought you would return here alive, I’m surprised” chuckled Feng-Li. “Sorry to disappoint you brother” said Sheng-Li “but you are not getting away with what you have done”. Feng-Li was just about to fire a blast of magic at them, when another blast of magic stopped him. “What?!” gasped Feng-Li, he saw Ju-Long, “how did you escape?” “I had two helpers” Ju-Long, Jie and Lei were next to him. Feng-Li, in rage, was just about to cast another blast of magic, but Ju-Long acted quickly. He transformed Feng-Li into a rabbit and Sheng-Li and Mei-Lien ate him up very quickly.

          “I never thought that I would have had to do this to my own brother” said Sheng-Li “but I could not forgive him for his own greed and hate”.

          Ju-Long used his magic again to turn Sheng-Li and Mei-Lien back into humans. “I’m glad that you have returned safely” said Ju-Long. Jie and Lei were amazed by all this and just stood there surprised. Sheng-Li and Me-Lien noticed them and walked over to them. “Jie and Lei it’s us” said Sheng-Li, holding out his arms. Mei-Lien held her arms out too. Jie and Lei stood still for a second, and then Jie ran into Sheng-Li’s arms while Lei ran into Mei-Lien’s arms.  Sheng-Li and Mei-Lien held them tightly as if they were their own children.

          “Jie and Lei” said Sheng-Li “you two are our children now”.

          “Huh?” said Jie and Lei together.

          “The reason we brought you with us is that we wish to have you as our son and daughter” replied Sheng-Li. Jie and Lei were delighted and hugged Sheng-Li and Mei-Lien again. Their hugs were returned.

          “I still can’t believe that all happened” said Lei, after their remembering was finished.

          “Yes” said Jie “once we lived a sad life, now we live a happy life. Who would have thought that my wish upon a star would have come true?”

          “I was amazed when aunt Mei-Zhen agreed to let us be adopted by our new parents” said Lei. Sheng-Li and Mei-Lien met Mei-Zhen after the spell was broken and told her about their wish of adopting Jie and Lei. Mei-Zhen agreed with that and was glad to be rid of Jie and Lei.

          “Yes but don’t forget she didn’t like us or want us in the first place” replied Jie. Lei agreed with that.

          Just then their bedroom door opened, Sheng-Li entered the room. “Why aren’t you two asleep?” he asked. “We cannot sleep father” replied Jie. “I see” said Sheng-Li “come with me”. Jie and Lei followed him out of the room and they both walked to his bedroom. Mei-Lien was still awake and saw them come in. “The children can’t sleep” Sheng-Li said to her. Mei-Lien held out her arms for Lei and Lei ran up to her. They all got into bed together. Lei fell fast asleep in her new mother’s arms, while Jie fell asleep in his new father’s arms. And for the rest of the night Jie and Lei dreamt of the happy future they were going to have, with their new adopted family.

The Magic Pipe

          Once upon a time, in a mountain village of Japan, there was a little girl named Ayaka. Ayaka was a good and sweet little girl and was the joy of her parent’s life. But her life was not a happy one. The villagers accused her of being a witch and she was bullied every day by the children. The only friend she had was her cousin Mamoru. Mamoru lived with Ayaka and her parents. His parents died when he was young and his aunt and uncle had raised him ever since. Mamoru didn’t believe that Ayaka was a witch and protected her from the bullies.

          One day Ayaka and Mamoru were sitting by a stream, while Ayaka was playing her pipe. Ayaka’s father made that pipe for her on the day of her birth and she had kept it with her ever since.

          “You get better playing that pipe every single day” said Mamoru.

          “Thank you Mamoru” Ayaka sighed “but playing this pipe is why I get bullied”. It was true; the villagers thought that when Ayaka played her pipe something would happen. There was one time when they thought that she made a flower grow very quickly by just playing her pipe. But of course just by playing the pipe didn’t do that.

          “Ayaka” said Mamoru “don’t believe anything that the villagers think about you. You are not a witch, you are you”.

          “Thank you Mamoru” said Ayaka, with a smile. Ayaka always felt safe and happy with Mamoru; even though her life was filled with misfortune.

          Unfortunately things went from bad to worse for Ayaka that winter. The mountain village had a tradition of sacrificing a seven year old child to the mountain god, every seven years. They believed that doing that would bring full harvest to the village. Sadly Ayaka was chosen to be the sacrifice; she was seven years old. Ayaka’s parents were devastated by this; Ayaka was their only child and they didn’t want her to be a sacrificed. Mamoru was also upset and believed that Ayaka was chosen because they all thought she was a witch. But the village elders had spoken and that was all there was to it. So Ayaka was dressed in priestess clothing, said a prayer to the mountain god for a good harvest, and then was locked in a shrine, on a hill, where she was to die from hunger.

          That night Ayaka was playing her pipe in the shrine, she decided that playing music, until she died, would help her die in peace. Suddenly the shrine door unlocked and opened by itself and behind the door was the spirit of the mountain god. Ayaka ran over to him and kneeled in front of him. “Mountain god” she cried “if you have come to take my life away. Please do it quickly”.

          “Don’t be afraid Ayaka” replied the mountain god “I have not come here to take your life. I have come here to present you with a gift”. The mountain god gave Ayaka a pipe that looked the same as hers. “This is a magic pipe” he said “play the tune you always play every night and the village harvests will flourish. But whatever you do, do not ever break this if you do you will die”.

          “But what happens if someone else breaks this” asked Ayaka.

          “You will be spared but the person who does break it will die instead” answered the mountain god.

          “I understand” said Ayaka. Then the mountain god disappeared.

          After the mountain god disappeared, Mamoru appeared. He had come to get Ayaka out of the shrine, but was surprised that she was already out. Ayaka explained about her meeting with the mountain god and his gift to her. Then she warned him about what happens if the magic pipe got broken. “Then we better be very careful with that pipe” said Mamoru. Mamoru explained to Ayaka that her parents sent him to get her out of the shrine and provide food and clothing for her every night. “Thank you Mamoru” said Ayaka “but I’m worried that this will get you and my parents in trouble”.

“Don’t worry Ayaka” said Mamoru “I’ll protect you always”.

          For the next six years Mamoru secretly visited Ayaka every night in the wood to give her food and clothing. Mamoru built a shelter in the wood for her to live in, instead of living in the shrine. Ayaka played her tune every night to make the harvests flourish.

          “Mamoru how is the village doing?” asked Ayaka.

          “They are doing well actually” Mamoru answered “because of your magic pipe the fields have flourished”.

          “The mountain god did say that the fields would flourish if I played it”.

          “Ayaka I have been thinking” said Mamoru “let’s leave this village. You don’t deserve this kind of life and to be honest I hate living in a village where children have to be sacrificed. So let’s leave this place and live a happier life together and forever”.

          “Okay” agreed Ayaka.

          The next day Mamoru was secretly talking to Ayaka’s parents. He told them about his plan for him and Ayaka leaving the village together. They understood and asked Mamoru to take good care of Ayaka. While they were still talking, Mamoru heard three boys talking to each other. They were called Rouen, Daisuke and Shinji. Mamoru was no friend of them because these three boys were the ones who always bullied Ayaka.

          “Can you believe that the fields have flourished so much?” asked Shinji “I’ve never seen anything like it”

          “I think it’s because we got rid of that girl Ayaka” said Daisuke.

          “I agree heartily” said Rouen “that girl was like a witch when she made flowers bloom very quickly with that pipe of hers. I’m glad that she’s gone”.

          Mamoru was furious with them and wanted to give them a piece of his mind but instead he just concentrated of his plan to escape from the village with Ayaka.

          That night Mamoru ran to the wood to pick up Ayaka. “Ayaka it is time to leave the village” he said “and we must leave now before someone sees us”.

          “Aren’t my parents coming?” asked Ayaka.

          “No they fear that the villagers will get suspicious if they left too, so they will be staying in the village” answered Mamoru. 

          “What will they say when the villagers discover that you are gone?” asked Ayaka worriedly.

          “They will be covering for me and pretend that they didn’t know about my disappearance. So you and I will now live a free life” said Mamoru.

          Suddenly Ayaka heard a squirrel run around. “Mamoru I think someone is coming” she said.

          “I do too” Mamoru said “quick hide behind a big tree and give me your original pipe. That way they will only notice me and not you”. Ayaka gave him a pipe, but she gave him the magic pipe by mistake.

          Mamoru played the same tune Ayaka played on the magic pipe, while Ayaka hid behind a tree. “So the rumours were true” said a voice. It was Rouen and his friends Daisuke and Shinji.

          “There were rumours in the village that you disappear into the wood at night and music was being played” said Daisuke.

          “What is wrong with that?” asked Mamoru “I did this all the time when Ayaka was around”.

          “You still think of her even though she is dead?” said Shinji.

          “So I take it you wouldn’t care if a relative of yours was sacrificed?” asked Mamoru.

          “Enough of this!” shouted Rouen. He grabbed the magic pipe. “Since this pipe is Ayaka’s we should dispose of this too”. He tossed it to the ground and stepped on it. Daisuke and Shinji stepped on it too until it broke into a little pieces.

          Then three big vines shot out from under the ground and wrapped themselves around Rouen, Daisuke and Shinji very tightly. “What is happening?!” shouted Rouen. Since they were the ones who broke the pipe, they had to pay the price with their lives. Ayaka and Mamoru gasped as they watched Rouen, Daisuke and Shinji being strangled to death by the vines.

          “The mountain god didn’t lie when he said death would happen to the one who broke the magic pipe” said Ayaka, coming out of hiding.

          “You’re right he didn’t” said Mamoru “I’m just glad that it’s not you who broke it. Come we better leave quickly before the villagers realise what has happened”. Hand in hand Ayaka and Mamoru ran away from the village. They were finally free from their miseries.

          The villagers never saw Mamoru again. Some believed that he ran away because of what they did to Ayaka. And others believed that he had been killed like Rouen, Daisuke and Shinji when they found their dead bodies the next day. Ayaka’s parents never revealed the real truth and also pretended that they never knew he would run away. What the villagers didn’t know was this; Mamoru lived in a happier village, with Ayaka by his side forever.

Aang and the Dragon Family

          A very, very long time ago, in a Chinese village of, there lived a rice farmer and his two sons, Li-Liang and Aang. They lived in a small house, near a big paddy field where they grew rice. Growing and selling rice was their way of living; after the rice had grown, the farmer would sell some of the rice at the market for money and keep the rest of the rice for him and his sons to eat.

          Aang, the youngest son, was a kind and hard working man and did everything he could to help his father. He helped out with both the house work and the paddy field work. The rice farmer was happy to have a good son like Aang and he hoped that he would always have a happy future. Li-Liang, the eldest son, on the other hand was a lazy and selfish man and did nothing to help his father or brother. He didn’t even bother to help out in the paddy field. The rice farmer was ashamed of Li-Liang and hoped that he would come to his senses soon.

          One day the rice farmer died from a terrible illness, leaving Li-Liang and Aang orphans. What was even more upsetting was that Li-Liang and Aang had to leave their home. The reason for that was the night after their father died a terrible storm hit the village and destroyed their house and paddy field. The paddy field was so destroyed that it couldn’t be used to grow rice again. As for the house; Aang and Li-Liang couldn’t afford to have the house rebuilt. So Li-Liang and Aang had to make their fortunes somewhere else.

          “I still can’t believe that father is gone and our home is destroyed” Aang sighed.

          “What’s done is done” said Li-Liang, who was fed up with Aang sighs, “besides we won’t have to work in the paddy fields any more”.

          “What do you mean we?” said Aang “You never helped out in the paddy fields. Even when father became ill you still didn’t help”.

          “Oh well doesn’t matter anyway now” replied Li-Liang.

          Aang was cross with what Li-Liang said. Because of Li-Liang’s laziness and meanness it made Aang hate him, even though he didn’t want to hate his own elder brother.

          Just then a messenger from the village landlord appeared to them. The landlord and the rice farmer had been friends for a long time and after the rice farmer died, the landlord decided to help Li-Liang and Aang.

          “The landlord has heard about your father’s death and about the destruction of your home and paddy field,” said the messenger “he sent me to deliver these two job offer papers to you. He also wishes the both of you good luck with whatever it is you’re going to do”. The messenger handed the papers to Aang, then left.

          “Great so we’ve got new jobs then” said Li-Liang, who wasn’t really pleased with this.

          “Be glad that we have got jobs, so we can make livings for ourselves” said Aang.

          Aang looked at the job offer papers. The first paper read; “A very rich lady is looking for a man, who would entertain her four grown up daughters, while she’s out. Payment will be very generous”. The second paper read; “A retired house keeper needs someone to clean, cook and look after children in her place. Payment will be free food and shelter.”

          Li-Liang wanted to take the first job offer; even though he was lazy and selfish, his favourite thing to do was spend long hours with women. And since these women were rich, it couldn’t be better than this for him. Aang didn’t mind having the second job offer. He was used to cooking and cleaning and he did like children. The big difference about these two jobs was that they were in different places, so it meant that Li-Liang and Aang had to go their separate ways.

          “Well elder brother I wish you good luck in the future” said Aang.

          “The only one who will need luck is you because you have a boring job and I have a fun job” boasted Li-Liang.

          The two brothers took one horse each and set off to their own new future. This was the last time they saw each other.

          Aang’s destination for his new job was a big mansion that stood, in the middle of a forest, far away from the village. When Aang arrived, an old woman was standing outside the door waiting for him.

          “Are you the housekeeper of this mansion?” asked Aang.

          “Yes I am” said the housekeeper “and I thank you for answering my job offer. I’m too old now to look after the mansion and children”.

          “I should be thanking you” said Aang “I need this job after losing my old home and work”.

          The house keeper explained that the mistress of this mansion, Yao-Niang, had four children, who are still young, and needed someone to take care of them, because she was out most of the time on business.

          “Is her husband not around?” asked Aang.

          “Sadly no, he passed away a few years ago” the housekeeper answered.

          She then explained that the four children were energetic and liked to be entertained. “They are not spoiled, but they get bored very easily I warn you”. Aang understood and told the housekeeper not to worry about a thing. “The one thing I must warn you is not to upset my mistress” said the housekeeper “making her upset would be the last thing you would ever do”. After giving Aang her final instructions, the housekeeper got on Aang’s horse and left. Aang was puzzled about what she had said, but he was ready to begin his new life at the mansion.

          He was just about to enter the mansion when he heard some screams. “That sounds like children screaming for help” he gasped. The screams were coming from inside the forest. Aang ran, following the sound of screams. He stopped and saw where the screams came, but he couldn’t believe his eyes! The screams were coming from four brownish red baby dragons; they were caught in a net.

          “Someone help us please” shouted one of the baby dragons.

          Aang still couldn’t believe it; these baby dragons could talk. “Hold on a sec” said Aang “I’ll get you four out of there”. He untied the rope of the net and at last the four baby dragons were free.

          “Thank you sir,” said the biggest baby dragons “are you the human who is replacing our housekeeper?”

          “Yes I am” said Aang “my name is Aang. What names are you four called?”

          “My name is Kang” said the biggest baby dragon.

          “My name is Zhong” said the second biggest baby dragon.

          “We are Mei-Hua and Li-Hua” said the two smallest dragons together “we’re twins”.

          Suddenly a giant shadow flew over them. “Mother is home!” shouted Mei-Hua. A big brownish red dragon landed upon the ground. Aang was in more shock than ever; the mansion was home to a dragon family. The baby dragons introduced their mother to Aang and told her about him rescuing them from a net.

          “Thank you Aang” said the mother dragon, bowing her head in respect.

          “I take it that you are Yao-Niang?” asked Aang.

          “Yes I am” said Yao-Niang “I am grateful to you for coming here to look after my children. I leave the mansion as soon as the sun rises and come back when the sun sets, so I need someone to watch my children”.

          “You won’t have to worry about a thing my lady” said Aang “I will take care of your mansion and children”.

          That night Aang was in a bed room of his own; it was a big room with a big bed. Aang was in bed, staring at the full moon outside, he was still surprised about his new life with a dragon family, but he didn’t care. This was much better than having no job and no home. He prayed to his mother and father in heaven to always watch him and Li-Liang then fell asleep.

          Next morning Yao-Niang left the mansion, leaving her children with Aang. Aang cooked a breakfast of chicken soup for him and the baby dragons.

          “This is delicious” said Kang.

          “The best chicken soup ever” said Zhong.

          “Eat all you like” said Aang.

          After breakfast Aang sent the baby dragons outside to play. “It’s time for me to clean the mansion” he said “and after I’m finished I will play with you four, alright?” “Okay” said the four dragons. So Aang cleaned the whole mansion and after he finished he played with the baby dragons until their mother returned home.

          So for the whole week Aang cleaned the mansion, cooked and played with the baby dragons. The baby dragons liked Aang; he was like a father to them. Aang was happy living with the dragon family; he felt like he was part of the family. Yao-Niang enjoyed Aang’s company too and while the baby dragons were asleep she and Aang would have talks with each other. Aang would talk about how his life was like before his home was destroyed and his father died. He even talked about how lazy and selfish his elder brother Li-Liang was. Yao-Niang hated hearing about Li-Liang; she hated lazy and selfish people. She felt sorry for Aang for having gone through such hardships like that and hoped that he was happy here with her and her children.

          “Are you happy here looking after my family Aang?” Yao-Niang asked Aang one night.

          “Yes I am thank you” replied Aang “it is nice being surrounded by a family again, even though you and your family are dragons. Truth is this new life of mine with you and your children is wonderful.” Yao-Niang was pleased with that comment, and then she wished Aang good night.

          When sun rise came Aang got out of his bed, to see Yao-Niang before she flew away again. But instead of seeing five dragons, he saw a beautiful woman and four children.

          “Yao-Niang, Kang, Zhong, Mei-Hua and Li-Hua” said Aang, in shock, “is that you?”

          “Yes it is us, but in our human form” said Yao-Niang “I will tell you everything. The truth is four years ago, after my husband died, a wicked magician asked me to become his wife. I refused the offer, but the magician didn’t take no for an answer. So he transformed me and my children into dragons, so that no other man could have me for a wife. I killed the magician after he transformed us into dragons, but that didn’t break the spell. The only way for this spell to be broken was that if a man loved me and my children for who we were. After what you said last night about being happy with me and my children, even though we were dragons, those words broke the spell on us. It is thanks to you that we are free from the spell”.

          “I understand now” said Aang “I’m glad that the spell is broken. Yao-Niang I know this is sudden, but may I have you for my wife and be the new father of your children?”

          “I thought you would never ask” said Yao-Niang, running into Aang’s arms. Kang, Zhong, Mei-Hua and Li-Hua ran up to Aang, calling him ‘Father’. They wanted him and only him to become their new father. Aang bent down to the ground and held the four children in his arms like a true father.

          And so Aang married Yao-Niang and became the stepfather of her children. He felt happier than he had ever felt before. Having a new family had been his wish ever since his father died and now his wish had come true.

          As for Li-Liang, well his new job wasn’t exactly what he had in mind. The four daughters he had to entertain during the day were beautiful, but they were lazy and selfish like him. They made him do everything for them like fetch things and carry things for them. And if he didn’t do what he was told to do they would hit him with fans. You could say this was a punishment for him for his bad behaviour.

          But Aang lived a happy life with his wife and step children for the rest of his life.