The Poet and the Robin

          Many, many years ago, in the city of London, there lived a poor young man named Nicholas Burns. Nicholas had two jobs; his first job was with a man named Mr Sloane. Mr Sloane was the owner of a big shop where he sold pocket watches, handkerchiefs, umbrellas and scarves for both men and women. Nicholas’ job in the shop was keeping it clean and helping customers. His other job was being a poet.

          Nicholas was clever with poetry; he had like writing poems ever since he was a boy. Mr Sloane thought that Nicholas’ poetry was a real talent. He once asked Nicholas if he wanted to sell his poetry in the shop as well. Nicholas accepted his offer, so Mr Sloane sold papers of poetry in the shop as well. Even though he had two jobs Nicholas only had just enough money to make ends meet.

          Nicholas’ poems were usually about a beautiful countryside, the seaside, and all sorts of weather and above all love. Both men and women loved his poetry and always bought them, but he didn’t get a lot of money for them.

          “It is a pity Nicholas” said Mr Sloane “your poetry is very good. Yet you don’t get a lot of money for it”.

          “It’s all right” said Nicholas “as long as people like my poems. That is what matters”.

          It was true; Nicholas loved it when he saw customers smiling when they read his poetry. But his favourite smile was from Lady Christina Pendleton. Lady Christina Pendleton was the daughter of a rich gentleman named Lord Frederick Pendleton. Christina loved Nicholas’ poems and always looked forward to his new ones. Nicholas and Christina had feelings for each other, but Lord Frederick Pendleton had forbidden them to spend time with each other. As Christina was a lady he believed that having a relationship with a poor poet would put the family name in disgrace. So Christina and Nicholas never revealed their feelings to each other.

          One day Nicholas was taking a stroll in the park, when suddenly he heard a twittering noise. “That sounds like a bird” he said to himself. Nicholas followed the sound of the noise and found the course of the noise behind a tree. It was a bird; it was a robin with brown feathers and a red breast. The robin was hurt; his left wing was broken and he couldn’t fly. Nicholas couldn’t stand having a bird like that hurt, so he picked it up and carried it to his home.

          Nicholas lived in an apartment; being poor he lived in a very small room. He laid the robin onto a towel on the table in his room and nurtured it for two weeks. Then at last the robin’s wing was completely healed and it could fly again. The robin was grateful to Nicholas and sang a song to him.

          “Your singing is very beautiful” said Nicholas “it makes me smile”. Nicholas opened his bedroom window and told the robin it could go now. But the robin didn’t want to leave; it wanted to stay with Nicholas. Nicholas understood and the robin became his roommate. So every day, when Nicholas finished work, he would go straight home to be with the robin and the robin would sing to him.

          Two weeks later a big announcement was heard in the papers. Lady Christina Pendleton was to be married to a rich gentleman ‘Mr Robert Bentley’ in three days.

          “I don’t agree to this marriage” said Mr Sloane.

          “I don’t agree with it either Mr Sloane” said Nicholas.

          The truth was Robert Bentley was a very rich man, but he was a foolish man. He liked to drink and gamble and never took anything seriously.

          “I think the only reason Lord Pendleton agreed to this marriage was because of his riches” said Mr Sloane “he always did care about money and status above everything else. I feel sorry for his daughter”.

          Nicholas felt down hearted by the news of Christina’s marriage. He wanted to be Christina’s husband, but Lord Pendleton had agreed to the marriage and there was nothing he could do.

          Two days later, just one day before the wedding, Nicholas and his friend the robin were out on the streets together. The robin was sitting upon Nicholas’ shoulder and was enjoying the tour of the streets. Suddenly they saw Robert Bentley talking to his best friend Tom Hardwick. Tom Hardwick was a drinker and gambler as well. They walked into an alley. Nicholas had a bad feeling about that; normally whenever someone walked down an alley street it meant he or she was up to no good. Nicholas asked the robin to see what they were doing. The robin flew to a window shelf above where Robert Bentley and Tom were standing and listened to what they were saying.

          “I can’t believe that you are getting married to Lady Christina Pendleton tomorrow” said Tom.

          “Yes” said Robert Bentley “and after that is when I will become richer than ever”.

          “What about Lord Pendleton and his daughter?” asked Tom “What will become of them?”

          “The old man is getting older and older Tom” said Robert Bentley “I’ll be claiming the fortune after he dies; besides I can wait for that. As for Christina, I need her to give me an heir”. Tom understood and congratulated him on his marriage and success of wealth.

          After listening to their conversation, the robin flew back to Nicholas.

          “They are up to something aren’t they?” asked Nicholas. The robin tweeted as if to say yes. Nicholas really wanted to see what Robert Bentley’s plan for the Pendleton family was, but he didn’t know how.

          When Nicholas went to Mr Sloane’s shop for work, Mr Sloane was pleased to see him. He told Nicholas that Robert Bentley ordered some things from the shop and wanted them to deliver the things to his home. “Can you deliver them please Nicholas?” asked Mr Sloane “I need to stay here and guard the shop”. Nicholas agreed to do so and was happy; this was his chance to find out what Robert Bentley was planning.

          Nicholas went to Robert Bentley’s house to deliver the items he ordered. When he knocked on the door the maid told him that Robert Bentley was busy at the moment, but asked to wait in the study for him. When Nicholas was in the study, he put down the box of items and searched the study for evidence. In a drawer of a desk he found what he was looking for. It was a piece of paper of Robert Bentley’s plans of what he was going to do after Lord Pendleton died.

          Lord Pendleton owned four factories; a thread factory, a glass factory, a paper factory and a jewel factory. Robert Bentley’s plan was to tear them both down and replace them both with bars and shops and keep of the fortunes he would receive from Lord Pendleton for himself. As for Christina; she will give him a son and then will be gotten rid off. Nicholas didn’t like the ideas and placed the paper in his pocket to show to Lord Pendleton later. Then Robert Bentley entered the study and examined the items that Nicholas delivered. He had ordered five handkerchiefs, four umbrellas and two scarves as a wedding gift for Christina. He paid Nicholas for the items and then Nicholas left. Nicholas had a plan; he decided to show up at the wedding tomorrow and show the plans to Lord Pendleton then.

          The next day was Lady Christina Pendleton and Robert Bentley’s wedding. Everything was ready and all the guests were excited. Christina wasn’t excited about her marriage though; she didn’t love Robert Bentley. She had told her father that lots of times, but Lord Pendleton wouldn’t hear of it. Soon the ceremony started, the priest came up to the wedding vows. He was just about to ask Robert Bentley if he would take Christina for his wife, when Nicholas stormed into the church.

          “Stop the wedding!” he shouted, he walked down the aisle, “Lord Pendleton this man will ruin your family name if you let him marry Christina”.

          “What is the meaning of this?” demanded Lord Pendleton “And what are you talking about?”

          Nicholas took the paper, which showed Robert Bentley’s plan, out of his pocket and gave it to Lord Pendleton. Lord Pendleton grew red in the face when he read the plans.

          “You plan to ruin my factories and make my daughter an item to give you children?” he shouted at Robert Bentley.

          Robert Bentley just stood there nervously. “Well I uh” he said. “Enough!” yelled Lord Pendleton. He called the wedding off and ordered him to leave. Robert Bentley and Tom Hardwick rushed out of the church, as quick as they could.

          Lord Pendleton apologized to his daughter for making a grave mistake. Christina said it was alright and was happy that she didn’t have to marry Robert Bentley.

          “I thank you for telling me” Lord Pendleton said to Nicholas.

          “It was my pleasure sir” Nicholas said “and I ask if I may recite a poem I’ve just made up for your daughter”. Lord Pendleton accepted the request. Nicholas told Christina the poem.

                                         

‘Christina ever since you and I first met,

I have always wanted to say some things I’d never regret.

Your pink lips and skin as white as snow,

Always sets my heart aglow.

Your golden sunshine of hair,

With it’s beautiful flair.

And your beautiful eyes of green,

Makes you the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.

What I want to say now is not a joke,

Even though you are rich and I am broke.

When I’m not with you I’m in a tiz,

That is why I have to ask you this.

Christina you are the love of my life,

Which is why I ask you to become my wife?’

 

          “So Christina would you become my wife?” Nicholas asked again. “I will” replied Christina and ran into Nicholas’ arms. Lord Pendleton was reluctant of this marriage proposal at first, but since Nicholas revealed Robert Bentley’s terrible plans, he agreed to the marriage.

          So Nicholas married Christina and became Lord Nicholas Burns. After Lord Pendleton died Nicholas inherited the factories and kept them the way they were. He still wrote poems for Christina and when they had children, he read his poems to them too. Nicholas and Christina lived a long and happy life together.

          As for the robin, it remained Nicholas’ best friend till the end of its life. 

The Ugly Worm

          Once upon a time, in the middle of a big park, there was a mother worm looking after her nest in the mud. She had many eggs, but one of them looked different from the rest. This egg was white and round shape; the other eggs were light brown and cocoon shape. Suddenly one by one the eggs hatched and there were baby worms crawling everywhere. But the white round egg took more time to hatch. When it did hatch the baby worm wasn’t pink and smooth like its brothers and sisters; it was green and hairy.

          “That is one ugly baby worm you have there” said another worm.

          The mother worm also thought he was ugly, but that didn’t stop her caring for him. But unfortunately for the ugly worm; he was teased and picked on by the other worms. Even his brothers and sisters picked on him and called him ugly.

          One day something terrible happened to the ugly worm’s family. There were lots of birds in the park and they began eating all the worms. The ugly worm hid himself into the grass to not get eaten. As he was green all over the grass camouflaged him, the birds didn’t see him so he was spared. He was relieved that he didn’t get eaten, but he was all alone now.

          The ugly worm crawled its way through the park to find somewhere else to stay. It was too dangerous for him to stay where he lived now since the birds were there. He hoped that he wouldn’t be teased for his ugliness again. But he was;

          “Ugh! What an ugly creature” said a spider.

          “I wouldn’t have him as my mate” said a snail.

          “That ugly worm is the ugliest creature I’ve ever met” said a beetle.

          “This worm frightens my children” cried a ladybird “go away!”

          No one liked the ugly worm at all nor did they want him around; it made him feel more miserable and lonely than ever. He wished that the birds had eaten him too; that way he wouldn’t have had to go through so much suffering. He crawled to different places; like flower beds, bushes and holes in the ground. But where ever he went, there were creatures there to call him ugly. The only place where he wouldn’t be bothered was up a tree.

          The tree that he crawled up on was the biggest tree in the whole park. The ugly worm felt happier in the tree. There were no insects to pick on him and the green leaves kept him safe from birds. So the tree became his new home. To him the tree was a better place for him to be than in the mud.

          One day, in the middle of summer, the ugly worm felt very strange. He felt hungrier than ever and felt like he was growing bigger. After having a huge feast of green leaves, he tied himself to a branch of a tree with silk. The ugly worm had no idea why he was doing this but his instinct kept on making him do it. So the ugly worm kept on covering himself with silk, until he was completely covered with silk and built a cocoon. He stayed inside the cocoon for two weeks then he burst out of the cocoon.

          Being in the cocoon for two weeks had changed the ugly worm completely. He was no longer a green and hairy worm, but a beautiful butterfly with colourful wings of purple, white and black. The truth was he was a caterpillar, not a worm. The butterfly spread his wings and flew around the park. Where ever he flew the other insects thought he was the most beautiful butterfly ever. Even other butterflies that also lived in the park welcomed him. At first the butterfly felt shy from all the attention he was getting but he felt happy. Before he had been picked on because of his ugliness, but now he was no longer the ugly worm. And he was never picked on again.

Yurie and the Garden

           Once upon a time a rich girl named Yurie lived with her uncle Kiyoshi in a big mansion. Yurie was a good and sweet little girl but she was unhappy most of the time. The truth was Kiyoshi was away from home all the time and Yurie hardly ever saw him.  Yurie thought it was because he hated her. The reason for that was because her mother, Yumie, was her uncle’s elder sister. Yumie died after she gave birth to Yurie eight years ago and it made Kiyoshi very upset when she died. Yurie believed that her uncle blamed her for her death. Of course this was not true; the real reason was Kiyoshi feared that loving Yurie as much as he loved Yumie would make him lose her but Yurie didn’t know that yet.

          The servants knew it wasn’t Yurie’s fault that Yumie died and they all cared for her like she was their daughter. They taught her how to read, write, sew and play two stringed instruments called the kokyu and the shamisen. But Yurie’s favourite thing to do was learn how to tend to gardens. Yurie loved being in the gardens outside the mansion. The flowers and trees always made her smile. The servants always said that she got the love of gardens from her mother. They always told her that Yumie would spend hours in the gardens every day. Yurie loved it when the servants told her stories about her mother, but there were times that she would cry from listening to them because she missed her mother.

          One cold winter day Yurie was taking a walk out into the garden with her doll, Sakura. Sakura was a gift to Yurie from her mother. Yumie made the doll for Yurie just before she was born. She looked like a little girl, with short black hair and was dressed in a pink kimono. Yurie had always kept Sakura with her day and night, she thought of her as a sister. It was near the end of winter, no leaves or flowers had sprouted yet. Yurie didn’t like it when there were no leaves or flowers. It made gardens look dead.

          Yurie walked over to a big wall with a door attached to it. She had once heard the servants say that behind the door was a garden that Yumie and Kiyoshi used to spend a lot of time. Yurie had always wanted to go through the door and see the garden her mother and uncle loved so much. But the door was locked and no one knew where the key was. Apparently Kiyoshi had the garden locked up and the key buried somewhere ever since Yumie died. The garden reminded him too much of his sister. After just staring at the locked door for a while, Yurie went straight back to the mansion. 

          That night Yurie was in bed with Sakura lying beside her. She was just about to go to sleep, when she heard voices from outside her room. She sat up in bed and listened to what the voices were saying. “Did you clean that room again?” asked a servant. “Yes I did” another servant answered “I must ask you though. Why does master Kiyoshi keep that room cleaned, locked up and never shows it to Yurie? It is her mother’s room after all”. “It’s because he has been upset since she died and doesn’t want to upset Yurie with it. He doesn’t want it dirty which is why he asks us to keep it clean.” Then the voices died down.

            Yurie got out of bed, came out of her room and walked to her mother’s room. It was five rooms away from Yurie’s room. She had always wanted to look in there, but since it was kept locked up tight she couldn’t. But tonight luck was on Yurie’s side. The servant, who cleaned the room, left the key in the lock. Yurie took the key out of the lock and went back to bed. She thought it was too dark to go in there now, so she would go in there tomorrow when the sun started to rise. Then she fell asleep, holding Sakura and the key close to her.

          While she slept that night she had a dream; a dream about her mother Yumie. Yurie was standing in a garden she had never been in before. It was a beautiful garden with flowers everywhere. Then suddenly Yumie appeared kneeling in front of her.

          “Mother!” she cried, running into Yumie’s arms, “I miss you so much”. Tears were running down her cheeks.

          “There, there my daughter” said Yumie, holding her daughter tight, “listen carefully to what I have to say. My garden feels sad and lonely without anyone there to care for it. Yurie I ask you to care for it in my place”.

          “But mother” said Yurie “I don’t know where the key to the garden is”.

          “My best friend Iris has the key” said Yumie “find her and you will find the key. I’m counting on you my daughter”. Then Yurie’s dream ended at that. Yurie still had tears in her eyes while she slept; she missed her mother very much.

          The next morning, just when the sun was starting to rise, Yurie got up very early. She wanted to look into her mother’s room, before anyone was up. So she quickly got out of bed, grabbed the key to her mother’s room, went out of her room and went straight to her mother’s room. Luckily none of the servants were up yet. So this was Yurie’s chance of seeing the room before anyone could stop her. She unlocked the door, opened it, and went inside.

          Yumie’s room was a big room, with a big bed, a dressing table, a wardrobe with kimonos and there was a big painted portrait of Yumie and Kiyoshi. Yurie closed the door, so the servants wouldn’t see her and looked around. On Yumie’s dressing table there was pretty jewellery, hair clips, barrettes and hair combs. Yurie found her mother’s kimonos really beautiful and wouldn’t stop staring at the portrait. Kiyoshi’s smile was something she had never seen before. Whenever she saw him he never smiled because of his sadness.

          What caught Yurie’s eyes the most was a doll that lay upon Yumie’s bed. The doll looked like Sakura; only this doll looked a bit older with long black hair and dressed in a dark purple kimono. “This must be Iris” Yurie whispered to herself. She remembered that one time she heard the servant, who took care of the room, talking about a doll called Iris that belonged to Yumie. Remembering what her mother said about Iris having the key to the garden, Yurie picked up Iris. There right under Iris was the key to the garden. Yurie was happy to have finally found the key to the garden. She grabbed the key, put Iris back onto the bed and left the room, remembering to lock the door and leave the room key in the lock where the servant left it so that she wouldn’t notice it hadn’t been moved.

          During the day Yurie pretended to act like nothing special had happened, so the servants wouldn’t be suspicious of her. Then after going through all of today’s lessons of reading, writing, sewing and music, Yurie went straight into the garden. She ran straight to the locked door, unlocked it with the key, opened the door and went straight into the garden. Yurie was amazed by what she was seeing. The garden was big, with lots of grass, lots of flower beds, and three sakura trees. In the middle of the garden was a big pond with a few carps in it. There was even a band stand; Yurie had seen the band stand in the portrait of her mother and uncle sitting there together. Yurie was happy to be finally in her mother’s garden, but was not happy at the way it looked. The garden was in a terrible mess, since it hadn’t been looked after for eight years. There were lots of dead leaves, lots of weeds, broken sticks and the pond and band stand didn’t look tidy either.  Yurie didn’t like it like that and decided she would take care of it. “Mother” she said “I promise you I will make your garden as good as new”.

          Yurie knew of course that she couldn’t take care of the garden by herself, so she decided to ask her friend Sentarou to help her. Her friend Sentarou was the gardener’s twelve year old son. He was like an elder brother to Yurie and spent all his free time with her. Yurie found him by a tree close to the locked garden and ran up to him. “Sentarou” she said “I need your help”. She told Sentarou about her finding of the garden key and going inside. “You actually went in there?” Sentarou asked “what is it like?” “It is a mess in there” answered Yurie “I can’t take care of the garden myself, so will you help me please?” “Of course I can” said Sentarou “show me the garden please”. Yurie led Sentarou into the garden and he took a good look at it. “You’re right it is a mess” said Sentarou “but if we work together we can make the garden as good as new”. Yurie agreed and they both promised each other to keep this all a secret. They feared that telling anyone about this would get them into trouble and they may not be allowed to go to the garden anymore.

          So all through the rest of winter and the beginning of spring, Yurie and Sentarou tended the garden together. Sentarou raked the dead leaves, cut off the dead wood from the two bushes and picked up all the broken sticks. Yurie tided up the flower beds and pulled out the weeds. Then together they took care of the pond and band stand, until the whole garden looked as good as new. And together they watched the garden grow. By the time it was the middle of spring, the garden was full of flowers and green leaves on the trees and bushes. There were lotus flowers in the pond, sakura blossoms on the trees, iris growing around the band stand, pink and white azalea flowers bloomed on the bushes and there were multi coloured chrysanthemums and orchid flowers in the flower beds.

          “The garden really is now good as new” said Sentarou. Yurie agreed with him; the garden had become exactly as she saw it in the dream of her mother. She told Sentarou all about the dream. “It was a good thing that your mother visited you that night” said Sentarou “otherwise we would have never been able to look after this garden”. “I do wish that my uncle would see this” said Yurie “I wish he would come home and spend time in this garden, like he used to do when mother was alive”.  Yurie prayed her wish will come true.

          Meanwhile somewhere, far away from the mansion, Kiyoshi was asleep at an inn and was dreaming. He was dreaming that he was in his late sister’s garden. And there, standing in front of the band stand was his sister Yumie. Yurie was in the dream too and she was playing with Iris and Sakura, while sitting beside her mother. “Yumie and Yurie” whispered Kiyoshi in shock. “Come play with us in the garden Kiyoshi” said Yumie. “Yes please do uncle Kiyoshi” said Yurie. Then the dream ended. Kiyoshi woke with a start and decided to head home immediately.

          When he arrived at the mansion he asked the servants where Yurie was. “She will be outside sir” answered one of them “she spends all her free time outside with Sentarou”. Kiyoshi had a feeling that she would be in her mother’s garden like in his dream, so he rushed outside. He rushed to the door of the garden, opened it and went into the garden.

          Standing in front of the band stand was Yurie, playing with her doll Sakura, and talking to Sentarou. “Yurie” called Kiyoshi. Yurie and Sentarou stopped talking and looked to who was calling. “Uncle Kiyoshi” said Yurie. Kiyoshi walked over to them. Yurie was afraid that her uncle would be cross with them and lock up the garden again. “Please don’t lock up the garden again” she said, in fear, “I love this garden as much as mother did”. Kiyoshi walked over to Yurie, knelt down in front of her and pulled her into a hug. “Uncle Kiyoshi?” whispered Yurie; she had never been hugged by him before. “It’s all right my niece” Kiyoshi said, stroking her head, “I won’t lock it up again”. “I’m happy to hear that” said a female voice.

          That female voice belonged to Yumie; she appeared to them in her spirit form. “Mother” said Yurie. “Yumie” said Kiyoshi. “I’m happy that my garden is a beautiful place again” said Yumie. “I’m sorry Yumie” said Kiyoshi “I didn’t take care of your garden or Yurie”. “It’s alright Kiyoshi” said Yumie “I’m glad that everything is all right now. Yurie be a good girl for your uncle and continue to take care of the garden”. “Yes mother” said Yurie. Then Yumie disappeared into heaven. Then Kiyoshi pulled Yurie into another hug and held her like there was no tomorrow. Yurie returned the hug, happy that she was finally with her uncle.

          From that day on Kiyoshi spent a lot of happy times with Yurie. Both Yumie’s garden and bedroom were kept unlocked and Kiyoshi and Yurie went into them whenever they wanted to. Yurie gained custody of Iris and she kept her by Sakura’s side; Iris and Sakura were like mother and daughter to her. As for Yumie, she looked down on her daughter and brother from heaven ever after.       

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.