Eden,my dearest friend!

Eden, my dearest friend!

Once upon a time there was a wealthy family called The Smiths.   They lived in a very big and comfortable mansion just like a castle.   The house had a beautiful garden with many smellyred roses.   These flowers were planted in honour of Mr. Smith’s wife, Emma, and they also had a little girl called Rose who was loved and given everything she wanted.   

One day the Smiths decided to clean up the attic and throw away some old things they had in it.   Among the old objects there was a teddy bear, a very old one full of dust and without an eye.   The Smiths didn’t care and quickly got rid of the teddy bear.   After hours cleaning all up Mr.   and Mrs.   Smith decided to take a nap.   Meanwhile Rose was feeling upset and she was fed up of being at home playing always with the same toys.   Although they were very modern, beautiful and educative, she needed something more personal and special.   Once annoyed, Rose decided to go outside and play hide and seek who knows with her dog Brutus.  

The little girl was playing full of joy, running from one place to another when suddenly she notices the teddy bear and all the other old objects her parents had put in there with the aim ofgetting rid of everything.   Rose felt sorry for the poor teddy bear.   He seemed so lonely and hurt that she decided to pick him up.  

-         “Mummy! Look what I’ve found.  ” – said Rose. 

-         “Where did you find it Rosie? Your father and I threw it away.  ” – Mrs.   Smith answered. 

-         “I’ve found it outside.   I thought he was so said that…”

-         “Don’t be silly my dear daughter!

 It’s just an ugly and dirty teddy bear!
 Throw it away now!” – the mummy said angrily. 

Rose went outside pretending she was throwing the teddy bear away but instead she treated him.   She made him some new clothes, sewed his eye and put a smile on his face.   He wasn’t scruffy any more; he was now a very cute teddy bear and he even had a name.   Rose decided to call him Eden because he was found in the garden and she remembered a story her mummy had told her once about the Garden of Eden. 

She hugged Eden tight and promised he would never be abandoned again.   Now she felt really happy and she also had won a best friend with whom she could play whenever and wherever she wanted.  

The parents ended up letting her bringing Eden home and they also noticed that the most important weren’t those expensive and beautiful toys they offered her; what really matters is friendship and simplicity.  

Therefore they lived happily ever after with one more member in the family: Eden Teddy Bear.

THE FLYING UNICORN

                 THE FLYING UNICORN

                                           

Sara was a unicorn. 

She was a very special unicorn, and her tribe considered her one of the greatest creatures in the world, for Sara had wings, and she could fly.

Great big gossamer wings the color of moonlight, could take her soaring into the air above, her white bodygleaming in the sun at day, and sparkling in the moon-and star-light at night.

She was a happy and good-natured animal and made friends with everyone, even humans.  She liked little children, who always stared at her in wonder and delight.  One little girl was her special friend.  She lived just outside of the forest that Sara lived in.  Her name was Minnie and she loved Sara with all her heart.

One day when they were walking in the forest, Minnie asked Sara, “Dear Sara, would you please, please, take me up with you into the great big sky?  I want to see the world from up there.  Please, Sara?”

“Of course, I will, my little friend.  Would you like to go now?” Sara asked, looking down at Minnie.

“Yes please,” Minnie shouted, jumping up and down in excitement.

And so, with Minnie on her back, Sara flew off into the air, climbing higher and higher, with the little girl screaming in delight.  She held on tightly to Sara and looked down at the ground that seemed so very far away.  The houses and trees looked like toys.  The river looked like a blue line drawn on one of her drawing pages.  Birds flew past her chirping a friendly greeting and she waved at them in return. 

Soon it was time to return to the ground, and when she landed she hugged Sara tightly and said, “Thank you so much, dear friend.  That was lovely.” 

Princesses

Princesses

Once upon a time there were three beautiful princesses there names were Kimmy, Katie, and Kristen.  Kimmy was 3, Katie was 5, and Kristen was 8.  They all lived in a manor.  With butlers, maids, cooks, and lots of people.  But the princesses did not treat them like slaves they treated them with respect and kindness.  The princess’s mothers name was Krystal.  She was very kind, and taught her three girls how to treat all people with respect and kindness.  The mother had long flowing black hair.  The princess’s fathers name was Kevin.  He taught his three girls to be lady like.  He had man like blond hair.  He was very nice man.  They also had a tutor named ken.  He had light brown hair.  He was very handsome.

One sunny morning a messenger came with very sad news.  The mother’s mother was very ill.  The mother and father had to leave.  They left the princesses with the uncle.  The uncle was very mean to every one.  His mood made everyone in the manor miserable except the princesses.  One time he told the cook to make steak and spaghetti.  The uncle changed his mind but didn’t tell the cook.  The cook could not read minds so he still made what the uncle said to cook.  When the uncle saw this he stormed off.  The cook was not happy.  But Kristen told him it was ok.  So that made the cook feel better.   Everyone else ate what he made and it tasted delicious.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

wizard muddle

           wizard muddle

The Tree, which should have been brown and green, was purple 

and pink and blue, instead.

Wizard Muddle scratched his head worriedly.

He was trying to grow a tree by magic, but somehow

 it wasn’t coming out right.  He knew a tree shouldn’t

 have a purple trunk. Neither should it have pink and blue leaves.

He walked around it.  He prodded it.  He waved his wand

 at it and the tree suddenly turned into a rose bush.  It was

 still purple, with blue and pink leaves.  The roses were purple.

 He shook his head, and turned it back into a tree.

He walked around it again. He waved his wand at it again

, and this time it turned into a toadstool

; still, purple, pink and blue.  He hit it with his wand and it turned back into a tree.

“What’s the matter with you?”  He demanded. 

  “Don't you know you should be brown and green?”

He jumped a foot in the air when the tree said crossly, 

“You made me like this.”  “Don't blame me.”

“I didn’t know you could talk.’’ He whispered.  

“I'm sorry, but I can't make you grow other

 than in purple, pink and blue.”  “I don't know what to do.”

“Some wizard, you are!” laughed the tree. 

  It looked at itself up and down,

 waving its branches to study the colors.

“Hmm, actually, wizard, I don't mind being different.”

“You don't mind being purple?”  Muddle asked incredulously.

“No.”  “So just keep me like this”

And so, Wizard Muddle was the only 

person in the forest to have a tree that was purple,

 pink and blue, and like the tree, 

he decided that he quite liked being different.

In fact, he painted his house purple, pink and blue! 

ELF SILVER WINGS AND THE PRINCE

ELF SILVER WINGS AND THE PRINCE


                                                  

The Prince was lost.

He wondered in the dark forest for a very long time, leading his horse.  They walked and walked until both were too tired to move any further. The Prince stopped by a little stream of water, and they both drank thirstily.

“What shall we do, Star?” Prince Dale asked his horse.  He didn’t expect a reply, and so was very surprised when a voice said, “You should rest here a while, and then I’ll show you the way out.”

He turned and saw a tiny figure standing in the grass a little distance away from him.  She was dressed in brightly colored green leaves of all shades, and even had a little green crown on her head.  He saw that she had two beautiful gossamer wings that were silver and sparkled in the sunlight.

“Who are you?” he whispered.

“I am Silver Wings.” “I am an elf.”

“I’ve never seen an elf before.”  The prince said softly.  ‘Will you really show me the way out?”

‘Of course, I will.”   “But you should rest first.”  “Your horse is tired too.”

She sat with him as he and Star rested.

She told him tales of living in the forest, of the tree houses they built, of the birds and butterflies who were their friends.  Of playing in the sun and swimming in the river. She spoke of lying in the grass, gazing up at the moon and stars at night, of watching the fireflies and night owls fly in the dark. 

She made Prince Dale understand that the forest was not something he should be afraid of, and when many hours had passed and the prince and his horse were well rested, she showed them the way out.

“Thank you, Elf Silver Wings.”  The Prince said as he waved to her one final time.

The Story of Cinderella

The Story of Cinderella

Once upon a time... there lived an unhappy young girl. Unhappy she was, for her mother was dead, her father had married another woman, a widow with two daughters, and her stepmother didn't like her one little bit. All the nice things, kind thoughts and loving touches were for her own daughters. And not just the kind thoughts and love, but also dresses, shoes, shawls, delicious food, comfy beds, as well as every home comfort. All this was laid on for her daughters. But, for the poor unhappy girl, there was nothing at all. No dresses, only her stepsisters' hand-me-downs. No lovely dishes, nothing but scraps. No nice rests and comfort. For she had to work hard all day, and only when evening came was she allowed to sit for a while by the fire, near the cinders. That is how she got her nickname, for everybody called her Cinderella. Cinderella used to spend long hours all alone talking to the cat. The cat said, 

"Miaow", which really meant, "Cheer up! You have something neither of your stepsisters have and that is beauty." 

It was quite true. Cindaralla, even dressed in rags with a dusty gray face from the cinders, was a lovely girl. While her stepsisters, no matter how splendid and elegant their clothes, were still clumsy, lumpy and ugly and always would be. 

One day, beautiful new dresses arrived at the house. A ball was to be held at Court and the stepsisters were getting ready to go to it. Cinderella, didn't even dare ask, "What about me?" for she knew very well what the answer to that would be: 

"You? My dear girl, you're staying at home to wash the dishes, scrub the floors and turn down the beds for your stepsisters. They will come home tired and very sleepy." Cinderella sighed at the cat. 

"Oh dear, I'm so unhappy!" and the cat murmured "Miaow". 

Suddenly something amazing happened. In the kitchen, where Cinderella was sitting all by herself, there was a burst of light and a fairy appeared. 

"Don't be alarmed, Cinderella," said the fairy. "The wind blew me your sighs. I know you would love to go to the ball. And so you shall!" 

"How can I, dressed in rags?" Cinderella replied. "The servants will turn me away!" The fairy smiled. With a flick of her magic wand... Cinderella found herself wearing the most beautiful dress, the loveliest ever seen in the realm. 

"Now that we have settled the matter of the dress," said the fairy, "we'll need to get you a coach. A real lady would never go to a ball on foot!" 

"Quick! Get me a pumpkin!" she ordered. 

"Oh of course," said Cinderella, rushing away. Then the fairy turned to the cat. 

"You, bring me seven mice!" 

"Seven mice!" said the cat. "I didn't know fairies ate mice too!" 

"They're not for eating, silly! Do as you are told!... and, remember they must be alive!" 

Cinderella soon returned with a fine pumpkin and the cat with seven mice he had caught in the cellar. 

"Good!" exclaimed the fairy. With a flick of her magic wand... wonder of wonders! The pumpkin turned into a sparkling coach and the mice became six white horses, while the seventh mouse turned into a coachman, in a smart uniform and carrying a whip. Cinderella could hardly believe her eyes. 

"I shall present you at Court. You will soon see that the Prince, in whose honor the ball is being held, will be enchanted by your loveliness. But remember! You must leave the ball at midnight and come home. For that is when the spell ends. Your coach will turn back into a pumpkin, the horses will become mice again and the coachman will turn back into a mouse... and you will be dressed again in rags and wearing clogs instead of these dainty little slippers! Do you understand?" Cinderella smiled and said, 

"Yes, I understand!" 

When Cinderella entered the ballroom at the palace, a hush fell. Everyone stopped in mid-sentence to admire her elegance, her beauty and grace. 

"Who can that be?" people asked each other. The two stepsisters also wondered who the newcomer was, for never in a month of Sundays, would they ever have guessed that the beautiful girl was really poor Cinderella who talked to the cat! 

When the prince set eyes on Cinderella, he was struck by her beauty. Walking over to her, he bowed deeply and asked her to dance. And to the great disappointment of all the young ladies, he danced with Cinderella all evening. 

"Who are you, fair maiden?" the Prince kept asking her. But Cinderella only replied: 

"What does it matter who I am! You will never see me again anyway." 

"Oh, but I shall, I'm quite certain!" he replied. 

Cinderella had a wonderful time at the ball... But, all of a sudden, she heard the sound of a clock: the first stroke of midnight! She remembered what the fairy had said, and without a word of goodbye she slipped from the Prince's arms and ran down the steps. As she ran she lost one of her slippers, but not for a moment did she dream of stopping to pick it up! If the last stroke of midnight were to sound... oh... what a disaster that would be! Out she fled and vanished into the night. 

The Prince, who was now madly in love with her, picked up her slipper and said to his ministers, 

"Go and search everywhere for the girl whose foot this slipper fits. I will never be content until I find her!" So the ministers tried the slipper on the foot of all the girls... and on Cinderella's foot as well... Surprise! The slipper fitted perfectly. 

"That awful untidy girl simply cannot have been at the ball," snapped the stepmother. "Tell the Prince he ought to marry one of my two daughters! Can't you see how ugly Cinderella is! Can't you see?" 

Suddenly she broke off, for the fairy had appeared. 

"That's enough!" she exclaimed, raising her magic wand. In a flash, Cinderella appeared in a splendid dress, shining with youth and beauty. Her stepmother and stepsisters gaped at her in amazement, and the ministers said, 

"Come with us, fair maiden! The Prince awaits to present you with his engagement ring!" So Cinderella joyfully went with them, and lived happily ever after with her Prince. And as for the cat, he just said "Miaow"! 

Boy of Argon Manor

Boy of Argon Manor

By Francis Allgood

The rain finally stops.  The air is thick and everything looks  just a little bit greener than usual.  I peek out of the thicket where I built a very crude fort.  I really got soaked this afternoon!  I knew the rain was coming by the thick feeling in my head and the damp  smell in the air.

I was only six years old when I started exploring the forest.  I  had always played along the edge of the woodlands with my grandparents. When they finally allowed me to enter the deep woods, exploring these paths has become a part of my daily ritual.

I spend most of my time poking around the lake.  A carpet of soft  moss surrounds a huge old gnarled oak tree.  The moss leads up to the thicket where I constructed my hide-away.  Small wild animals are always coming or going and don't seem to be bothered by me. The little brown rabbits live in a burrow just around the bend of the well-worn path. I bring them carrots, leaf lettuce, and radishes. We try and keep them out of the gardens but they manage to burrow under the gate and snack on almost everything.

Today, a beautiful blue and green dragonfly lands on Turtle's  nose.  She slowly climbs up over some rocks and the dragonfly floats into my palm.  The last couple of days the dragonflies seem to be everywhere.  This one has shiny gold rings in the center of each wing. He finally flies away and I chant,

Dragonfly, come play with me,
I've nothing else to do.
Dragon wings and golden rings,
Let me fly with you.

 I spend a lot of time alone. But today I am startled to hear a very faint echo,

Human boy, oh, gentle one
You've wandered far and deep
From my enchanted fairy lair
I'll meet you in your sleep.

I am hypnotized.  Did I just hear what I think I heard?  That same whispering sound seems very familiar. Today is the first time the whispering makes any sense at all.  I repeat the words to myself so that I won't forget them.   What a strange sensation to communicate with something mysterious in the forest. But that's what is happening isn't it?   Are the dragonflies talking to me?

I begin to doubt myself, "I guess I am just daydreaming.    But what an odd feeling!"  I overcome my dizzy spell and realize it's almost five o'clock.  I grab my nap sack and dash out of the woods through the meadow towards home.

The old manor house has been my home since I was born.   I  quickly water the vegetables and flowers and put away the garden hose.   I slip in through the mud- room and tip-toe through the kitchen.   I wash my face and hands and throw on clean clothes.   My grandparents are sipping warm drinks in the parlor.  Grandmother enjoys the wild flowers I bring from the gardens and Grandfather just wants to hear my most exaggerated stories.  I kiss them both and finish preparing the table for dinner.   I am bursting with excitement about the dragonfly and can hardly contain myself.   Should I tell my grandparents? Would I break the spell.   I decide to wait and see if the dragonfly appears in my dreams.

Somehow, I get through dinner and finally dive into my bed.   I pull the covers way up over my head. Tonight I am eager to go to sleep and dream.   I whisper again,

Dragonfly, come play with me
I've nothing else to do.
Dragon wings and golden rings
Let me fly with you.

I don't even remember falling asleep.  What's worse--I don't even  remember any of my dreams!  Several days of disappointment pass and then weeks pass and there is nothing at all enchanted about my dreams.  I am disappointed and my doubts grow. I continue my searching through the forest, looking for clues. Summer is almost over and my cousin will be visiting next week.  I hope that something exciting will happen so I can share it with Jane.

Jane. My cousin has a special sense about things.  She is very  good at keeping me out of trouble.  She seems to know just how to keep our grandparents happy and yet still get into just a little bit of mischief.  Have you ever known someone who has loads of fun but remains very responsible? Well, that's Jane.

Jane seems to enjoy the odd chores that Grandmother comes up with,  too. She sort of makes it dreamy.  When Grandmother asks Jane to polish more of the endless old family silver, Jane invents these games to make it fun.  I remember begging Grandmother for more silver that time that Jane and I were pretending to be archeologists. We uncovered treasure after treasure as we polished the tarnish off of those gloomy old objects. When Jane is here, the doldrums seem to fade away.

Grandmother fusses all week preparing for Uncle Dan, Aunt Sara, and  Jane. The dinner has to be "just so."  Uncle Dan doesn't eat any beef, and that really annoys Grandmother.  He's a bit fussy about many things. Aunt Sara is very flexible, though, and helps make their visit  harmonious.  They live in London and leave Jane with us while they vacation--always somewhere exotic. This time they're going to Southern France. Jane's mom and dad are both research scientists and have hectic schedules.  I don't think Jane gets a lot of attention at home. But she certainly got their brains! I think they make her study really long and hard, too.  But when she's at Argon Manor, we don't study anything. Well, she always brings a few books about her favorite subject at the time.  I can't wait to see what she's been reading about this summer!

Finally, they arrive. Johnathon, our tired old butler, greets them in  a snobby way, and takes their luggage.  Grandmother rolls her eyes to heaven and hugs everyone real tight!  Jane and I dash up the curving, creaking stairs, two at a time.  She cartwheels all the way down the hall and then rounds off into my bedroom. There, she inspects my room to see what has changed since Christmas. She peels into laughter as she glances over at my awful school picture. I couldn't help it that I was just getting over chicken pox and the photo was taken in the dead of winter! (Why didn't I hide it before she got here?)

Johnathon brings in her bags and stares at us with distaste.  He doesn't care for children.  There's a scratching sound coming from a dirty brown bag. Johnathon raises his eyebrows at the bag, looks me in the eyes, then trudges out. Jane rushes over to her satchel and whispers, "Ssshhh, I've got a little surprise for you." She pulls out a box turtle. Amazing!

"We can only keep him for one day.  Can we go out to your woods tomorrow morning?" she asks.

"Sure. Let's find him a home.  Come on."  Jane follows me down to the end of the old hall and up the stairs to the attic.

"This is one creepy old place, Boy.  Have you got a  terrarium or something? We need a bowl for water, too.  And some food."  The light is very dim and we have a hard time seeing anything at all. I run back to my room for my handy dandy flashlight. Jane is all alone in the dark attic. Very faintly, she hears a whisper and at the same time the attic fans begin to whir:

Mortal one, oh, gentle girl
You're where you need to be.
Bewitching smile
You laughing child
The treasure lies in the tree.

Jane sits frozen on top of some old furniture and between many long  shadows. A beautiful dragonfly glides out of the attic vent.  She is in a bit of a trance when I finally return.

 "I got some lettuce and a flat bowl of water . . . Jane, what's the matter?" I ask.

"Oh nothing.  The fans started making some noise and I heard something.  It's nothing, really."  Jane looks a little pale.

"Well, this place is scary.  Let's get going."  We set up the turtle in my room and head back downstairs.  Grandmother wants us to visit for a while in the parlor. The grown ups have a sherry "to take the edge off of the day." Mamie's homemade cider is good enough for us!

Everyone floats into the formal dining room--all aglow with crystal  and smelling scrumptious. Mamie serves her famous roast beef but adds plenty of vegetables and casseroles so she doesn't offend Uncle Dan.

That night, while playing cards, Jane seems a little distant.   She looks at me seriously and says, "I heard something in the attic today."

 I look at her and reply, "Jane, we always hear weird noises in the attic."

She tells me, "I never heard anything like what I heard today.  I heard a whisper that went,

Mortal one, oh, gentle girl
You're where you need to be.
Bewitching smile
You laughing child
The treasure lies in the tree.

"Ummm Hmmm. Jane, there's something I haven't told you.  I  heard a whispering verse when I was in the forest last week. I just couldn't figure out how to tell you."

"Well, what about just telling me!"  Jane was  aggravated with me.  "Why would you keep something like this from me?"

I just felt ashamed and embarrassed.  "Jane, I thought maybe I imagined it." I explained all that had happened in the woods and my growing disappointment. I told her about the dragonflies.  Her face lit up.  "I saw a dragonfly, too."

We agree to go to the woodlands first thing after breakfast  tomorrow.  We have to return the turtle, anyway.  I am so happy that there really is a dragonfly and the whisper and that Jane is in this with me.  I'm also a little scared.

Neither Jane nor I sleep well.  Finally, I drift off to sleep as the morning sun is peeping through the draperies. I am running through the meadow, looking for the turtle.  Suddenly, there is a whisper . . .

Follow me through sun and shade.
Look near your reflection.
Don't be perplexed,
You'll find the X
In the logical direction.

Jane is holding the turtle.  We follow the dragonfly and head  deep into the forest.  We trip over each other as we chase the dragonfly.  Finally, we stop at the lake and look down.  We notice our reflections.  But what about the X?

Suddenly, the song, "You got it, I want it . . . " is  blaring in my ears.  I jump up out of bed and realize I was dreaming. NSYNC, my favorite band, is on the radio.

I run into the guestroom and wake Jane.  She jumps out of bed and  yells, "Where is it?" I calm her down and tell her she is just dreaming.  She says, "You woke me up just when I was getting to the good part!"  We share our dreams and decide to get to the forest right now.

We run through the kitchen and Mamie tries to slow us down for  breakfast.  We brush her off and run out the back door. When we get to the forest, we slow down.  Neither of us makes a sound as we hurry along the path. When we reach the lake, we look for an X.

"Look for a tree.  There is some sort of treasure in the  tree," Jane remembers the voice that spoke to her.  "I'll put the turtle down over here. I wish we could keep him but I'm sure he'll be happy here."  I notice my reflection in the lake, just like in my dream.

"Don't forget, we're supposed to look for an X, too," I  remind Jane.  Letting the turtle go was a lot easier now that we had a treasure hunt ahead of us. Suddenly, we both realize that the two trees that support my fort form an X. We dash over and begin searching for treasure.  We have no shovels or picks--just our bare hands.  We realize how lost we are.

Suddenly, the beautiful dragonfly flitters out of the hollow in one of  the trees just above our heads.  We both start climbing.  When we get propped up on the branch, I reach in and poke around in the hollow.  I pull out a little leather pouch. It is filthy dirty.  We cannot believe our luck. Before I stuff it into my pocket I open it up and pull out a gold coin.  The date is 1444. I don't even know what to say.  I hand the coin over to Jane. Finally, she speaks. "I can't believe this. I haven't even been here for twenty-four hours and we've found gold! These coins were made over half a century ago. Louis XI was the king back then! He may have even handled these coins."

We climb back down.  I shout, "Whoopeeee!"  Then we start back for the house.

"I'm starving.  'Race ya' home!" Jane yells back to me as she dashes through the woods. I'm close on her heels.

When we get home, Jonathon is closing the boot of the car.  Uncle Dan and Aunt Sara hug Jane and me and then crouch into the car.  "We'll see you in two weeks. Jane, you enjoy yourself.  Help your grandmother with the chores."

"I'll miss you!"  Jane says to her mother and father as the car crunches down the drive. Everyone is in the big circular drive, waving them off.  Jane and I try to sneak off into the kitchen but Grandmother asks us where we've been. "Oh, we had to let the turtle go."  I reply and Jane giggles.

 "What turtle?" Grandmother looks confused as we try to avoid her.

"You look like you're up to no good!  Mamie says you didn't eat one bite of breakfast. If you hurry along, she'll probably make you some of her Belgium waffles."  At that, we dart off into the house.

Mamie hears us and laughs, "I don't know why you two were in such  a hurry this morning!  I won't even ask. Fetch a chair and sit down and have some waffles and bacon. Boy, you pour the milk."

 Jane leans over to me and whispers, "This is going to be one interesting visit!"

After we eat, we notice the dragonfly with the golden rings hovering  at the kitchen window.  Jane and I walk over to the window as he begins to fly off. We realize that he isn't a dragonfly at all.  He turns towards us and winks.  He's got an odd face with big green eyes and a  pointed chin.  "He's a dragonfly fairy," whispers Jane.  He slowly takes a bow. I dig one of the gold coins out of my back pocket and hand it to him.  Several other dragonflies appear and help him take the coin. "Do you want them all?" I ask. The little group just laughs and the fairy with the golden rings shakes his head "no."  Jane pinches me and gives me a dirty look. At last they fly off.  We stand there until Mamie sends us out of the kitchen.

We clean the coins and sort them.  "Wait 'till you see the  books I brought for us to look at."

"What are they?" I ask, pretending to be interested.

"I've got three books about old coins.  One book is specifically about the French coins," Jane smiles at me.

"Well, what are you waiting for?  Let's take a look!"  I can't believe I'm really interested in studying something in the summer.

 We promise never to tell anyone our story. Well, anyone except for you