Friends are Free. Catherine Johnson

World was behind him.

      Thazur had cried for help so often and said, “There ain’t no lion out here.” All the people of the land no longer believed him. When the King really appeared, he could only hear the Sound of One Hand Clapping which was a sound of silence, and Thazur soon was to be known as the Boy Who Could No Longer Be Seen Who Lived in the Land of the Invisible.

      Chief said, “Remember I told you that one day I would tell you the story about the Boy Who Cried Wolf?”

      The village children answering in unison, “Yes.”

      The chief begins to tell the story, “Well, once upon a time, not a time ago but anytime in the Land of Growing Things, lived many families of farmers. A boy used to wonder around the Sprouting Lands where the wolves would come out to gather food for their families. The boy would go there pretending that he was picking fruit and vegetables for himself, and as he would walk toward the farmhouses, he would scatter the fruit and vegetables on the ground. He really did not intend to bring the food back. That was his excuse for coming to the Growing Land. “However, everybody knew that at a certain time in the morning, no one ever attempted to gather vegetables and fruit because they all knew that the Father Wolf would come out to get food for his family, but everyone also knew that he would usually go to the chicken house to gather food. One day, he decided to go to the Growing Grounds instead. The boy noticed this and started hollering out to the farm community people. ‘Wolfa, wolfa,’ he cried. ‘Wolfa, wolfa,’ and he cried again. The people would all come with their farm tools and rakes to chase the wolf away, and each and every time, no wolf was to be seen. The boy laughed and shouted, ‘There ain’t no wolf out here. There ain’t wolf out here. Wolfa, wolfa,’ the boy would laugh and laugh at the farm people for coming to his rescue.

      “One hot sunny day, the trees were warm and standing tall because there had not been any rain for a few days. Usually the trees would purr when it rains and would relax themselves in a sleeping position, and that way everybody could see the Growing Fields more vividly. The boy decided again to go to the Land of the Growing and pick fruit and vegetables. He did not see Father Wolf nearby in the chicken house. Father Wolf said to himself, I’ll take him by surprise. Finally, the boy did see Father Wolf and started crying, ‘Wolfa, wolfa,’ and he cried, ‘Wolfa.’ But nobody paid any attention to him because he screamed there was a wolf in the Growing Fields all the time. All the towns people just kept right on with their daily chores and ignored the boy.

      “‘Surprise, surprise,’ said the Wolf, and the boy had a surprise look on his face. No one asked about the boy or ever saw him again. He was believed to have gone to the World of Make-Believe.

      “Children, I hope that you have learned something from this story and always see what is real and in truth because there may be a time you will need the safety of others, and if you do not perceive what is true and real, no one can receive your callings, and you will also hear the sound of One Hand Clapping as Thazur did and as the young boy in the Land of the Invisible.”

      Once the children became mighty warriors and hunters, they would enter into the World of the Outside, but now they were enjoying and merrily went to the Land of Joy and Pleasure. From that day on, none of the children ever ventured into the Land of the Fierce Ones or saw the Land of the Invisible or the sound of One Hand Clapping.

      “The truth is always visible and remains the same. Untruths are invisible like chameleons and often change.”

      “Do not seek the lakes and oceans before you explore the streams, ponds, and creeks.”

      The Glittering Cheerleader

       Starlite

      The Glittering Cheerleader

       Starlite

      Not once upon a time or sometime but just in time, there was a beautiful cheerleader. She was the prettiest and had the shiniest costume of all the other cheerleaders. Now you know also that she wasn’t willing to share her cheers with anyone. There were no cheers like Starlites in County Bay. Her cheers were astounding and were desired by all the other teams in the county. Starlite could shout, sing, dance, and perform a perfect banana split. None of the other cheerleaders were able to top her. Starlite knew this and was not very shy about it. She strutted and performed all over the school campus. She was the best in the west.

      One day, Cheerleader Mary asked Starlite to show her how to twirl the baton between her fingers into a perfect figure eight. Listen and see how Starlite responded to Mary.

      Mary said to Starlite, “Would you please show me how to twirl my baton the same way that you do? I’m having a hard time balancing it, and I can’t twirl it fast enough to keep up with the other twirlers.”

      Starlite shouted, “I can’t do that! If I show you how to twirl like me, everyone will no longer pay attention to me. I simply can’t have that. I am the best twirler in this county. I must have all eyes on me. No, Mary, I will not teach you how to twirl faster. Now goodbye, Mary. I’ll see you in class.”