Story for kids

 

Little Jeanine

and

the Charming flower

 of the Field

Written by

Joel Alberto Paz Montiel

“Childhood is the time when life is colorful painted and difficult things seem to be rounded by simplicity”

The Author

 

 

Little Jeanine and the charming Flower of the field

By Joel Alberto Paz Montiel
joelpacojo@gmail.com

Edited by

S.E. Haniel

San Rafael de El Moján – Venezuela

November 2015

This book design and presentation are property of the publisher

Printed in Venezuela

By: Joynel, C.A.

Revised by Professor George Chill

ISBN: 978-980-12-3740-2

FIRST EDITION

Strictly prohibited the whole or in part reproduction of this book

 

Little Jeanine, very sweet as always, was a little girl who lived alone in the country, because She was an orphan, She had a little turtle which she loved very much, not only was it her pet, but her Littleshell, as she called her, was her best friend, Littleshell had been with her since she was a very little girl.

     Littleshell always followed Little Jeanine everywhere she went and she watched as Little Jeanine busied herself around the house. Because, she liked to keep everything very neat.

    Nearby Little Jeanine’s house there was a small bridge that crossed over a small stream. She enjoyed watching the small fish that could be seen in its crystalline waters. She also liked to see the sky , so she imagined to have a couple of little wings that made her fly but it was just a dream, She knew that getting wings to fly was not possible.

     From time to time, she wondered, “Why do I feel so alone? If I have my little turtle”.

     That was a question without response.

     However, Little Jeanine often felt very sad; it was due to the loss of her parents, certainly. Her only friend and companion was Little shell.

   One day very early in the morning, she left home with her little turtle to take a walk in the field where there were many trees, little forest animals and flowers. She really enjoyed looking around the field

     During these walks, Little Jeanine came up on a very beautiful flower.

     What a charming flower this is!  She exclaimed.

     “Isn’t it cute?” She exclaimed again.

     She identified herself with that beautiful and charming flower.

     “Don’t you feel the same”, she asked the flower pretending it responded to her.

     But this didn’t happen. Only the little turtle listened to her.

    From that moment on, every time she took walks in the field she always visited that beautiful and charming flower. She also used to talk to her and told her things as if the charming flower was somebody that was paying attention to her.

     She said to her, “I need to have friends to play with, to talk to, and to share things with them”

     The flower suddenly began to shine without any reason, then slowly the  petals of the flower started to open and from her center a sweet and melodious  voice began to speak and asked her, “Little Jeanine, Why are you  so sad?”

     You’ve always rely on me to listen to you and to be with you.

     Little Jeanine opened her eyes widely then she thought, “Am I dreaming?” and next she wondered, “A flower cannot talk, can it?”

Then much to Little Jeanine’s surprise the charming flower continued talking to her.

    She kept staring at the flower in amazement.

     “Don’t be scared of me”, the charming flower said to her.

     “I want to be your friend”, continued.

     These words made Little Jeanine feel relaxed and confident.

     Anyway, the flower continued, as you are a girl with a sweet and gentle heart I have decided to grant you a wish. Tell me What is the biggest gift your heart most desires?. Little Jeanine knew that bringing back her parents was impossible but there was something she had always wanted so that was exactly what came to her mind. She had always wished for something with all her soul. She thought that it was an impossible dream.

Then she answered: - I wish to have lots of friends. - The voice of the flower responded: - It will be as your heart wishes. The only condition is that you must wait until tomorrow.

   Little Jeanine, with great curiosity returned to her humble little house in the country. She yearned for her dream to come true, but she had to wait until the following day.

     Her anxiety was so enormous, that she could not manage to go to sleep. She spent most of the night looking at the stars through her window. In a few hours the day would come, she thought. Finally  sleep overcame.

    Daylight appeared and she could not wait any longer. It was impossible for her to stay in bed and She got up earlier than she used to.  She took her little turtle and she left to take her morning walk by the field.

   When she came to the field, a little way off in the distance, she listened to children’s voices they were singing and laughing. She approached cautiously to secretly observe them among the trees without allowing them to see her.

     She suddenly realized that those children could be the companions the charming flower of the field had promised her.

     She could not contain her curiosity and she moved closer to ask them, What their names were  and Where they came from.

     The children, one by one answered the questions the little girl asked.

   My name is Joseph, one of them answered.

   Mine is Peter, responded the other

    The last little girl in the group of children said to her, my name is Fatima.

Once all the children had identified themselves, all of them answered in chorus to the second question Little Jeanine had asked.

     We are from a town very close to this forest. Little Jeanine knew that these children really were the friends whom the charming flower of the field had promised her.

    Then she asked. “Can I play with you?”

     The children answered all together

     “Of course, come on and bring your friend the little turtle”, they answered

  Between games and laughter, they passed the whole day. When night approached the children began to sadden, because they had to return home, but Little Jeanine was very intelligent, and she comforted them saying. “Do not worry friends”. I would like to offer my small humble house to you and in that way we could stay all together”. However she thought what would happen to these children’s parents. They would die of sadness if the children did not come home. So she added, but we can come back here every day after fulfilling our duties and in that way we can see each other whenever we want here in the forest”.

     Thus, all of them went to their respective homes, including Little Jeanine. But late that night, a short distance from the small house, the charming flower that had once been beautiful, was losing its brightness, because it was dying. It was already very old. Little Jeanine alone in her house started to feel an immense emptiness in her chest, and at the same time in her ears heard the flower whisper:, “I am very sad because I am dying and I am alone, come Little Jeanine, come to my side”.

     Little Jeanine without hesitation, left home running forwards the field where the charming flower was. She carried her pet Littleshell in one hand and in the other one she carried a light.

     When she arrived at the site where the charming flower was, she could see it was dying. Little Jeanine felt great sadness and she began to shed tears. Little Jeanine begged the charming flower not to go away, but it responded to her in this way.

     “This is my moment, but you will not be alone anymore, you have your friends, in addition I will not leave you either unaccompanied or sad, I am very old and I must go so others can come after me. I want you to stay hopeful and have that all your wishes will come true and they will fulfill the loneliness you have in your heart and soul. Little Jeanine could not stop weeping, either.

   Finally the charming flower died. There was nothing Little Jeanine could do to avoid it. The days went by, and in spite of being alone in her small house, she always had her friends who came to visit her every afternoon since they knew what happened to the charming flower of the field, they befriended her playing and accompanying her. But sadness did not leave her heart. After sometime, Little Jeanine began to do what she had always done, her routine of taking walks by the field in the morning, but now she did it with her little pet and her friends.

When passing by the place where the charming flower had been, she tried to avoid looking but curiosity overcame her, to her surprise, over exactly in the same place where her friend the charming flower had grown, she could see small sparkles of light.

  Little Jeanine ran towards the place and when she arrived she noticed that there were many small flowers which all looked like her friend the charming flower of the field. She now understood the meaning of the words that the charming flower had said to her before dying:, “This is my moment so others come after me”. Little Jeanine knew that these little flowers that smiled to her and greeted her, were not there by chance, they were the children of her friend the charming flower, and now  they would be her friends as well.

    Little Jeanine now understood that life and death were not isolated experiences. She also understood that they were not opposed to each other, and if someone was able to appreciate existence in that manner they would reach a complete understanding of life itself.

     It was time to begin her search for the joy and happiness that from now on would overwhelm Little Jeanine’s heart, together with her little turtle, her new friends and the little flowers. After suffering much loneliness, she now had many friends, because of the charming flower of the field.

The End