This is a story I wrote recently after completing my course in Compassionate inquiry. I regularly write stories for children, so keep an eye out for more to come :). Hope you enjoy!
Wait-a-Minute
Hello everyone, It’s a wonderful day, the sun is shining and the birds are singing. I think I’ll put on my shoes and go for a lovely walk in the park.
What a beautiful sight, everything is just beautiful. How nice. The birds are singing ‘la di la di la di loooo la diiiii’
Wait-a-minute, that’s not a bird! It’s a snake. Quick run, get out, run run run run as fast as you can!
Phew! That was lucky, I got away. That’s good. I’ll just sit down over there and catch my breathe. What a fright. I must pay attention and take notice more. Those snakes, GRRRRR. Oh look I’ll get myself a lovely cup of tea and a biscuit. So nice, a lovely, warm, tasty cup of tea and a biscuit. So nice. Mmmmmmmmm delicious in fact.
Wait-a-minute, that’s not a cup of tea and a biscuit. It’s a snake! Quick run, get out, run run run run as fast as you can!
Phew, that was lucky. I got away from that snake AGAIN. That sneaky old snake. He must be following me around or something. I’ve got to pay attention and take more notice. Hmmm, I know. Look at that house over there. That lovely, beautiful house. It looks so cosy and safe and secure. I think I’ll just wander over there for a bit and relax. I’ll be safe there. Oh wow, it’s beautiful in here.
Wait-a-minute, this isn’t a cosy and safe and secure house. It’s a snake! Quick run, get out, run run run run as fast as you can!
Phew, that was lucky. I got away from that snake again. Can you imagine that house was a snake. What a scare. Who would of thought it would turn up like that. Not me. Ok, I had better be more careful. I had better pay attention and take more notice.
I know, I’ll build something myself. I’ll design something so secure that no snake could ever sneak in and hide in it. It’ll be made of solid gold. It will be shiny. And it will be beautiful. So there is no way gold can turn into a snake. Never, never never.
Great, that’s good. All done. Safe now. Let’s just sit here. I must pay attention and take more notice if I don’t want to get caught by that snake. Hmmmm, not much to do in here though. A bit tight for space isn’t it. A bit, oh I can’t go anywhere. I can’t do anything. OK anyway I can still pay attention and take more notice. Must pay attention and take more notice. I’ll cut a slit in the house here and then I can take a look outside. It’s just the tiniest of tiny slits. Nothing will be able to get in, but I’ll be able to look out, pay attention and take more notice.
OK, lets take a look out there. Woooow, look it’s all different now. Look how it’s changed. I was right. There are snakes everywhere. Look at them, all snaky and slithering around over there. Wooow, look at them. Actually all I can see is snakes, I can’t see much else. So clever of me to build this gold house. What a clever boy I am. What an intelligent and clever and smart boy I must be. To have built this house. I am chuffed. Ok, I’ll sit here shall I. I must pay attention and take more notice.
(30 years later)
Pay attention, take more notice. Look at them. Pay attention, take more notice look at them. The boy sat there on guard. He was awfully good at paying attention and awfully good at taking notice now. IN fact there was not a single snake that slithered past his gold house that he didn’t notice. In all those years there wasn’t one single snake.
But one day he noticed something else. An old man, singing, dancing and eating apples from an apple tree. He looked closely. He was a wise man. The boy could tell he was wise, because he had a long beard. A long long long beard. It must of taken him 100 years to grow a beard like that. So he must be wise.
Let me talk to him thought the boy. I’ll try and talk to him.
‘Hello!” shouted the boy
‘Hello!’ replied the old man
“Help! I’m trapped in here and there are snakes everywhere’ said the boy
‘Help!? You’re trapped in there and there are snakes everywhere. Really? Said the old man
“Yes, come take a look. Look’ said the boy
‘Oh yes, I see now, I can see. But the snakes aren’t out here. They are in there. They are with you! In-fact if I take a closer look at you, yep, I thought so. You’re a snake too. Look at yourself.’
The boy looked down. I’m a snake? Am i? Look at my slithery skin and my snake tongue and I don’t have feet or legs or arms or even hands.
Wait-a-minute I’M A SNAKE. Quick run, get out, run run run run/slither slither slither slither as fast as you can!
‘you’ve really gone and done it this time boy. You’re the snake. Just look at yourself. Here take this mirror and have a look. I must go, because I’ve got more apples to eat. But before I do, just take this mirror. Pay Attention and take more notice as you look into it.
Hmmm thought the boy. I must pay attention and take more notice. He took the mirror and sat down with it. He just watched himself and how snaky he was. And as he watched, as he paid attention. As he took more notice. Something began to happen. He began to change. He turned back into a boy. The gold started to melt and he could see outside again. He could see the trees and he could see the sky and he could see the sun. And he could see the tress beauty and he could see the skys beauty and he could see the suns beauty. And he didn’t have to pay attention and take notice of them. He could just be with them. It was like he was a tree or he was the sky or he was the sun.
And he couldn’t see too many snakes out there. In fact he couldn’t see any. He could see the old man with the beard, the wise old man with the beard eating apples by the apple tree. And he looked down next to him. And right beside him there was a snake. Such a cute baby snake. And he picked up the this baby snake. And he thought it looked very nice. And he held it tightly and he said to the snake ‘Thank-you’ and the snake slithered off.
So he thought to himself. It’s a wonderful day, the sun is shining and the birds are singing. I think I’ll put on my shoes and go for a lovely walk in the park.
What a beautiful sight, everything is just beautiful. How nice. The birds are singing ‘la did la di la di loooo la diiiii’
Wait-a-minute, that’s not a bird! That’s a dragon!!