The story of the sad little girl

Once upon a time there was a little girl who was always sad. Nobody really knew why.

A little fox came along and asked her: “Why are you so sad? The sun is shining beautifully, and look how all the flowers are blooming!”

The little girl just shrugged her shoulders and replied: “Oh, little fox, I don’t know.”

The clever little fox thought for a second, and then he said: “Wait, little girl, I’ll be back in a moment.”

Then the fox came back, bringing the little duck with him. The duck asked: “Why are you so sad?” “Oh, little duck, I don’t know,” replied the little girl.

The fox and the duck gave it some thought together. “Hmmmm…” Then they said: “Wait, little girl, we’ll be back in a moment.”

Then they came back, bringing with them the squirrel, the hedgehog, the mouse and the ladybird. All of them sat down with the sad little girl. But she was still so very sad.

Then a mother bear came along the path and saw the little group of animals gathered around the girl. “What’s going on here?” she asked, in a voice that was strong but soft as velvet. “The little girl is so sad, and we don’t know how to help her.”

Then the mother bear sat down in the grass next to the little girl, picked her up very gently, and took her in her arms. The little girl snuggled into the mother bear’s thick fur, somewhat timidly at first, but then so deeply that she could hardly be seen. And then she began to cry. Very quietly at first, but then she could be heard sobbing and sobbing. And then big tears ran down the bear’s coat. The ground became wet. Her tears ran right into the river. And from the river into the sea. And from there they went all around the world.

“And that’s supposed to help?” said the little fox, incredulously.

“Just wait,” said the mother bear.

So the animals waited patiently in the grass for a bit longer.

Then suddenly the little girl looked up, and for the first time she saw the animals and the flowers in all their beauty and uniqueness and their splendid colours. A smile spread across her little face.

“You’re so lovely! Are you all here because of me?”

“Yes, little girl, only because of you. Because you were so sad.”

Then the mother bear sat the little girl down next to her, and held her tightly by the hand. And all the animals sat down in a circle and held each other by the paws and wings. The little fox next to the little girl, the duck next to the mother bear, the hedgehog next to the squirrel and the mouse, and the ladybird on the little girl’s shoulder.

They sat like that for a while, singing beautiful songs and telling each other stories until dusk.

Then they made a fire and feasted on delicious food. Everyone brought something along. They were all ravenous.

Well-fed and contented, they fell asleep next to one another, eagerly looking forward to the new summer’s day that would begin tomorrow.

 

 

Copyright: Anja Löbert, anja.loebert@gmx.de