CinderSpectaRella Part 4 of 4

The next day, the prince disguised himself as the herald and personally went about the town to ask who owned the glasses. “The prince will invite whoever owns these glasses to a dinner at the castle!” He announced.

When the prince arrived in Cinderella’s home, the stepmother hurriedly brought out her daughters to fit the spectacles.

“This is mine!” Elvira pushed the glasses to her puffy face and almost broke it. She tried walking with the glasses, but immediately got dizzy and conked her head on the nearest tree.

“I’m sorry,” the prince shook his head. “This cannot be yours.”

“It’s mine!” Charlotte yanked the glasses from her sister. She wore it, and smiled as the glasses fit her long and tapered face. But she couldn’t see anything. When she extended her hand to the prince, she ended up slapping him on the face.

“I think not,” the prince turned around to leave. But just as he was about to mount his horse, Cinderella peeked from behind the door.

“May I try it?” She asked, squinting her eyes as she walked towards the prince.

“Oh no, she cannot be the one you are looking for. She didn’t even leave the house last night! And even if she did, she wouldn’t have seen the prince. Rumor has it that the prince was dancing with only one person the whole night!

But the prince insisted, and when she put the glasses on, everything was clear again.

“You’re not the herald, you’re the prince!” Cinderella exclaimed, staring into the eyes of the handsome man she danced with the night before.

The prince smiled. He knew he had found his princess at last.

And Cinderella lived with perfect vision for the rest of her life.

The End

CinderSpectaRella Part 2 of 4

“An invitation from the king,” the messenger handed a golden envelope to Cinderella before taking off in a hurry.

Cinderella squinted to read what the invitation said, but she couldn’t make out any of the letters.

“Give me that!” The stepmother snatched the invitation from Cinderella’s hands. “Did you read it?”

Cinderella shook her head. “What does it say, mother?”

The stepmother scanned through the letter and smiled. “Well, well, the king is inviting me, Elvira and Charlotte to a grand ball tonight!”

“Am I included as well?” Cinderella clasped her hands together, trying to hold down her excitement.

“Nope.” The stepmother and the girls broke into sinister laughter. “Girls, get ready!” She ushered the girls back to the room.

Cinderella ran to the farm at the back of their house. She couldn’t argue with her stepmom because she couldn’t see what was on the invitation.

The farm animals gathered around her. The mouse ran up to her cheek to wipe her tears away.

“It’s my fault,” Cinderella said, talking to no one in particular. “I really do mess things up.”

Just then, a bright light filled the room. “It’s not your fault, child.”

Cinderella squinted her eyes and saw a bubble of light floating about. “Who are you?”

“I’m your fairy godmother, and I’m here to help you make it to the ball!”

“But I wasn’t even invited,” Cinderella argued. “I would never be let in the castle if my name wasn’t on the guest list.”

“Little mouse, please fetch me that letter,” the fairy godmother said. A few minutes later, the mouse was back with a golden envelope between its teeth.

The godmother opened the letter and grinned.

“Your name is clearly included here,” Cinderella’s godmother said.

“But it’s too late! My family has left, and I have nothing to wear,” Cinderella sobbed.

to be continued…

Oh This Cat!

Cat on My Window Sill

As I sit on this window sill
Unmoving, silent, very still
Watch my blue eyes speaking
Is your heart melting?

I lick my lips and you get it
You bring out a bowl and you fill it
I purr to show satisfaction
Of our unspoken connection

Okay, so it’s my first time to make a poem about my craft. I made the cat using polymer clay, and the window sill using an empty matchbox. It’s really quite an adorable yellow cat, and it’s one of the few crafts I’ve kept with me because for some reason, I can’t bear to give it away.

It also inspired me to write the poem that accompanies it. I imagine the cat, looking oh-so-cute, using only its hypnotizing eyes to communicate its desire to drink some milk. And of course, all I can do is comply. After all, who can resist those eyes? Oh this cat!

The Legend of the Rainbow Tree: Tales from Mother Chouette

“Wow, look at that!” Hibbou exclaimed as she pointed to a nearby tree.

“Oh yes, that’s the Rainbow Eucalyptus tree, my dear,” Mother Chouette said as she followed Hibbou’s gaze.  “I have a story of where that tree came from. Do you want hear it?”

Hibbou hooted in delight.

The Legend of the Rainbow Tree

There was once a rainbow named Spec who was best friends with Yuki, a eucalyptus tree. Every time it rained, Spec made sure that he visited Yuki.

Like all rainbows, Spec was tasked with guarding a leprechaun’s pot of gold. But Spec did not like the leprechaun that was assigned to him. Mr. Moneytights was mean and often screamed at Spec to shine his colorful light on the leprechaun’s pot of gold.

One day, Mr. Moneytights was particularly nasty. He frightened Spec so much that the rainbow decided it was best to run away. But where could a bright and colorful arc in the sky go? Spec tried hiding under a rock, but his light shined through. He tried gathering clouds to cover himself, but every time the wind blew, he would get exposed. Yuki, seeing how anxious Spec was becoming, suggested that Spec hide in her bark. As the intense light passed through the tree’s trunk, Yuki’s bark cracked and flaked, but she bore her pain in silence.

The tree’s brown bark muted the bright colors of the rainbow. Thus, when the leprechaun went to his usual spot, he searched high and low, but he never guessed Spec to be hiding inside the humble tree. A tree nymph saw Yuki’s sacrifice, and she blessed the union of the tree and her rainbow best friend, resulting in the most beautiful and colorful bark in the world.

The end.

Hibbou wiped a tear in her eye. “Thanks for the beautiful story, mom. Your stories are wonderful.”

 Mother Chouette wrapped her feathery wings on Hibbou and gave her a tight hug.       

*Note:  I googled actual photos of the Rainbow Eucalyptus tree so that you could share it with your kids.

Bagras_Mindanao gum tree