Four Legs Good Two Legs Bad

Amy Wong

      Once upon a time, there was a little, brown dog called Bean. He lived in a small town named ‘Gao Gao Zheng’ (Doggies Town). Bean was kind and nice but he didn’t have friends. No dogs wanted to play with him because Bean was different from the other dogs. He walked on two legs. The other dogs thought that it was weird for a dog to walk on two legs. They thought every dog should walk on four legs, just like they did. The other dogs laughed at Bean because he couldn’t run as fast as them.

      Bean hoped that one day the dogs would forget what was different about him and that then they wouldn’t talk about it anymore. But they never did forget. They all seemed to have good memories and they mentioned the two-leg ‘problem’ all the time. They just couldn’t keep their mouths shut. Bean was sad and lonely but he still wanted to make friends with the other dogs, so he decided to learn to walk on four legs like the others.

      Bean tried very hard to bend down and use his front ‘legs’ to walk. That was his problem: his front paws weren’t like legs at all, they were just like yours! Bean’s first try got him nowhere, his back just wouldn’t bend. The more he bent the more his backbone hurt. Bean felt as if it was going to break. His front legs were extremely short so no matter how much he bent they just would not reach the ground. Bean didn’t give up though. He tried and tried and tried again, but no matter how many times he tried his front legs still wouldn’t reach the ground. Bean was sweating because of this hard work. He stopped to take a break and sat down on the floor, breathing quickly. As soon as his bottom touched the floor, he heard some dogs calling outside.

      ‘Fire, fire! The Gao Gao (Doggies) Temple is on fire! Run, run!’

      It was a hot sunny day. The Temple was the biggest building in the town. The fire became bigger quickly and it was not easy for the firedogs to put it out. Dogs ran out from their houses.

      ‘Where’s Bean?’ Dog A asked.

      ‘Oh no, he must be in danger. He wouldn’t be able to run fast like us, remember he hasn’t got four legs. He must have been caught in the fire!’ Dog B looked very worried. 

      ‘Poor Bean…’ Dog C sighed.

      ‘It isn’t time to mourn for Bean now. We’ve lost everything! Can’t you see all our houses are on fire.’ Dog D spoke as if the loss of another dog’s life meant nothing to him.

      ‘How could we save anything?’ Dog A had a tear in his eye as he looked at the charred remains of his once magnificent kennel.

      ‘What could we do! We tried to carry everything with our mouths. But, I don’t understand it. Usually we can carry things…’ Dog B was puzzled.

      ‘It was the heat and the excitement,’ Dog C threw in, not really sure if she was right about it. ‘With all that heat we had to pant and then there was the shouting for help.’

      ‘We just couldn’t keep our mouths closed long enough to save anything.’ Dog A wept, and B and C wept with him. ‘We just can’t keep our mouths shut.’ The dogs redoubled their weeping.

      ‘You can live in my house!’ a bright familiar voice threw in.

      Dogs A, B, C and D looked up to see who was talking and can you guess who they saw? They were all very surprised to see Bean standing in front of them. He was all wet. ‘Look,’ he raised his front paws, ‘I used these to hold the fire hose and that’s how I saved my house.’ He smiled and added. ‘And that’s how I was able to carry things with my hands. Now you can’t say four legs good, two legs bad anymore. It’s four legs good, two legs good too!’

Tug of War

Josefina Chao

      ‘Seng, please wait for me.’ Yong managed to puff out these few words after running from the classroom of Form 1 ‘Faith’. He ran across the playground to the sandpit. Yong was in his extra large-sized sports uniform and he was holding his big tummy. This twelve year old boy was twice the size of his best friend, Seng. Seng was athletic and he was good at the long jump. Yong was poor in every sport, yet he had a dream. He wanted to win in the long jump in the school’s sports day event.

      ‘Let’s practise harder and be the twin champions.’ Seng was already standing in the sandpit holding a rake, preparing the sand for Yong. Yong arrived there still panting. Seng was already eager to have his first jump.

      ‘Ah, how wonderful you are!’ Yong exclaimed wishing he could be like Seng if only he practised harder. Yes, Seng had already had his first jump and he’d nearly reached the end of the sandpit.

      Yong really wanted to jump as far as Seng. In the following hour, at his friend’s request, Seng shared all his jumping tips with Yong. Though Yong tried very hard by following his friend’s tips, his overweight body could never get farther than half way down the sandpit. But Yong believed in the motto ‘practice makes perfect’. He went on practicing his long jump after school everyday. This went on for the whole month before the Sports’ Day came. There was no doubt that because of all this exercise, Yong was losing weight and getting fitter. But would it be enough? 

***

      On the Sports’ Day, every student was very excited waiting for his turn to show his abilities in the events he had entered. Finally, Yong and Seng were called to the field. When it was the turn for the nervous Yong to make his first jump, he tried to remember Seng’s words and tried out the tips he’d been given for the jump. But practice did not make perfect for Yong. His fat legs could still only carry him just past the half way mark of the sandpit. So Seng entered the final without Yong. Yong slowly made his way back to the spectator benches.

      Everyone knew that Yong had already tried his very best. Miss Chao had known how serious he was from the first day he’d started practising with Seng. Miss Chao was the boys’ class teacher. Before the Sports’ Day she realised that Yong would likely fail at the long jump, but Miss Chao had something up her sleeve for her favourite student. She’d always liked Yong because of his positive attitude. Miss Chao came over to Yong and patted his shoulder.

      ‘Yong, cheer up! You’ve got another event to take part in.’

      ‘Miss Chao, I ‘ve only joined one event, the long jump. It was the only one I was interested in.’ Yong sighed, his face still covered in sweat from the effort he’d made at jumping.

      ‘No, Yong. You see, your name is down for the tug-of-war event too. I put it there.’

      Yong was surprised to see his name on the list, but he was afraid that he might not perform well in the tug-of-war. He’d never practiced tug-of-war at all! Miss Chao noticed his worried face. So she said, ‘Don’t worry Yong. Just try your best!’ Yong nodded his head and waited for his turn.

      The tug-of-war was the last event. Yong was on the team for Form 1 ‘Faith’. He was still wondering what was happening, but his new team mates had pulled him over to the field and he found himself standing at the end of the rope. Of course this was the right place for Yong because he was strong and he had the weight that would help the team to win in the tug-of-war.

      It was a long struggle between the two teams and for a while it seemed that neither side could win. In the end though Yong’s weight made all the difference. ‘Faith’ won the event decisively. And Yong was the class hero.

***

      Yong still loved the idea of being a long jumper, and he kept on practicing jumping. But now he also practiced other sports, like weight lifting. Would Yong be a weight lifter or a long jumper? It was too early to say. Being class hero in the tug of war made Yong much braver than he’d been before.   Now he was always prepared to try his best at anything worthwhile.

Jane the Rabbit

Sidney Ung

      Jane was a lovely little rabbit who lived in the bush behind Hac Sa Beach on Coloane. Her mother loved her very much. Her mother always told Jane, ‘My dear daughter, bush is wild. So you need to be careful when you go out. Don’t listen to the others. Mind only your own business.’

      Jane remembered what her mother told her. Whenever she went out, she only minded her own business. She did not talk very much to others. Mabel, her only friend, was totally different from her. Mabel was an active hamster. She liked talking with other animals in the bush. She had a lot of friends among the birds, bats, chickens, and beetles. She always had stories to tell Jane. Jane loved playing with Mabel.

      One day, when Jane went to Mabel’s house as usual, she found Mabel was not at home. Jane was disappointed and on the way back home she met Mr. Beetle, one of Mabel’s friends. He asked where Jane was going.

      ‘I’m going home,’ answered Jane in a very low voice.

      ‘Aren’t you going to visit Mabel? You usually see her around this time of day.’ Mr. Beetle was curious.

      ‘No, she’s not at home.’ Jane was a bit afraid now because she remembered that her mother told her not to speak to others.

      ‘Not at home? What happened to her? Do you know?’ Mr. Beetle was a bit worried now.

      ‘No, I don’t know!’ Jane was so afraid that she ran home immediately.

      Jane told her mother nothing about the conversation with Mr. Beetle. She was afraid that her mother would scold her.

***

      A week later, when the time for Jane’s usual visit had come again, Jane went to her friend’s house as usual. When Jane saw Mabel was again not there, she sadly made her way back home.

      Every week for the next few weeks, the same thing happened. Jane was very sad now. She thought that Mabel did not want to be her friend anymore.

      One night at home she burst out crying. Her mother comforted her.

      ‘My dear daughter, don’t cry. Be a good girl, don’t cry.’

      Jane tried to stop crying and to go to sleep. But she was so sad that she kept crying all through that night. And almost every night after that was the same.

      Her mother thought that she must be ill. So she took Jane to the doctor.

      ‘Mother Rabbit, Jane’s all right. She’s not sick at all,’ the doctor said.

      ‘But she keeps crying every night. She must have some problem.’ Mother Rabbit was very worried.

      ‘I think that may be so but I can tell you that she is not physically ill. Did you ask her if anything happened to her?’

      ‘No. Why do I need to ask?’ Mother Rabbit was shocked.

      ‘My dear Jane, why do you cry every night? Are you unhappy?’ The doctor asked her questions kindly.

      ‘Yes,’ said Jane, and she lowered her head.

      ‘Can you tell us why you’re unhappy?’

      ‘I lost my friend. Mabel doesn’t want to see me. She must be angry with me.’ Jane started crying again.

      ‘So that’s why. Hmm. Let’s go to Mabel’s home to see if she’s really angry with you.’ The doctor went with the mother and daughter to visit Jane’s friend.

      When they arrived at Mabel’s home, Mabel’s mother answered the door.

      Jane asked, ‘Is Mabel home?’

      ‘No,’ answered Mabel’s mother.

      ‘See? She doesn’t want to see me,’ Jane was very sad.

      Mabel’s mother looked very surprised at these words, but before she could say anything the doctor asked, ‘Where is Mabel then?’

      ‘Oh, she’s at her uncle’s home now. It’s a cosy little hutch in the side of the hill above Cheoc Van Beach. My brother’s just had a baby. Mabel went there to be with her little cousin. You know, though we hamsters may not seem as gregarious as you rabbits, we still care about our brothers and sisters.

      ‘Jane thought that Mabel was angry with her and didn’t want to see her.’ The doctor then told Mabel’s mother what had happened.

      ‘I’m sorry, Jane. I just came back from my brother’s hutch yesterday myself. The whole family was there. I thought Mabel would have told you where we were going. I’m sure she told some of her friends about it. Next time, when you’re worried about something like this, don’t jump to conclusions. Just ask, okay? Don’t cry anymore. I’m sure Mabel still thinks you’re her best friend. That’s what she always says.’

      ‘So, when… when…when will she come back?’ Jane asked. Jane was following Mabel’s mother’s advice. She was asking instead of jumping to the wrong conclusion.

      ‘She’ll be back in two days. I hope she’s okay.’ Mabel’s mother’s little ears twitched with concern. ‘It’s really a long journey for a kid hamster like her. I’ll ask her to visit you when she’s home again. She’ll have a lot to tell you about her cousin.’

      Jane’s mother had a big smile on her face. ‘Everything’s clear now,’ she said. ‘Jane, don’t be sad. Let’s go home now.’ Before they left, Jane’s mother turned to the doctor and Mabel’s mother, and said, ‘Thank you, both of you. You’ve taught both Jane and me a valuable lesson! ’

Little Lamb Lizzy

Elisa Lai

      Once upon a time, far far in the West of China…

      ‘Mehhh… mehhh…’ A very sad seeming lamb was crying as she wandered over the pasture. She was crying because she had lost a bunch of grass, a very special bunch it was. It was a bunch of delicious green grass with a tiny white flower. Oh, poor Lizzy! She didn’t have much experience, she was teaching herself how to cry.

      Lizzy belonged to a nomad herd, that is to say that Lizzy – and all her family and all the sheep she knew – were the kind who travel from place to place. They wander anywhere and everywhere looking for food. That particular bunch of grass Lizzy had lost was given her by a sheep in another nomad herd passing by. It was the other herd’s gift to all the little lambs of Lizzy’s big family. Now Lizzy had lost it and so she was sad.

      More and more lambs gathered around Lizzy as they heard her crying so pitifully. They all agreed to share their delicious green grass with her so that she wouldn’t feel so sad. Just then, an old ewe came with a huge bunch of green grass. She offered to tell them a short story before they shared the grass together. Lizzy and the other lambs were delighted by the idea. So, all seven of them sat round in a circle and prepared to listen to the story. Now the old sheep started:

      ‘Whenever I see a lot of green grass, I will think of this story. Long long time ago, there was a shepherd boy tending a herd of sheep in a pasture not far away from the desert. The field was more or less the same as the one we’re in but there were less grass and bushes. The herd was small and the sheep were thin. They were thin and weak because the grass there was very dry.

      ‘One day, much to his surprise, the shepherd came across a much larger herd of sheep. He looked back at his own sheep, which were weak and old and thin. The shepherd thought, why shouldn’t he run after the bigger flock out there? They seemed so splendid, shining in the distance. So the shepherd left his sick old sheep behind and chased the big herd, which was now far away. He ran and ran, and he ran further still. The harder he tried to get closer to the herd, the further away they were. Soon the shepherd felt exhausted. He couldn’t move any further. Looking at the fat healthy flock, all happily eating green grass and drinking water from the lake, the shepherd suddenly saw that the image was fading in the distance. Now he could see the sheep and now he couldn’t. He blinked a few times and it was then he realised that he was seeing a mirage. How could there be so green a pasture? How could there be a lake in the middle of the desert? Now the boy knew that he had been foolish and greedy.

      ‘He rushed back to his own herd as quickly as his feet could carry him. But it was too late, the whole herd had gone. All the old sheep had gone.’ The old sheep paused to look at Lizzy, and then she continued, ‘Kids, you know, this was how we got freedom from humans, and it’s because of the foolishness and greed of that boy long ago we are able to move from field to field freely. Remember the lesson from this story. The more you want, the more you have to lose.’

      After telling the story, the sheep began their feast. It was time for them to share their delicious green grass. However, Lizzy didn’t look any happier. She left the group saying that she wasn’t feeling well and wanted to find her mother.

      Lizzy didn’t go to find her mother. She hurried to a bush not far away where she had hidden her own bunch of grass, the bunch of grass with a tiny white flower, the bunch of grass that everyone thought she’d lost. Lizzy couldn’t find it anywhere. It was really gone. This time, she broke down and cried real tears. Now she regretted being so greedy. She realised that she shouldn’t have tricked the other lambs into sharing their grass with her. She was really very sorry but nothing could bring her back her own bunch of grass.

      Lizzy cried sadly. Though she couldn’t see very clearly because of the tears, she could just make out that there was someone holding a bunch of grass in front of her. It was the old ewe, she was holding a bunch of green grass with a tiny white flower. It was Lizzy’s present, the present she had hidden behind the bush.

      The old sheep bent down and gave her the grass, ‘I saw you hiding it.’ Lizzy was feeling so guilty and happy that she clung to the old sheep’s neck and cried, ‘I’m so sorry, I’ll never be greedy again.’

      The old sheep and Lizzy went back together to the other lambs. Everyone was glad that Lizzy had got her own bunch of grass back. This time, she didn’t keep the grass for herself, but shared it with the whole group.

      ‘Mehhh… mehhh…’ They all sang happily until sunset. All the little lambs went home with a new story to tell. A story about the nomad sheep herd, a story about a greedy shepherd boy.

Friends

Amy Lao

      Once upon a time there were many kinds of animals living on Coloane. Dong Dong was just like the other lovely rabbits and he lived together with them in the Rabbit Village. What made Dong Dong different from the others was that he loved to be alone. He didn’t want anyone to bother him, he loved nothing better than moments of solitude.

      ‘Dong Dong, let’s play high jump together!’ San San, a pretty white rabbit, asked Dong Dong to join their game.

      Dong Dong did not say a word, but gave San San a cold look, and hopped away at once as usual. Dong Dong made for the top of his favourite hill. He was tired of hopping by the time he reached his favourite tree on top of the hill, where he sat down for a well deserved rest. Dong Dong enjoyed the calm of this place.

      From under his tree at the top of the hill Dong Dong could see the whole Rabbit Village. Some of the rabbits were busy organising the party for tonight. All the other rabbits loved parties. But Dong Dong hated them. Too many rabbits in one place at one time. He didn’t like to share food with the other rabbits. When it was bed time Dong Dong hated the way the other rabbits would lay their heads on his back as if he were their pillow. And most of all, he didn’t like all those silly questions they kept asking.

      ‘Dong Dong, why do you always keep us away from you? Don’t you like us at all? We’re all worried about you. You’re our friend. Why don’t you tell us what you want, and let’s see what we can do about it.’ Dong Dong had been listening to these questions for as long as he could remember.

      He couldn’t stand it anymore. ‘You little silly rabbits keep talking about me,’ he shouted. ‘You’re always talking among yourselves! If that’s what friendship is then I don’t want to have friends. I don’t need friends! Keep away from me, just leave me alone!’

      After that, Dong Dong turned and jumped away. He had decided to leave the village, to leave all these silly noisy rabbits. So the next day, Dong Dong packed all his belongings and set off. 

***

      Two days later, Dong Dong reached the border between the Rabbit Country and the Hamster Land. It was a place where the other rabbits would seldom come. Dong Dong found a small cave there and made it his new home. The cave was near a river and Dong Dong enjoyed hopping along the river banks. He enjoyed living alone. But sometimes, there were two little hamsters, one black and one white, who would dare to come near to his cave. Then Dong Dong would scare them away, just by staring at them or hopping towards them suddenly.

***

      Dong Dong lived happily in his own world. He had proved that he didn’t need friends but could still have fun. ‘Friends are no use at all,’ was one of Dong Dong’s mottos.

      One day after a great storm, Dong Dong looked down from his cave and saw an old boat near the bank of the river. He was curious about it and went down to the boat to have a look. There, beside it he found a long rope with one end attached to the boat and the other attached to a rock. Dong Dong had never been on a boat before. He really wanted to feel how it would be to stand on a boat. The boat was just a few steps away, and there was a rope attached to it. So it should be safe to stand on. Dong Dong thought that with a rabbit’s inborn talent at bouncing, he would have no problems in jumping onto the boat. From there he would be standing up in the middle of the river, high and dry on top of the water.

      Dong Dong had already made up his mind when he made his long jump. Unfortunately, his jump wasn’t good enough and he fell into the running river. Because of the recent storm, the water was flowing more quickly than usual. Dong Dong lost his footing and was soon swept out of his depth. The bank seemed to get further and further away from him. You may not know this but rabbits can swim a little. The problem was that Dong Dong was like you: he didn’t know that rabbits can swim.

      Even if Dong Dong had known he could swim, the current was still too strong for him. Dong Dong was struggling like the crazy rabbit he was, when from his position in the water, he saw those two hamsters, the ones he’d often scared away before. They were playing on the other side of the bank.

      Dong Dong wanted to ask for the hamsters’ help. But his pride wouldn’t allow him to do so. He still thought that he could save himself. But when he realised that he was further and further from the riverbank and was beginning to feel weak from the struggle, he couldn’t help shouting for help.

      ‘He…lp!…Help….HELP!’

      Dong Dong’s yelling caught the two hamsters’ attention. The hamsters took a look at the pitiful drowning rabbit and then quickly ran away.

      Dong Dong felt totally hopeless now. All right, he’d scared them from time to time. But couldn’t they see that he was dying? How could they be so mean…but Dong Dong could not think any more. His fuzzy grey body was almost sunk, when the two hamsters appeared again with the long rope that was attached to the boat.

      The hamsters had returned! The white hamster was carrying the rope and he threw one end to Dong Dong. Dong Dong caught it with his mouth and bit it tightly. With the help of the rope, Dong Dong swam and swam and finally he reached the bank. He was saved! There by the bank, he saw the other hamster, the black one, was beside a big tree to which the other end of the rope had been tied. Dong Dong finally got the whole picture. Just now, the two hamsters hadn’t been running away, but were trying to save him.

      ‘Thank you…dear hamsters…thanks for saving me…’ Dong Dong pretended to look away in order to hide his embarrassment.

      ‘That’s nothing at all…that’s what friends are for, my dear rabbit.’ The two hamsters chorused.

      Dong Dong had made friends with the two hamsters, they were So So and Hei Hei. Now Dong Dong knew that he needed friends. He decided to leave his new home, and go back to his old one, where his old friends would be waiting for him. 

As You Wish!

Alice Lao

      One Sunday afternoon, Jane went to a barbeque at Hac Sa Beach with her friends. On her way to the barbeque site, she saw a thin dirty dog coming towards her. He wagged his tail weakly and seemed to be begging her for food. Jane sympathised with this poor dog so she gave him three chicken wings. The dog ate desperately.

      Jane had already begun to walk away when she heard a voice behind her saying, ‘Thank you for your food.’ She was surprised but when she turned round, she could only see the dog. Jane wondered where the voice was coming from. The dog seemed to know what she was thinking. He ran in front of her and said, ‘It’s me. Thank you very much. In order to reward you for your kindness, I will give you three wishes.’

      Shocked and confused, Jane was having trouble believing her eyes and ears. ‘Is this a newly invented speaking-toy or a mechanical pet?’ she wondered. She felt the dog to see if he was real and then searched his whole body for the speaker, tape player and battery.

      ‘Stop tickling me! What are you looking for?’ the dog was giggling all the while.

      Jane had already felt his heart beating. She screamed, ‘You are a real dog! But why can you talk, how can you…?’

      The dog patiently repeated his words and it was all Jane could do to stop herself from fainting. The dog told her that he had been an angel before, but he had accidentally flooded the deserts when the weather god asked him to bring rain to the droughty places. He’d been one of the rain angels. Having failed so terribly at his job, he was punished and was turned into a dog. Even as a dog he still had responsibilities. He had to find deserving people and make their wishes come true. How many people? What kind of wishes? The magic dog didn’t know. All he knew was that had to give wishes to good people if he wanted to earn the right to go back to heaven.

      He had starved for ten days before Jane gave him the three chicken wings. She was a good person so he had decided to help her make her wishes come true.

      After the dog had finished his speech, Jane still felt this encounter too strange to accept. Indeed, she didn’t trust this dog at all. If he was so powerful, why should he be subject to punishment? So she said to the dog, ‘It is very kind of you to give me three wishes, but I do not need any of them. You can give them to the needy.’

      The dog persisted in giving her the wishes, so in order to keep him happy (and also to test him), she told him the most obvious wish she could think of: to make her the richest person in the world.

      ‘As you wish!’ answered the dog. Jane was surprised that a wish was fulfilled so easily. Everything was very quiet but it seemed as if nothing had happened at all. She took out her purse to check if she had more banknotes than before, but to her disappointment, the amount of money she had was still the same. Thinking how silly she was, she ignored the dog’s barking for the other two wishes and went back to the barbeque site. That was when the strange things started to happen. On her way back to the site, she met and saw nobody. All the people had vanished. She was worried what had happened so she ran back to the dog.

      ‘What happened? Where is everybody?’ She faced the dog angrily.

      ‘I just made your wish come true.’ The dog seemed a little defensive. ‘Now you are the only person on earth, so you are the richest person in the world!’ answered the dog happily. Jane could see the dog thought he was very clever.

      ‘Oh my goodness!’ she yelled. ‘You silly dog! How dare you call yourself an angel! You’re the biggest murderer that ever lived! Turn everything back to normal now!’

      ‘Is this your second wish?’ he asked. Jane nodded.

      ‘As you wish!’ the dog said. There were noises again. Jane heard people talking, shouting and giggling around her. Everyone  had reappeared.

      ‘What is your third wish? Please tell me quickly so that I can help the others and go back to heaven.’ The dog was getting impatient with Jane.

      ‘No, thank you. I do not need this wish. If I wish again, I cannot imagine what will happen and if everything goes wrong the way it did before then I won’t have a fourth wish to turn everything back to normal again.’ Jane wouldn’t be so easily tricked this time.

      The dog insisted. ‘In the rule book it says that if you have one wish then you have to have three. Three is the set number for wishes. I’m sorry, there’s nothing I can do about that. If you do not make your wish, I will follow you wherever you go. Please make whatever wish you want!’

      Jane ignored the dog and left. That night when she went home, she saw the dog sitting in her bedroom urging her for the third wish. She ignored him and went to bed. When she went to school the next day, the dog followed her. This situation lasted for three days until at last Jane shouted at the dog, ‘Stop following me! I will never make a wish!’

      The dog answered sadly, ‘When you make a wish, I will go.’

      After three weeks of this stand-off, Jane realised that the dog was serious. In order to be freed from the dog, Jane asked him to give her one more night to think about the third wish. She tried to imagine all the terrible outcomes of how her wish, whatever she wished,  would be misunderstood. After considering the matter for the whole night, she finally gave up. She asked the dog to have her third wish, but the dog said, ‘I’m sorry. I cannot make my own wish come true.’

      Hearing his answer, Jane had an idea. Excitedly, she told the dog, ‘My wish is for you to go back to heaven and be an angel again.’

      The dog, surprised by her cleverness, said gratefully, ‘As you wish!’

      The dog changed into an angel and rose up to the sky. He smiled at Jane and murmured, ‘Thank you.’

The Beautiful Orchid

Hilda Tam

      There was an orchid in a flowerbed near the Ruins of St Paul’s. The orchid was white and yellow. Her leaves were shiny and she was fragrant. The little wild flowers in the flowerbed liked the orchid very much. They wanted to be friends with her, but the orchid was proud of her prettiness and she looked down on the other flowers.

      ‘Get away from me! Don’t touch my leaves! Look at your petals, so dim and dirty!’

      The little flowers were sad. They did not talk to the orchid anymore. But the orchid did not feel lonely because she had Siu Dong.

      Siu Dong was a seven year old boy. He loved flowers a lot. Every morning on his way to school, he smelt the orchid and talked to her. Although the orchid could not talk to him, she was happy he came. Every day she would wait for his visit. All the daisies could see that she had a special visitor. The orchid was so proud that she tossed her head this way and that to make attractive poses.

      One sunny afternoon, a strange boy, eating a big pork chop bun, came to the flowerbed. He was wearing thick glasses. His sweater and pants were old and dirty. The strange boy saw the orchid and was interested at once. He finished his bun in a few seconds and threw his plastic bag onto the daisies. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve and tried to pull the orchid out.

      ‘Oh, no! It hurts! Help!’ The orchid was in pain. She cried out loud. The little flowers were shaking with fear. The boy, who couldn’t hear anything the orchid said, used all his strength to tug at the orchid.

      ‘Oh! My stem hurts! My leaves are bent! Little flowers, help! Help!’

      The little flowers said tremblingly, ‘Hold our roots tight! Hold on, hold on! He can’t pull all of us out.’

      But it was already too late. The orchid was out of the soil. The boy smelt the orchid and smiled. He examined the orchid for a few minutes and then he remembered that he had some friends waiting for him at the Fountain in Pan Soi Chi, Leal Senado Square, so he decided to throw the orchid on the ground. He could get her again later on his way home.

      The boy had a happy time with his friends. Tired and thirsty, some hours later, he said goodbye to his friends and went straight back home. He had totally forgotten the orchid, and he never thought of her again.

      The orchid was very uncomfortable. ‘I feel dry and dizzy. My petals are damaged, and my leaves, my beautiful ever fresh leaves, have turned… brown.’ And with this last word the orchid sighed and the other flowers all around her were moved. She was still worrying about her beauty, but the other flowers knew that she was going to die. The orchid had never learned the facts of life and death because she’d spent all her time on her beauty.

      The orchid looked at the little flowers. She wanted to go back to the flowerbed. She was only a few hours out of the ground but already she missed the days with the little daisies and the peonies and she missed her admirer, the little boy, Siu Dong.

      The little flowers said to her, ‘Oh, orchid. Are you all right?’

      Actually the orchid was in pain, but she didn’t know because she’d never felt pain before. Life had always been beautiful for her. ‘I feel really strange. Little flowers, thank you. You’re very nice to me now even though I was so rude to you before. I’m very sorry. I’m too proud of myself.’

      The little flowers were sobbing and had their heads down now.

      The sun set. Siu Dong was going home from his piano lesson. When he came to the flowerbed, he was shocked to find that the orchid – his orchid –was not there. He looked around worriedly. He was afraid for her and he was afraid that he would never see his friend again. Never! What a terrible word. Siu Dong looked everywhere around the garden. At last, he found that the orchid was lying on the ground under a tree. He picked her up carefully. The orchid looked lifeless. But there was still a little colour left in her bloom.

      ‘Dear orchid, stay strong! What happened to you? What have people done to you?’ Siu Dong put the orchid carefully back in the flowerbed, and covered her roots with soil. He took out his bottle and poured some water out for the orchid. This was all Siu Dong could do for the poor flower. He went away promising the orchid that he would come to see her again the next day.

      The orchid could not believe that she was back in the flowerbed again. What a miracle! The little flowers all welcomed the orchid back and, though they knew her case was hopeless, they encouraged the orchid to live. The sick flower was touched. ‘You’re so warm, little flowers. I was so rude to you before. I’m sorry. Would you please forgive me?’

      The little flowers smiled and said, ‘Of course, orchid. We all love you. Don’t speak so much now. Take a rest.’

      The orchid nodded and fell asleep.

      The next morning, Siu Dong bought a packet of fertilizer and rushed to the orchid. He sprinkled the plant food over the soil and soaked it in with water from his water bottle. Then he kneeled down and looked lovingly at the patient. The orchid looked better. Siu Dong was excited that the orchid had survived.

      The orchid said thankfully, ‘Siu Dong, I won’t let you down. I’ll be all right soon.’ Siu Dong smiled at the orchid as if he could hear what she had said to him.

      Some days later, the orchid had recovered. Since she had been badly hurt, her petals and her leaves were not so colourful or shiny as before. Although she was no longer the most beautiful flower in the garden, she was happier now. In fact, these were the happiest days of her life.

      She said to the little flowers, ‘Thank you, little friends. I’ll cherish the days I’ve spent with you. I think I’m the happiest flower in Macao now, because I have Siu Dong and you as my friends.’ She and the little flowers looked up together and enjoyed the sunshine.

I Can Sing?!

Bella Lou

      ‘How much is this one?’ the young man shouted, his voice nearly drowned by the birds’ singing. The nightingale was much cheaper than the others. Ah Keong decided to buy it. The bird that Ah Keong chose was a beautiful one with yellow and green feathers. Along ‘Cheok Chai Iun’, Ah Keong was walking home happily with his newly bought nightingale. He’d already named it Mimi. Back in his flat, his other animal pets were complaining about being ignored. They were sick of this, it happened every time a new pet came in. As soon as their master opened the door, they became quiet again. It was Ah Keong with his nightingale Mimi. Everyone was jealous because she was more beautiful than any of them.

      Later that day, Lucky the Dog asked the others to meet in front of his kennel. He spoke first. ‘I’m the leader here. I’m Lucky.’ Then he introduced the others to Mimi. They were Meng the Chameleon, Prince the Frog and Fatty the Cat. Before Mimi could say anything, Meng looked at her and said, ‘I don’t understand why Ah Keong has brought you home. Anyway, you’re not welcome here.’ Prince nodded and added, ‘Everyone here must be good at something that would make our master happy. What are you good at, huh?’ Mimi kept silent, looking sad. Fatty the Cat, who was said to be the wisest and oldest animal in the house, suggested, ‘Why don’t we have a talent contest to show what each of us can do? If this little birdie loses, then she’ll just have to go.’ Fatty was Ah Keong’s favourite and he could help drive Mimi away by showing dislike towards her. The animals agreed that the contest would be held three days later, so that everyone would have time to prepare and practise.

Day One

      While the others were busy practising their talents, Mimi just looked around and did nothing. She was not sure of what she was good at. On the morning of the first day she saw Prince practising. He was jumping from table to table. He was clearly a good jumper. Mimi thought for a while and decided to practice jumping, just like Prince. But in her cage, no matter how hard she tried to jump, she could not make it from one side to the other. She tried and tried, until she heard someone giggling. It was Fatty. He was holding his tummy. Ah Keong now saw what Fatty thought of Mimi and so he started to wonder if it was a good idea to keep Mimi at home. Mimi was very upset when she heard the laughing and turned around to see Fatty rolling on the floor and pointing at her. But when he saw that Mimi was upset, Fatty immediately stopped laughing and said seriously to Mimi,

      ‘Don’t be silly. You can never be like a frog. Look at your skinny legs.’

      Mimi looked at her own legs and then at Prince’s. They were so different. Her legs were not big and strong like the frog’s. Mimi thought Fatty was right and so she gave up on jumping.

Day Two

      Mimi woke up early in the morning. She was very worried about what to do in the talent contest. She looked at the other animals, wondering what talent she could possibly have. She was watching Meng the Chameleon to see what talent he was going to practise. In a second, she’d lost sight of him. After a while, Meng appeared again. His skin colour had changed. Mimi was surprised and very excited to find out what had happened. She shouted from her cage excitedly, ‘Hey, Meng! How did you do that?’ Meng did not answer. He just looked away. He was just doing what he always did.

      Although Mimi had been ignored, she didn’t give up. She decided she would find out how to change her skin colour too. She knew that the mind controlled the body, and so using her mind she should have been able to change colour. She concentrated as hard as she could. Hours and hours passed, and the only colour that changed was in Mimi’s face, it had turned red and then blue and then some other colour again, because she had been thinking too hard. Fatty, lying comfortably on the sofa, sighed, ‘Poor birdie, Meng is a chameleon and he was born with the ability to change colour. You can’t be like a frog and you can’t be like a chameleon. Don’t you know what you are?’ Mimi didn’t think to answer the question. She was beginning to think she was really good for nothing.

Day Three

      The competition was drawing near. Mimi still did not know what her talent was. ‘The other animals may be right. I guess  there’s really nothing I can do.’ Mimi murmured such gloomy thoughts to herself. She was already getting ready to leave the flat because she could see no hope, and she knew that if she didn’t impress the others enough, she wouldn’t be able to stay.  Ah Keong now started paying attention to Fatty as well as Mimi. That was because of their close contact. He knew about cats and birds and he worried that Fatty might attack Mimi.

      The pressure was all too much for Mimi. So in the end she decided to give up the idea of competing with the others. Instead, she just rested in her cage and murmured. Ah Keong heard her humming but he didn’t think anything of it. Mimi’s ‘murmur’ caught the attention of Fatty, then Prince, then Meng and Lucky. They were all surprised at Mimi’s murmur. It reminded them of something… What was it? Mimi’s ‘murmur’ was quite beautiful, though none of them thought to tell her. Strangely enough, Mimi was beginning to feel happy and relaxed.

      What Mimi didn’t know was that she was singing. Finally Fatty said it, ‘You have a wonderful voice. You can sing beautifully.’ Mimi was really surprised. She had not known that she could sing at all, she had not known that was actually singing. And Mimi could sing so well, all of the other animals were happy as they listened to her beautiful songs.

      Now Mimi was so happy that she kept singing and the others would dance to the tunes when she sang. That night, Mimi used her voice to win both the contest and new friends.

From that day on, Mimi sang all the time. Ah Keong tickled her a little and said, ‘Mimi, I thought you were the silent type. Now I know what your secret talent always was. You can sing… you sing so well! Haha!’

The Forgiving Pig

Alice Lam, Allen Liu, Buddy Lam, Candy Lam and Meliza Kou

      Once upon a time, but not really so long ago, there lived a group of animals on a farm near the Huang Shan Garden (Comendador Ho Yin Garden). Among them was Gumpy the Pig.

      Every morning, the animals sat together to have breakfast at their long table. All of them sat on one side and Gumpy sat on the other. The animals did not like to sit with him because he was slow, lazy and dirty. When all of them finished their breakfast they went out of the farmhouse and started working in the fields.

      By sunset the animals were all tired. When it was time for dinner Gumpy ate and ate continuously while the other animals chatted and laughed happily together. They were all talking about the mice.

      ‘The mice are real cowards. All they can do is hide in holes,’ said the rooster.

      ‘You’re right,’ said the cow. ‘I saw two of them nibbling scraps in one corner yesterday, and as soon as they saw me, they ran away immediately! I just wanted to talk, you know.’

      The animals went on talking like this. When they finished their dinner, they went outdoors to relax. Gumpy stayed behind to finish the left-overs. His face was dirty with food.

      By the time Gumpy had finished eating, it was late in the evening. The other animals had all gone to bed. Gumpy went out and lay on the ground. He could not sleep. He felt lonely. He stared into the sky and seemed to enjoy looking at the stars, but they did not take away his loneliness. After some time, his friends appeared one by one from underground. His friends were the mice.

      ‘Hey, what’s up?’ said the oldest mouse.

      ‘Hello, Old Mr Mouse,’ said Gumpy.

      ‘You look like you’ve got something on your mind. What is it?

      ‘Well… I don’t feel happy on this farm,’ Gumpy sadly replied. ‘They don’t like me,’ he murmured.

      ‘You may be wrong. Don’t worry too much about what people say. Come on! Cheer up! I’ve brought some snacks for tonight. Let’s enjoy.’

      Gumpy, Old Mr Mouse, and the other mice then began eating together. Gumpy had finished eating his dinner not long before, but he still had the snacks with the mice. He loved food. So did the mice. The other animals did not like Gumpy and the mice because they thought both were always greedy for food and always dirty.

***

      A few days later, the animals were all dressed up in their best clothes. They were happy because they had been invited by Portia the Sheep to her birthday party. All but Gumpy were invited. This upset Gumpy. That night Gumpy chatted miserably with the mice on the top of the Guia Hill.

      At the party, all animals were enjoying themselves, but it seemed that something was missing. The cow said to the others, ‘We should have asked Gumpy to come. It’s unkind of us to leave him behind.’

      ‘Yes,’ said the dog. ‘I don’t feel good about it either. Gumpy is slow and dirty, but he’s not wicked’.

      The chicken joined in and said, ‘Let’s ask Portia if we can save a piece of her birthday cake for Gumpy. I’m sure Gumpy will be happy to get some cake.’

***

      The sky was getting darker and darker. Gumpy was about to leave his little friends on the hill-top and return to the farm. Suddenly a dazzling light came from a big tree nearby, and an unknown voice said: ‘Be brave. Save them. They are your friends.’

      Gumpy and the mice were shocked and puzzled. ‘What on earth was that?’ they thought. ‘A voice without a body? It must be a ghost! Or was it some kind of fairy?’ In fact it was the tree speaking. Before they had time to talk about what had happened, they heard steps approaching. The animals were coming back from Portia’s party. To the surprise of Gumpy and the mice, there was a pack of wolves secretly following the happy animals. The mice immediately hurried back into their holes.

      ‘Oh, no, my friends will become the wolves’ prey,’ Gumpy whispered to himself. He was angry with his friends because they always ignored him. He felt afraid but he thought of the tree’s words, ‘Be brave. Save them. They are your friends’. Gumpy said to himself, ‘Yes, I should save them. I have to be brave. I mustn’t panic.’ Gumpy calmed himself down and he quickly thought of a plan.

      ‘Old Mr Mouse, I want to ask you for a favour. Could you and the rest of the mice climb up and hide in the big tree a few yards up ahead?’

      ‘Yeah… but what for?’ asked Old Mr Mouse.

      ‘When the wolves walk past, I want you to jump onto them. You can cover their eyes and give my friends time to run away,’ explained Gumpy.

      ‘That’s too risky,’ replied Old Mr Mouse.

      ‘Come on, are you a man or a...’ But Gumpy stopped himself before he said the last word. Instead he just said ‘You’re not a coward, are you? Are you afraid?’

      Old Mr Mouse hated to be called coward. That was a common prejudice against the mice. The farm animals had laughed at the mice and called them cowards before. Old Mr Mouse remembered being laughed at like that and felt angry. He did not want others to call them cowards any more, so he ordered the other mice to follow Gumpy’s plan. Gumpy hid behind a tree keeping watch.

      When Gumpy thought it was time for the mice to jump, he waved his hand. Seeing Gumpy’s signal, the mice sprang from their hiding place and jumped onto the wolves. Their little paws covered the wolves’ eyes so that the wolves could not see. The wolves, though much stronger than the tiny mice, could not shake them off.

      The farm animals at last realised that they had been followed by the wolves, and so they ran away. When they were safely back on their farm, they all said, ‘Thanks to the mice we are still alive.’ The mice heard this and so they came out of their holes to tell the truth, ‘It was Gumpy. It was Gumpy who saved you.’ The animals were all surprised at the bravery of Gumpy and of the mice as well. They took out the piece of birthday cake they had saved for Gumpy. Gumpy shared it happily with his little friends. The animals gave Gumpy a sweater as a gift. The sweater had the word ‘HERO’ knitted on it. Gumpy was very happy. All of them sang together and held a party to celebrate.

The Baby Sea Urchin

Silvia Wong and Kit Kelen

      Deep in the warm tropical sea off Macao lived a baby sea urchin, who always felt lonely and sad. He had only one friend, Starry, a starfish.

      ‘Starry, I wish I were like you. You are white. You are handsome. You have many friends.’ Baby squeezed himself down into a dark spiky ball, which meant that he was especially sad. Both his parents (Mr and Mrs Dark) and his dear friend, Starry, had told him many times what a handsome sea urchin he was. But they didn’t understand how Baby felt. Baby was called Baby because he hadn’t yet found his own rock.

      ‘Don’t be sad, Baby. I’m your friend. I’ll always stay with you.’ Starry tried to comfort him.

      ‘But, I am so ugly! I am dark and I have sharp spines sticking out all over my body. No one wants to come near me. They say it’s dangerous! Woo…  woo… woo…’ Baby began to cry. When Baby cried it always ended the same way. He would curl up into a little spiny ball and when he woke up, he would wonder why he’d been so upset before, that was if he remembered at all. 

      ‘Don’t cry. Don’t cry, my dear friend. An old starfish who has travelled in all the seven seas told me of a witch mermaid who can help anyone to solve their troubles. She is a kind witch. She lives in the northmost corner deep in the seventh and saltiest sea. It would be a long and difficult voyage but, if you’re brave enough, we can pay a visit to her.’

      ‘Yes, I’d love to. I hope she can help me. Let’s go! Let’s go!’ Baby was so excited, he thought nothing of the dangers ahead in the big big ocean.

      Baby and Starry started their journey to the northmost corner of the seventh sea. It was very far away from where Baby and Starry lived. They swam and they swam till they forgot how long they’d been swimming. They swam very hard until at last they reached the seventh sea. As they approached the north pole they found the water getting colder and colder. But fortunately it was the middle of summer so they were able to bear the freezing temperatures.

      When Baby first caught sight of the Mermaid he forgot all about the fact that he was almost frozen solid. ‘Miss Mermaid, Miss Mermaid. I am Baby, Baby the sea urchin. I wish to meet you. I want to look beautiful like other animals, like Starry or like a beautiful fish with beautiful scales. I don’t want to be a sea urchin anymore. Miss Mermaid…’ Baby pleaded and pleaded for the mermaid to help him.

      The mermaid never said a word but her magic must have been very strong because suddenly a storm came to them where they were under the sea. It was strange! Baby was swept away. When the storm calmed down and he shook the sand and mud off of himself, he saw that there was a mirror in front of him. He was a little afraid to look in the mirror because even though the storm was impressive he wondered whether the mermaid’s magic had worked. What if she’d turned him into a mollusk by mistake?

      But what could Baby do? He had to be brave! He had to look! When he finally stood in front of the mirror and opened his eyes, he could hardly recognise himself. He had changed into a fish with golden scales. He swung his tail and swum around the mirror three or four times. ‘Wow… It’s great to be a fish with golden scales. I look charming and elegant now.’ Baby was delighted. ‘Thank you, Miss Mermaid.’ But Miss Mermaid was nowhere to be seen.

      Baby swam away now and found that there was something very strange about this seventh sea. He couldn’t see any of the many other kinds of sea animals he usually saw at home. All around him as far as he could see were only sea urchins. He was swimming in a sea of sea urchins. And when the sea urchins met Baby, they swam away fast because they had never seen a fish with golden scales before.

      Baby was sad that all these members of his family were ignoring him. Didn’t they know that he was a sea urchin too? But of course they didn’t know. How could they? In their eyes he was just a fish with golden scales. They couldn’t know that he still felt like a sea urchin inside.

      Still, all the fish had swum away and they weren’t coming back. So now Baby had to face the fact that he wasn’t a sea urchin anymore. Baby thought of his pa and ma and he just wanted to go home. He felt so lonely in the seventh sea where none of his cousins would talk to him. So he swam and he swam. He swam for a few days and a few days more. And a few days after that he was back in the tropical sea near Macao, the sea where his parents and he had always lived. When he caught sight of his parents again, Baby was overjoyed.

      ‘Pa, Ma, I miss you.’

      ‘Oh! Who are you? We don’t know you. Why do you call us Pa and Ma?’ Mrs Dark was surprised, she was very suspicious of strange fish, especially the ones who were brightly coloured.

      ‘I’m sorry. You’re not our son. Our son’s name is Baby. He is a sea urchin, dark with sharp spines like us. But you... um… I’m sorry!’ Mr Dark was in no mood to argue with a crazy fish, even if that fish did have beautiful golden scales.

      ‘Pa, Ma, I am your son. Baby Sea Urchin,’ Baby was almost crying now because he was worried that his parents wouldn’t have him back.

      ‘Do you know anything about our son? He’s been missing for a few days.’ Mrs Dark began weeping as soon as her husband had said these words. Mr Dark continued. ‘Our son is special to us. He is a sea urchin, dark and with sharp spines like us. No flashy fish could ever replace him in our hearts.’

      ‘But… but… but…’ But what could Baby say. They would never believe that a fish with golden scales was really a sea urchin like them. ‘I’m sorry to have troubled you.’ Baby swam away. He was very unhappy and started to cry. He now knew that to be beautiful was not the most important thing in all the salty sea.

      Baby was very lonely because he had no pa or ma or Starry with him now. He cried and he cried and he cried. And then, even though there was nobody there to hear, Baby said out loud to himself, ‘I only wish I were the real Baby, Baby the Sea Urchin, I want to be Baby again. I’m a sea urchin! I’m not a fish with golden scales. I never was and I never could be, not really.’ He cried for many days like this – for days and for nights he wept – and finally caused a flood in the sea. There was another big storm – so strange – just as there had been when Baby had seen the mermaid. And this time like before Baby was swept away in the flood.

      When he shook the sand and mud off of himself and opened his sleepy eyes to see, he found himself with Pa, Ma and Starry beside him.

      ‘Oh! It’s good you’ve woken up at last. You slept for more than a week after you bumped into that rock, you careless little urchin!’ But his mother gathered him and cuddled him, and her spines and his fitted together just so.

      Baby was very happy to find that he was not a fish with golden scales, but a sea urchin, son of Mr and Mrs Dark and a good friend of Starry the starfish.

      Baby now understood that beauty was in the eye of the beholder and that every creature was different in its way. The most important thing for Baby was just to be himself. Now he knew that everyone was unique and that no sea creature could take another’s place. Except Baby had changed, hadn’t he? And maybe he needed a new name now.

Doggie and Bobby

Alice Ho, Gisele Ng, Regina do E. Santo, Vinsa Fung and Viola Leong   

      After school, little Bobby was walking alone back to his home on Taipa. He was sad today because he had failed his test. Suddenly, a football from nowhere hit his face. Bobby cursed angrily, ‘What an awful day! I got a zero in my test, I’ve just been hit by a football! I hate football! I don’t want to go to the football practice tomorrow!’

      When Bobby got back home, he saw Doggie, his pet dog, sleeping on the mat. He felt a little bit jealous of Doggie and woke him up by kicking him. Bobby shouted at Doggie, ‘You’re such a lazy dog! Tell me what you can do!... Nothing, right? Let me tell you. You only play, sleep, eat and…! That’s it!’ After a moment of silence, Bobby sighed, ‘but I want to be you.’

      Just then, a fat woman appeared out of nowhere, right in front of Bobby, and she said, ‘I am the fairest elf in the world! May I help you?’ Bobby was shocked and asked her who she was. The elf was a little annoyed that Bobby hadn’t been listening properly, ‘Haven’t I told you just now. I’m the FAIREST elf in the world.’ However, this time Bobby misheard her. He asked, ‘Did you say that you were the fattest elf in the world?’

      The fairest elf was very angry but as she was a generous elf, so she decided to forgive the boy and gave him a wish. Bobby thought for a long time and remembered that he wanted to be Doggie, his pet dog. He couldn’t think of a better wish. The elf was surprised with his wish. Everybody else wished for fame or money. So the elf advised Bobby seriously that once he became Doggie, he could not go back to being his own self again. Without considering it very carefully, Bobby agreed. The elf chanted, ‘Mali Mali Hom, Doggie Doggie Bom, Bobby Bobby Hom.’

***

      After uttering the magical words, the elf had changed their roles, but neither boy nor dog noticed anything different immediately. Let’s see what happened to Bobby next morning.

      Bobby found that his back was very itchy, but he also found that he could not reach his back with his hand to scratch anymore. In fact he didn’t have hands anymore at all, he had four legs instead. All he could do was to rub his back against the wall. While Bobby was discovering that he was the new doggie in the house, Mother had started calling Doggie for his breakfast. The new ‘Bobby’ (Doggie) responded to the call he was used to every morning and he rushed to Mother at once. Mother was surprised to see Bobby coming with his hands up in front of him like a dog’s paws, She thought that her son was playing tricks again so she told him to go and have his breakfast on the table, like a sensible boy.

      Meanwhile, new doggie was called to have his bowl of dog food on the floor. Bobby tried a bit of the muck in the bowl but spat it out immediately and cursed, ‘Yuck! It’s awful!’ But no one could understand his cursing. Mother thought that the dog was just barking to ask for more food, so she ignored him and went to the sitting-room. Having not even finished his disgusting breakfast, new doggie found himself being called again. Mother had nothing to do and she was bored, so she forced new doggie to play Frisbee with her. She threw the Frisbee and expected him to fetch it. Unfortunately, he missed it several times and was hit in the face. Bobby said to himself, ‘I hate playing football and Frisbee. Playing TV games is much more fun. I want to be Bobby again. I don’t want to be a dog any longer! Where are you, fattest elf?’

      The angry elf appeared from nowhere and asked, ‘Who are you calling? Did you call me the fattest elf?’ Bobby knew that the elf was useful to him at this moment, so he apologised and begged her to give him one more wish, which was to become Bobby again. But the elf shook her head and said, ‘No. I have given you a wish already and I’ve warned you that you couldn’t become Bobby again! So… I’m sorry. See you!’

      The elf was just about to leave but Bobby couldn’t let her go so easily. He held her leg tightly and cried, ‘But you’re the fairest of the fairest. I know you will help me. Won’t you? I really want to be Bobby again.’

      The elf was happy because someone had paid her a compliment. She was so happy she was floating in the air and agreed to give Bobby one more chance to be himself again. As she was a fair elf though, she had to ask the new Bobby first. She took out the wand, chanted the spell and new Bobby appeared from nowhere. After hearing what was on the elf’s mind, Doggie in Bobby-shape refused at once, ‘No way. It’s so good to be a boy. No fleas, no stinky food, no Frisbee. I don’t want to be a dog again. No way!’

      The fairest elf thought hard about the problem. She had to think of the fairest way to solve their problem. After weighing up a few possibilities in her mind, she decided the fairest way was to play a Q & A game. The elf took out her wand and pointed it at herself. Suddenly she was dressed like the emcee of the most famous game show in the world, The Weakest Link. She then turned to new doggie and warned him, ‘If you win, you can be Bobby again, but if you lose, I don’t know what you will become. It is beyond my control. So, do you still want to try?’

      Before new doggie could give his answer, new Bobby put an arrogant look on his face and said, ‘Okay, Bobby, let me give you a chance.’

      The theme song of the show started, the elf swept round in her black coat and announced, ‘Let’s start. Here’s the first question - What creature can jump the farthest distance relative to its size?’

      Bobby thought that the question was far too easy for him and answered at once, ‘It’s the kangaroo.’

      But Doggie knew all about fleas even though he had the pleasure of not experiencing them right now. So he picked a flea from new doggie’s coat and said to Bobby, ‘You’re wrong! The answer should be the flea. You see, I recognise this one, it’s from the dog next door.’

      Doggie had scored a point and was very proud of himself. He was confident he’d be able to stay as new Bobby.

      Then the time for the second question came, and the elf asked, ‘On how many legs does a man walk?’

      This time, though new Bobby looked a little anxious, he quickly answered ‘I know! I know! Of course, it’s four.’

      Bobby smiled cunningly. He thought that his chance for revenge had come, and he called out loudly, ‘Of course not! It’s two legs. People walk on two legs.’ Now Bobby – new doggie – had scored a point as well.

      Now came the last question, deciding their destiny. The fairest elf asked ‘What is Bobby good at?’

      Bobby smiled from deep inside his heart. He was sure that he must understand his own talents better than anyone else, and so he thought he would certainly win this game. ‘That’s easy! I’m good at playing football!’

      Doggie – new Bobby – laughed so exaggeratedly that he fell over. He pointed at new doggie and said, ‘It’s not true! You’re good at being lazy. I can be Bobby forever.’ The game came to an end and their destiny was decided.

      Bobby – new doggie – cried regretfully, ‘Oh, no! I want to be Bobby again.’ The elf preached at him, ‘You want to be Bobby? It’s too late! You failed in all the tests. You didn’t behave well. You were lazy and didn’t do your work. You didn’t love your mother and pet. And you said nasty words. All in all, you were a bad boy.’ The elf disappeared as soon as she had finished speaking.

      What will Bobby turn into? Will he stay as a dog forever? Will he become a ball? A flea? What do you think will happen to him? Poor Bobby!

A Donkey’s Luck

Amelia Chang and Kit Kelen

        A variation on Aesop’s fable, ‘The Donkey in the Well’.

     It was midnight and everyone was sleeping soundly in bed. Diddo was sleeping soundly too. He was dreaming happily about fresh hay and clean water when he was suddenly wakened by a strange noise.

      ‘Who is so naughty, staying up so late at night?’ he asked himself.

      Diddo was a young donkey and he was brought to this stable just the day before our story takes place. Now he was frightened because he was alone. How he wished his mother was there to protect him from this unknown world.

      Just then, Diddo heard some noises outside his stable. It wouldn’t be the farmer, he was sleeping soundly because it was the middle of the night. Who could that be? Diddo was thinking and thinking until his donkey’s head hurt, but he couldn’t think who would be up playing at this hour of the night. Who could it be?

      It was the bat. The bat flew above Diddo’s head and stuck in the ceiling, with its head upside down, looking at Diddo. The bat used to live in the stable alone before Diddo arrived. He didn’t like to share the place with the donkey.

      ‘Who are you?’ Diddo asked.

      ‘I am here to make friends,’ the bat said wanting to look friendly.

      Knowing that Diddo missed his mother very much, he told the donkey that he knew where Diddo’s mother’s stable was.

      ‘It won’t take any time to get there. I can show you tonight. You’re not sleepy, are you? It will be such a great surprise for your mother. I’m sure she misses you a lot.’

      The cunning bat encouraged Diddo to go for an adventure. He also promised that he would lead the way. Diddo remembered that once his mother told him not to talk to strangers, but this stranger was taking him to his mother. So that must be okay. Diddo was too tired to think properly and too weak to resist the temptation. He wanted to see his mother, and actually he was also eager to see the world for himself.

      Diddo stole out of the stable and started his journey. The bat was happy because he had tricked this silly donkey. Now he could have his place to himself again. After they had gone some distance, the bat thought that it was far enough that Diddo would not be able to find his way back. And so the bat turned back and started to fly in the direction of the stable again. On seeing this, Diddo realised he had been tricked and ran as quickly as he could after the bat.

      Faster and faster Diddo ran, his eyes up following the black wings in the dark sky. But the bat flew much faster than his young legs could carry him. And because he was looking up in the sky and he wasn’t looking where he was going, he bumped into, and then he fell into, an old well.

      Now Diddo was down in the deep dark well. He couldn’t see anything at all. And so he began to call for help. He brayed as loud as he could.

      ‘Help! Help!’ he brayed.

      The bat stopped. He flew back to see what had happened to the silly donkey. He heard Diddo’s yelling and crying coming from the bottom of the well. He laughed at the silly donkey. The bat laughed long and hard and after he’d finished laughing, just when he was about to leave, the donkey shouted after the bat. ‘Please save me!’ Diddo pleaded.

      ‘I am too small and weak to save you, big silly donkey!’ the bat chuckled to himself, thinking he was clever for having thought of such a good excuse.

      Poor Diddo knew he would die in the well if he couldn’t think of a way to save himself. ‘Be quick to think and quick to act! Or you will die here!’ the voice in Diddo’s mind said to him. Diddo knew he was too heavy to be carried up, so he had to think of another way up out of the deep dark well. He shouted up to the bat.

      ‘Bat, I will tell everyone that you are bad. I am going to let everyone know you are a selfish bat. Then you will be punished. You will have no friends. You will be hated.’

      Diddo started to make a lot of grunting and shouting and yelling sounds. He hoped someone nearby would hear him.

      The bat was frightened. He knew if Diddo kept on making so much noise, the other animals would hear him and save this silly, troublesome donkey. Then Diddo would tell the others about his evil deeds. The bat wanted to kill this noisy donkey!

      Quickly the bat flew back to the stable and looked for anything useful to help him get rid of the troublesome donkey. He found a bucket in the farmer’s storeroom. He filled the bucket with sand. He flew over to the well and tipped the sand on top of the donkey. The donkey complained loudly. Diddo had sand in his fur, in his ears and in his big teeth. He shook himself to get the sand out.

      Hearing the donkey complain so loudly the bat knew that his plan was working. He flew back and forth with the bucket full of sand. He poured bucket after bucket down into the well. He wanted to fill the well to bury the donkey alive! If the well was filled to the top then no one would discover the donkey and no one would know of the bat’s evil deed.

      Diddo was afraid when he felt more and more sand pouring onto his head. But then he noticed something. The top of the well was closer than it had been before. It was because of all the sand the bat was bringing. Diddo kept shaking himself all over so that the sand fell onto the floor of the well. And now he knew that his plan was working. Diddo pretended that he was afraid and shouted louder and louder. The bat kept pouring sand into the well. Diddo had had a very general plan, he’d wanted someone to save him. But now he knew who that someone was. The bat was saving the donkey’s life!

      The floor of the well kept rising. And with it Diddo was coming closer and closer to the top of the well. When he got near the top he thought to himself, ‘I’d better make my voice quieter now, or that wicked bat will know that he’s beaten.’ So Diddo made his braying weaker and softer so that the bat would think that he was down at the well’s bottom. And covered with sand. And done for.

      Soon Diddo could put a hoof up to the well’s top edge. And his head was hitting the bucket someone had left at the top of the well. The bat kept on pouring the sand into the well. The bat wasn’t looking down at all. You all know how blind bats are! But anyway he was in too much of a hurry, feverishly getting and bringing and dropping the sand.

      At last our donkey stretched himself and jumped out and stood beside the well, still shouting and pretending he was deep down in the ground.

      It was dark and that blind bat kept on gathering and pouring the sand, not knowing that Diddo was already out. The well was almost full.

      Can you see the scene now? The sun is already coming up. The bat was so tired that he couldn’t fly back to the stable. He fell to the ground and died of exhaustion.

      The other animals are now awake. And they saw the dead bat beside the sand-filled well. The death of the bat astonished everyone. The deer asked the rabbits if they saw who killed the poor bat. The rabbits went to the hedgehogs and asked if they had seen the crime. The hedgehogs asked the monkeys. The monkeys went to the giraffes. Finally, the giraffes went to the birds. But birds, as you know, won’t speak to bats. There were rumours all over the place. The one thing everyone agreed on was that it was very mean to take advantage of the poor bat’s blindness.

***

      While all this discussion was going on, back in his lonely stable, Diddo the donkey was fast asleep. What a tiring night he had had! When the earliest sunlight had shone on the land that day, Diddo could see his own footprints and so had made his way back to the stable, where it was warm and he was safe.

      No one came to ask Diddo. No one would ever think that the silly donkey could know the whole story. And it’s true that from this day on, Diddo was a much wiser donkey than he had been on that night he had followed the bat.

The Girl and The Magic Ring

Azita Kuok, Claudia Kuan, Gloris Lima Mok, Serena Kwan, Sherry Lam and Sonia Chan

      One evening, Maggie went jogging with her dog, Woody, at the Ruins of St. Paul’s. It was a cloudless night and Maggie was sitting on one of the stairs enjoying the weather. Then she discovered something strange. There was a bright white glow at the top of the façade.

      ‘What light is that?’ Maggie wondered. ‘Is that the light of the moon? But it looks so bright and it seems to be getting larger and larger. No! It’s not getting bigger, it’s coming towards me!’ The light slowly came in front of her. It appeared to be a pigeon. Maggie was surprised and a little frightened.

      ‘This is a Magic Ring. Keep it well and make good use of it. You can make three wishes from it, three and no more. And remember… whenever you make a wish, you may gain something but you will also lose something. Good luck!’

      Then the bird flew away and left Maggie standing where she was with the Magic Ring in her hand.

      ‘A Magic Ring? Three wishes? What am I going to do with them?’

      Next morning, Maggie was woken up by a great noise. She looked out from the door of her room and saw her mother shouting at her father.

      ‘Why do you do this all the time? I won’t tolerate it anymore!’ Her mother was very angry and it looked like she was really going to leave this time. Maggie was very worried and then the Ring in her hand caught her eye. She remembered what the pigeon had said to her. Maggie decided to make her first wish now.

      ‘Please, please, Magic Ring, keep my mother at home and don’t let her go away. Don’t let her leave us.’

      Just at that moment, Maggie’s mother stopped at the door. The lock of the door had stuck and she couldn’t open it. She tried every method she knew but it was fastened tight. At last, her mother gave up and was forced to stay at home. Maggie was happy about that. But then she realised that she was already late for school and she was going to miss a very important recitation competition. At that point, Maggie became very nervous and started to cry. Her parents felt sorry for their daughter so they worked together to get the door open and to comfort Maggie at the same time. But they still couldn’t open the door. In no time at all, Maggie’s parents started to talk with each other sincerely again and, because they had a common goal, they forgave each other. At last, they decided to call a locksmith to fix the lock. The lock was fixed and Maggie’s parents had forgiven each other but Maggie only reached school in the afternoon.

      When she arrived at school, Maggie found that her rival, Jane, had won the first prize in the competition. Maggie was upset because she had prepared well for the contest and many people had thought that she would win.

      ‘Maggie, what happened to you this morning? Why didn’t you come to the competition?’ a classmate asked.

      ‘Er… I had stomach ache so I stayed at home.’

      Maggie now understood why she couldn’t win the competition. She had used the first wish, so she had to lose something. That was what the pigeon had said. Maggie was very upset. Jane, on the other hand, was delighted to win the competition because she was always trying to beat Maggie. At last she had the chance and so she began to show off. She mocked Maggie in front of their classmates.

      ‘I knew I would win!’ Jane told everyone. ‘Everybody knew I’d win. It’s a coward’s act to hide oneself and pretend not to be a loser.’ All of Jane’s friends laughed loudly in order to make sure that Maggie could hear them. Maggie felt more upset now. She swore in her heart that she would beat Jane next time. She wanted revenge.

***

      A week later, the Sports Day came. Maggie was going to participate in the running race. She was a good runner and wanted to break the record she had made last year. Jane was going to run in the same race and was determined to beat Maggie again. Maggie was under great pressure because Jane was also a good runner and she had gained a lot of confidence since beating Maggie in the recitation competition. So before Maggie went to her own track on the field, she whispered to the Ring.

      ‘Please, please, Magic Ring, let me win the race and be the best runner today.’

      The race started. Maggie and Jane were the fastest in the field. When they were very near to the finishing line, Jane suddenly fell to the ground. Maggie took the advantage and ran as fast as she could over the finishing line. She came first and also broke the record she had previously made.

      Maggie was very happy. But just then, she found the necklace that her grandma had given her was gone. She was very upset because she liked that necklace very much. It was precious to her. She searched everywhere she had gone that day and finally she found the pieces of her necklace on the running track, in Jane’s lane. Maggie must have dropped the necklace while she was running. Jane must have tripped on it.

      ‘Oh, my necklace! What am I going to tell to my mother? She’ll be very angry.’ Though Maggie won the race, she was very sad about the loss of the heirloom.

      Meanwhile Jane was also angry and she was cursing the necklace which had caused her defeat. Luckily, Jane did not know whose necklace it was, otherwise she would at least have been happy to know of Maggie’s loss. It was unfair of her, but Maggie planned to find a chance to take revenge on Jane.

***

      It was the night of Halloween and the students decided to hold a courage contest. Each of them needed to go into an empty old house next to their school. Everyone said the old mansion was haunted. The one who came out last would be the bravest of them all, and so the winner. Maggie wanted to take this chance to scare Jane. So she made a wish with the Ring. She wished,‘Please, please, Magic Ring, make my face the most terrifying in the world, make my face scare all the people who see it.’

***

      Just then Jane bumped into her and when her rival turned around, she was stunned to see Maggie’s horrible face. Jane screamed and ran out of the house as fast as she could. Maggie was very satisfied with this result. 

      ‘Ha, ha,’ she laughed. ‘She won’t be so proud anymore.’

      Maggie was so happy. But when she went to find her friends to tell them the joke, everyone screamed and ran away as soon as they saw her. They could not recognise her. They shouted ‘Monster!’ as they ran away. Maggie began to get scared. Now she realised that she still had the terrible face. So she made a wish with the Ring.

      ‘Please, please, Magic Ring. Give me back my beautiful face. Please!’

      Nothing happened.

      Maggie was frightened now. She ran back home as fast as she could. When her parents saw her, they could not recognise her either and refused to let her in. Maggie was terribly scared.

      ‘Please, mother!’ cried Maggie. She knocked at the door fiercely with both her hands and shouted, ‘Let me in, let me in! I’m Maggie.’

      ‘Go away you monster or I’ll call the police!’ Her frightened mother was shouting from inside the flat.

      Maggie was in despair. She knelt down and cried in front of the door. She regretted making the wishes with the Magic Ring. She did not want to make wishes anymore. Maggie cried and cried and cried, until she had no energy to cry anymore. She didn’t want to look like that forever, but what could she do? The Magic Ring could not help her anymore. The magic was all used up. ‘Whenever you make a wish, you will lose one thing.’ Once again Maggie remembered the pigeon’s words. The pigeon… the pigeon…Yes, maybe she could ask for the pigeon to help her. 

      Then she remembered the pigeon. Maggie ran to the Ruins of St. Paul’s. She got down on her knees, closed her eyes and, without knowing where the special pigeon was, she opened her eyes again. She looked at every bird she could see on the façade and begged them all, any of them, to help her.

      ‘Please, please, give me back my beautiful face and I won’t use magic to trick others anymore. Please, please, please…’

      A light shone from the sky. It was so bright that Maggie could not open her eyes. Then Maggie heard someone, something, some voice calling, ‘Maggie, Maggie, Maggie…’ Maggie opened her eyes. She saw a familiar face, a face that she missed. It was her mother and she was pulling aside the heavy curtain in her bedroom.

      ‘Mag, it’s time to wake up. Don’t sleep so much! Come out and have your breakfast.’

      Maggie was so happy that nothing terrible had happened. She got up quickly, and went to the wardrobe to take out her uniform. Just when she was about to pick up her watch from the dressing table, she was surprised to see there a golden ring, a broken necklace and a single white feather. Had it really been a dream? Or…

The Little Squirrel and the Bear

Hilda Tam

      On a big pine tree in the little zoo in the Garden of Flora at the foot of Guia Hill, lived a little squirrel named Peipei.

      It was a warm sunny morning. ‘Good morning, mummy.’ Peipei yawned and rubbed his eyes, ‘Mummy?’ There was no response. Peipei jumped from his bed and stretched his long tail as far as he could. He looked around the familiar family hole in the tree and found no sign of his mother. ‘Mummy must have gone to visit Auntie Monkey again. Hurray! I can do anything I want. It’ll be fun!’ He went to the table, got a chestnut and dipped it in some honey in a wooden jar. While he was enjoying his chestnut, he smelled something more delicious.

      ‘Oh! I can smell apples, I can smell bananas, and I can smell plums, pineapples, peaches and pears! Where do all these wonderful smells come from? Did mummy hide something tasty somewhere in the house?’ Peipei put down his chestnut and sniffed around the house, but he found nothing. The smells became stronger. ‘The smell must come from the outside then.’ So he leaned out of the window to look.

      To his surprise, he saw a furry giant was having an enormous fruit salad in the cage right under his tree. Peipei had never seen this animal before. Peipei swallowed, ‘That fruit really looks great! I really want to have a mouthful of it. But would he like to share? He looks so fierce.’ Peipei scratched his tummy, ‘but I really want to have some. Maybe… let me try to make friends with him, and I can give him some of my chestnuts in return for his fruit.’ So Peipei came out of his house and sat on one of the branches.

      ‘Hello. Good morning, Mr Furry.’ Peipei yelled.

      The furry giant stopped eating and looked around. ‘Who are you calling Mr Furry?’ the monster snarled, but in a good natured way, which only encouraged Peipei to go on being naughty. ‘Where are you anyway?’

      ‘I’m here, over here, on the pine tree,’ said Peipei. The furry giant saw Peipei and returned his greeting, ‘Good morning,’ and he started eating again.

      ‘My name is Peipei. I’m the cleverest little squirrel in this zoo. I’ve never seen you before, and I’ve never seen such a huge furry animal like you. Are you a dog?’ asked Peipei.

      The furry giant stopped eating again and now he was annoyed, ‘Think you’re clever, huh? Dog? I’m a bear!’ he roared, though not very frighteningly. ‘I’m a precious present from the Central Government. Beijing gave me to Macao for the Handover. Now I’m the king of this zoo, this garden, this hill. You must respect me.’

      ‘Oh I see. That’s why he can have so much good fruit,’ thought Peipei, ‘but he said he was the king of the garden? He must be a good and clever leader then.’ Peipei decided he liked the bear, and he was very proud to have made friends with a king.

      ‘I apologise, your majesty,’ said Peipei, ‘May I know your name? I want to be your loyal subject.’ And now Peipei bowed as low as could, so low in fact that he almost fell out of the tree. Of course the king was too busy to notice.

      In fact the bear was cleaning his mouth with a leaf. He cleared his throat and said, ‘My name? I’ve got the most beautiful and powerful name in the world. You’ve got to listen carefully. I’ll only say it once.’

      ‘Yes?’

      ‘Bear,’ smiled the bear with stars in his eyes.

      ‘It’s a good name, your majesty. Well…you aren’t eating your fruit? You’ve had enough?’ asked Peipei and jumped down onto another branch, closer to where all that wonderful fruit was.

      Bear thought, ‘Want to trick me out of my fruit, you squirrel? Ha! I can trick you too! If you come down here then you’ll be my slave. Poor little squirrel.’ But Bear didn’t really feel sorry for the squirrel at all. He lay down on the ground and pretended that he was very full, ‘Yes. I’ve had enough. You want some, squirrel?’

      Peipei’s eyes glazed when he heard this, he nodded cheerfully and said, ‘Yes! Yes! I like fresh fruit very much.’

      The bear yawned pitifully. ‘I’m so tired having to look up all the time when I’m talking to you. We’re friends, little squirrel. You can come down to chat with me and have some of my fruit, if you please.’

      Peipei immediately climbed down the tree and into Bear’s cage. He had no trouble squeezing himself through the bars. ‘Thank you, your majesty. You’re so generous!’ Then Peipei started enjoying the fruit.

      ‘King Bear, next time if you’ve got some fruit like this again, will you share some with me?’ Peipei had to make a great effort to get the words out of his mouth because he was so busy eating a juicy plum, ‘King Bear, are you listening?’ There was no response. Peipei didn’t know why, but he suddenly sensed danger and being a smart animal he paid attention to his instinct. He looked back. He saw Bear with a long bendy piece of rattan in his paws. ‘You’re mine!’ roared Bear. Peipei tried to run but it was too late. Bear had caught him and tied the rattan round his neck.

      ‘Let me go!’ shouted Peipei, now fearing the worst. ‘I taste really bad, and anyway you’re a fruit eater! You won’t like squirrel.’

      ‘I hadn’t thought of eating you, but now that you’ve suggested it… Hmm’, Bear pretended to be thinking, ‘That mightn’t be a bad idea.’ And then he said what he’d intended to say. ‘I’m the king of this garden, this place is okay and the fruits here are nice enough, but I want a servant. And from now on, you’re my servant, and you have to obey me, or else I won’t give you food and you will starve to death. You ate my fruit and you must do something to pay back, little squirrel. Don’t make me angry or I may have to find out what little squirrels taste like.’ As he made this last threat Bear was tying the other end of the rattan to a durian, so as to make sure that Peipei could not slip away through the bars of the cage and leave the way he had come.

      Peipei kept silent and tried to stay calm, and he thought, ‘I can break the rattan anytime with my sharp teeth. But I can’t do this in front of him. I should wait for my chance when he’s asleep.’ Peipei took a deep breath and said, ‘Okay, Bear… sorry, your majesty. It’s my pleasure to be your servant. What do you want me to do for you?’

      ‘Good boy. My back is so itchy. Get the comb near my pool and comb my fur. Now!’ Bear unknotted the rattan from the durian so Peipei could go and take the comb. He used his paw to hold one end of the rattan so Peipei couldn’t escape. Then he yawned and lay down.

      ‘Certainly, your majesty.’ Peipei went to get the comb and then climbed on Bear’s back and started combing. Bear felt so comfortable that he soon fell asleep. Peipei heard Bear’s snoring and stopped combing. Softly he said, ‘Bear, are you awake?’ Bear did not move. Peipei then put his head in Bear’s ear and shouted, ‘Bear!’ Bear kept snoring and did not move an inch. Peipei was sure that Bear was sleeping like the dead and so he at once started biting the rattan to break it.

      After only a few minutes of frenetic activity, ‘I’m free at last!’ cheered Peipei. ‘How can he treat me like this? I must give him some punishment. Let me see… Ah! Yes!’

      Peipei climbed up to his house and brought the honey jar back to the cage. He spread the honey on Bear’s back, and sat on one of the branches of the tree to wait for Bear to wake up.

      The sweet smell of the honey spread through the garden, and that attracted the bees and the ants, and they all came – a great army of them – to Bear’s back. They held a honey party there, and licked up the honey happily together.

     Bear woke up with a start, and found that there were hundreds of bees and ants on his back. ‘Oh! Get away from my back! I feel so itchy!’ He tried to shake them off, but that made them angry. The bees stung him and the ants bit him. ‘Oh! Help! Help!’ Bear ran and jumped into the pool. The bees flew away and the ants went back to their nests. Bear was relieved they were gone but in terrible pain from all their stings and bites and tried to wash off the honey on his back. But he was so fat that his paws could not reach his back.

      ‘Oh! What can I do?’ Just as he was wondering how to wash off the honey, he remembered Peipei. ‘Little squirrel, where are you? I need your help!’

      Peipei giggled and said, ‘I’m here, over here, on the pine tree.’

      ‘You naughty squirrel! How could you do this to me?’ roared Bear.

      ‘You’re so arrogant and impolite. We’re living in this garden together, we should treat others well, help and share with each other. Even though you’re a celebrity, you shouldn’t bully the weak; you should use your strength to help others. I wanted to be friends with you, but you cheated me and made me be your servant. I’m so disappointed,’ said Peipei with his tail down.

      Peipei’s words touched Bear. He cried and said, ‘I’m so sorry, Peipei. I’m so lonely in the cage. I’d love to make friends, but I just…don’t know how. I’m so uncomfortable now. Could you please come down and help me to wash my back?’

      ‘Certainly, your majesty. But do promise me that you won’t tie me up again.’

      ‘Oh! I won’t. Of course I won’t. And Peipei, if you please, call me Bear. I’m not really the king of this garden… I just made that up. I’m so sorry. Would you still like to be my friend if I’m not a king?’

      ‘Sure, Bear. We’re friends!’ said Peipei. He climbed down and picked a leaf to use to wash Bear’s back.

      The next day, Peipei called for his friends to come to Bear’s cage and held a party to welcome Bear officially to the garden. At the party Bear shared his fresh fruit and so he made a lot of friends. After that, he was the happiest bear in the world.

The Three White Radishes

Malia Cheong

      Once upon a time, three little radishes were setting off for an adventure, to visit other towns. Their own town was named ‘Bak Law Bak’ (White Radish). It was a small place and everyone who lived in it was, just as you’ve guessed, a white radish.

      Although the three radishes thought that they were very brave and grown-up, their mother, Mrs White, still worried about her daughters. She kept on telling them, ‘You must be careful. Remember to come back before dinner time, that is, six o’clock, no later!’

      ‘Mum, we know! Don’t worry. I’ll take care of Mary and Susan.’ Lily, the eldest daughter spoke as if she were in charge. Lily was a shy and careful girl, and she was going to be a Class Five student (the highest class in the vegetable world is Class Six). Lily believed that she could take care of her sisters.

      ‘Okay, just be careful. Remember there are many bad people outside. They may try to hurt you.’

      ‘Yes mum. We’ll take care of ourselves.’ Mary, who was very active, could not wait to start the journey.

      ‘Okay, see you all in the evening!’

      ‘Goodbye, mum!’ The three little white radishes went away happily.

      They walked and walked, and as they walked, they joyfully sang a song which every vegetable child knew, ‘123, 321, 1234567, 234, 432, 45678910…’

      After they sang the song, the youngest sister, Susan asked, ‘Lily, do you think we might meet someone who isn’t white? I only know what white vegetables look like.’

      ‘Me, too! I’ve only ever met radishes. And that’s why we’re having this adventure. We have to know what the outside world looks like! Remember Auntie White told us a few days ago that she’d been to the Fan Ke (Tomato) Town? The people there have red skin and green hair.’

      ‘Red and green? I heard her say it but I don’t know what red and green look like.’ Though Susan was smart, she was still puzzled about the idea that other vegetables could be so different.

      ‘I am not sure, either. Auntie White said that green is similar to our hair and red is very bright and attractive. But we will find out by ourselves soon!’ When she had finished her sentence, Lily found that they had reached the Dou Dou (Peas and Beans) Town.

      Lily pointed at the words and said to the youngest sisters, ‘Wa! We’ve now reached the Dou Dou Town, let us go inside and see.’

      Soon after the little radishes entered the town, they saw a lot of different coloured vegetables dancing in a circle. Lily remembered that she needed to take care of her sisters, but she also wanted to dance. So, keeping hold of her sisters’ hands, she brought them into the circle and all of them started to dance.

      As they were dancing, Susan asked the Bean beside her, ‘Hi, I’m a little white radish, what are you? I’ve never seen you before. You are so cute and small.’

      ‘I’m Green Bean. Although I’m small, I have lots of nutrition.’ Mr Green Bean felt a little bit embarrassed as he spoke. Mary asked, ‘Why are all of you so happy? What are you celebrating?’

      Mr Green Bean answered, ‘You girls really don’t know? Next Sunday is our Royal Vegetable King’s birthday. In order to celebrate our Royal King’s birthday, we will dance for the whole month. And on the following Sunday, we will have a competition here. The Vegetable King will choose the most beautiful vegetable for this year. The winner and the winner’s town can serve the king for the whole year. You know, my sister was the winner last year, and that’s why we have the chance to serve our Royal King. That’s why we are having this joyful party now. Every vegetable should know this, how is it you don’t know?’

      The little radishes were curious about the competition so they asked lots of questions about it, so many that they forgot the time. It was nearly sunset when they remembered, so they had to run back home as fast as they could.

***

      Their mother had the dinner ready when they arrived home. So they quickly washed their hands and went to the table. ‘How was the day?’ mum asked.

      Lily answered, ‘Great! Mum, it was the greatest day of my life. We met different kinds of vegetable. There were Green Bean, Corn Cob, Egg Plant, Red and Green Pepper, Mushroom, Tomato… and so many others.’

      Mary said, ‘We danced a lot, too! And we’re so tired now. But Mr Green Bean told us there will be a competition in the Dou Dou Town next Sunday. Mum, I want to join the competition.’

      Susan yelled, ‘Me too, I want to go as well!’

      Mrs White shook her head, ‘I’ve heard about that competition from Auntie White. But I think Lily should go, by herself, because you two are still young. Next year, I will let Mary go and Susan will go the year after.’

      Mary and Susan cried, ‘Whyyy? Mum, you’re not fair to us, you no longer love us, you only love Lily, you only love Lily. You only love Lily, don’t you?’

      Their mother tried to comfort them and said, ‘No, no. I love you all. But you are not mature enough to go by yourselves and to compete with other strange vegetables.’

      Mother and daughters continued to talk about the competition until it was time for the girls to go to bed. But that night only Lily could sleep well and dream. Mary and Susan could not sleep at all. They got up from their beds somewhere around midnight and they ran away from their home.

***

      The two girls walked and walked. This time, they weren’t in any mood to sing, they just walked as fast as they could. By the time the dawn was breaking, they had no idea where they were. And finally when the sun was up they were too tired to go on, so they just sat down where they were and fell asleep at the side of the road.

      It was already afternoon when the two girls got up, and they hadn’t walked very far when they saw a sign board, on which was written ‘Nam Gua (Squashes) Town’. Because they knew less words than Lily, they didn’t know what ‘Nam Gua’ meant. Still, they decided to go inside and have a look. Entering the town, the first person they met was Miss Cucumber.

      Mary was straining her neck to look up at the elegant vegetable in front of her. Bravely, she said to Miss Cucumber, ‘You are so tall and thin, who are you?’

      Miss Cucumber answered, ‘I’m Cucumber. How do you do?’

      Mary replied, ‘Fine. I’m a white radish, my name is Mary. Can I have a look in your house?’

      ‘Sure, this way.’ They followed Miss Cucumber to her house and in there they saw one of the cucumbers’ relatives, Mrs Pumpkin.

      Susan’s eyes were attracted by Mrs Pumpkin’s colour. She’d never seen anything like it before. She asked, ‘Who are you? I’ve never seen you before. You are so beautiful, your colour is so nice.’

      Mrs Pumpkin, who was very big, swung herself around and said, ‘Right, a lot of people have said that. And… you know, I’m very proud of my skin colour.’

      Staring at Mrs Pumpkin’s beautiful skin, Susan suddenly had a strange idea. She pulled Mrs Pumpkin aside and said in a low voice, ‘Can I change my colour, I’d like to have yours.’

      Mrs Pumpkin was very puzzled, she said, ‘Why would you want to? And how could you anyway? Don’t you know you’re a radish?’

      ‘Umm… I usually have a bath with my mum. She always says that the more I bathe, the whiter I will be. But maybe that’s because she’s so white. So, if I take a bath with you, maybe I can get some of your colour?’

      Mrs Pumpkin thought this was all very strange but she was a very helpful person vegetable so she accepted Susan’s request.

      Mrs Pumpkin poured some hot water into a bath tub and then she and Susan took a hot bath together. In the hot water, Susan used a brush to brush Mrs Pumpkin in order to let the beautiful colour go into the water.

      When Susan came out of the bathroom, her appearance frightened her sister Mary and it even frightened Miss Cucumber. Mary thought Susan looked very strange.

      ‘How, how do I look? Am I beautiful?’ Susan asked.

      ‘Not bad, but a little bit strange.’

      ‘That doesn’t matter, because I’m special now. I’m the only orange radish in the whole of the Vegetable Kingdom. And because I am special I can go to the competition.’

      ‘Oh, you’re right, you’re right! If I change my colour, I can go into the competition too! But what colour shall I change to?’ Mary thought for a while and then she shouted out, ‘Yes. I know. I should change my skin colour to Miss Cucumber’s green. Great! Miss Cucumber, let’s have a bath together!’

      So Mary did the same thing as Susan. And soon her colour was the same green as Miss Cucumber’s.

***

      That night, Mary and Susan were so happy. They had good dreams in the Cucumber’s house. But Mary and Susan’s family were very worried about the girls. Every day for a week Mrs White and Lily went out to look for them, but with each passing day the family grew more worried when they still could not find Mary or Susan. And because Mrs White was out looking for the girls day and night, she was tired and then she got sick.

      Time passed quickly. It was Sunday already. All the competitors came to the Dou Dou Town. There were many beautiful vegetables, and they came from each of the kingdom’s five towns. First there was Garlic, from the Chung Xun (Onion Family) Town. Second was Kidney Bean, from the Dou Dou Town. The third one was Pumpkin, from the Nam Gua Town. The fourth was Sweet Potato, from the Xu (Tubers) Town. Last was White Radish, from the Bak Law Bak Town.

      As the Vegetable King sat on his throne, the competition started. All competitors showed their best talents. Some danced, some sang their town’s songs and some showed their strength by lifting weights. In the middle of the competition, two strangers came in. No one recognised them, not even the Royal Vegetable King. The strangers looked like radishes but their colour was wrong. So the king ordered that they be arrested and brought before him.

      Mary and Susan – for they were the two strangers – were very afraid when they were brought to the king. They cried, ‘Your majesty, we are not strangers, we are actually white radishes.’

      ‘How can you prove it?’ The king asked.

      ‘We can prove it if you kindly give us some water.’ Susan offered.

      The king did give Mary and Susan some water. Mary cupped some water and poured it on her neck. But there was no magic, Mary’s skin didn’t turn white again. She was still cucumber green.

      Mary was frightened and asked, ‘Why, why can’t I wash off the colour?’

      Susan was worried too, and she tried to explain, ‘Oh, maybe… it may be because the coloured water has gone into our skin.’ But no matter what they said now, no one would believe them. The two girls knew that they had done something wrong. They could never become white again like before and so they could not live in the Bak Law Bak Town anymore. The girls cried and cried and cried to think they would have to leave their family and their friends behind.

      But the king was very kind to the girls. He said, ‘Stop crying, stop crying, today is my birthday and all of you should be happy. You, with the Pumpkin’s colour, will have a new name. I name you “Hong Law Bak (Carrot)”. And you, with the Cucumber’s colour, will also have a new name. From now on everyone will call you “Ching Law Bak (Parsnip)”. From now on, you are deemed to be the relatives of the white radish. You two can build your own towns, and they will be called the Hong Law Bak Town and the Ching Law Bak Town.’

      Mary and Susan stopped crying and joined the party. After that, they left the Dou Dou Town and started on their journey together to find their own two towns.

      What will happen in their journey? Well… that would be another story…