This selection of stories and poems will enchant the child in you. |
Read this AFTER The Sad Little Pony ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Panda, Danny, and the Little Bird Panda, a pretty, little, palomino pony with a long, white tail and forelocks that fell down into his eyes, was the best friend of a little girl named Danny. (Yes, I know that Danny is a boy's name, but the little girl didn't like it when anybody called her by her real name -- Danielle -- so, you're just going to have to remember that Danny is a little girl!) Danny lived in an old farmhouse with her mother and father. They were very busy painting and hammering nails every place where the boards were falling off. In fact, they were so busy, they really didn't have time to play with Danny during the day, so it was a good thing that she had Panda to talk with. Danny and Panda galloped all over the fields. They stopped sometimes to watch a squirrel scolding them. Once they halted when they found a fawn nibbling at the moss on a tree trunk. They even saw a skunk one time. Danny told Panda not to move one single step forward. She was afraid that the little black and white skunk would do something awful -- like perfume the air with the most horrible, horrible smell! Mostly, Panda and Danny went to the creek, and the little pony pawed at the water, splashing and playing with his reflection. Danny would sit on his back, laughing and singing a little song. Her favorite song to sing went like this: If I were a pony, I'd run with the wind, I'd neigh to my friend called Danny, I'd ask her to ride, And together we'd run, My tail flying high in the air. If I were a girl, I'd run with the wind, I'd brush my friend called Panda, Then, with a hop I'd jump on his back, And we'd gallop across the field. It was a pretty song, even though Danny sang it without any melody -- but rather in a kind of singsong chant. And when she sang, Panda's ears would flick back and forth, as if he were listening. Sometimes, Danny was sure that his tail switched in time with the beat. One day, when Panda and Danny were out in the lush, green pasture, they found a baby bird that had fallen from its nest. Danny thought it might be a tiny robin. She picked it up and tried to put it back into its nest on the lowest branch of the shady oak tree. But the little bird did not want to be left behind. It was lonely and began to cry with the saddest chirps and peeps. Danny didn't know what to do. She dug up a worm and mashed it with a rock. Then she fed that to the baby bird. Its little beak opened wide, and the squashed worm went down. But even after the worm was gone, the baby bird would not stop hopping up and down in its nest and crying, "cheep cheep" in its sad, baby robin way. Danny didn't know what to do. She put the little bird into her pocket, got back up on Panda, and rode home. Her parents were repairing the front gate that day. Her mother had three long, metal nails sticking out of her mouth, and she was busy hammering. Danny's father was attempting to screw on the hinges so the gate would move back and forth. Neither of them was excited to see the baby bird. Her father said, "Oh, Danny, don't tell me you found another pet!" Danny's mother didn't say anything until she'd taken the nails out of her mouth and hammered them into the fence post beside the gate. Then, she turned to look at her daughter. "I suppose one little bird can't be an awful lot of trouble. It will be good for Danny." Her father let out a load groan because the gate wasn't opening and closing correctly. He turned to Danny and said, "All right, but you have to be the one to feed it worms!" Danny's parents went back to repairing the gate, and Danny went inside to find a soft, old sweater. She placed the sweater, a blue one, in case you're wondering, one with holes in it so that nobody would care that she was using it for a pet bird, inside a cardboard shoebox, set the robin inside, and laid the sweater and bird gently on the floor by her bed. The baby bird was so tired from his ride on Panda, and so full of worm, that he fell right to sleep. So, that's how Danny found another friend. I bet you don't know anyone with a pet robin! That bird became Danny's second best friend. And when it grew older, she and Panda, and the baby bird, which was called "Little Peep," galloped about the fields, laughing and singing many new songs. Except for the day that the cougar came into the pasture and . . . (but that's another story. You'll have to read about that in: Danny and the Cougar.) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |