by
Abraham Williams
A long time ago, deep in the land of Kandahar, there lived an old woman.
No one knew how old she was, but some say she was as old as the moon.
Everyone had always known of her since they could remember.
She had long long long white hair and dark dark dark blue eyes.
In the mornings, she walked through the deep and lively woods. She made sure all was in order
– The trees were green and strong.
– The rabbits were fed and happy.
– The birds were singing songs for the day.
After her walks, she would always go to the well to fetch her water for the
day… and to make her wishes. Everyday she did this and every day she
wised “For all the good of the world”.
The children of Kandahar all knew of the Old woman of the forest and every Sunday, the
children would walk into the woods and bring food to the Old woman.
They not only came to bring nourishment, they came to listen to her
stories. She told them how the mountains came to be when the earth made
mighty heaves upwards. She told them how the trees loose their leaves
but always grow them back. She also told them about the well. The
children would go to the well with her and listen to her wishes. They
made a few modest wishes of their own. The old woman always said, “You
must always wish for others before yourself. Never yourself first. And,
always say Thank You because your wish will come true.”
The children loved their time with the old woman.
Then, one day the when the children came to visit. The old woman lie ill in
her bed. She could not get up and make sure all was in order. She could
not ensure
– The trees were green and strong.
– The rabbits were fed and happy.
– The birds were singing songs for the day.
And, most of all, she could not go to the well. All of the children went home, except for one. Her name was Julianna.
“What ails you old woman of the forest?”, Julianna asked. The old woman said,
“I am old. Old as the moon. It’s time for me to rest my weary bones.
You must go and make sure that all is in order. ” “But I don’t know
what to do.”, Julianna said. The old woman said, “Walk through the
deep and lively woods. Make sure all is in order.
– The trees are green and strong.
– The rabbits are fed and happy.
– The birds are singing songs for the day.”
“Then you must go to the well. Please fetch my water for the day, and make
your wishes. And Remember, You must always wish for others before
yourself. Never yourself first. And, always say Thank You because your
wish will come true.”
Julianna went walking deep into the lively woods.
– The trees were indeed strong.
– The rabbits were indeed fed and happy.
– And the birds were indeed singing songs for the day.
Julianna
went to the well. She fetched the water and she wished “For all the
good of the world”, just as she had seen the old woman of the forest
do. Then, she made another wish. “I wish for the old woman to be
healthy again.” Julianna wished into the well. Then she brought the
bucket back to the old woman. Once to the house, she found the old
woman standing in the doorway, smiling. “Young Julianna.”, the old
woman said. “You have wished for another and you have wished for me to
be healed. You are a very kind one indeed. ”
“Because youhave healed an old woman out of the kindness of your own dear heart, I
have a gift for you. Please come with me. ” The old woman of the forest
led Julianna down a path to a small stream. “Do you see this stream?”,
said the old woman.
“This stream is what feeds the well. The well is what feeds us. Do you know what feeds the stream, Julianna?”, The old woman asked. “The rain from the sky fills it and the ground
holds it so that we may drink.” The old woman reached into the stream
and pulled out a small stone. “Take this stone with you. It is a
wishing stone. When you find you are lost or in need, think of this
stream and make a wish. And, remember to say Thank you, because your
wish will come true.”
Julianna thanked the old woman and walked back to her home.
Each
Sunday, the children would walk into the woods and bring food to the
Old woman. They not only came to bring nourishment, they came to listen
to her stories. And this is the way it was, because Julianna wished it
so.
Here’s the audio.