| THE TALE OF BEAUTIFUL PEARL A beautiful day in early October, Mr. and Mrs. Redmond became the proud parents of a baby girl. The sun shined, while the wind blew mildly to bounce the warm air through the beautiful wooded area. Inside the delivery room, the doctor gasped as he looked at the newborn child. He thought, she is as ugly as an old shoe. The baby girl’s eyes looked like hunks of tar. Her nose curved slightly downward. Her lips were as thin as a pencil mark. Her ears stuck out from her head. Her arms and legs looked like tree trunks while her long body was as slim as a saplings tree branch. The baby, whom her mother and father called, Pearl, was welcomed by them because they had prayed for the birth of their first child night and day. She did not cry—only whined. One sunny day, mother said, “Pearl, you are our child and we love you! You are the star of our universe; you are the sun in our days.” Pearl immediately stopped whining and smiled and giggled. She never whined again. She only cried when she was hungry or she needed a diaper change. In fact, when she smiled, which she did a lot, her face seemed to light up. It was true. She did make the days and nights brighter. Word spread though the community that an ugly child lived near the forest. People found excuses to stop for an interlude during their trips. Mrs. Anderson stopped to rest during her jog; Mr. Green needed a few logs for his fireplace; and Ms. Johnson needed leaves for her new project even though she didn’t seem to have time for anything, except her career. They would usually say, “I heard you have a beautiful new baby!” Of course, the Redmonds were eager to show off their new baby girl. Remember, they loved Pearl with all their hearts. She was their sun and stars. But when people set their eyes on Pearl, they grimaced, even though they tried not to. They just wanted to see the child, they didn’t want to hurt the Redmonds. The Redmonds never observed their grimaces, for the sun shined in their eyes and the stars reflected their love. As time passed, people, passersby, sightseers and other investigators observed the child and gradually their grimaces changed to smiles. Pearl, the Redmond’s beloved child, bore a beautiful heart. She lit up their day. When she smiled, those black tar eyes glowed as bright as black diamonds. Her nose turned up and her lips turned full with each smile. Because her mother and father told her how they loved her and sang beautiful songs, her ears became round and hugged her head. Lovely little Pearl, as her parents nicknamed her, seemed to be the legend of her community. When she started school, all the children were anxious to meet Pearl. Amazingly, some children saw the most beautiful child they could ever imagine and others saw ugliness. The children who experienced the beautiful Pearl treated her with exceptional kindness. They treated her with respect during games and other playful activities. They considered themselves privileged to be her friend. The children, who saw an ugly Pearl, called her names and tried to play tricks on her. Lovely Little Pearl never returned their meanness. She asked her parents, “What is ugly?” The Redmonds told Pearl, “The word ugly does not exist in our world.” Pearl thought, “I will try to cheer the children and tell them they are as beautiful as I am. Maybe someone told them they are ugly. For how did they learn the word, ‘ugly'?" So Pearl acted as she planned, never going astray. Everyday became sunnier until the sun glowed to eliminate all the ugliness. Now when the children look at Pearl, they see eyes of black sparkling diamonds, a pretty turned-up nose, lips that are red and full and smiling. Her ears, beautifully attached to her head that can only hear beautiful words. Her body and legs, that are attached and fit perfectly, help her spread sunshine wherever she wonders. Lovely Pearl is an Angel to people with good hearts. |
| September Featured Article |
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