5 Children's Stories
by CJ Heck
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A Children's story set in another world about three best friends who go on a simple picnic and, through magic, one of them
suddenly disappears. To get their friend back, the two remaining friends must travel through the frightening Everlie Woods,
where nothing is ever as it appears -- and no one who enters there has ever returned.



The Magic Banana (an Excerpt)
A Fantasy Adventure
by CJ Heck

Tucked in somewhere over our stars and under our moon, there's a faraway land. It's lovely and very different from
our world. It's called The Land of The Purple Moons because up in the sky at night, it has two large purple moons.
There are also two bright suns that shine in the daytime that are always hooked together by a beautiful rainbow.

In The Land of The Purple Moons, there's a thick magic forest called The Forest of Enchantment.  It's called that
because sometimes things happen there that just can't be explained.

This is a story about three best friends who lived near The Forest of Enchantment in The Land of The Purple Moons
and an adventure that none of them will ever forget.

I know this is true, because someone who's been there told me to tell you.

The first of the friends was Bartholomew Bear. His friends couldn't say that name, so they called him B Bear.  This
was just fine with Bartholomew, because he couldn't say it either.
 
B Bear was very smart and he, if anyone should be, he was, the leader of the three best friends.  They looked up to
him for his wonderful ideas and his important decisions.
    
The next was Monkey and he, if anyone had to be, was the playful one of the three friends. He loved making them
laugh by doing silly things and making funny noises and faces. Monkey was  always hungry. Every morning, he
filled his pockets with good things to eat before he left home. That was okay though, because he always shared what
he brought with his friends.
    
The last of the three friends was Lambie, a little pink lamb. She was kind and gentle and, if anyone could be, she was
the very heart of the three best friends.  Lambie was the one who always knew when it was time to go home so no one
would worry about them. She was the one who always knew when an idea was not a good idea, because she was also
the one who made sure the three best friends were always good.
     
I know this is true, because someone who's been there told me to tell you.
    
One day, the three best friends decided to meet at the edge of The Forest of Enchantment the very next day. It would
be a nice day for a picnic and B Bear announced that he knew the perfect spot. He told them it was near a babbling
brook that whispered poetry and there was a tall gumdrop tree nearby where Monkey could climb and play. Maybe he
would even toss some gumdrops down to them!
    
Now they wondered, what time should they meet?  After much discussion, Monkey, being the silly one, said they
should meet at three hairs past a freckle, eastern elbow time.  The three friends laughed and, of course, Monkey
laughed louder than anyone.  With Monkey holding back even MORE giggles and snorts, they finally agreed.  They
would meet at elevenish fourteen o'clock.
    
The next morning, Monkey was the first to arrive. As usual, his pockets were full of food, just in case he got hungry
before lunch. He sat down on a tree stump and munched on cookies while he waited for his two best friends.
    
B Bear was next to arrive, carrying the biggest picnic basket Monkey had ever seen!  But when B Bear noticed
Monkey's bulging pockets and that Monkey was already eating cookies, he shouted in a very loud voice, "Monkey!
What's wrong with you? You knew I was bringing a picnic basket. You knew it would have plenty to eat inside. Why
did you have to fill your pockets with cookies today?"

Monkey didn't mean to make B Bear angry.  He tried to make him laugh by making funny faces, but it only made B
Bear even more angry!
    
In his loudest voice, B Bear shouted, "Monkey! I asked what's wrong with you?"
    
Just then, Lambie arrived. She was already talking about how she hadn't forgotten to bring lots of juice in case they
all got thirsty. Lambie didn't notice the mad face B Bear was wearing or the sad face that Monkey now had on. She
DID notice B Bear's loud voice, though, and said, "B Bear, don't use your grumpy-growly voice with Monkey. That
isn't nice!"
   
B Bear told Lambie about Monkey's bulging pockets and his cheeks full of cookies.   Then he told her how Monkey
made things even worse by making silly faces.   It was like Monkey didn't care that B Bear was upset and that was
why he was so angry!
    
Since Lambie was the heart of the three friends, she said, "B Bear, say what you mean, mean what you say, but don't
say it mean.  Shouting never solves a problem. Let's all sit down and talk about this calmly."
    
The two suns were high in the sky by the time the three friends finally worked things out and were on their way to
the picnic spot. Monkey agreed to put the food from his pockets into the picnic basket, except for one banana, just in
case he got hungry along the way, and B Bear agreed to put away his angry voice and use more patience.
    
I know this is true, because someone who's been there told me to tell you.
    
After walking for nearly an hour, Monkey began to whine, "When will we be there? How much farther to the babbling
brook? Will the gumdrop tree really have enough gumdrops for all of us?  I'm tired! I'm hungry! Why do we have to go
any further into the woods?  Why can't we just eat here?"

Since she was also very understanding, Lambie suggested that they sit down and rest for a little while. She told
Monkey that now would be a perfect time for him to eat the banana he had saved.
    
B Bear was tired, too, and he had worked up a bear of an appetite, himself. His patience with Monkey and his
whining was all used up. Before Lambie could stop him, he grabbed the banana from Monkey, pointed it right at him
and shouted, "Monkey! Stop whining!  Stop asking all of your silly questions!  Stop it, stop it, stop it!  Sometimes, I
wish you would just disappear!"
    
All at once, there was a quiet little sound:  
                                                                     ((( p o o f!)))

B Bear was so surprised by what happened that he dropped the banana on the ground where he stood. Monkey was
gone!  B Bear rubbed his eyes and peeked through his fingers.  It didn't change anything.  Monkey was exactly
nowhere at all!  
    
Lambie and B Bear stared at each other. "How could this happen? How can this be? Where did Monkey go? Is this one
of his silly games to make us laugh?"  Lambie asked ....


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