| I knew a little town like your town. It had a little main street just like a lot of main streets, and a little store not too different from a lot of little stores.
The owner of the store was a kind and gentle man named Pop Starr. Pop was a good man, and all the people in town knew and loved him.
Pop's store had a lot of things on a lot of shelves for people to buy. This is a story about one very special thing in Pop's store.  In the back of his store, Pop had made a special room just for toys. Boys and girls loved going into the little toy room. They gazed with wonder at all the colorful toys on the shelves that reached all the way up to forever -- well, almost, but not exactly.
 Children spent many hours wanting the things they saw in Pop's toy room. Even Santa Claus had heard about the little toy room, in the little store, on the little street, in the little town.
 Way up high on the top shelf in the toy room was a little umbrella. The umbrella had been there for such a long time, maybe forever ... but anyway, it had been there for so long that it was covered by a thick layer of dust. It was a sad umbrella and it was also very lonely.
 Every day, the little umbrella looked around at the colors of the toys in the toy room, wishing it, too, was so beautiful. It had never seen such wonderous color! What a joy it would be to wear the colors it saw on the spinning tops, the rubber balls, and the bright red fire engines!
 The little umbrella wished to be an airplane like the ones the children played with in Pop's toy room, zooming up! Down! Up into the sky, feeling the wind above and below their wings. What a wonderful and important thing to be!
 The little umbrella longed to be held and loved, just like one of the pretty dolls the little girls hugged and talked to. What a wonderful thing to be! What an important job to have! Hour after hour, day after day, and year after year it watched the fun going on in the little toy room. The little umbrella dreamed someday it, too, would be needed just like the people needed old Pop Starr in his little store, on the little street, in the little town.
 One day, a huge and terrible storm cloud came and hid the sun over the little town. Outside, it was very dark. A horrible wind began to blow and the rain came down. The rain brought thunder with its powerful booms and lightning that lit up the sky forever -- well, almost, but not exactly. Pop stood and watched it all happen from the window in his store.
 All of a sudden, the door opened. A woman came into the store holding the hand of a small child. Both were out of breath and both were very wet.
 Now old Pop knew just about everyone in the little town, but he didn't know the woman and her small child. He welcomed them in out of the storm with his kind and gentle smile, a warm hello, and two dry towels.
 The woman told Pop her car had run out of gas just down the street from his store. They walked to the gas station, filled their gas can, and were on their way back to the car when the storm began. She told him they were glad to find Pop's store, but they were in a rush to get home to another little street in another little town far away.
Kind old Pop scratched his head and thought for a minute. Then, with a big smile, he went into the little toy room. From high on the top shelf, he brought down the little umbrella. He brushed off the years of dust and with a twinkle in his eye, he held out his gift to the woman and her small child.
 The joy in giving and the joy in receiving went round and round. Everyone was happy. The woman and her small child thanked Pop. They said goodbye to the kind and gentle man with the toy room in the little store, on the little street, in the little town. Then they stepped back outside into the wind and the rain and opened up the little umbrella.
 The little umbrella was so surprised! At last, it had left its home high on the top shelf in the toy room! "OH MY!" Cried the small child, "What a beautiful umbrella!" "It was true!" Thought the little umbrella. "Green, blue, red and yellow! Oh my!" The little umbrella exclaimed to itself. "Just look at my colors! I am just as beautiful as all of the toys in the toy room!" As it was opened, up, UP, UP it went! The wind rushed over and then under the little umbrella. Again, it felt such a wonderful surprise! It thought to itself, "Oh my! I'm feeling just like the airplanes in the little toy room!" Then, just when the little umbrella thought it couldn't be any happier, the very best thing happened. It felt a protective love for the mother and the small child holding onto its handle. The little umbrella knew it was keeping the rain off of them and it felt proud. That was a very good feeling. This was an important thing to be! This was a very special job to have! The little umbrella from high on the top shelf in the little toy room, in the little store, on the little street, in the little town was very happy -- not almost, but exactly. The little umbrella had learned something wonderful. It didn't have to wish to be anyone or anything else. It was perfect -- just the way it was.
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