Once Upon a Time-Storybook

Gorillas

Once upon a time, there was a gorilla that lived at a zoo and he dreamed about getting out. He sat there day after day after day wondering how he could get out of his habitat. And this gorilla was very intelligent and he always received more bananas then the rest because he was also very well behaved. But, this day, he decided that he had had enough, and wanted to see if he could get something different to eat. He had had enough bananas to last a lifetime. It was early when he got up this day, and as he sat there scratching his head, he remembered the bamboo trees were good for climbing, but out of reach. Then, he looked up and saw a light beam shine in and land on the spot where he sat and meditated everyday and he knew that he had been heard. All of a sudden, there was a violent storm, and the wind picked up and he ran inside. When the storm was over he looked out and saw that the high winds had caused the bamboo trees to sway and come to rest in just the right position for him to climb up and out and break free from his enclosure. So, he made a run for it and chased the guy who always gave him bananas around the zoo. Then, he went back to where he lived all his life, because it was home to him, and all he really wanted to do was have something better to eat than a banana. The end.

A Lady and a Turtle

Once upon a time there was a turtle that lived on property belonging to rich people. He decided to take a risk and go for a stroll to see what it was like on the other side of the road, where the poor people lived. Mr. Turtle became afraid while crossing the road, because he did not know which way to go and he remembered that momma turtle had always told him to never cross the road. Now he was sad too. He thought to himself, “I should have stayed home; this might be the end for me.” The cars were coming so fast, and he knew he might get hit, so he pulled his head into his shell and prayed. When all of a sudden, a very nice lady came along in her car and stopped to see if he needed help. He thought, “She must be a good Samaritan,” when she reached down and scooped him up and brought him to her home by the pond. Mr. Turtle was happy again and thought life was sweet because he was alive. One day, he met Mrs. Turtle and they built a house on a rock, and for the rest of their lives they lived happily ever after. The end.

Put your head on my shoulder

Once upon a time, a moose named Myron wandered to a nearby pasture where there was a bossy cow named Grace grazing in the green grass. Myron was shy but found his way over to her and stood there. As the days went by, Myron and Grace became friends. One day Grace said, “Why don’t you put your head on my shoulder and rest. The talk began around town as to the going’s on between Myron and Grace because most of the time Myron had only stood beside her, but now he was resting his head on her shoulder. The people of the town had never seen this sight before. Myron grew fond of Grace and her the same and their friendship flourished until one day Myron came back to find her gone. It seems she had met “Moo” a bull cow and although Myron was sad, he understood that after all he was a moose, not a cow and he couldn’t expect Grace to be sweet on him. So, the days grew longer and Myron had no one's shoulder to rest his head, so he just let it droop. But, just as it seemed all hope was gone, he looked up and there before his very eyes was someone new and just like him, a moose named Dignity and Myron was happy again because Dignity helped him find his way. The end.

The Cow that wanted to Moo

Once upon a time there was a cow named Mo. Mo was a male cow and Mo could not “moo,” so his owner Farmer Brown named him Mo. Mo was sad because he wanted to be like all the other cows in the pasture that could “moo.” So, Mo ran away to another pasture. One day, Mo was all alone grazing in the green grass, when along came a pretty female cow, and all of a sudden Mo said “ooow,” and then Mo realized that he could do anything he dreamed he could, because his new friend helped him to not be shy anymore. When Mo tried to “moo” this time he was happy because he could. Then Mo returned home to Farmer Brown with his new friend. The cowbells rang in the pasture and they lived happily ever after. The end.

Tim's Cove

Once upon a time there lived a young boy named Tim. He lived all alone in an old rundown shack in the woods near Sebec Lake. Tim loved to fish. But even so, he had not come out of the shack in a very long time. Tim was sad because one day he woke up and found his family gone. When he went to bed that night, he wept bitterly. His sobs were heard throughout the forest, to all the creatures that lived there. The next day, when Tim woke, he heard a sweet sound coming from outside, and so he leaped out of bed and looked out the window. There before his very eyes were a rabbit, two ducks, a loon and a deer. The deer, who appeared to be the leader of them said to Tim, "Could we come and live with you? We lost our home in the woods to a campfire." Tim smiled at the thought of it and shyly said, "If you do not mind being with a little boy and sleeping on the floor at the foot of my bed." It seemed as if all the animals grinned in unison. Tim was happy again and so were the animals. As he lay on his bed that night looking out the window, he saw one luminous star twinkling in the east, and he gave thanks for his new family, and then he fell into a deep sleep. Upon awakening, he lay there looking at the crescent moon and remembered that for a very long time there had been one other thing that he longed for. He whispered, "I wonder if I could ask for a fishing pole? And if I had one, I could walk to Sebec Lake and fish on the shore all the day long with the rabbit, the two ducks, the loon and the deer by my side." For Tim was the happiest when he was fishing. So, he said his prayers and went to sleep. When he woke up the next morning, he noticed that there was a bright light shining in through the bedroom window and it came to rest at the foot of the bed, where all the animals were asleep on the floor. And in that moment, he felt in his heart like he did when they came to live with him, and he knew that his wish had been heard. So he jumped up and looked out the window, and there resting up against the lone pine tree was a bright and shiny new fishing pole. Tim once again gave thanks. The next day, Tim fished on the shore with the rabbit, the two ducks, the loon and the deer alongside him. And his face glowed in the radiance of an angel because Tim now had faith. The end.

Tim's Cove (story II in a series)

Once upon a time, young Tim and his new family, a rabbit, two ducks, a loon and a deer were sitting on the dock one day and young Tim was fishing, when all of a sudden an alligator swam toward them and being that the water was level with the dock he just crawled right on up there and had a good rest. Well then, they looked at each other and seemed to have the same thought at the same time. After all, they needed a father for the family. Well, about that time the alligator had a notion that he might just have a home now and so he smiled big and showed those teeth so pretty and that big jaw line. Well, it did not take one bit a time for young Tim and his family to get off of that dock and run all the way back to the cabin in the woods and hide under the bed. And the alligator was just sitting there dumbfounded and he could not understand why it was that they all left so quickly. He thought to himself, "all I did was smile." The end.

Tim's Cove (story III in a series)

So Tim and his friends, a rabbit, two ducks, a loon and a deer were hiding under the bed having run from Mr. Alligator who was left on the dock dumfounded as to why they ran away. And all of a sudden, Tim said to his friends, “You know we weren’t very nice to Mr. Alligator and after all we do need someone with a big jaw line like his to protect us. I don’t think he meant us any harm. Why don’t we go back to the dock and talk to him and tell him we were sorry for running away and ask him to come and live with us.” “Great,” said all the animals in unison. And so it was they walked in single file behind Tim the leader all the way to the dock where they found Mr. Alligator with his mouth closed and his head drooped like he was sad. “Hey Mr. Alligator, Tim said. We were thinking that maybe we could have you come to live with us and be a part of our family.” We’re sorry we misjudged you so quickly just because you have a big jaw line and all. “It’s ok,” said Mr. Alligator that’s why I don’t have many friends because every time I smile they run away.” All of a sudden it dawned on Mr. Alligator that he was now going to be a part of a family. He got so excited flapping his tail that he slid right off of that dock into the water. Tim and his friends, a rabbit, two ducks, a loon and a deer all laughed themselves silly. After Mr. Alligator recovered himself they went back to Tim’s cabin and had a nice meal of barbequed chicken. Mr. Alligator had no trouble chewing and was finished first. So he’s sitting there with that wide grin and that big jaw line exposed when there is a knock on the door. It seems that Tim’s former family had decided to come back home. Well now Tim did not like it one bit because they had left him and he was sad when they did and his heart was broken in to and now he had a new family. And God had healed his wounds. “You can’t come back now I have a new family, young Tim said. They would not leave. So about this time Mr. Alligator got down from the table and came up behind Tim and said, “Is there a problem?” And that was all it took for them to leave. And everyone celebrated with cake because Mr. Alligator had saved the day. At bedtime Tim let him sleep next to his bed because Tim knew he would protect him. Tim now felt safe and secure. And he knew that it wouldn’t have been right to make his new family leave after they had been together so long. They had all grown to love each other even though they were animals and he was a young boy. And all slept well this night. The end.

Heartstrings Two, Copyright forthcoming