The First Story

Once upon a time there was a little red-haired girl who didn't go out of her way to find trouble. But, trouble seemed to find her nonetheless. She lived in a lovely neighborhood with lots of friends, a playground, many good climbing trees and plenty of great hiding spots for hide-and-go-seek. A little ways outside of her neighborhood was a creek, and the little red-haired girl loved to go there with her friends. But, once her mother discovered this creek, and learned how far away it actually was, she forbade the little red-haired girl to go there again.

One day the little red-haired girl and her friend decided to take a walk down to the creek. Even though it was forbidden. Well, how was her mother going to find out anyway? The girls swore to keep it a secret, just between them. They made the long walk to the creek, and were surprised to find a large white bucket next to the creek in the grass. In the bucket were dozens of little fish! Where they came from was anybody's guess, and there was no one else around. The girls felt sorry for the little fish, so they decided to set them free and return them to their watery homeland. As they poured the bucket into the creek, the little red-haired girl suddenly had a wonderful idea. What if they brought the fish home to their mothers! Then the mothers would see how good the creek was, and would allow the girls to play at the creek whenever they wanted! The girls agreed that it was a splendid idea, grabbed the bucket and started running alongside the swiftly running creek. The fish were floating down the stream with lighting speed, but the girls were determined to catch as many as they could. The bucket came down into the water again and again as the girls tried to scoop up the fish. One by one, the fish turned the corner and sped away where the girls could not reach them. Still carrying the empty bucket, they saw the very last fish approaching them. The little red-haired girl grabbed the bucket, and crouched onto a rock at the edge of the creek. She stretched as far over as she could to position the bucket right in front of the oncoming fish. She reached and reached when suddenly she lost her footing and SPLASH fell into the creek! She came up gasping for air, as the fish zoomed past and rounded the corner, never to be seen again.

The little red-haired girl pulled herself out of the water, and stood sopping wet while her friend laughed hysterically. The long walk home was even longer as her clothes and hair dripped and her shoes sloshed with every heavy step. But, her heart was even heavier because she new her mother would be furious with the bad choice she had made. With a trembling arm, she knocked on the front door and anxiously waited for her mother to unlock the door. When her mother opened the door, the little red-haired girl looked at her feet, afraid of what was to come. She heard a sound, but it wasn't anger. There was no shouting. Her mother was laughing! This was totally unexpected! The little red-haired girl confessed where she had been, and her mother helped her change into dry clothes. And the little red-haired girl never went to the creek again. Or so her mother thought...