A Children’s Story
Image Courtesy of Gill Brooks https://www.gillsplace.com/
Once upon a time, in a magical forest filled with talking animals and enchanted creatures, there lived a toadstool named Cedric. Cedric was not an ordinary toadstool – he possessed a magical power that made him the happiest toadstool in the entire forest. Whenever Cedric was around, everyone else couldn’t help but join in his infectious laughter. One beautiful day, Cedric was out for a stroll in the forest when he came across a group of animals who were huddled together, looking very sad. Cedric asked them what was wrong and they explained that they had lost their homes due to a recent storm that had swept through the forest. Cedric felt sorry for the animals and wanted to help them feel better, so he decided to use his magic to spread laughter and happiness. Cedric started to laugh, and as he did, magical energy began to emanate from him, filling the air with an infectious joy that soon spread throughout the forest. All of the animals, even those who had lost their homes, couldn’t help but laugh along with Cedric.
The forest was filled with the sound of joy and happiness, and for a while, everything seemed perfect. But then, something strange happened. Cedric found that he couldn’t stop laughing. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t control himself. Everywhere he went, everything he saw, just made him laugh uncontrollably. Even when he tried to sleep, his laughter kept him awake. It seemed that Cedric’s magic had gotten out of control. At first, the animals in the forest found Cedric’s constant laughter amusing, but soon it became clear that something was wrong. They could see that Cedric was becoming exhausted from his constant laughter, and they grew worried for his health. They tried everything they could think of to make Cedric stop laughing, but nothing worked.
One day, a wise old owl came to visit Cedric. The owl had seen many things in his long life, and he knew just what to do to help Cedric. He explained to Cedric that his magic had become unbalanced and that he needed to find a way to restore the balance. Cedric listened carefully to the owl’s advice, and he realized that he needed to find a way to bring sadness back into his life. He needed to experience the full range of emotions, not just happiness. So, Cedric set out to find something that would make him sad. He searched the forest high and low, but he couldn’t find anything that would make him sad. Everything he saw just made him laugh even harder.
Finally, he came across a group of animals who were crying. They had lost a friend, and they were mourning his passing. Cedric felt a pang of sadness in his heart, and for the first time in a long time, he stopped laughing. As Cedric watched the animals mourn, he realized that it was okay to feel sad sometimes. It was just another part of life, and it was important to experience it fully. Cedric’s laughter began to naturally balance itself out, and he found that he could control it once again. From that day on, Cedric continued to spread joy and happiness throughout the forest, but he also knew that it was okay to feel sad sometimes. He had learned an important lesson about balance and the importance of experiencing all of life’s emotions. And so, Cedric the Magic Toadstool who still laughed whenever it was appropriate also knew when not to, and once again all was quiet in the forest.
Lazarus Carpenter
Lazarus Carpenter - Author 