sharing
My Uncle Augustine and Princess Casilda: A Story of Giants, Dwarfs, and Friendship 🌟✨
Under the shade of the leafy blackberry tree, Uncle Augustine adjusted his straight-brimmed hat and lit his cigar, letting a cloud of smoke float in the air. His yellow mustache trembled as he smiled. The children, sitting on the grass, looked at him with eyes full of curiosity.
«Today I will tell you something that happened in a very, very far away place,» he began. «In a red city lived the red giants, proud and passionate. Princess Casilda was the jewel of her town, always dressed in crimson, with a crown that shone like fire. Nearby, in a completely green city, lived the green giants, peaceful and hard-working, always busy cultivating their fields and adorning their homes with emeralds from the neighboring mountains.»
Uncle Augustine paused, letting the smoke from his cigar draw circles in the air, and continued.
«One day, the red palace woke up to a terrible commotion. Casilda had disappeared. The red giants did not hesitate to blame the green giants. ‘They have kidnapped her!’ they shouted furiously. And the green giants, confused and offended, denied it again and again. But tensions grew, and it seemed that both towns were going to fight.»
The children held their breath while Uncle Augustine continued with his story. «But it turns out that the princess was neither in the red city nor in the green one. She had been invited by the purple dwarves, tiny but very cheerful characters, who lived in a hidden valley. The dwarves wanted to share with Casilda their famous annual party, full of delicious food and charming music. Casilda, fascinated by the dwarves’ hospitality and in love with their purple food, decided to stay longer than planned.»
The children laughed as they imagined the princess at a party surrounded by dancing dwarves. My Uncle Augustine, with a mischievous smile hidden behind his mustache, continued: «Meanwhile, the red and green giants, already tired of the arguments, decided to search for Casilda together. When they finally arrived at the valley of the dwarves, what they found left them speechless. The princess was happy, with her fingers stained with blackberry juice and dancing to the rhythm of the purple drums. ‘Why should I go back?’ she asked. ‘The food here is delicious, and everyone is so cheerful!'»
Uncle Augustine let out a laugh and said: «At first, the giants were offended. But then, the dwarves offered them a taste of their feast. It was impossible to resist. Soon, everyone was dancing and eating together. Red giants, green giants, and the little purple dwarves forgot their differences and, from that day on, celebrated the Feast of the Three Cities every year, where they shared laughter, stories, and, of course, the famous purple food.»
Putting out his cigarette on the ground, Uncle Augustine concluded: «And so, my little ones, you learned that differences should not separate us, but unite us. Because, in the end, life tastes better when shared.»
The children applauded, asking for another story. But Uncle Augustine only smiled, putting on his hat. «That will be tomorrow,» he said, letting the twilight dye the sky purple, like the magic of the dwarves.
The Story of Tina the Squirrel and the Consequences of Greed
Greed, like all negative feelings, always makes us make very serious mistakes. In this story, I want to show you a brief example. I hope you like it.
In the quiet forest of Oak Grove, the animals always prepared for winter by gathering food together. Among them lived Tina, a squirrel known for her ability to gather nuts quickly, but also for her great defect: greed. Tina only thought about accumulating as many nuts as possible for herself, without considering the needs of others.
As autumn progressed, all the animals in the forest worked hard. Rita, the flying squirrel, shared her nuts with the others, remembering that teamwork is the key to survival. Omar, the field mouse, collected nuts for his large family, but always left some for others to find. Paco, the woodpecker, hid nuts in the cracks of the trees and shared with those who could not gather as much. Felix the mole helped everyone store their supplies in safe underground tunnels.
Tina, on the other hand, was determined to keep all the nuts she found. She ignored her friends when they asked her to share and laughed at them for not being so «forward-thinking.» She kept each nut in a secret hiding place, convinced that the more nuts she had, the safer she would be during the winter.
Winter came with an unexpected and fierce snowstorm. Temperatures dropped so low that the trees were covered in ice, and the remaining nuts froze. The forest animals, accustomed to sharing, began to share what they had, but soon supplies began to run low. Rita, Omar, Paco, and Felix realized that they would need more food to survive.
Desperate, they decided to ask Tina for help, knowing that she had collected many nuts. However, when asked to share, Tina flatly refused, arguing that she had worked hard to collect them and needed to ensure her own survival. The other animals were disappointed, but had no choice but to continue searching for food.
As the weeks passed, the situation became critical. Supplies ran out, and some animals began to fall ill from the cold and lack of food. Omar and his family, especially, suffered greatly. Paco could no longer find any more nuts, and Felix ran out of options underground. Meanwhile, Tina kept herself well fed in her hiding place, but she began to feel lonely. She could hear the other animals outside, suffering and desperately searching for food.
One night, as she listened to their cries, Tina realized the gravity of the situation. Although she had enough nuts for herself, she began to understand the impact of her greed. She felt a surge of guilt and decided to go out and talk to her friends. When she saw them, she noticed how weak and sad they were. Rita looked at her sadly, Omar had no strength to greet her, Paco was desperately searching for food, and Felix, normally cheerful, was dejected.
With tears in her eyes, Tina confessed her mistake and showed them her secret hiding place full of nuts. She invited everyone to share her provisions. Despite the suffering caused, the animals forgave her, understanding that Tina had learned a valuable lesson. Together, they carried Tina’s nuts to the center of the forest and shared them equally.
Thanks to Tina’s belated generosity, the animals managed to survive until spring. Tina learned that true wealth is not in hoarding, but in sharing and caring for others. From that day on, she became a generous squirrel, known not only for being fast at collecting nuts, but for having a big heart.
Winter ended and the forest blossomed again, and Tina, together with her friends, celebrated the arrival of spring with a big party. I had learned that greed only leads to loneliness, but generosity brings joy and lasting friendship.