Short Story from around the WORLD: The Story of Helly part 7/7

The Story of Helly part 7/7

The old man closed his eyes and said loudly: “Let Helly be young and beautiful just as she was the first day she came here.”

Helly looked and saw that everything was as before, as though she had just stepped into the garden. And there, coming out of the distant flowers, was her mother running toward her. Helly ran to meet her. They hugged each other, crying with happiness and laughing with joy.

Helly said: “Mother, Mother, please don’t send me away from home any more. I don’t want a garden full of flowers. I don’t want parrots and nightingales. I don’t want to be painted, nor to be hit ‘ding, dang, dong.’ Please take me home. . . .”

Helly’s mother was shaking Helly and saying: “Helly, Helly, wake up. It’s morning and the sun is shining. You’ve had quite enough sleep.”

Helly looked around and asked: “Mother, where am I?”

Her mother answered: “You’re in bed, at home. Where else do you think you would be?”

Helly sighed with relief. She laughed and jumped out of bed, She washed her face, dressed, ate breakfast, and ran to school. She didn’t even remember the old man who was still asleep in the guest room, and she’d never have to see him again.

In the lane she bowed to the ticket seller and said: “Sir, please give me a ticket.” The ticket seller laughed and said: “What makes you so polite today, Helly?”

Helly answered: “Because I’m a perfect little girl. That’s the way I am and as long as I live I won’t change.”

Is it one or two years that have passed since Helly had her dream? She has gotten older, more helpful around the house, and kinder than ever before. Well, sometimes when she waters the flowers she spills water on herself, but she never splashes it on other people.

Oh, and by the way, I forgot to say that the dog Hoffy no longer limps: nobody throws stones at him any more and he can now sleep away the long hot summer afternoons.

The End