My Children's Story to You

A little orange and white kitten walks down a path. His paws touch the small pebbles gently. He comes to a beige tree with orange leaves and asks the tree where he should go.

"How should I know," the tree responds. "I've never been anywhere but here."

The kitten looks down at the ground. Feeling pity, the tree speaks more. "Since I can see far, I'll tell you where not to go. Do not go down the path with thorns."

"Ok, thank you," says the kitten.

The kitten walks on. The kitten comes to a fork in the road. Each path looks exactly the same. He walks to the right, but a thorn sticks in between his toes. He whimpers at the pain and uses his teeth to pull the thorn out. He goes back to the path on the right.

He walks a little farther and comes to a pond. The little pond is lush and full of life. There he meets a frog swimming happily to and fro. When the kitten takes a drink, he only sees his reflection. To his surprise, a frog soon appears where his face once was.

"Hello little kitten," the frog croaks. "What brings you to the pond?"

"I wanted to go somewhere far from my home." The kitten replies as he decides to continue to lap up water.

"Well, little kitten. I don't know where you came from, so I don't know where you should go, but you look tired. Come. Float in the pond with me." The frog pushes herself through the water with her legs.

"I don't like water." The kitten says. "I'm not really tired, but I do want to play."

The kitten bats at the frog in the water, but she disappears under the surface and swims off. The kitten waits for the frog to return, but decides to walk on.

The kitten continues to walk until he becomes tired and hungry. He stops by a field and notices a mouse scurrying by. As his belly growls, he decides to chase the mouse. Since the grass is high, the mouse blends in. The kitten hunts for the mouse. When he finally catches the mouse, he devours it.

With a full stomach, the kitten lies down to rest. In his sleep, he dreams of the home he left. His mind wanders through the house and imagines where he used to be. When the kitten wakes, he is sad.

He drags his body back to the path and continues on. He can no longer go back to where he came. He knows he will soon find the place he is looking for. The sun rises and sets as he walks alone.

Finally, as the day ends, he sees a cottage nestled among the trees. A soft yellow glow comes from the open window. He wonders if he's made it to a new home. He sits beneath the window and cries out, "meow". The door to the little house opens and the light pours out. The little kitten wanders in. The door closes gentle behind him.