— Psst! Kiddo!
Mary continued to walk straight on, looking right ahead of her.
— Psst!
Who was that? Where did that whistle come from?
She turned her head. Nobody there. Nothing but the
... [+]
Sue Lancaster is a children's writer living in South West London with her husband, two children and pet budgie, Buddy. "Kite's Tale" is in Short Circuit #13, Short Édition's quarterly review.
Ever since his arrival on Molly's birthday, Kite had longed to feel the wind in his ribbons. But whenever Molly suggested taking him outside, Mummy had a reason to say no . . .
"It's too cold."
"It's too hot."
"It's too rainy."
"It's too calm."
Kite wondered if he would ever leave the shelf.
"It's not fair," sighed Kite to the other toys. "I'm never going to fulfill my purpose."
"What does that mean?" asked Piggy Bank.
"You are doing what you are meant to," replied Kite. "Your purpose is collecting money in your tummy, and you do that. And your purpose," Kite told Nightlight, "is providing light at nighttime. And you do that. My purpose is flying through the air, but I've never even been outside."
The days dragged by, and Kite began to feel very sorry for himself. Then one day he heard Mummy say:
"Today's breeze is perfect for flying a kite!"
Kite's tail twitched. Could today really be the day he fulfilled his purpose?
At the park, Molly ran with Kite. Kite urged the wind to scoop him up, but it was no good, he just flopped to the ground.
"What am I doing wrong?" Kite wondered.
Molly tried again.
And again.
And again.
And then...
WHOOOOSH!
Kite caught the breeze.
"Wahooooo," he yelled. "I'm flyyyyyiiiinnnnggg!"
Kite's dream had come true. He felt FABULOUS.
But what was Molly doing running so close to that tree? Kite jerked his string to tell her, but it was no use.
CRUNCH!
Kite was stuck.
Molly tried hard to jiggle Kite free.
Kite tried, too, but he just got himself even more tangled.
Molly didn't give up. She tugged Kite's string harder, and harder.
Until . . .
SNAP!
"Oh, no!"
Kite's string spiraled slowly to the ground, leaving the rest of him well and truly stranded.
Kite hoped Mummy and Molly would find a way to get him down, but after a while they walked away.
That night was the longest of Kite's life. Screeches and squawks kept jerking him awake, and the slither of light from the crescent moon was nowhere near as comforting as Nightlight. This was not what he had dreamed of. He was definitely not fulfilling his purpose up here all alone.
The next morning, Kite realized he was NOT alone. Many creatures lived in the tree and they were curious about his arrival.
"Who are you?"
"What animal are you?"
"How did you get here?"
Kite explained about fulfilling his purpose. "It felt so fabulous to fly," he told them. "But now I'm stuck here on my own."
"We'll keep you company," said the animals.
Lots of creatures began to visit Kite, and as the days passed, Kite grew fond of his new home. He also found he was a useful addition for his friends.
He sheltered them from the rain.
He shaded them from the sun.
He shielded them from the wind.
This made Kite very happy. He may not have been fulfilling the purpose he had hoped to, but he was fulfilling a purpose.
One day, as Kite watched the people passing below, he saw Molly and Mummy.
"Hi!" he fluttered excitedly.
Molly seemed sad to see Kite. Kite wished he could tell her not to worry, for he still had the memory of flying. It may have only lasted a moment, but it had felt wonderful.
And now, shading and sheltering his new friends felt even MORE wonderful.
Kite had learnt that life doesn't always turn out the way you expect it to . . .
. . . sometimes, just sometimes, it turns out even BETTER!
. . . sometimes, just sometimes, it turns out even BETTER!