The little owl lived at the top of the tallest tree of the forest. The small hollow in the tree trunk was the perfect nest for her, for she could gaze at the whole forest below and she could have the moon light into her nest every night. She loved it when the moon came up in the sky, and she looked forward to it. She was afraid of the dark, you see.

Owls are supposed to live among the foliage of the trees, in the darkest hollows, but this one was different.

'I don't like the dark,' she used to say. The other owls teased her.

'You are an owl. Owls live in the dark. You can't be different!'

She tried to ignore them. Deep, inside her she would like to feel like her brothers and sisters, though. But she dared not leave her nest and fly with them around the forest.

'I'm afraid of the dark,' she finally confessed, one dark night.

'How very extraordinary,' the other owls exclaimed. 'This is absurd!'

And the gossip about the little owl spread fast.

The owls announced the incredible news to the sparrows, the sparrows to the robins, the robins to the swallows.

Then the pigeons learnt about it, and the eagles, the monkeys and the lions, the tigers and the elephants.

Soon all the forest animals knew that the little owl was afraid of the dark.

Then, on a moonlit night, an old owl who lived in the middle of the forest said:

'We must help her!' So, all the animals gathered in the big plateau of the forest to decide what to do.

The old owl spoke first:

'We have all gathered here to find a way to help the little owl who is afraid of the dark. Each one of you must think of something helpful. We will use the best suggestions.'

Then a monkey spoke:

'I think we should give her some fireflies to brighten her nest and follow her around.'

'But this still is not a solution,' said a tiger. 'She will still be afraid of the dark when they leave.'

'I could live with her and escort her around,' suggested another little owl.

'That's a good idea. But you can't live with her for ever,' said the old owl.

The animals thought hard and came up with quite a few good ideas. The stars twinkled above them the whole night and just before the last one set, an old lion spoke:

'I think I've found it!' Then he explained his plan.

The other animals agreed to carry it out the following night. It was dark. The little owl was alone in her nest staring at the starry sky.

'The moon will come out soon,' she said, 'and I will have plenty of light.'

She was feeling impatient to see the moon in the sky. As she was sitting there lonely and scared, she heard voices all around her.

'Hello, little owl,' the animals cried. 'We've come to show you around. You've never seen the forest by night, have you?'

The little owl was startled.

'But I can't leave my nest. It's too dark to fly over there,' she said to them.

'It's dark down there,' the little owl insisted. 'And you know I'm afraid of the dark.'

'There's no reason to be afraid of the dark. Look down. We've all come to help you,' the old owl said.

The little owl looked down and saw the elephants, the lions and the monkeys.

Then she looked around and saw the owls and all the other birds of the forest.

Then she saw the fireflies coming towards her.

'We are going to escort you around the forest,' they told her.

'Don't be afraid little owl, just follow us. We'll show you the way.'

The little owl was amazed.

'So, have you all come for me?' she said, 'to help me?' She suddenly felt so much better that she nearly forgot all about her fear. But she still hesitated.

'If you don't come now,' the old owl said, 'we'll never bother with you again. Please, let us help you.'

'You will see a whole world, a wonderful world,' promised the elephants.

'You are missing everything over there, come with us,' the birds chirped.

The little owl could not resist any more.

'I'm coming,' she said, opened her wings and followed the fireflies down into the dark forest.

They flew among the dark foliage of the trees towards the plateau. On their way thousands of birds chirped cheerfully:

'Hello, little owl, welcome home!'

The little owl felt very happy. She had so many friends who cared for her that she forgot all about her fear of the dark. The fireflies were always ahead showing her the magic world of the forest.

She saw the night flowers and the night butterflies, the cuckoos and the green lizards.

She saw the wild rabbits and the monkeys , the tigers , the lions and the big grey elephants.

When she got tired of flying around, the fireflies led her to the plateau in the middle of the forest. All the other animals had already gathered there and the owl landed to rest in the middle of them, circled by a bright ring of fireflies.

She felt so unexpectedly happy that she said loudly:

'Thank you, my friends. Thank you very much. I've now realized there is nothing to be afraid of. The forest is fantastic. It does not make any difference whether it is dark or bright; it is still the same forest. I'll never be afraid again!'

The animals cheered happily and then the old owl spoke:

'The dark is just another face of the light. I'm glad you've realized that at last.'

And they all went away.

ENDS

1012

This story is included in the Bedtime Stories ebook Liana has written for young kids. http://www.ebookad.com
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