23.Beauty, and a brave little doll

Yesterday it was 6th December and it was Saint Nicholas day. On that day Saint Nicholas brings children presents in Poland. So I also prepared a little present for Sophie she was supposed to find in her bed just after waking up in the morning. But it turned out differently...

On the day before St. Nicholas day just before going to sleep Sophie found a book about birds and looked at it with interest. She was particularly interested in geese. I even asked her about it, but she did not seem to hear me. 

There was something else that attracted her attention. It was a little packet tied with a ribbon that lay under  her cot... Well, what to do. Sophie unwrapped her present and in it found a nightdress and some favourite sweets. 

She became very excited, as it was for the first time in her life that she got a present from Saint Nicholas. As a matter of fact it was the first present in her life too. Sophie immedaitely examined the nightdress and decided to put it on. After doing so she lay down on her cot comfortably. I though she would fall asleep, but I was wrong. 

Her eyes were wide open. I heard her telling her story...

Sophie's story:

"We lived on an island. I was more of an image than a living being. One day I met a little gnome Niels in the moors, and we soon became friends. We often played in a meadow near a little pond, where several ducks and a wild goose came. They did come many times a day. We watched them bathed and swam. From time to time the ducks chased around sliding on the water. It was very funny."

Sophie talked so vividly that I almost pictured the pond in my imagination.

She continued. " The wild goose was a leader of the flock. She was beautiful. Sometimes we thought she was an enchanted fairy.We called her Beauty. Once Beauty approached us and opened her beak. No, she did not hiss. We heard her speaking. We could communicate...  From that day we met by the pond each afternoon. We sat on her back in a hollow from where her wings grew and we then circled above the meadow.

And there came a day when we flew farther, towards the sea. Beauty flew faster and faster. We hung on to her feathers not to fall. It was getting dark. The morning sun awoke us and only then Beauty landed on a shore. She was exceptionally tired. We settled in a dune and Beauty immediately fell asleep. Soon we slept too as our eyes closed. When we woke up there was a table full of food beside us. We were so hungry. And the table disaapeared when we satisfied our hunger. It was all so surprising.

We took a look at Beauty. "Yes - she said - you're right. I'm a fairy. But now we should talk. Are you going with me to the island or are you staying here?"

We wanted to be together with Beauty, and we said so.

"Yes, I know, but you see... I must go back to the island. It's my fairy land. - answered she. - But you? What about you? Wouldn't you like to stay here?.. You will meet children here. You don't know them yet, I know, but many of them would like to meet you and take care of you, I'm sure. I'll help you find them."

She also said that we could come back any time we wanted if we decided to leave this place as long as we didn't tell our story to anyone. If it happens we will forget about our previous life, and we will not be be able to return to our island and Beauty.

You see, tomorrow I will not remember Beauty." - said Sophie.

"Will you promise me you'll find Niels and help him?" -asked she. I nodded my head.

Sophie sighed with relief and went to sleep.

I looked at her sleeping peacefully. She may have dreamt about Beauty and her enchanted island. for the last time.

Sophie - a brave little doll.

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