Children

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TUDDLEFOOT

BY JEANNIE KIRCHEN

Once upon a time beautiful little critters called imps lived in the land of Woebegone. Imps had long golden hair that went all the way down to their toes. Their arms and legs were covered with soft yellow fur and their eyes were bright blue. Gazing at one another, they would continually exclaim how beautiful each one looked. Beauty can be deceiving, for the imps may have been beautiful on the outside, but their hearts were filled with unhappiness.
Now, if truth were actually told, Woebegone wasn’t a land of beauty, either. It was a strange little land filled with gloom. The leaves on the trees hung limply on their branches. The birds only sang sad songs. The butterflies did not flutter and the bees did not buzz. Gray skies hung over the land like a fog. Occasionally the sun peeked through the dark, cloudy skies, but its brightness never lasted long.
Living amongst the imps was another imp named Tuddlefoot. Tiny in comparison with the other Imps, Tuddlefoot had scraggly green hair, but it didn’t reach his toes. His hair only flowed to the middle of his back, and it always looked messy. Although soft, the fur on his arms and legs was short and stubby. Tuddlefoot’s eyes were bright yellow like the morning sun as it rises up in the sky. In spite of his ugly appearance, Tuddlefoot was nice to everyone he met. However, the other imps completely ignored Tuddlefoot. Even though they were cross with him, Tuddlefoot never said anything unkind. He was always happy.
Whenever Tuddlefoot smiled the sun shone even more brightly through the darkened sky. Each peek of the sun caused Tuddlefoot’s eyes to shine with a brilliance that was indescribable. The blue eyes of the other imps, on the other hand would dull in color whenever the sun appeared. Therefore, they began to hate the sun, but Tuddlefoot enjoyed every ray.
When Tuddlefoot laughed, the birds would softly sing, but only for a moment. Tuddlefoot smiled when the other imps wore frowns. He laughed when they were grumpy. He said, “Hello, good day and happy to see you” to every imp he met. This only made the other imps furious. They couldn’t understand Tuddlefoot’s friendliness. Their bad tempers became worse every time they saw him. No matter how mean and gruff they were to Tuddlefoot, he still gave them a happy grin.
Therefore, the other imps began calling Tuddlefoot a “monster.” “I must be a monster,” Tuddlefoot sighed. “Why else would I look like such a freak? Tear drops formed in the corner of Tuddlefoot’s lovely yellow eyes. Changes developed in his heart and he started to believe he was the monster the other imps took him to be.
Tuddlefoot started hiding behind bushes. Whenever another imp walked by, Tuddlefoot jumped out and growled, showing his ugly white teeth. Startled, imps ran away screaming. After awhile of pretending to be a monster, Tuddlefoot searched his heart. He knew he wasn’t really a monster, ugly maybe, but not a monster. He was simply too kind for that.
One day Mayor Tasslehead posted a sign on the door of the town hall. “Please come to a meeting to be held at five p.m. sharp,” the sign read. “All adult male imps, except Tuddlefoot must come.” At the secret meeting, Mayor Tasslehead discussed ways to rid the town of Tuddlefoot. “We must do something immediately. Tuddlefoot’s nuisance cannot go on any longer. Calling him a monster didn’t work. We have to think of something else. We have to drive him out of our town, and soon.”
“Here, here, the others shouted. Yes, we have to have to make Tuddlefoot go away.”
And so, they commensed upon a plan they believed was sure to work. An excitement grew in their grumpy little hearts.
Without knocking on the townhall door, Twinkleyes, the Mayors wife burst in. Her tear-stained face told them something was terribly wrong. “Wimbletoe is missing! She’s not in the nursery and her nurse hasn’t seen her. You have to find her.”
“Calm down. The Mayor put a reassuring hand on his wife’s shoulder. We’ll start a search for her right now. Don’t worry, she can’t have gone far. We’ll find her.”
Unbeknownst to the others, Tuddlefoot had overheard the discussion. Saddened by what he’d heard the others say, yet knowing he had to do something, Tuddlefoot took action. He’d been thinking about doing something nice for the Mayor, and here was his opportunity. He had to find the Mayor’s daughter. “Where would she have gone off too? Where would she be hiding?” Tuddlefoot racked his brain. He’d seen Wimbletoe down by the lake yesterday. He decided to start there. Making sure that he went in the opposite direction of Mayor Tasslehead, Tuddlefoot quietly left town. He didn’t want anyone to discover his plan.
Tuddlefoot walked down by the lake softly calling the little girl’s name. “Wimbletoe, it’s me Tuddlefoot. Don’t be afraid,” I’ve come to help you.”
Tuddlefoot listened carefully. He thought he heard the sound of a little imp girl squirming. “Is that really you, Tuddlefoot? I think I’m stuck in this tree. I climbed up here to see the bird’s eggs. I was hoping that maybe I could get one of the birds to sing for me. I’ve heard birds sing in other places, but never here. It’s sad that they don’t sing.”
“Yes, it’s sad. It would be so much more beautiful here, if only the birds would sing.”
Wimbletoe’s dull eyes brightened. “Well maybe we could make them want to sing. Maybe we could give them a reason. I don’t like being mean and gruff like everyone else. I want to be happy like you, Tuddlefoot.”
“It pleases my heart that you want to be happy. I’ve never liked being unhappy. Life just seems more pleasant if you are happy. I love it when the sun shines and the birds sing. Maybe if we could show the others how to be happy, then the birds might want to sing. Now let me help you get out of that tree.”
“All right.” Eager to be out of the tree, a giggle escaped Wimbletoe’s mouth.
“My, oh my, was that a giggle I heard?”
“Yes, and it tickled my mouth to giggle. Makes me want to giggle more.” Soon Wimbletoe’s giggles turned to hearty laughter and Tuddlefoot laughed too.
Soon, Tuddlefoot was at a place where he could reach Wimbletoe safely. “Put your arms around my neck and I’ll carry you down. Don’t be afraid. I won’t let you fall.”
“Okay, I won’t be afraid.”
Tuddlefoot grabbed Wimbletoe securely and helped her safely down from the tree. The sun’s rays filtered out from behind a cloud. It shone in all of its brilliant glory. The sky’s hue of gray became bluer.
They saw a butterfly land on an orange poppy. It flitted through the air going from flower to flower. Each poppy bloomed more vividly as their blossoms glistened in thankfulness to the shining sun. Likewise, yellow tulips kissed by the sun stretched their petals heavenward while hummingbirds drank from their sweet nectar.
Tuddlefoot and Wimbletoe realized that being happier and kinder was the answer. Their whole way of life would change if only everyone would be nicer. Wimbletoe grabbed Tuddlefoot’s hand. Together they walked into town.
Mayor Tasslehead and the other imps had just walked into Woebegone from the other direction. When Tasslehead saw Wimbletoe, he grabbed her in his arms. “Where have you been? We have looked everywhere for you. Your mother and I were so worried about you.”
“Tuddlefoot found me. I was stuck in the top of the tree. I wanted to give the birds a reason to sing. I found a bird’s nest and I wanted to see the eggs. Tuddlefoot climbed all the way to the top. He helped me down. He is a hero daddy. And after he helped me down a butterfly landed on a flower. I saw a hummingbird too. And look, the sun is shining. And the sky looks so pretty. Listen, Daddy, I hear a bird singing. Can you hear it too? Tuddlefoot was very tender with me. Don’t be mad at him. He is kind and we should be kind like he is. I think kindness will make this world a better place. Can you be happy about that, Daddy? Can you smile because I’m not lost any more?”
Mayor Tasslehead picked up his little girl and swung her around in a circle. “I guess I can smile about that.”
Then, Mayor Tasslehead began to laugh. It wasn’t just a little chuckle; it was a big belly laugh. “Wimbletoe, I not only can smile, but I can laugh too. I have you and Tuddlefoot to thank for that.”
One by one, the other imps were laughing as well. A chorus of birds sang in the trees above. The sky turned to the bluest of blues. The sun shone more brightly than it ever had before. Love and laughter like a sweet melody filled the air.
Mayor Tasslehead walked over to Tuddlefoot. “It seems we have misjudged you. Our jealousy caused us to behave badly. You may not be as lovely as the rest of us, but that doesn’t make you an imperfect person. You have been the beautiful one. Your beauty lies on the inside of you. While our beauty may have been on the outside, inside, we were full of ugliness. From this day forth, a new rule will take place in this land. Everyone must try hard to be nice.”
Applauding imps gathered round Tuddlefoot and spoke words of regret for their behavior. “We’re sorry we mistreated you, Tuddlefoot. Can you please forgive us?”
“Of course I can. I wouldn’t be me, if I didn’t forgive.”
From that day forth, no one was ever mean to Tuddlefoot again. Over time, everyone developed hearts as kind as Tuddlefoot. For some, it took a little bit longer, but they all tried to be kind to one another. Because of their kindness, flowers bloomed from every corner of Woebegone. The trees were lush and green. The birds sang every day. It was as if their world had been reborn, and really, it was. To show their love for the newfound beauty of the land, Woebegone, became Sunbehere.
“Be ye kind one to another” became the town’s motto. The skies were never gray again and all the imps were happy, but none as happy as Tuddlefoot. The town’s people had learned a valuable lesson about beauty. Never again would they judge someone by their outward appearance. Imps were beautiful in their own way and Tuddlefoot had shown them the meaning of true beauty. Tuddlefoot, as always, continued to be the good, kind, selfless imp that he had always been.



As long as you have love,
the sun is there.
As long as you have love
Sunshine is everywhere
As long as you have love
The sun lights up the sky
As long as you have love
The rays fill up your eyes
As long as you have love
The sun is ever bright
As long as you have love
Its path will be your light

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