Once upon a time there was a Kingdom far away. Every child had heard of it before they could talk. Every child dreamed of it before they could walk. The stories told about it created pictures full of wonder and excitement. Streets paved with gold, water so sweet it glistened in the sun and made you feel lighter, fruit so whole and healthy you only had to take a large basket to get a single bushel of grapes.
One little girl dreamed of traveling there one day and meeting the kings and queens and rulers of might said to live there. She had no crown upon her head. No grand rug beneath her feet. Yet she hoped and wished with all she had that some day, she would be considered a princess and could enter. She worked with all her might, cleaning the dust off of travelor's shoes, mending holes in jackets, saving pennies in hopes of acquiring enough money to pay her passage into The Kingdom.
The girl grew. She saved all she could, often going without meals to have another coin to add to her purse. Slowly, surely, her saving grew, and she herself grew taller and even more beautiful. Finally, she had what she felt to be enough. She sold her small home, packed a satchel with her few belongings, and readied herself for the morning.
Waking, she ate a small breakfast, scrubbed her face in the icy water from a morning water barrel, set her face to the East, and began walking. It wasn't before long that she came across a woman and her children struggling to pull a cart full of meager belongings, slowly working their way across the beaten road. The girl came up and grabbed hold of a side of the small cart, steadied it, and with a warm smile, began to help pull.
The mother smiled gratefully, and the children chattered playfully as the two women pulled side by side. The mother sold bread and washed laundry, and had to work hard to get by. The girl told how she was seeking The Kingdom, and they all marvelled at the glory surely to come. At a crossroad, the girl stopped, pulled out some coins and slipped them into the young mother's hand.
"Take this, for your need is greater than mine", she said.
With hearts full they clasped each other, and continued on their ways.
A child ran back with a small red scarf. "Momma says this's fo' you. Remember your love". The Girl wrapped it around her neck, scooped the child in her arms, and gave her a coin. "Many thanks to your mother", and the child ran back.
Soon the Girl came upon an old man, stooped with age and weathered by years working in the sun. She ran to him, and supported him on her arm. They talked, and he told her how he was a woodsman, and could carve anything, anything at all. The girl laughed and told him how she was on her way to The Kingdom, to meet a king just like him. The man smiled and said, "Oh, I am no king. But let me make something for you". And he whittled and carved, and soon handed a small life-like horse to her. "Remember your strength". She gratefully hugged him, slipped him some coins, and they parted ways.
The Girl kept traveling. She crossed rivers and pastures, and forests and streams. Whenever she met someone, they would talk and rejoice in her quest for The Kingdom. She would give them of her precious coins- her life's work- and continue on her way, her purse getting lighter and lighter.
The Girl often slept under the stars, and listen to the creatures of the earth call to each other- the wolf mournfully to its pack, the owls curiously to each other as they sat in the trees. She sometimes gave her food to young children she'd see. Still she searched. Still she dreamed of the day she would reach The Kingdom, and oh, how she hoped she would still have enough. Yet each day, her resources grew smaller, and smaller.
Then came the day that she gave with a smile her last coin to a beggar woman everyone else avoided. When she turned the corner, she fell to the ground and wept, for she had just given away the last of her money. How now could she enter the place she had worked for her entire life? With an unknown strength, and with an imperceptible voice on the wind, she rose, wiped the tears from her face, and walked on the beckoning path.
Finally the day came. The path grew light in front of her, and her soul grew with joy to hear the wonderful sounds that came from within the gates of The Kingdom. Tears of joy filled her eyes to have finally arrived, and she quickened her pace. Then the tears turned to sadness as a man came to the gate.
"Hail, to the approacher of this Gate. What brings you here?"
Her heart fluttered. "I Seek The Kingdom."
"Well, you have found it. What do you bring?"
Her heart dropped, and her eyes filled with sadness. "I surely cannot come in."
The man looked puzzled. "And why is that?" "Good sir, I have no money. I cannot afford to come in."
The Man smiled with loving compassion. "Oh, dear Sister. You have brought more than what money could buy. Let me see in your bag." The girl felt a moment of alarm. That was where she kept her remaining precious belongings. Still, she reached in and pulled out the contents, starting with the horse, carefully crafted. "To remember Strength." A book. "To remember wisdom". A bell. "To remember beauty and music". A small pressed flower and feather. "Wonder". A thorn. "Trials". Lastly she unwound the scarf from her neck. "To remember Love".
The Man smiled and opened His arms.
"All of these things have shown me who you are, and are better than any money for things to buy. And now, one gift from Me".
He pulled out a small piece of looking glass. "A teardrop from The King's eye, so you may see yourself as He sees you. Enter, my sister, and friend; you have earned your way. Take this, and Remember Your Worth".
The girl stepped inside with eyes full of tears of wonder. The Kingdom, with glittering streets, beautiful flowers, and peace. She had finally made it. As she turned, she saw that the man was The King's own Son. He wrapped her in His arms, and whispered,
"My Sister, Welcome Home".
The End.
Love, Me.
~Dedicated to the One Who Heard it First~
