No Matter How Small by Sharon Gibbs - Lovely Fairy Tale

Once upon a time, in a land not that far over the horizon, in a little hamlet called The Grove, there lived a little girl called Sarah.
Sarah was not like the other members of her family. Yes, she was a regular person but she was much smaller than anyone else her own age. At eight years old she was the size of a two-year-old child. The Fae in the glen did not know why she was this size. It seemed strange that a human would not grow at the same rate as all the others did and so Sarah had to learn to live life closer to the ground that most.

Sarah was a lively child, always wanting to join in the fun with her friends, but she was too small to do most things the other children like to do.
Luckily her friend Sam always helped her out. When the other children were hopping from rock to rock crossing the stream, Sam picked Sarah up and lifted her upon his shoulders. He would carry Sarah while they made their way across the stones, dodging the current as it flowed past them.

~~~

No Matter How Small

By Sharon Gibbs

Illustrated by Alexandra N. MacVean

Sarah...wished with all her heart that she were bigger so she could help her mother in the kitchen. "I hate being small. I'm no use at all."
"Sarah, I'm sure there is a reason why you are so small. One day that reason will become apparent and all your questions will be answered."
Sarah sighed and continued rolling out the pastry...
~~~

Anytime somebody is different from "average," there are bound to be special problems, aren't there... I was called names in school just like many have been... Interesting, though, an uncle started calling me "shorty" when I was very young...and continued to call me that even when I was grown and a little taller than he was... Sometimes, names can be mean and sometimes names can be endearing...

Sarah was a short person. She had one special friend that would carry her when she could not travel as fast, or go where other children were going... Still, she knew that her size was a disadvantage...she couldn't even help her mother in the kitchen except for certain tasks. Once her mother tripped and almost dropped a big, hot pan of soup...but there was no way that Sarah could help her--either to carry the soup, or help her if she fell and needed help getting up.

One day she was walking through the woods with Sam and they heard someone calling for help!

They rushed towards the voices. Children were gathered at the edge of a cliff. There was something on a ledge. It was a unicorn and it looked hurt!

People kept coming to try to help, but they could all see that the ledge was tiny and would not hold those who could climb down to help...

"What will happen to the unicorn if we don't help him?" a boy from the village asked.
The Fae then appeared.
"The outlook is bleak. This magical beast will die unless we heal him. He needs the healing powers from the Ju Ju berries, which grow within this forest. That is why he has come here to feed."
~~~



Tying a rope around Sarah, to keep her safe, the men from the village helped to lower her down towards the injured unicorn. Carrying the Ju Ju berries and some water, Sarah knelt by the divine beast and patted his neck. The unicorn's coat felt cold and no longer held the luminescence that it once did.
He did not move...
~~~ 

You know, I've always liked fairy tales where humans and fantasy creatures can talk and share with each other... In this case, the Fae came to help while everybody was talking about how to get to the unicorn...

And guess who they realized could go down to help him?

But even with Sarah's help, would she be able to take care of the unicorn and save him? Well, we do know that she was trying everything possible to do so!

This was a great story about self-esteem, values and friendship. You know what, though, I never would have guessed the story's ending! Loved it!

Do check out this short story...I read it on my Fire and it was okay, but then couldn't read it on my computer...so do check out that it will be okay for your particular device. 

If your children like old-fashion fairy tales...this is highly recommended!


GABixlerReviews

Sharon Gibbs was born in Yorkshire U.K. and immigrated with her parents to Australia in August 1971. It took until her children were grown and flown from the nest to discover her love for writing. After being given a book from a friend, Sharon fell in love with the world of fantasy. Working full time at the local hospital, she writes when she can. Sharon is producing a series of children’s books under the Good night Sleep tight collection. She lives in Adelaide South Australia on a small property with her husband and their four dogs.