by BobA. Troutt
*****
Tickle Box
The Swan on Willow Lake
Willow Lake was a beautiful place with giant willow trees hugging its banks and leaning out over the water. The rolling hills and woods that surrounded the lake embraced it with brilliant colors as the seasons changed. Everyone loved to picnic and have fun at Willow Lake. Not only was the lake beautiful but the ones who lived there made it even more glamorous like Grace, the swan. A cherished and long remembered story is told about Grace.
Once upon a time, Grace, in her earlier days, was the most beautiful swan on the lake. Her elegance dressed the lake and her stylish grace trimmed its beauty along with the trees that surrounded it. People came from all around to see Grace and picnic along the lake’s shore. The children loved to feed and pet her. She swam like a ballerina in the crystal blue waters. Yes, Grace, in her day, was a beautiful sight to behold. She was an inspiration to all and everyone loved her.
Throughout the years, there had been a lot of young swans to come and go on Willow Lake. But, there was never one to possess the beauty and gracefulness such as Grace because she was special. As the years passed, Grace grew older. Her beauty and gracefulness was not as elegant as before. She knew she was getting old but she still tried to maintain her dignity. Grace wanted things to stay the same; she wanted to always be the beautiful ballerina of the lake. She didn’t want to accept her changes. But, she knew she had no choice.
It happened one day without warning when the children were feeding the young swans. As Grace swam over to join the other swans, she saw one of the children pointing at her and telling the other children to look at her.
“She looks old and ugly compared to the other swans,” the child said.
Grace dropped her long, graceful neck; her eyes watered and she turned slowly and swam away. She crossed the lake to the other side so she could be alone. She could see her reflection in the water and started to cry.
“I am old and ugly,” she cried. “No one loves me or wants to see me anymore.”
Unexpectedly, Homer, the duckling, swam up beside her.
“What’s the matter, Grace?” he asked. “Why are you crying?”
“I’m old and ugly, Homer. No one wants to have anything to do with me anymore,” she explained.
“Who said you were old and ugly?” asked Homer as he gently wiped Grace’s teardrops from her cheeks.
“I heard it from the children and I have sensed it from the talk of the younger swans,” she replied. “They all think I’m old and ugly. I’ve lost my beauty and my grace.”
“What’s wrong?” questioned Billy, the blue-jay, when he abruptly flew up.
Homer responded, “Grace thinks she is old and ugly and she’s not as beautiful as she once was.”
Then Billy, the blue-jay, chirped loudly and quickly flew off toward the woods.
“Homer, you shouldn’t have told Billy!” she exclaimed. “He’ll tell everyone!”
“I’m sorry, Grace,” replied Homer. “I just wasn’t thinking.”
Homer tried his best to console Grace while Billy, the blue-jay, flew throughout the woods spreading the gossip of the fall of Grace to everyone.
“She said she’s old and ugly,” Billy told Wendy, the wren.
“Surely, she didn’t say that,” replied Wendy.
“Yes, she did,” blabbered Billy. “I can’t wait to tell the others.”
Billy hopped from limb to limb and from tree to tree. He shouted it high into the heavens for everyone to hear. It wasn’t long before everyone around the lake knew about Grace.
“Have you heard the news, Haskel?” asked Billy when Haskel the hummingbird flew up and perched himself upon a twig next to him.
“Heard what?” he questioned.
“Grace said she is old and ugly!” exclaimed Billy.
“Oh, no,” hummed Haskel as he shook his tiny little head and flapped his little wings. “She doesn’t believe that, does she?”
“Yep, I’m afraid so,” replied Billy. “I heard it for myself and I could not believe it.”
Haskel darted off across the lake. Billy continued to spread the gossip about Grace. Meanwhile, Homer was still trying to console Grace. He told her that beauty was within the heart and in the eyes that loved and beheld that beauty.
“Grace, you still have your beauty and grace; it has never left you. Age has stored it within you. All you have to do is bring it out and share it with others,” Homer assured her.
“I do?” asked Grace.
“Yes, you do,” replied Homer as he put on his glasses. “You are still as beautiful and graceful as you ever were. Only now, it’s mostly in your heart.”
Suddenly, Billy, the blue-jay, flew up with Wendy and Haskel.
“Old and ugly, you say,” mocked Billy to Grace.
“Oh, leave her alone,” quacked Homer.
“I’ll take care of this, Homer,” insisted Grace.
Grace pulled her long neck back gracefully, lifted up her wings, flapped them and spread them out to flog Billy.
“Old and ugly you say, Billy!” shouted Grace.
“Now, Grace!” cried Billy. “Calm down. You don’t need to get too upset.”
“Let’s get out of here!” screamed Wendy.
“I’m gone!” yelled Haskel as he dashed across the lake and back into the woods.
Suddenly, across the lake, they all heard splashing and honking.
“Help, help, honk, honk, help!”
Grace swiftly turned and swam toward the cry for help. When she got across the lake, she saw a fox with one of the young swans in its grasp. The young swan was fighting the fox close to the edge of the water and trying its best to get away. Grace hurried as fast as she could toward the captured swan. Grace went airborne and flew onto the fox, flogging and biting him. Around and around they fought; fur and feathers flew until Grace finally drove him away.
Homer yelled from across the lake, “That’s my girl!”
Billy and Wendy flew off saying, “Did you see that?”
“Yes, I did,” replied Billy. “I can’t wait to tell the others what happened.”
The other young swans hurried over and were relieved to find out the younger swan was not injured; it had only lost a few feathers. But, as Grace turned to swim away they noticed she was hurt. The young swans sat still in the water. They didn’t know what to say or do. They wanted to thank her but were too ashamed of how they had treated her. Homer rushed to her side.
“Grace, you were wonderful,” he stated.
She smiled weakly, turned and swam away. That’s when Homer saw her hurt wing. As night fell, all was quiet on Willow Lake except for the croaking frogs and the gentle breeze blowing through the willows. Early the next morning, the caretaker of the lake noticed Grace was hurt. He gently picked her up, put her into the back of his truck and drove off. Weeks passed and everyone wondered what had happened to Grace; the lake wasn’t the same without her.
There were many rumors going around the lake, thanks to Billy, as to what could have happened to Grace. Some didn’t believe she would ever come back and others told that she had died. But, no one really knew. The only thing they knew for sure was that she was greatly missed.
Finally, a few weeks later, the caretaker returned in his truck. Everyone watched patiently as he walked to the back of his truck. When he came back around to the front of the truck, he had Grace in his arms. She was as beautiful as before. Everyone on the lake honked, chirped, croaked and honked some more.
“Hooray!” they yelled.
It was an exciting day for all. The caretaker placed Grace on the water. She threw her neck up in the air and swam around in circles honking and flapping her wings. It’s great to be home, she thought. The young swans hurried over to see her.
“We want to apologize for the ugly way we treated you and to thank you for all that you have done.”
Grace smiled, flapped
her wings, honked and replied, “That’s alright. I understand.”
Then they all gathered together and swam around the lake honking, flapping their wings and rejoicing.
Little Homer tagged along behind them shouting, “That’s my girl!”
Although Grace, the swan, was older and wasn’t as attractive as she was in her younger days, she could still swim with the best of them. She was a great role model. Everyone on the lake and in the woods respected her. They saw Grace’s beauty that was within.