Dancing with the Wind - Chapt. 1 - 2

Dancing with the Wind
A Novella for every child
"Have you ever danced with the wind? You can, you know. He'll support you as the two of you twirl and waltz upon the soft, green grass. He'll protect you when no one else can--because he's always there."

Chapter One

         "Kyra, come on in. Dinner's ready."
         But Kyra wasn't listening just then. Kyra never heard anything but wind chimes when she danced. She was giggling madly and spinning around and around when suddenly, she found herself on the ground in a heap of leaves.
         The old woman rushed down the steps of her back porch. She ran along the cobblestone path which led to the hourglass-shaped pond in her garden. Kyra sat on the ground with the strangest look on her face.
         "Are you all right, child? What were you doing?"
         "Nan, did you see him?!"
         "What? See who?"
         "Malichi! Malichi's back! I thought he left me, too...but he didn't...he had to..."          The old woman peered into Kyra's eyes and noticed something she hadn't seen in months. The sparkle. "Who's Malichi?"
         "The wind, Nan, the wind! Did you see him?"
         "You saw the wind?!"
         "Yeah! He danced with me like he used to...he twirled me around and around...but I didn't get sick...and then he whispered somethin'...but I can't remember what he said...and then he kissed me riiiiiiiiiight here." The girl pointed to her forehead as the words rushed from her mouth. Nan simply smiled and nodded.
         "You believe me, Nan, don't you?"
         "Of course I do, Kitten. But I don't understand. If you were dancing with him, why did you fall?"
         "I dunno." Kyra's eyes filled with tears. "I guess he had to go again." She paused as the tears trickled down her face. "Nan, why does everyone leave me?"
         "Ooooh, hush, child." Nan knelt down and scooped Kyra in her arms. "I probably scared him away. Besides, I'm not goin' anywhere, Kitten, I promise. Come on." Nan stood up and pulled Kyra to her feet as well. "I made chicken and dumplings for supper. Are ya hungry?"
         Kyra nodded half-heartedly, wiping at her cheeks. Her grandmother brushed away the grass and maple leaves on the child's overalls. The two joined hands as they walked away from the pond and back into the house.
         That evening, Nan sat on the porch swing, watching the thunderstorm. Kyra was already tucked into bed. As she listened to the rain plink upon the roof, she thought about the name Malichi. That wasn't the name that she knew. Malichi. Where ever did she get that name? Nan drifted back in time, as many people do while listening to the rain, about that day six years ago...
         It was just a typical spring morning. Nan thought that Mother Nature had quilted her last frost upon the earth for the year. It was time to start working on her garden. She decided last week that she would plant corn, green beans, lettuce, carrots, and tomatoes this year. The sun warmed her back as she planted the seeds and hummed to herself. The birds sang their songs, too.
         She had just marked the row of tomatoes by attaching the seed packet to a Popsicle stick, and then placed the stick into the ground. She never could remember what veggie was planted where, until she came up with this system. Simple, but effective, and that's what Nan liked. Everything was as it should be in the small town of Sunnydale.
         In fact Nan didn't even notice what was happening, not at first. It just grew a little darker; perhaps a storm was brewing. She was working on the green bean stick when a sharp breeze whipped at her face.
         "Now don't you start, Zeph, I have three more rows to go," she mumbled to the air. Nan looked up and saw the clouds race across the sky. She stood up and put her hands on her hips.
         "I mean it Zephyr. Raiana can wait 15 more minutes until I finish my garden." The breeze became so strong that it almost knocked her over. She heard wind chimes.
         "You know, some things never change." She smiled to herself as she bent down to put the stake into the ground.
         "Like you fellas," she spoke to the little seeds she'd just placed into the earth, "Now I know that you're going to grow big and strong. How do I know? 'Cause Mother Nature told me the secret to growing the best vegetables." She went to the shed and pulled out her jug of Miracle Grow and a watering can. The wind was getting even stronger, it was almost taking her breath away.
         "Zeph, I'm not kiddin'! What's the rush? I have to get these in today! By the time these fellas are tall and green I'm gonna be a Grandma!"
         She stopped short and looked around. Suddenly, everything was strange, shadowy. And there it was. Just like that. An eclipse. Nan didn't want to look up, you're not supposed to look at an eclipse, but she knew what it was. She felt it.
         "Zeph, what's goin' on?" Before she got an answer the phone rang. She raced into the house to hear Justin's voice on the other end.
         "Mum, she's here! She's finally here!" He said. But that didn't make sense. Lilly wasn't due for another three weeks...
         Although the eclipse only lasted a few minutes, it kept the town in an uproar for months. Some folks said that the experts miscalculated. Others believed that the wind was so strong that it actually blew the moon off course. Whatever the reason, that was the day, the very moment, when Kyra was born.
         Although everyone in town loved the little girl, Nan knew that Kyra was extra-special. Not just because she was Nan's only grandchild, but because Nan just knew better. Kyra grew up so fast and could dance like you wouldn't believe. She had long blond, curly locks that shimmered in the sun like it was pixie dust. Her bright, clover-green eyes always sparkled as she would spin and spin. And she always talked about Malichi, her dancing partner. Of course, children usually have imaginary friends, but Nan found it amazing that Kyra could waltz perfectly by the age of four. Her parents just assumed she learned it from watching T.V., but now Nan knew the reason. She's been right about Kyra all along.
         It was this past October when the dancing stopped. Kyra's parents died in an automobile accident, leaving her to live with Nan. For a long time, Kyra never did anything but cry and hold Tippy, the stuffed dog that her mom made from a sewing kit. Kyra clutched that mass of peanut-butter-brown fuzz no matter where she went.
The truth was, Nan would have to leave Kyra and soon. But today she had learned that someone would indeed look after her.
         "Thank you," she whispered as warm tears spilled over her face. As they fell, she felt a soft, warm breeze touch her cheeks as if someone's hands were wiping them away.

Chapter Two

         

That winter Nan died. Cancer. Kyra was seven. The authorities placed her in the Shady Grove Orphanage, since she had no other family members to take her. Kyra hated that place. The other children teased her and called her, "Teara Kyra," because she cried all the time. All she had was Tippy.
         Kyra tried to be brave. After all, the other children were alone too, for one reason or another. But try as she did, she could never get used to her new life. She never slept either. She always had terrible nightmares that would make her scream. So, at night, she roamed the drafty hallways of the orphanage, tiptoeing so she wouldn't be heard by the nuns. "Meanies," she called them, but that's what all the children called them. Old women made bitter by barrenness and time, who had no business taking care of children who needed to feel loved.
         That was when she missed Nan the most. Kyra would sit downstairs by the radiator in the playroom and hum the songs that Nan used to sing. She'd rock back and forth until she sang herself to sleep, only to wake up again from another nightmare. It was during one of those frigid nights in late February that a strange sound woke her.
         It sounded like wind chimes. But it couldn't be; there weren't any wind chimes at the orphanage. Disoriented, she looked around. A glimmer of hope flashed across the little girl's face. She squealed as he lifted her. The two glided across the parquet floor among the Lincoln logs, dolls, and toy cars. Around and around she spun, but during this waltz, her feet never touched the ground.
         "Where have you been?!"
         "Everywhere, Kitten."
         She loved the sound of his voice, smooth and sweet like chocolate.
         "Are you gonna stay this time?"
         "That's what we need to talk about. Remember when I danced with you by the pond at your Nan's house?"
         "Uh-huh."
         "I told you something then, but you don't remember, do you?"
         She shook her head as she squeezed Tippy.
         "I didn't think so, I told you that you are MAGIC!"
         She cocked her head, not understanding the importance of what he'd just told her.
         "I'm not magic, I'm just a big cry baby!" Her lower lip began to quiver.
         "Noooo, Kitten. You're not a cry baby. You're a very special girl. Here, I can prove it you."
         He wiped the tears from her face, rubbed them between his fingers, and sprinkled them onto Tippy. It looked like gold glitter as the tears fell upon the stuffed toy's head. Suddenly, Tippy started barking and wriggling around in her arms. Kyra squealed and let go of him. Luckily, Malichi caught the animal before he hit the floor. Kyra heard wind chimes again. Malichi was laughing.
         "Thanks alot," the dog barked. Then, he licked the air in gratitude.
         "Tippy, you can talk! Malichi, how'd you do that?"
         "I didn't. You did."
         "Nuh-huh, I saw you do it!" She paused. She desperately wanted to believe him, but she was afraid.
         "Kitten, point your finger at any stuffed animal in this room, stuffed animals are the easiest." She pointed to a teddy bear sitting in the corner. "Now, close your eyes, and wish for it to come to life."
         As she closed her eyes and uttered the wish she could feel butterflies in her stomach. She giggled as the butterflies moved from her stomach, to her heart, to her shoulder and finally to her fingers. She opened her eyes to see gold glitter flying from her hand to the teddy bear. He somersaulted over to her feet.
         "Hello, Kyra."
         "Woooooooow, I did that all by myself!" She bent over and picked up the little critter who stretched as she scratched his belly.
         Tippy growled as he scratched the floor with his paws. "Pick me up. Pick me up, too!" he yelped. Kyra turned to him and said, "Aww, I'm sorry boy." She wished for the teddy bear to return to its stuffed self. The gold glitter rushed from the bear back to the little girl who giggled again as she felt the butterflies. She bent over, picking up Tippy this time and started to rub his belly. He liked her face in appreciation.
         "See, Kitten? You are magic. You have powers that you don't know about. Abilities that you never even dreamed of, because you believe in magic. In fact, you're the only girl who believes in magic anymore. That's why I need your help."
         "You need my help?"
         "Yes, I do. I need you to help me to teach other children to believe in magic again! I want you to come with me."
         "Where?" she asked.
         "Everywhere..." she could feel him whipping around the room. Her hair began to move around her face in the breeze.
         "Everywhere? Can I bring Tippy?"
         "Of course! So, will you come with me?" He whipped around her faster with anticipation.
         "Okay, but what about the Meanies?" She heard wind chimes.
         "Don't you worry about them."
         "How are we gonna go?"
         "You'll see..."