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It was 8pm, we see a mother lying next to her young daughter reading her a bed time story. The little girl tells her mommy she is afraid of the story. The mother replies “Don’t be afraid; the story will have a happy ending I promise.” “How mommy, the beast is really mean and scary.” “Sweetheart, he’s only pretending to be scary because he is afraid.” “What’s he afraid of mommy?” “He’s afraid of people and what they might do to him because he is different. People can be very mean towards those who are different, especially when they are different on the outside, but you must always remember little one, it’s not important how we look on the outside, it’s important how we behave on the inside, can you remember that sweetheart?” “I’ll remember.” The girl’s mommy continues to read the story, the little girl’s demeanor started to change; she began to feel affection towards the beast. “Mommy?” “Yes.” “Is the beast falling in love with the beautiful girl?” “Yes dear I think he is.” “Does she love him?” “I believe she does.” “I think so too, she is being really nice to him.” The mother continues to read. “Mommy?” “Yes dear.” “If you treat someone different with kindness, will that make them beautiful?” “Not exactly honey, you see what happens is, the person already has the beauty inside them but if they are afraid to show people their beauty, then most people won’t see it. It takes a special person to see the true beauty in others, and even more special when that person helps the other to see the beauty in them. Do you understand what I mean?” “I think so; it’s like when you let a friend know that they are good at something when the friend doesn’t think they are?” “Yes something like that.” “I want to be that special person, can I be mommy?” “Yes dear, you can be anything you want.” A few minutes go by and the story comes to an end.
The little girl tells her mommy, “I love that story; I want to meet the beast someday.”
“You do,” replied the mother, “why is that?”
“I want to hug him and tell him how beautiful he is, I want him to know that he never has to be afraid.”
“That’s a wonderful thing to want for someone; but right now little one it’s time to go to sleep.”
The little girl lays her head down and she falls asleep with a big smile on her face.
The next evening the little girl and her parents were driving home from an evening out with friends. Their car came to a stop at an intersection right alongside Central Park. The little girl was looking out her window when she spotted a little boy, a few years older than herself. He didn’t look like ordinary boys. This boy was standing there in the park just looking up at the moon.
“The beast mommy, the beast, he’s right out there.”
“Sweetheart,” replied the mother “that was just a story, the beast does not exist.”
“What do you mean mommy, he does, I see him.”
“No dear you are imagining him, there is no beast.”
The little girl began to cry, “But I want him to exist just like the story.”
Just as this was happening, the young boy caught a glimpse of the little girl through the car window, she was looking right at him and she was crying. The boy got very upset and he ran away. Suddenly the boy’s older brother runs after him yelling, “What’s wrong??”
“I want to go home the boy said, I don’t belong here, and I will never belong here!”
That night, both children went to bed very upset over how the evening went; they both fell asleep while crying. As they slept, the little girl began to dream; she dreamt exactly what happen earlier that night only this time when the car stopped she got out and she ran over to the boy.
The boy started to run, but the little girl yelled “Don’t be afraid, I won’t hurt you.” The boy stopped and turned around. The little caught up with him. “Wow you run really fast.”
The boy asks, “Aren’t you afraid of me?”
”Of course not silly, why should I be” she said. “You won’t hurt me will you?”
“No, I could never hurt you” replied the boy. With that the little girl walked right up to the boy and gave him a big hug. The boy was startled. “Why did you that?”
“Because I wanted to, you are very beautiful and I wanted you to know that.”
“No I’m not,” he replied.
“To me you are” she answered.
Just then the little girl’s mother called to her, “Honey we have to go, it’s getting late sweetheart and its way past your bedtime.”
“Ok mommy I’m coming.” The little girl looks at the boy; “What’s your name?”
“Vincent, my name is Vincent.”
“Vincent.” she repeated, “I like that name”.
“Sweetheart,” came the voice of her father, “where are you? We have go home, peanut.”
“I’m coming daddy! I have to go now, I hope to see you again Vincent.”
The girl starts to run towards her parents, the young boy hollers, “Wait, what is your name?”
The little girl stops and she walks back to the boy, smiling. Just as she was about to answer the boy, her father calls out “Little miss Catherine; you come here when you are called.”
Catherine’s eyes got wide, “Now I really have to go.”
“Please can’t you stay a little longer?”
Catherine walks up to Vincent; she gets as close to him as she possibly can, she stares into his beautiful blue eyes, she reaches out for his arm, she then gets on her tiptoes and she kisses him!
“Catherine, my name is Catherine.” She giggles, Vincent takes in a deep breath, “I’ll see you again someday Vincent, I promise, goodbye!”
Catherine waves until she is out of sight. Vincent having held his breath since the kiss exhales, then runs towards a lighted tunnel access.
All of the sudden Vincent’s eyes open up, and i'ts morning, he lays there in bed, marveling at the dream he had; he smiles broadly and all he could say was “Catherine!”
~
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