The Special Chair

There was once a boy called Mario who loved to have loads of friends. He showed off a lot, always talking about how many friends he had at school, and how he was so friendly with everyone.

One day his grandfather said to him,

-"Mario, I bet you a big bag of popcorn you don't have as many friends as you think. I'm sure many of them are nothing more than companions, acquaintances, or partners in crime."

Mario accepted the bet without hesitation. However, he wasn't sure how he could test whether or not his schoolmates were real friends, so he asked his grandpa. The old man answered,

-"I have just exactly what you need, it's in the attic. Wait here a minute."

Grandpa left, soon returning as though carrying something in his hand, but Mario could see nothing there.

-"Take it. It's a very special chair. Because it's invisible it's rather tricky to sit on, but if you take it to school and you manage to sit on it, you'll activate its magic and you'll be able to tell who your real friends are.”

Mario, brave and determined, took the strange invisible chair and set off for school. At break time he asked everyone to form a circle, and he put himself in the middle, with his chair.

-"Nobody move. You're about to see something amazing."

And Mario attempted sitting on the chair. Having difficulty seeing it, he missed and fell straight onto his backside. Everyone had a pretty good laugh.

-"Wait, wait, just a slight technical problem,"

he said, making another attempt. But again he missed the seat, causing more surprised looks, and a few cat calls. Mario wouldn't be beaten. He kept trying to sit on the magic chair, and kept falling to the ground... until, suddenly, he tried again and didn't fall. This time he sat, hovering in mid-air...

Then it was that he finally experienced the magic that his grandfather had been talking about. Looking around, Mario saw George, Lucas, and Diana - three of his best friends - holding him up, so he wouldn't fall. Meanwhile, many others he had thought of as friends had done nothing but make fun of him, enjoying each and every fall.

And there the show came to an end. Leaving with his three friends, he explained to them how his grandfather had so cleverly thought of a way to show him that true friends are those who care for us, and not just any acquaintance who happens to be passing by. Even less would a friend be someone who takes joy in our misfortunes.

That evening the four children went to see Mario's grandpa to pay out the bet. They had a great time listening to stories, and eating popcorn until fit to burst. And, from then on, they used the magic chair test on quite a few occasions. And whoever passed it became friends for life.

Not everyone around us is a real friend. True friends care for us.

Honest Ladybirds...

A strange legend has it that ladybirds forgive but don't forget. Apparently, at first they didn't have their distinctive black spots. The ladybirds had been pushed to the verge of extinction when, while being led by their famous guide, Caius Insectus, a storm flooded the path they were travelling. Caius Insectus disappeared into the flood, and the few ladybirds who survived had to choose a new guide and leader. They decided that their new leader would be the first ladybird to successfully travel south to the Great Lake and return to describe it.

Many young ladybirds eagerly launched themselves into this adventure. One by one they returned and told of how beautiful the southern lake was at that time of year, with its crystal clear waters, bordered by flowered meadows. However, the last of the ladybirds was late in getting back. They waited for him for three days, and when he finally returned, he was downcast and embarrassed. He hadn't managed to reach the lake. Everyone criticised him for his slowness and stupidity, and they prepared to continue their journey the next day.

Following their new guide, they spent a morning walking northwards until they reached some tall thick grassland, where they halted, astonished. In front of them was the Great Lake! But there were no crystal clear waters, or flowered meadows. The heavy rain had turned it into a huge green puddle surrounded by mud.

Everyone understood what had happened. Without realising it, they had been swept beyond the lake by the flood. When the ladybirds had gone out looking for the lake, they had gone in the wrong direction. Now they could see that, apart from that one late ladybird, they had all wanted to be the Great Guide, and they had not had any qualms to lie in order to get what they wanted.

And so, the late little ladybird, the only one who they now really trusted, was made the Great Guide. They also decided that every time one of them was discovered lying they would paint a black spot on that ladybird's back, so there'd be no way to erase it. Nor would a ladybird know how many spots they had on their back. From then on, when a ladybird looks at another's back, it can tell whether that ladybird is trustworthy.

Likewise, when people show themselves to be dishonest other people paint spots on their impressions of them. It's enough to have just one black spot to change from a simple red insect into a ladybird. So, no matter what the prize may be, we should not allow anyone to paint that spot upon us.

Honesty is valued by all, and when we are dishonest, people lose faith in us.