Fatty

Truth was, she was getting fatter by the day. Most days she had been glued to the TV, obsessed with watching the tennis championships.

Now Spring was upon them and she realised that none of her summer clothes fitted her anymore! It was the first time she had ever felt this negative about her body. In stead of acknowledging how blessed she was with the voice of an angel, she rejected herself outright on the basis of being 5kg heavier than what she wanted to be.


She looked at her body in the mirror and thoughts of self-loathing and disgust at her recent gluttonous habits filled her mind.

Suddenly her little toypom appeared in the room, barking excitedly at the prospect of being taken for a walk. He licked her bare toes and danced on his hind legs.

She instantly pushed away her depressing thoughts and smiled at him. “How come you always love me?” she asked and gently stroked the dog’s head.

“Because love means accepting myself as I am”, her Inner Voice replied.

She clipped the dog’s lead onto his collar. “Yes,” she thought, “I do love myself. I have just not been caring for my body as well as I should, and I have fallen into bad habits. I’ll think positively from now on and accept that even with the best of intentions, staying in shape at my age takes a little more effort than before!”

2010 Copyright © Susan Bellingan Fourie

Acknowledgements: blazelightaround.co.uk, picturesof.net, petsplace, best-of-web, shutterstock

Mother and Daughter

Molly sauntered over to where LongBeard was sitting on his favourite red and white toadstool. Molly wanted LongBeard to help her with dream interpretation. She carried a little scroll with the words from her dream on it.


“LongBeard, please help me understand my dream,” she requested. LongBeard read the words, closed his eyes for a minute and puffed on his harmless herbacco pipe. Then he patted the toadstool next to him and said, “Come and sit next to me. Here is the story which will help you understand your dream:


The phone connection was suddenly and unexpectedly broken. That came as no surprise, taking the heavy snowfall of the last day into account. Still, June felt deeply disappointed about it happening at exactly this time.

She had been speaking to her mother and for the first time in years they addressed the painful topic of her father’s disappearance from their lives. The duality in which they had lived before was finally coming to an end. At last her mother seemed motivated to speak about the past events in a congruent and honest way. This time she was open about the pain that it had caused her, rather than pretending that all was well. In the past June could clearly feel that her mother was just using polite words to try and preserve peace and harmony in the family. She had a habit of only speaking positively about others and would rather deny the truth of her own feelings than admit the hurt openly.

Reflecting on their conversation, Jane stepped into the kitchen. The blend of aromatic smells coming from the cooker lifted her somber mood and she started to pay attention to her physical surroundings. She removed the lid from the soup pot and deeply breathed in the smell of mixed herbs and spices.

The food was ready and as she laid the table to have dinner, she could feel an inner peace returning. She shook off her serious thoughts and sat down to enjoy the meal.”


2010 Copyright LongBeard Stories by Susan Bellingan Fourie

Acknowledgements: www.blazelightaround.com, gnomeoutlet.com, dcs4ever.blogspot

Horse Rescue!

It was a beautiful summers day. LongBeard and Missy, the little grey field mouse, were having a picnic with their friends.

Missy loved telling stories. She babbled enthusiastically about all the things she had been observing on the farm where she lives.

“Today,” she said “I want to tell you about the horse that got stuck in the mud.”

“It was mid term vacation and the children were home from boarding school. Carla, the farmer’s 10-year old daughter, was looking forward to riding her horse, Prince. He liked staying in the vicinity of the barn, where the workers often gave him extra hay and regularly brushed his coat.

My ears pricked up when I heard Carla calling Prince’s name again and again. I knew that something was wrong, as Prince usually comes quickly when she calls him. I had been busy sewing blankets for my 12 children and had not taken notice of what was going on outside.

I peeked through a hole and saw Carla walk towards a clump of trees not far from the barn. She disappeared behind them, but then suddenly came running back, yelling, ‘Daddy! Daddy! Help! Prince is stuck in the mud!’

The farmer and workers came running when they heard Carla calling. She told them what she had seen. The men were experienced in dealing with animals that were stuck, as this was a danger on any farm, especially when the water levels started to drop in the mud dams.

Cecil ran to get the tractor, Paul went to get some strong ropes and Jonas loaded chains, webbing and a metal tripod.”

“I could not contain my curiosity,” said Milly. “I scampered to where the action was as fast as my legs could carry me. There I climbed into a tree to see what was happening.

Cecil cautiously approached the horse, which seemed to be very frightened, for the whites of his eyes were showing and he was breathing fast through flared nostrils. He whistled softly and calmly while stroking the horse’s neck. He spoke gently and soothingly, trying to get him to relax. As if Prince could understand him, he whinnied softly and his eyes became calm. Prince was very dirty, as he must have been thrashing about in his efforts to get out.

The mud itself did not seem to be particularly deep and Cecil wondered what had caused Prince to get stuck. He felt the horse’s front legs one by one and noticed that they were free. Although he seemed to be standing firmly, the poor horse was quivering with exhaustion. Cecil checked the hind legs and noticed that one was lodged tightly in the mud. He could feel something hard in front of and behind it and surmised that Prince’s leg was jammed against some pieces of wood. Although three of Prince’s legs were free, he seemed unable to pull himself out. His strength was clearly waning and judging by the leeches that had started attaching themselves to his legs, Cecil judged that he must have been in the water for at least a day.

Paul started the water pump which was attached to the back of the tractor and began draining the water out of the muddy pool. In the meantime, Cecil and Jonas attached the webbing harness under Prince’s stomach, across his chest and under his tail. Once it was in place the men secured it above his back to a strong metal bar. Then they tied a chain to it and hooked it up to the tripod which Jonas had securely planted next to the mud pool.

As Paul pumped the water out they could see more clearly what was going on. Jonas, Carla and Cecil wiped the leeches off Prince’s legs as the water drained away. Prince stood quietly, supported by the web harness and tripod. Cecil was grateful, as their efforts would have been severely hampered if the horse decided to kick and thrash about in the water.

At last the mud was completely exposed and they could clearly see the wooden branches which were trapping the leg. They pushed it as far away as they could, but it seemed as if by now Prince was too weak to pull his leg out.

In the meantime, the experienced Paul had unhitched the water pump from the tractor. He drove to the tripod and transferred the chain to the tractor’s raised plough arms. His skillful maneuver ensured the chain remained tight the whole time, keeping Prince supported. At a sign from Cecil, he slowly drove forward, lifting Prince up and out of the mud.

With this additional assistance Prince was able to free his trapped leg and they pulled him to dry ground. Prince was shaking with fatigue, but eventually stood quietly on three legs, holding the injured one in the air.

With expert hands Cecil examined all four Prince’s legs as well as the other parts of his body which had been under water. He noticed that the one leg was swollen and had a shallow gash across the front. Jonas used a rag to wipe down the mud and they were satisfied that Prince had suffered no other serious injuries.

By now Prince had gingerly put his hind leg down on the ground and he whinnied softly, almost as if to thank the people. Carla hugged him and burst into tears. ‘Oh Prince, I am so glad that you are okay. I got such a fright,’ she sobbed while kissing him on his face. ‘Thank you, Daddy, Paul and Jonas, for rescuing Prince!’

She put a soft rope halter on Prince and very slowly led him back to the barn. Poor Prince was limping and seemed to be in pain. At the barn, Jonas helped Carla to wash Prince down with clean water and disinfectant. They wiped him dry with some old towels and put some ointment on the gash. While all this was going on, Prince was happily munching on some lucern from a haynet, almost closing his eyes in delight.

Jonas took a bandage that he had soaked in some comfrey tea and wrapped it around Prince’s swollen leg. He knew the herb would work quickly and that the swelling would go down within hours. Prince would walk normally again.

I returned to my peeping hole in the attic door and watched it all from there,” Missy said proudly. “Jonas is such a good horseman. Under his expert care and Carla’s loving feeding and watering, Prince was soon back to his old self.

Within three days of the near tragedy Carla and Prince were galloping all over the farm as if nothing had ever happened!”

2010 Copyright © LongBeard Stories by Susan Bellingan Fourie

Acknowledgements: Jillene Henderson, agraphic, bearcreeknursery, 1^st-art-gallery, horsemanmagazine, kyfireacademy, sanparks.org, getethical, picturesearch, flickr, chescocart.

Letting go of Fear

LongBeard and Pippo were walking along the footpath. Pippo was unusually quiet. “What’s wrong, my young friend?” LongBeard enquired. “I had a disturbing dream last night,” Pippo said. “I wonder if you can help me understand it.” “Well,” said LongBeard, “what were the most important words from the dream?” “Four words come to mind,” Pippo said. “They were: take, fly, sadness and leave.” “Hmmm,” murmured LongBeard and puffed on his herbacco pipe. After a few minutes of quiet reflection, he said, “Pippo, here is the story which will help you understand your dream:

“Quickly! Take my hand,” yelled the soldier to the little girl.

She tentatively reached out to him but he missed getting a firm hold on her and the helicopter turned to fly past once more. The little girl looked distressed. She was standing on the top of a house, surrounded by raging flood waters. Sadness and compassion filled the hearts of the determined soldiers as they circled over the area and saw the extent of the devastation that had occurred in such a short period of time.

The soldier that was hanging suspended from the rope attached to the helicopter leaned forward as they approached the house again. It seemed as if this was the last surviving occupant and she was desperately clinging to the chimney. The rescue was difficult, as timing was of the utmost importance. The little girl had to be brave enough to let go of the chimney and reach out to the soldier at the exact time he came passed. They had tried this several times already, and each time she had been too afraid to do what was required of her. At the same time the soldier had to be careful not to collide with the chimney.

The water was rising fast and was only a meter away from her feet. The helicopter pilot was grinding his teeth in frustration as the strong wind made his task more difficult. He said a prayer for the little girl and wished that the wind would quieten down. He knew they would be successful if the soldier could get closer to his target without swinging so wildly.

Suddenly and miraculously his prayers were answered. There was a lull in the wind just as the helicopter approached the little girl. The soldier who was suspended in the harness called to her: “You can do it! When I say ‘NOW’, just grab my hand and you will be safe!” The little girl nodded, her eyes huge in her pale face. As they got closer he could see her knuckles whitening as she held on to the chimney more tightly. “Please God,” whispered the soldier, “just let her trust me. Help her to take my hand.” It was indeed a day of miracles, for as he got to her and shouted, “NOW!” she let go of the chimney and bravely reached out to him.

He gripped her little hand firmly and quickly gathered her close. She was as light as a feather and he could easily hold her with one hand while he clipped the safety harness around her body. He gave the thumbs up sign to the pilot and heard his mates in the chopper let out a cheer of joy.

At last they were ready to leave the area of devastation. Cradling the little girl safely to his chest, he whispered a relieved “Thank You” to God for answering his prayers."

2010 Copyright LongBeard stories Susan Bellingan Fourie

Acknowledgements: blazelightaround.co.uk, civildefence.govt.nz, devoncoast.info, nss.ga.ca, randi.org

Nahida's LongBeard

Marli's LongBeard

Piggy

It was pouring with rain in the little town of Riversdale. Deep underground, safe and warm, LongBeard the gnome and his friend Milly the millipede, were having a hot drink.

Milly was enjoying the rest, as she and the other millipedes had been very active above ground just before the rain had started. Millipedes are actually messengers that let us know when rain is coming. The higher millipedes climb up against walls and trees, the more rain is typically expected!

LongBeard and Milly loved sharing stories, and tonight was no exception.

“I will tell you about the time a piglet had a near escape,” LongBeard said.

“There was a farmer called John who used to farm with pigs. He was a competent man and looked after the animals in his care very well.

Sometimes, when a litter of piglets is born, there is one which is much smaller than the others. This one, called a runt, is often pushed away by its siblings in their competition to get the most milk from their mother. If a runt doesn’t suckle regularly and gets enough milk, it will die.

On this particular cold, winters day, the pig had 9 babies. After a while John noticed that the smallest one needed help. He removed it and took it into the house where his wife, Maggy, took over its care. She tucked the little one up warmly in old towels and put it in a box lined with straw. This box was kept in the kitchen near the wood stove, so that the piglet would be warm.

To add to the pig’s comfort, it was bottle fed every two hours for the first week of its life! It was hard work initially and every member of the family took it in turns to feed the baby pig. However, it was always worth the effort and very rewarding to see a strong little piglet rejoining its siblings within a few weeks.

By the time the piglet was 3 weeks old, it had outgrown its box and was moved to a wooden crate. He had been nicknamed Piggy and was becoming a strong and fat looking little fellow. Piggy was quite happy with this change and ran around in his straw lined new home. As the crate was too big for the kitchen, it was placed in an outside store room close to the house. For extra warmth, a light bulb was hung above Piggy’s crate.

What John did not know, was that mice in the ceiling of this store room had nibbled through the protective plastic covering of the electric wires. On this particular night, as the bare wires touched each other, it caused a spark and the cable started burning.

The light bulb above Piggy’s crate exploded and the sparks set the straw in his crate alight. Piggy squealed as a spark hit him on the leg and the heat of it stung him.

His squealing roused Rover, the dog, which was lying in the doorway. Rover smelled the acrid smoke and intuitively knew that there was trouble! He started barking. More of the straw caught alight and Rover saw the flames. Piggy squealed loudly in fear and Rover intensified his barking. He ran to the kitchen door and scratched on it to get John’s attention, all the time barking loudly.

John was an observant farmer, always listening carefully in case sounds alerted him to anything out of the ordinary going on outside. He immediately heard the barking and knew by the sound of it that something was wrong. As he opened the door, he heard piglet squealing and saw smoke coming from the store room.

He grabbed the fire extinguisher, which had conveniently been placed by the door and ran to the store room, shouting to alert Maggy and the children to the impending disaster. In the doorway of the store room he dropped down to his stomach so that he would be underneath the smoke curtain. He had learnt this technique when he was a fireman in his younger days. He saw flames coming from Piggy’s crate and quickly aimed the nozzle of the fire extinguisher towards it. Within moments the fire was doused.

He picked up poor Piggy where he was trying to hide in the corner of the crate. Thankfully, due to Piggy having tipped over the water bowl in his frantic scrabbling to try and get away from the fire, this part of the crate was wet and he had been saved from the flames. The little creature had a slight burn on his leg, but was otherwise unharmed.

As the smoke cleared, John noticed the burnt wire and made a mental note to check all the wiring in the ceiling the next day. He also decided that all electric wires would be put into secure tubing which would prevent such incidents in future.

Piggy was taken into the kitchen and wrapped in a towel. He was shivering with fright and Maggy gave him a bottle of milk to drink from. This soothed him and he relaxed straightaway. In the meantime, John had prepared a small crate and put it next to the stove. They put Piggy into this temporary new home and he fell asleep almost immediately.

John stroked Rover’s head and thanked him. He gave him some special dog biscuits which he used as treats. Rover wagged his tail, happily knowing he and John made a good team when it came to looking after the farm and all its inhabitants.”

2010 Copyright © LongBeard stories by Susan Bellingan Fourie

Acknowledgement: Jillene Henderson, isc.tamu.edu, cartoonstock.com, inmagine.com, lgfl.net, hebrideonhams.com, heightsants.com, earth911.com, Wilma Potgieter

The Soldier's Values

LongBeard and Podgy were sharing a mint drink in the shade of their favourite red and white toadstool. Podgy had come to see LongBeard as he had had a strange dream which he wanted LongBeard to help him understand. He had asked LongBeard to help him with dream interpretation before, and came prepared with his 6 words neatly written on a maple tree leaf.

LongBeard looked at the words, took a sip of his cool drink and said: “Podgy, my friend, here is the story which will help you understand your dream:

Billy knew that the happiness he was feeling now was short-lived. From where he was standing in the shade of the trees, he could hear the single bell tolling in the castle tower. This was a warning to the guards that someone had escaped, and the search would soon begin.

Earlier in the day, dissatisfied with the way the soldiers were treated, he had demanded an audience with his superior officer to discuss the situation. To his dismay, however, the colonel was annoyed by his request to grant the soldiers more time with their families.

This uncaring attitude had prompted him to resign on the spot.

Disappointment and anger had washed over him in waves as he left the office. It seemed as if the status quo was to remain. His vision of leading a battalion of men who were satisfied and highly motivated had been cut down by the cruel decision of the commanding officer.

Billy had been so upset that he decided he could not even stay to honour his one month resignation period. He was suddenly desperate for his freedom from the tyrannical entrapment of this regiment. Their false promises had been exposed and he was having none of it any longer.With stealth and strength he had climbed over the castle wall, and disappeared into the nearby forest.”

Acknowledgements: www.blazelightaround.com

2010 Copyright © LongBeard story Susan Bellingan Fourie

Saeed the Chameleon

LongBeard was sitting peacefully on his red and white toadstool, smoking his harmless herbacco pipe. His friend Colorby, the chameleon, was visiting him. They often sat together and spoke about how the world seemed to be constantly changing. Of course, for Colorby it wasn’t a problem, as he changed his colours as quickly as his environment changed around him!

Colorby was sitting on a colourful flower, chewing on a fly. “Please tell me about humans, LongBeard,” he requested. “My cousin was captured by them and we wonder how he is now.”

“Oh, I know all about your cousin!” exclaimed LongBeard. “I heard a girl on Cybernews talking about him. He's quite a celebrity now! It was heart warming to hear that there are humans who truly love animals and who care for them as much as we do. "

“Really?” exclaimed Colorby. “Who is the girl? Where is she from? Where is my cousin?” “Slowly, slowly,” said LongBeard, “I will tell you everything I heard. The girl is called Marli Henderson and she was interviewed by Scott Lindsay. They are both from a country down South called New Zealand. However, Marli presently lives in Dubai, a desert city where one would expect to find camels, rather than chameleons!”

“How on earth did my cousin end up with New Zealanders in Dubai?” asked Colorby, gasping in surprise.

"The same way you landed in South Africa, Colorby,” laughed LongBeard! “People captured him as a baby in your home country of Madagascar and sold him to a local pet shop, which in turn sold him to a pet shop many miles away in the United Arab Emirates. This is what I heard:

'“Hi, Marli. Thank you for agreeing to speak on Cybernews tonight. We heard that you have a chameleon and we wondered if you would tell our listeners across the world more about him?”

“With the greatest of pleasure,” said Marli, “I love telling everyone about Saeed. "

“Let us just tell our listeners a bit more about chameleons first,” said Scott. “Can you tell us what a chameleon is and where they come from?”

“Sure,” said Marli. “Chameleons are small to mid-size reptiles that are famous for their ability to dramatically change colors. They also have bulging eyes that move independently of one another, and they hold their feet in a grasping position. Some of them have horns on their heads.”

“Does your chameleon have horns?” asked Scott. “Oh yes,” said Marli, “he has two horns that stick out from the front of his head. He is known as an East Usambara chameleon. They are originally from Madagascar, which is home to about half the world's chameleons. Many of his cousins back in Madagascar and Tanzania are unusually big and are known as giant chameleons. However, our chameleon is only about the size of my hand!”

“You say your chameleon is originally from Madagascar - so where did you find him?” asked Scott.

“Well, when I first came to Dubai, I decided to have a turtle to keep me occupied. My husband took me to an old pet shop in Al Barsha so that I could choose one. As I looked around, I saw the cutest little creature at the back of the shop. I ran towards it and there was little Saeed with his hands up against the glass, trying to get out. There and then I said to my husband, ‘I want that one please!’ We ended up buying him the same day.

On the way home in the car, Saeed started turning darker. We were very scared and worried about him. We thought maybe he had turned dark because he was cold, so we turned the air conditioning off. As it is really hot here in the desert it wasn’t a pleasant trip at all!! However, we decided that Saeed was very precious and we were prepared to sacrifice our comfort for his. Little did we know at the time that contrary to popular belief, a chameleon typically does not change colours to match its surroundings. Instead, colour is usually used to convey emotions, to defend territories and communicate with mates. Thinking back, I guess Saeed was just very scared, which is why he changed colour and became so dark.”

“You keep calling him ‘Saeed’”, remarked Scott. “How did you did decide on that name?”

“Well funnily enough, I was doing data entry at work one day and the name Saeed kept popping up in business cards, so I thought it would be a nice name for him. I found out that it means ‘happy’ in Arabic, which suited him very well, as he is always a happy little dude!”

“I have heard that chameleons have special tails used for grasping objects when climbing and moving, and some of them have long tongues for catching insects at a distance. Is this true or is it just a fairytale?” asked Scott.

“Absolutely true,” Marli laughed. “Saeed can climb up and down quite fast, using all four feet as if they were little hands, and his tail as if it were a fifth hand! He loves climbing onto my head and he will grasp my hair so tightly with his little claws that we really struggle to get him to let go!

Saeed normally catches his food from a distance with his tongue, which is as long as his body! However, one day I saw him climb down his tree to get some mealworms from the food dish. To my surprise, he kept edging closer and closer to the dish. I wondered what he was doing. Then he carefully put his front feet on either side of the bowl , opened his mouth and scooped the mealworms up with his jaw! As a chameleon he is supposed to use his tongue, but I think on that day he was being a bit lazy!”

“What else can you tell us about Saeed?” asked Scott. “Saeed is special in every way,’” Marli replied. “One thing which is quite interesting is the way he walks. Like all chameleons, he has a bizarre way of moving. He slowly rocks back and forth between each step, often in time with the movement of nearby leaves blowning in the wind. Mr Saeed is a little ‘groover’ and loves to dance. You can play any song and he will step back and forth in time with the music in this way. We always have a good laugh when we watch Saeed dance.”

“Another interesting thing about Saeed is that he broke his toe nail and it never grew back! What happened was that when Saeed had been with us for about 4 months I got a baby tortoise, called Jerry. I decided that Saeed should meet his ‘brother’. Holding Saeed in one hand and Jerry in the other, I said, ‘Saeed, this is your new brother.’ This caused Saeed to jump out of my hand. He broke his nail when he fell on the floor. Ever since that day it has never grown back!

One day I put Saeed's water bowl next to the mirror. As he got closer, he suddenly started pulling strange faces and puffing himself up. I sat watching him until I realised that he thought that there was another chameleon in the mirror! It was very funny, as he looked like he was praying with his mouth open.”

“Yes,” remarked Scott, “I have heard that chameleons are often aggressive towards members of their own species and this is then marked by rapid color change and aggressive posturing.”

“I have heard that most people keep their pet chameleons in a cage. Where do you keep Saeed?" asked Scott.

“We tried keeping him in a cage, but he didn’t like it at all,” Marli replied. “In fact, Saeed is a naughty little boy who is spoilt rotten by his mummy! When he decided that he didn’t want to sleep in his nice warm cage anymore, we decided that we would buy him a tree. He LOVES it and I think it is because he can go walk-about anytime he wants! Sometimes we will come home after work, look at the tree and think, ‘Hmmm, where is Saeed?’ And then the hunt for him begins! At times we find him on the kitchen rubbish bin, on our shoes, coat hangers, coats, and once even inside the toilet! He is definitely happiest when he has the freedom to go wherever he likes!”

“Has Saeed ever gotten sick?” asked Scott. “Yes,” Marli replied in a more somber tone. “Luckily there is a vet here in Dubai who specialises in reptiles. He has always been able to help us. "

“I guess Saeed is a male?” Scott asked. “We think so,” Marli replied. “He seems to love the ladies, but will hiss and puff up if a man approaches him suddenly. He also has a slight bump near his tail, which we have heard might indicate that he is male.”

Scott closed the interview with a laugh and said, “Well, on a last note, I just want to tell our listeners and viewers something else I read which I thought was interesting. It seems as if chameleons are feared in many areas and care has to be taken that natives don’t kill them. Actually, the name "Chameleon" is derived from the Greek words chamai (on the ground, on the earth) and leon (lion), so their name means "earth lion."

Marli laughed. “He looks more like a miniature dragon than a lion,” she said lovingly. “What I would like to say about chameleons is that they are very intelligent and seem to be almost human in their emotions. If you reprimand Saeed, he will crouch down, but if you laugh and kiss him on his tummy, all is well and he seems all energised again. Also, if he tries to sneak away and you speak to him loudly, he scampers off as fast as he can to escape you. He is definitely very clever, and it seems as if he knows exactly what is being said to him.”

“Well, thank you very much, Marli,” said Scott. “We all learned a lot from you and Saeed today. We trust that all people will take care of their pets and love them as much as you obviously love Saeed.” '

Back on the red and white toadstool, LongBeard went quiet. Colorby sighed. “What a wonderful story,” he said in a satisfied tone. “Thank you LongBeard, I really enjoyed hearing about Marli, Scott and my cousin Saeed. With a contented smile, LongBeard and Colorby went back to their homes.

2010 Copyright © LongBeard stories Susan Bellingan Fourie