In this case, I like what I found. I'm reprinting it here, unedited. I'd love to hear what you think!
Once upon a time Girl took a walk with someone named Friend.They walked into a forest, and saw a pig climbing a tree."What's he doing?" Friend asked."Silly, Friend. He's climbing a tree so he will be high enough.""High enough for what?""For takeoff," Girl said. "It's almost dark and the moon is out. That pig loves to fly beneath a full moon."Friend laughed. "Pigs can't fly.""This one can. Watch."And the pig flapped his tiny pig arms and thrust with his tiny pig legs and flew off into the night."Of course," said Girl, "he's the only one to ever try. Who knows how many other pigs could fly, if they would only make the effort."Friend smiled at Girl, because he realized she was wise.
They kept walking and entered a desert, where they found a sheep circling around a tall cactus."Hidy-ho, sheep," Girl said."Baaaaa, Girl," said the sheep. But he didn't stop moving; he kept waddling around the cactus."What's that sheep doing?" asked Friend."He's a cactus farmer. By giving the cactus attention and love, he helps keep the cactus healthy."""But...he's a sheep. And this is a desert. And cactus don't need attention. They grow on their own.""I know," said Girl. "And everyone else knows that too. But look what happens when someone doesn't go with what is believed and goes with what they want to happen instead."Friend looked around and saw that all the other cactuses in the area were much smaller than the sheep's cactus. They looked dried out, as if the sun had withered them."I see," said Friend. "Sometimes you have to ignore what everyone says and do what your heart tells you. It looks like the one sure way to success."Girl smiled. "You learn fast. You'll be walking this path without me soon."
They left the desert, and came to the beach of a vast ocean. It was dark. Thousands of stars twinkled above."Now what?" asked Friend. "We don't have a boat.""No, but that doesn't matter. Look at the ocean."Friend looked and saw pinpoints of light shimmering among the waves."You see?" Girl asked. "The stars are reflected in the ocean. We can use their reflections as stepping stones, and walk on them to wherever we want to go.""But how do you know this will work?" Friend asked.Girl grinned. "Because I want it to work. And anything I can dream, I can make happen. You can too. It just takes desire and belief in yourself, that's all. Watch."And with those words, Girl ran out to the waves and leapt onto a star's reflection. The reflection bobbled beneath her feet, and jiggled back and forth, but it didn't sink below the water. Girl looked around, saw another reflection, and jumped onto it. Soon she was skipping from one star reflection to another, laughing as her feet landed on each one."Come on," she said, winking at Friend. "It's fun. You just gotta imagine where you want to be, then jump. And each time you jump, the next jump gets easier.""Why does it get easier?" asked Friend, as he leapt onto a reflection.Girl hopscotched across several star reflections before answering. "Because you learn that whenever you chase stars, you are doing what you most want to do. A lot of people forget this, and so they lose sight of what they want. Soon they even forget what a star is.""How could anyone forget?""It happens," said Girl. "But not to me. And now, not to you either.""No, never." Friend danced back and forth across a reflection. "This is too much fun to ever forget.""You'll find that things that look impossible are always fun, once you give them a try," said Girl. "Now I've got to go. I'm meeting Boy over in Egypt. We're building a pyramid.""Thanks," Friend said. "Thanks for everything you've taught me.""Don't thank me. You already knew everything. I just reminded you of your true self, that's all. If you keep imagining, and if you keep following your ideas, and if you keep believing in what you want, then there's nothing you can't do, and there's nowhere these stars can't take you." Girl smiled. "Bye, Friend.""Bye, Girl."And they each took off on different paths, running across the star reflections, following their dreams.
THE END
