Welcome to a story about the fearsome four and the yellow pumpkin.
Before we head out to the pumpkin patch,
Let's get settled for a relaxing and restful bedtime story.
Cozy up now into those soft cuddly blankets and a snuggly toy if you have one.
Let's get comfy.
Lay down in your bed,
On your back if that makes you feel ready and calm.
Think about making your body relaxed.
If you need to,
Wiggle around a bit to settle in.
Gently close your eyes.
You are safe here.
Now notice your breathing.
Thinking about your breathing helps you relax.
Let's take three long deep breaths.
A deep breath in and then a slow long breath out.
Again,
Deep breath in and then a slow long breath out.
Very good.
One more time.
Deep breath in and then a slow long breath out.
Eyes closed,
Calmly breathing.
One day in the pumpkin patch,
Where the field was dotted with hundreds of bright orange pumpkins,
There was one little speck in the field that didn't look the same as the others.
It was a pumpkin,
But it was yellow,
Not orange.
It was yellow even though it had grown in the same way,
Same place,
And same conditions,
Like sun and water,
As the others.
But yellow pumpkin just knew it was not like the others.
Some of the other pumpkins were not sure what to think of yellow pumpkin,
Being so different from them.
So it seemed that yellow pumpkin was rarely invited into their conversations or to their games.
That made yellow pumpkin sad,
Left out,
And feeling alone.
That day,
A group of children,
Known as the Fearsome Four,
Traveled to the pumpkin farm to choose a pumpkin to bring home for Halloween.
Sun Ali was the oldest of the group,
So she often led the way for the four.
Yet the others each could take the lead when they wanted to.
Sun Ali's intention was to get a huge orange pumpkin,
And the others,
Deco,
Paria,
And Elika,
Also thought that was a good idea.
However,
They each wanted to see if they could find the perfect pumpkin.
The Fearsome Four set out on a mission,
Splitting up and wandering throughout the pumpkin patch in all directions,
Searching for the perfect big orange pumpkin.
After a few minutes,
Deco called out to the others.
He had found a tall and slim orange pumpkin.
That was a good possibility,
As it stood out taller than most of the other pumpkins.
It might be the tallest one in their neighborhood,
When all the houses on the street have pumpkins and other Halloween decorations on display.
Maybe this one,
Deco thought.
Then Paria discovered another good possible choice.
A very round pumpkin that was large enough that it would take all four of them to carry it home.
It would surely be the largest one on display on their street.
Now they had two great possibilities,
And at first they were very content with having to decide between only two.
Then Sonali shouted out to the others from one side of the patch.
She had found a third possibility,
A very wide and very short orange pumpkin.
It was kind of cute,
And she thought a really wide smile could be carved out of this one,
For the biggest smile in the neighborhood.
Sonali,
Deco,
And Paria gathered to talk about the three possible pumpkins.
Would they choose one of these to take home?
They would each have one vote for the choice,
And then come to an agreement.
But there should be four in the fearsome four,
Not three.
They looked around for Elika.
She should join in the decision,
Too.
But where was Elika?
With their eyes,
The three scanned the entire area,
Looking north,
Looking south,
Looking east,
And looking west,
And there was no sign of Elika.
At least three of the fearsome four began to worry just a little.
Where did she go?
Could they find her?
For a whole minute,
They walked up and down the paths of the pumpkin field,
Jumping over some of the big green leaves of the pumpkin plants.
Those leaves are very important to the plant's growth.
They capture energy from the sun to help the pumpkin grow larger,
And the leaves also provide shade,
Protecting the big orange fruit from getting too much sun.
Most people never see those large leaves,
Because we buy the pumpkins at the store long after the leaves are gone.
Maybe Elika was somewhere under one of those leaves.
The search continued,
And just then,
Sonali saw some of those leaves moving over at the far south end of the field.
As they ran closer,
They could see Elika was squatting down,
Sheltered somewhat by those big green leaves,
And she was looking at an unusual and very different pumpkin.
There was Yellow Pumpkin,
Which didn't look like all the others.
Yellow Pumpkin worried the Fearsome Four would reject it,
Because it wasn't the nice bright orange color that they had expected to find at the pumpkin patch that day.
Yet something special happened in the moments that followed.
Elika had come to realize that every one of the Fearsome Four were also different from the others in some way.
For example,
Sonali liked reading books,
Deku liked fishing,
Paria liked skating,
And Elika was especially fond of dancing.
She knew that they loved each other,
And often because of those differences.
Each of their choices made them different,
And they were all beautiful in their very own way.
They knew there was only one Paria,
Only one Deku,
Only one Sonali,
And only one Elika in the whole world.
They knew they were each special,
That being a little different from the others is not only okay,
But even made everything more interesting and more enjoyable.
Together they thought,
Wouldn't the days be so boring if everyone was exactly the same?
If they always wanted the same thing?
Much of the fun the Fearsome Four had,
Whenever they played together,
Was because they each saw the world in a slightly unique way.
That meant they could each dream up new and fun games and activities to play,
With fresh ideas that the other three had not considered.
In being different,
Even one-of-a-kind,
There was strength.
There are more ways to have fun than any one mind or mindset could imagine.
If there was a problem to solve,
The Fearsome Four together could solve it.
As Sonali,
Deku,
Paria,
And Elika talked about this in front of Yellow Pumpkin,
It began to feel much better about being different.
Being a little different from others is a good thing after all.
Yellow Pumpkin now felt more valued and much happier with the sense of being accepted,
Just the way it is.
The Fearsome Four had now quickly come to a conclusion.
This year was the year of the Yellow Pumpkin.
Yellow Pumpkin was coming home.
And as the day turned into early evening,
Yellow Pumpkin was decorated,
Beautifully carved to have a happy face,
And was ready for Halloween.
People walking along the street would stop and talk about how super special that Yellow Pumpkin was.
They said it was nice to see one that was unlike all the others.
Yellow Pumpkin was proud.
The Fearsome Four had made its day.
As the sunset arrived at the end of this long,
Beautiful day exploring the Pumpkin Patch,
Each of the Fearsome Four were now snuggled into their beds,
Yawning,
And ready for a deep,
Restful sleep.
Let's also prepare for sleep now.
Eyes are closed.
You are breathing slowly and calmly.
Notice your breathing as you settle in for a night of deep,
Deep sleep.
With each breath inward,
You feel calmer and calmer.
And your mind is ready for rest too.
Nothing else to do.
Nothing else to think about.
Your body is feeling heavier and heavier and gently supported by the bed under you.
You feel relaxed now.
You are comfy,
Cozy,
Safe.
It is time now for pleasant and sweet dreams.
Sleep well,
My friend.
