Are you ready to meditate with Cori?
Climb up into bed and get really,
Really comfortable.
Make sure that everything is just right in your room,
The lights are just right,
You're wearing your cosy,
Comfy pyjamas and all is well in the world so that you can relax your body and let go of your busy,
Busy day.
Stephanie had just woke up from a really long nap.
It was a holiday so she'd not got to go to school.
She walked over to her dresser and sat down and started to laugh at the state of her crazy hair.
It was quite warm outside so it was humid in the house so she got a little bit sweaty while she was asleep and then it had dried and it had stuck up here,
There and everywhere.
She'd been gardening with her mum over the weekend and all of her nails were chipped and broken and she'd got soil down half of them that she couldn't get out.
Her feet hurt because she'd been playing basketball with her friends.
She'd got blisters on one of her toes and all the bottoms of her feet felt crunchy when she walked as if they hurt every step she took.
She sat there and thought,
Gosh I wonder if this is what it feels to be like 90 years old or something.
She felt like she'd been run over by a truck and she definitely looked like it.
Well that's what she thought.
She didn't of course,
She'd just got messy hair.
She felt like she needed to go to Moonbow Forest.
Maybe Moonbow Forest would sort her out,
Give her some energy,
Make her feel better.
Maybe she could have a yummy piece of pizza or a milkshake or something delicious.
That always made the world feel so much better.
Stephanie opened up her jewellery box and took out her magical earrings.
She put the left one in first and then the right,
Took a nice big deep breath and closed her eyes just to relax and allow the magic to start to happen.
She felt tingles in her feet first,
Her achy feet were all tingly and then she felt the tingles quickly rush up her spine.
Her nose started to itch and twitch and she knew,
Yes there it is,
As she looked forward she could see the veil,
The curtain between her world and the world of Moonbow Forest.
It shimmered and sparkled.
It looked very dark on the other side,
She couldn't see any shadows or sun peeking through.
Okay,
Well we'll see.
Stephanie lifted up her right hand and pulled the curtain to the side and stepped into the other world,
The world where all her friends would be waiting.
The curtain dropped behind her and Stephanie screamed and jumped a mile.
That's why it was dark.
There must have been the biggest,
Giantest,
Most scary looking spider that she had ever,
Ever seen.
It was literally bigger than her.
Luna was stood next to the spider.
Stephanie looked at Luna as if to say,
Oh my gosh,
I'm going to die.
Luna smiled at Stephanie and said,
This is sugar,
Don't worry.
Sugar's a sweet spider.
There's only sweet spiders here at Moonbow Forest,
Silly.
What did you think?
I'd bring a killer spider?
Stephanie put her hand up around her throat as if to say,
Oh my gosh.
She tried to say hello sugar,
But it wouldn't come out.
She just stood there with her eyes like big giant plates,
Staring up at this big,
Big black,
Hairy looking spider that was now staring down at her with the sweetest smile.
Stephanie tried again to say hello,
But she couldn't do it.
She looked at Luna and said,
Um,
I,
I don't,
Excuse me.
She said to sugar the spider.
I don't really like spiders,
Luna.
Luna said,
That's okay.
You have to remember that everything's different here at Moonbow Forest.
Nothing is what it seems.
Sugar here runs a spa,
Not too far away.
She's here to help you get there.
A spa?
Stephanie already liked the sound of that.
How did you know I needed a spa?
She quickly felt embarrassed about her hair and her fingertips.
And her crunchy feet.
Sugar said,
Oh honey,
We know everything here.
Stephanie managed to look up at sugar.
Her smile was even bigger.
Us spiders,
Oh,
We're the best.
Look how many hands we've got,
She said.
She wiggled all of her eight hands at Stephanie and Stephanie giggled.
Well,
That is a good point,
She thought.
Looks like you need your hair done.
Oh my,
You definitely need those fingers looking at.
Stephanie again scrunched up her hands into fists trying to hide them.
No need to hide,
Honey.
That's my job.
I've seen some things over my years.
Stephanie smiled again up at sugar the spider.
Come on,
Climb up on my back.
Stephanie looked at Luna as if to say,
No way am I touching that scary,
Hairy spider.
Luna didn't read her telepathic message.
Luna said,
Come on,
I'll help you.
Stephanie said,
Luna,
I don't want to,
Shaking her head.
Luna said,
Have you ever ridden on a spider,
Stephanie?
Stephanie's eyebrows knitted together as if to say,
Are you crazy?
No,
She said.
Luna said,
They're just like dolphins.
They're surprisingly silky and smooth.
Stephanie was not convinced.
She was staring all the hairs that was coming off the spider.
Stephanie said,
What about the hairs?
Sugar said,
Honey,
That's what you hold on to.
Sugar laughed.
She laughed the funniest laugh.
It was cackly and loud and so deep and cheerful.
Stephanie couldn't help but laugh.
She really liked this sugar spider,
Whoever she was.
She was really nice.
Stephanie decided to go for it.
So she climbed up onto the spider.
She used one of her legs to get up first and then she climbed up onto a big giant body.
She held on to the hairs,
Just like she said.
And her body was warm and smooth like silk.
Just like Luna said.
It was actually really pleasant.
Her hairs weren't spiky and scary.
They were soft and silky.
Sugar popped her eyes round.
All of those eyes.
My gosh,
There was so many of them.
Sugar said,
You're holding on tight,
Honey.
Stephanie nodded.
And then sugar,
The spider.
Oh,
My gosh.
She moved fast.
Like.
She scurried so fast.
Which,
As we know,
Spiders can do,
Especially if you're trying to catch them to put them outside.
The good thing about sugar was she wasn't a jumping spider.
They can be scary.
No,
She just ran really fast.
Really,
Really fast.
They ran through the forest.
They ran up a hill.
They ran down a hill.
They ran round a corner.
And there was a picture of sugar.
And on the picture,
While it's more like a billboard,
It said,
Sugars,
Spider spa.
The place was humming.
There were unicorns in there.
There were birds in there.
There were monkeys in there.
Monkeys?
Stephanie thought.
I didn't know monkeys were at Moonbow Forest.
There was all these weird creatures.
They were there.
Stephanie was told to slide down sugar's body and climb up into a chair that looked super comfy.
So that's what she did.
Luna said she had to go.
She got some things to do and she'd be back later.
Stephanie felt comfortable by now and she said,
OK.
She looked around in this crazy,
Busy spa.
There were spiders everywhere.
Much smaller than sugar.
But they were all working on people.
And their eight legs were doing all sorts of things at the same time.
Teeth,
Fingernails,
Waxing,
Dyeing,
Looking,
Brushing,
Massaging.
You name it.
It was happening in this spa.
Stephanie took a big,
Deep breath and then spider pushed out one of her hands and said,
There you go,
Honey.
There's some nice lemonade for you.
That's sugar's secret recipe right there.
Stephanie tasted the lemonade and it was super,
Super sweet.
It was delicious.
With just a tang of lemon.
It's really good,
Stephanie said.
Sugar said,
Uh-huh.
It's because it's got lots of sugar like me.
She winked at Stephanie.
Now,
Girl,
You just close your eyes because I have some work to do.
Stephanie placed down her lemonade on the table that was at the side of her.
Took a big,
Deep breath and closed her eyes as if to say this was going to be delicious.
First of all,
She felt a couple of spider hands in her hair.
Then somehow she heard water running.
She felt the chair move back.
She felt her hair being washed.
She smelt the most delicious smelling shampoo.
Spiders' little fingers were all over Stephanie's head and it felt good,
Guys.
Who'd have thought spiders were good at this?
It was like being massaged from all different places all at the same time.
Rub,
Rub.
Scrub,
Scrub.
Oh,
It was nice.
The water was warm.
Oh,
It was perfect.
Stephanie was in bliss.
Then,
At the same time,
She could feel sugar working on her nails.
Cleaning them out.
Putting moisturiser on them.
Massaging her arms.
Massaging her feet.
She could feel her shoulders being massaged at the same time and she didn't even realise that her shoulders needed it.
But,
Oh man,
It felt so good and yes,
They did.
Stephanie didn't even open her eyes once.
At one point she felt like she was slavering and she fell asleep.
And then she came back to when she was having a facial.
Her little cheeks were being fluffed all over the place.
Pattered,
Fluffed,
Massaged,
Rubbed.
Tiny little circular movements.
So gentle.
Stephanie felt like she fell asleep again.
Her hair was blow-dried.
She even cut Stephanie's hair.
She trimmed it.
She could smell how good her hair smelt without even looking at it.
By now she was still just laid down,
Laid back in this chair.
Having all of these wonderful things done to her.
The foot massage was so nice.
And she felt like a warm zap on her blisters.
And then her blisters felt like they just disappeared.
She could tell because she couldn't feel any pain from them anymore.
And the foot massage got all deep into the achy parts of her toes and her soles of her feet.
And,
Oh,
It was so good.
And then she could feel her toenails being painted.
Her fingernails were painted.
At one point she had this very strange mouth massage.
Her lips were being pulled.
The inside of her mouth was massaged.
Who would have thought that felt good?
Oh,
But my goodness me,
It feels so good.
And then she got a smell that she couldn't stop smelling.
In her nose it was like warm cinnamon buns.
Her tummy rumbled really loud.
Sugar,
That's your leg scrub,
Honey.
That's not the real thing,
But we can get that for you.
Stephanie said,
You can?
Sugar said,
Uh-huh,
Yeah.
She flicked some of her legs together as if to say,
Excuse me,
To one of the other spiders in there.
And then she whispered something.
And within five minutes,
Stephanie had hot cinnamon buns.
Next to her lemonade.
They were done with her hands so she could eat them.
And all the icing sugar was warm and melty.
Oh,
My gosh,
She was in heaven.
Stephanie doesn't know what happened,
But things got really quiet.
She opened her eyes.
Sugar said,
My,
My,
You must have been so tired,
Girl.
You've been asleep for two hours.
Stephanie looked around the spa and it was completely empty.
Stephanie said,
Oh,
My gosh,
I'm so sorry.
Sugar said,
Honey,
At my spa,
You get to feel good no matter what you need.
Sugar was the nicest spider ever.
Who'd have thought spiders were actually nice?
Stephanie always just asked her mum to put them outside or run around screaming every time she saw one in the house.
Poor spiders must have been so offended.
I bet they were there on the ground going,
What?
I'm nice,
Me,
I'm nice.
But no one ever gives them a chance.
Luna came back into the spa as if she'd come to collect Stephanie.
She looked at her and said,
Wow,
You look like a new woman.
Stephanie said,
I feel like a new woman.
She still hadn't seen herself.
Sugar said,
Come on,
Girl,
Come and look.
She walked over to the mirror and Stephanie looked divine.
Her hair was shiny and clean and beautiful and all bouncy.
Her nails were a pretty pink that matched her toenails.
All the skin on her body felt soft and she smelled so good.
Her tummy was full of lemonade and the best cinnamon buns ever.
Stephanie turned around and said,
Is it OK if I give you a hug?
Sugar said,
Honey,
I ooze hugs.
Come on in and get one.
She gave Stephanie the best hug.
All of her legs wrapped around her.
She brought her in real close.
And her soft,
Silky body and the soft hairs felt really nice.
Stephanie said thank you many,
Many,
Many times.
And then she left with Luna.
Luna said,
Come on,
Climb up.
So Stephanie got on to Luna's back.
Luna flew her back to the beginning of the forest.
She gave Luna the biggest hug and then all of a sudden.
She turned around and found herself back at the dresser,
Staring at herself in the mirror.
Looking like a whole new girl.
Feeling like a whole new girl.
Ready to go back to school.
The End
