Hi,
I'm going to share a very special story with you.
It's one that's never been told before.
It's about a long journey,
A journey of one determined young soul whose name is Onuku.
Perhaps as the story unfolds,
You'll begin to see yourself as Onuku.
Snuggle down into your bed now.
Make sure you feel comfortable.
Take a deep breath in through your nose,
Breathing out through your mouth with a sound like this.
That's right.
Breathe in and fill your belly,
My friend,
Sighing out through the mouth now.
Let's do that one more time.
And as you breathe out,
Go ahead and close down your beautiful eyes.
There are no pages in this book,
So you will have to make the pictures with your mind.
You can do that,
You know.
You can breathe and you can relax and you can allow your creative mind to make the pictures of this story.
Once upon a time,
There was a young child named Onuku who lived in a village surrounded by fields of long green grass.
In the distance,
There were large pointy mountains,
And if you really listened hard,
You could hear the sound of a stream flowing out past the houses.
It was a peaceful place to grow up.
Onuku would spend much time lying on the ground,
Gazing up at the sky,
Making out shapes in the clouds above.
Gazing in the fresh air was so sweet,
The sunshine so warm and comforting.
Onuku longed for adventure and to find a place that felt like it fit.
Whilst the village was beautiful,
Its people kind and helpful,
At times the young child felt lonely and bored.
Pretty soon,
Onuku became restless with life as it was,
Feeling there was something missing.
That afternoon,
Whilst gazing up at the clouds and praying for a new friend to explore with,
Out of the corner of the eye,
Onuku noticed something moved.
The child sat upright,
Hoping to catch a glimpse again.
There it was.
Something small,
Blue,
And scaly poked its head up over the long grass just past the village houses.
What was that?
Thought Onuku,
Whilst coming to stand.
Bare feet on the earth,
The young adventurer decided to follow.
Seeing the tips of the grass touching fingertips and the crunch of the soil underfoot,
Onuku began to run in the direction of the most curious creature.
No doubt it was the size of a large cat.
Onuku wondered what it might be like to catch,
To touch.
Was it friendly?
Could it become a pet?
I wonder what its name is.
The creature dropped out of sight again,
Covered by the long grass.
Onuku stood still,
Unsure of which direction to continue in.
Just then,
The most curious sound came from directly up ahead.
It appeared the creature was leading Onuku towards the stream.
But what was it?
A sort of tiger?
No,
It couldn't be.
Tigers aren't blue.
Hmm,
Perhaps a rare kind of dog.
No,
Not that either.
Dogs don't have scales.
What has scales?
Onuku wondered.
A fish?
Surely not.
Fish cannot live out of water.
A snake then?
Nope,
They cannot jump.
The curious adventurer would have to get closer to find out.
Following the sound of the bouncing creature,
It led Onuku to the edge of the stream,
Where it quickly disappeared before Onuku had the chance to see it.
Drat!
Sighed the child,
Hoping to have glimpsed the creature in full sight.
I wonder where it went.
I didn't hear a splash.
The young adventurer approached the water and knelt down to gather something to drink.
The water felt cool to touch and was deliciously refreshing.
Onuku gazed down at the reflection,
Staring back with wide and curious eyes,
With hair that fell around the child's ears.
A wide smile spread across Onuku's face,
Making silly faces,
Mesmerized for a moment with all the funny movements that Onuku made.
Onuku almost forgot all about the little creature.
Just then,
Something splashed downstream.
It's him,
Thought Onuku.
The little guy must be in the water.
I will follow down along and see where it takes me.
Onuku noticed the sun was beginning to set and dark was beginning to approach.
A rumble of hunger made itself known deep in the valley as the child continued to walk on in hopes of finding the most curious creature.
It felt like hours had passed.
Oh dear,
Thought Onuku.
I'm going to need to find some food and a place to rest for the night.
I've journeyed too far from my village to find my way home in the dark.
Just then,
A friendly face poked its head up from a large hole behind a rock.
It was a rabbit.
Soft,
Brown in color,
With little white feet and tail.
The bunny motioned for the child to follow.
Onuku could feel inside that going with the rabbit was a safe choice.
Onuku hoped they might know what the blue creature was and where to find it.
Entering the burrow,
The child just barely fit.
It was small,
But the warmest,
Coziest sight.
There,
Nestled around a small fire,
Were three other rabbits,
Roasting nuts and chattering away.
Onuku took a deep breath in and yawned out a big sigh,
Feeling safe and warm on the exhale.
Here is where the night would be spent,
And tomorrow the adventure to find the blue scaly creature would continue.
The rabbits welcomed in the child,
Sharing their food and comfort,
And soon a small bed to snuggle up into.
Surrounded by the soft fur of the gentle kind animals,
Onuku took a deep breath in,
Released out with a long yawn,
Letting the day go and settling in for the evening.
Onuku's body felt deeply relaxed and tired.
Things now so heavy was becoming difficult to keep them open.
Thinking fondly about the day's events,
The last thoughts to pass through the sleepy child's mind were the things Onuku felt grateful for.
The warmth of the sun,
The smell of the fresh air,
The cool stream,
The friendly rabbits.
With these things in the heart,
The young adventurer drifted easily off to sleep,
Feeling safe and light.
Here is where the story ends for tonight,
My darling.
I wonder what the morning will bring.
Wonderful things for sure.
Wake up now,
For the sooner you find yourself asleep,
The sooner you can continue Onuku's journey tomorrow.
I will meet you back here at the same time,
And together we will explore more magical lands and perhaps find out what the blue curious creature is.
Until then,
Sleep well,
Listen to the music and know that you are safe and loved.
Breathing in and breathing out and drifting off to sleep now.
Good night.
