Tatlow The Sailor - Part Eighteen by J.M.Okano

      Saskia, Tatlow and Kazuhiro packed up their belongings, to go their separate ways.  Tatlow wanted to go back to the sea.
     On their way out, they saw the neighbour.
     "You know you really are the funniest man I've ever met," said Tatlow.
     "It's all on account of my mother.  She said, "I put you in discreet charge of the children.  I put you in charge of them but I'm not telling them that.  You watch them and tell me everything they do."  I learned how to be very observant," said the neighbour with a grin.
     Everyone said goodbye.  Saskia and Sponsible went away, Kazuhiro moved locally and Tatlow and Honesty the monkey boarded a cruise ship for a long round-the-world trip.
     Tatlow earnt his keep by steering the ship, washing the floors (a job which he loved to do as he was taught to love it by his mother) and entertaining the passengers with his jokes.
     "What is a car window?  A device which when rolled down, messes up women's hair," he quipped.
     For something to do, he bought an accordion and a how-to-play-accordion book at the concession stand.  He studied accordion in his room in the evenings and played his way across the sea.

Tatlow

 TO BE CONTINUED

Tatlow The Sailor - Part Seventeen by J.M.Okano

     New Orleans came next in Saskia and Tatlow's journey, a city where they met up with a saxophone player named Kazuhiro.  His loud practicing nearly drove Tatlow up the wall.  He raised the roof nearly telling him not to play.  Saskia had to be the peacemaker and tell Kazuhiro how wonderful he sounded, and ask him to play only when Tatlow wasn't around.  Kazuhiro complied and peace reigned once again.
      We haven't said much about Sponsible the cow for a while.  She was very popular with some of the children of New Orleans for giving them rides on her back.

     Kazuhiro had a hopping contest in the hotel room, on one leg, while singing a Japanese song about badgers.  The neighbour called and said,

     "Could you please hop on two legs as I can't go to sleep if you're just hopping on one leg."

     "Certainly," said Kazuhiro.

     So as not to make too much noise, he left his late-night-snack dishes in the sink to be washed in the morning.  The neighbour called again.

     "When are you going to wash those dishes?"  he asked.  "I can't go to sleep until you've done them."

     "Well, I'm too tired to wash them now, but I'll wash them in the morning," replied Kazuhiro.

    "Fine," said the neighbour and went back to bed.

     Musicians and other entertainers  who've been out late at night doing a show usually sleep in the next morning to catch up, which is what Saskia, Tatlow and Kazuhiro did.

     The neighbour called.

     "Are you alright?  I thought you were in bed too long!"  he said.

     Saskia, Tatlow and Kazuhiro had a good laugh and arose for the day.

  TO BE CONTINUED

Tatlow The Sailor - Part Sixteen by J.M.Okano

     "We were passing through Tennessee on vacation and we heard you were here.  How are things?"  asked Marcel's Daddy of Marcel after he woke up.
     Marcel's Daddy took his son to see his family outside and Marcel told them about his adventures.  They all went out to a diner for a meal and Marcel made eyes at the waitress and they got married.  (Some time later.)
     Saskia and Tatlow sat at a separate table.
     "Well," said Saskia.  "Looks like everyone else is getting married."
      "Huh?"  asked Tatlow, bewildered.
      So Saskia and Tatlow continued on their merry way, minus Marcel.  They continued on their way to Florida where they met Elder Cornelius.  He took them for pony rides.

TO BE CONTINUED 

Tatlow The Sailor - Part Fifteen by J.M.Okano

     By now the three friends had acquired a campstove.  Marcel made soup for Saskia and Tatlow.  Saskia felt better.  They went on busking and travelling till they reached Tennessee and the friendly city of Nashville.  They checked into a motel during a torrential rainstorm and dried off, relieved to be out of the weather.
     Suddenly the rain stopped and soon the green grass carpeting the ground was covered with hundreds of fireflies jumping and glowing in the twilight.  Dozing off, Marcel realized that Heaven is a place and went off to Dreamland.  Saskia puttered about taking her tummy-ache syrup and Tatlow sang a song sailors sing, a sea shanty, for he missed the sea and wanted to be back there.  Sponsible mooed.  Honesty chattered.  The evening was warm and muggy. 

Fireflies jumping on the carpet of green grass outside their motel window

     Suddenly there was a rat-a-tat at the door and there was Marcel's Daddy.

TO BE CONTINUED

Tatlow The Sailor - Part Fourteen by J.M.Okano

     The weather warmed up and Marcel stopped wearing his woolly thing  up to his neck and wore a t-shirt on top instead with his jeans.
     They went to Salt Lake City and toured Temple Square.  (Sponsible their cow stayed in a barn with a farmer.)
     After that, they went to Provo where there is a Missionary Training Centre.  Next, they went to Payson, Utah and met Doctor Godbold.  Saskia went to see him because she had a stomach ache from eating too many  rosehips.  He was kind and took care of her.

TO BE CONTINUED

Tatlow The Sailor - Part Thirteen by J.M.Okano

     I saw a llama today in a field of chickens.  The chickens were pecking around for food among the clover.  The llama was standing nonchalantly in the middle of the field staring.  What at, I'm not quite sure.
     Anyway, back to Saskia, Tatlow and Marcel.  They got all upset and it was all for nothing.
     Saskia said, "Why did you eat all that food?"  crossly and Marcel innocently protested, "I just ate what was mine!"
     Tatlow joined in, "I can't believe you did that, Marcel".
      And Marcel cried and waved his arms in the air gesticulating his point of view.
     When they finally found out it was marshmallows he had eaten and not the food in the fridge they laughed so hard and they were friends again.
      The monkey went to the fridge to get something and they figured Honesty must be having a growth spurt and that was the end of that.

Marcel crying

     "Let's all right to our Omas (Grandmothers) and our mothers, they must miss us," said Saskia thoughtfully, so the three friends sat down with pen and paper and wrote.  Marcel wrote to his mother that he ate the marshmallows under his pillow and they were very good and thanks for sending them.

TO BE CONTINUED

    

Tatlow The Sailor - Part Twelve by J.M.Okano

     Have you ever known a dear person who, when you ask them, "Where do I put this?"  meaning grocery bags or sacks of clothing, just says, "Put it anywhere, honey."  So you put the bags anywhere and lo and behold, it is in the way and someone trips over it?  Saskia and Tatlow went grocery shopping with Dickens to buy dog food and cat food and other food for the animals at the animal shelter and asked the same question (Marcel was taking a nap) and put the shopping bags down where they stood because Dickens said, "Put them anywhere," and Marcel woke up and tripped over them. 
     "Put your bags at the side of the room, not where I'm walking next time, please," he asked sleepily.  Enough said.
     Have you ever talked at cross-purposes with somebody?  Well, they did.  Saskia and Tatlow noticed that a lot of Dickens' food was missing from the fridge (food for people) and they asked Marcel about it, thinking he had eaten it, and he thought they were referring to the marshmallows he kept under his pillow for snacks, when in fact the monkey Honesty had taken the food from the fridge.       

TO BE CONTINUED

Tatlow The Sailor - Part Eleven by J.M.Okano

     The owner of the animal shelter invited Saskia, Tatlow and Marcel for dinner at his house and they told him their story.  They helped clear the table and wash, dry and put away the dishes.  Marcel swept the floor.  Finally, Dickens, the owner of the animal shelter asked if there was anything he could do to help the three of them.  He was a Mormon.
     "Could I help you put on a show?"  he asked.
     He helped them put on a show in the park.  (He asked for permission for them and put up decorations, flowers).  They earned enough money.  It was a fabulous show with lots of oompahs on the piano and twiddley bits on Marcel's clarinet.  The monkey ran all over the place passing the hat and making people laugh.  Tatlow's jokes were even funnier than usual.  "Opa is my grandfather's name.  It is also the name of every other grandfather in Holland.  So when I call him, many men turn around.  And he has to find me, because I can't recognize him.  They all dress alike!"

TO BE CONTINUED

Tatlow The Sailor - Part Ten by J.M.Okano

     Tatlow and Saskia, with Sponsible and Honesty, were climbing up the hill when they saw another doll.  They stopped to talk to him and found out his name was Marcel and that he was a clarinetist and was travelling around the world too.  He told them a good place to busk and they all went there together.  They busked for hours outside a restaurant and made a little money, so they went into a restaurant to have a bite to eat.
     "May I take your order?"  asked the waiter when the three dolls had sat down.
     "A bowl of porridge between the three of us, with three bowls please," ordered Tatlow.  Funds were very low.
     That was good porridge they all agreed dejectedly when they had finished eating.
     They scooped up the remains of it and took it back to their motel room for breakfast, it was that good.  But the monkey ate it during the night and there was nothing for breakfast.  When they left their motel room, their cow Sponsible had gone missing.  They searched all over town, their stomachs grumbling, asking,
     "Have you seen our cow?"  but nobody had seen her.   Finally they found her at an animal shelter.  She was fine and very glad to see them.

Marcel

     TO BE CONTINUED

La Historia De La Armonica por J.M.Okano

     Luego que nos hubimos mudado a Canada de Inglaterra, mi madre hubo decidido que tres de nosotros, mi madre, mi sorella y yo, iriamos en un viaje por camino a los Estados Unidos.

     Mi sorella y yo estabamos adolescentes.  Ni siquiera tengo en la memoria donde ibamos en nuestra viaje de camino, todo lo que recuerdo es mi familia al sol y la armonica.

     Hube comprado la armonica en Europa.  Tuve miedo de jugarla porque pensaba que haga un error y algun persona me oyera.  No sabia como jugar la armonica pero encontre un libro de segunda mano sobre canciones por la armonica y tomabalo en viaje, con resolucion de jugar.

     Durante el viaje, me sentaba atras y me ensenaba.  Hora despues hora jugaba con errores y mi madre parecia alegre pero ella no decia nada.  Con mucha admiracion, digo que ella estaba insomne desde anos.
Solamente dormia dos horas por noche o algunas veces, nada.

     Todos recibimos el bien que se hace cuando aluguno tiene paciencia.

EL FIN    

Tatlow The Sailor - Part Nine by J.M.Okano

     Dear Children, Saskia and Tatlow hurriedly boarded a ship with many other people going to San Francisco.  The journey was rough but they stayed on board throughout and nobody threw up.  They made friends with the captain.  One of my ancestors was a sea captain during the seafaring boom in Holland during the 1700s.  His first name was Hering.
     It took months to get there because they stopped in all the little seaports along the way - what do you think?  or do you think they went straight there?  No, it took months to get there.  They met a lot of people and made a lot of friends.  They helped make the beds and set the tables.  Can you do that, children?  Then they scrubbed the floors, made the shelves in order and helped out generally.
      When they arrived in San Francisco, the sun was shining and the gulls were flying, but they didn't have any money, so they didn't have a good time.  They were hungry and tired.  They bedded down by the side of the wharf.  Then a policeman came along and told them to move on.  So they busked for an hour but they got no money.  They prayed to Heavenly Father and a seagull brought them some food.  Make sure you pray to Heavenly Father, children.  That's all for now.

TO BE CONTINUED

    

Tatlow The Sailor - Part Eight by J.M.Okano

     Whilst in Malta, Tatlow and friends walked to Mdina to look at the architecture, then sailed on to the Holy Land.  They were safe in Jerusalem until they had trouble and then they left in a hurry, except for Hans who fell in love with a girl there and stayed there.

     Tatlow was so sad he'd left his friend behind in such harrowing circumstances.  Saskia was even sadder.

 They said a prayer.  

     We are very sad when bad things happen to our friends, but we can pray for them.  Light shines down from heaven when we meet a friend sometimes.  Friends are sent to us from God when they are good ones.

Sometimes friends are sent from God and we don't even know them, or hear them.    

     I once belonged to a club called the Ladybird Club.  It only lasted a short while and was the height of fashion at my school.  We would sit by the hedge and play with ladybirds of different colours and numbers of spots.  Have you ever played with a ladybird (ladybug for those in North America)?  Some of those schoolfriends are still my friends.

TO BE CONTINUED

Have You Read Pookie?

     A book I enjoyed when I was younger was Pookie by Ivy Wallace about a flying rabbit.  It was both magical and delightful and one of my favourites.  You might have noticed by now I have a lot of favourites.  My children say the same thing!  I hope the publishers of Pookie bring the series out again. 
     Bye for now!

Tatlow The Sailor - Part Seven by J.M.Okano

     Hello children!  There was no money in busking in the countryside so the three friends and their animals went to the city.  They didn't feel safe in Greece because people kept looking at them and it was agony, so Tatlow and company left and went to Malta.
     I used to look after a goat by the name of Daisy.  I tried to maneuvre the goat to the milking stand but she didn't want to be maneuvred!  I chased her around the yard in the mud and scallywag that I was, was in a bad mood by the time I caught her, but I repented.  I found that singing to her while I was milking her made her more docile over the months and we became friends.
     Later in California, which I enjoyed very much, I met another goat at a petting zoo.  Thinking back to my days with Daisy, and remembering what good friends we became, I thought, "I like goats and goats like me".  I tried to pat the goat on the head.  The goat was in no mind for this and pinned me to a tree and stepped on my foot hard.  The tour bus was waiting for me and I managed to get away just in time before they left without me.

     When they got to Malta, they met Marie-Clo, another Canadian.  Hans and Marie-Clo fell in love but although they were in love, Hans and Marie-Clo decided they were not right for one another.  That happens sometimes you know.  So they said goodbye kindly and lived happily ever after.  (That's not the end of the story.)  

     Malta was a beautiful place and they made many friends there.  And I hope to see you next time for more of Tatlow The Sailor. 

TO BE CONTINUED

Goslings At The Pond

Tatlow The Sailor - Part Six by J.M.Okano

                                                                                        
      Saskia, Tatlow and Hans went all through the streets of Venice, singing as they went.  Sponsible went too, but he wasn't singing, I mean she wasn't singing.  (It's 3 a.m. almost and I'm writing this!)  The little children followed them. The friends had bought a monkey, which sat on Tatlow's shoulder.  His name was Honesty. They arrived at a Seafood Restaurant with pillars inside and Spanish classical music played by a pianist.  The three dolls ate quietly, exhausted from the journey.  Honesty ate apples and tidbits from the restaurant kitchen.  Sponsible ate hay outside.  (Where they got the hay from, I'll never know.)  Saskia and Tatlow discussed Othello, and Hans looked around at the ladies.  The three dolls drank coffee after their meal but the Italian coffee was thick and syrupy and gave them heart palpitations.  So they right there gave up drinking coffee and tea.
     I have not met cows more than once.  The event was in a field when I attended Girl Guide camp as a young woman.  I had been left alone to tend a campfire, when a herd of cows from the other side of the field came towards me mooing.  I didn't know what to do, so I backed away and attempted to climb out of the field.  Just at that moment, another member of the camp came to help me.  She showed me how to fend the cows off by saying, "Shoo, shoo!"  They backed away and returned to their side of the field.
     The three friends, with Honesty and Sponsible, sailed for Greece the next day and went and ate Spanakopita,  at a farmhouse where they stayed the night after singing and playing for the owner and her goats.  The farmer was Greek and the goats were Greek but the three friends weren't so they couldn't understand anything they were saying, but they had a nice time anyway, chasing the goats.  

TO BE CONTINUED

Tatlow the Sailor - Part Five by J.M.Okano

     When I was little I wanted to grow up to be a combination of Pippi Longstocking and Carmen Miranda.  I wanted to bake cookies and teach myself pluttification at home like Pippi and dance with a pineapple, grapes and bananas on my head.  I  wanted to become an artist and a flamenco dancer too, and as if that weren't enough, I wanted to convert everyone to riding horses instead of driving cars!
      Back to the story.  Saskia, Tatlow, and Hans arrived in the sunshine in Barcelona in Spain.  They met a fabulous artist, Pau, and he showed them all around the town, to Gaudi's cathedral, to the statue of Christopher Columbus and walked with them in Las Ramblas.  He took them on a picnic and showed them the dance of the Catalans, the Sardana.  I tried dancing the Sardana in my living room by myself, but I'd really like to dance it with some friends in the park so if you feel like dancing it  with me, please let me know!       
     Saskia, Tatlow, and Hans thanked Pau and bought four of his paintings and had them shipped back to Rotterdam.
      They slipped a newly built raft into the water and the raft was immediately overwhelmed by the sea.  Sponsible's feet were sloshed with water so much that she, like any good cow who's had enough, jumped over the moon with Saskia riding on Sponsible's back, and came down on a different shore, where they all met up again with each other  -  Venice.

 TO BE CONTINUED

   

Tatlow The Sailor - Part Four by J.M.Okano

     In case you were wondering where I come from, dear readers, my mother came to Canada looking for singing Mounties.  She married my father and they moved to Switzerland and there I was born.

      

     Anyway, back to the story.  Tatlow and his friends saw a Dutch farmer on a flat-bottomed barge with three cows on board, steering his way along the canal with a pole like a Venetian gondolier.
     Tatlow finished building his raft and invited his friends and Sponsible the cow to come on board.  They navigated the canals until they reached the sea and sailed to France in the rain, studying Learn French, Young One, a book on the language for young travellers.  Stopping at Normandy, they overheard a Frenchman declare, "A Paris, le prix d'une tasse de chocolat, c'est amusant!"  ("At Paris, the price of a cup of hot chocolate is amusing!") and decided to go to Paris to find out for themselves what was so funny about it.  They left the raft behind and riding Sponsible, made their way to Paris over weeks.
     When they reached Paris, they went straight to a sidewalk shelter with tables and chairs and ordered a cup of hot chocolate for each of the dolls.  It was delicious.  When the waiter brought them the bill, though, Tatlow said, "This is not amusing.  The price of the hot chocolates is so expensive, it is the cost of our meals for a week!"
     The waiter explained that the view of the Eiffel Tour, the wonderful people of Paris, artists painting outside and the music of the accordian improved the quality of the chocolate and so they charged more.
     "Oui, oui!"  said Tatlow agreeing with him.  "Let's busk!"
     "I forgot my pppiano," said Saskia.
     "We'll buy you an upright one," said Hans.
     A while later, there was Sponsible towing a piano behind her with the three dolls on her back.
     They continued their wandering journey, going to many places, but they did not go to Romania, that much I know.  I have never been to Romania, so I wouldn't know what to write about it, though I had visited 25 countries by the age of twelve, so we have quite a few to choose from.  (My sister's been to 74 countries by the way, so if she wrote a book, it would be really good.)

TO BE CONTINUED

Tatlow The Sailor - Part Three by J.M.Okano

     The cow's name was Sponsible and was bought by the usual method.  The buyer looked the cow over then slapped hands with the farmer and paid the money.
     The three entertainers worked for the rest of the day then rode Sponsible to a long row of windmills which so many Dutch children know and love called Kinderdyck (Children's dyke).  They ate their supper there while Sponsible gobbled up the sweet green grass.  The wandering minstrel was a Dutch-Canadian and read a copy of the newspaper from America, The Herald Tribune, both before the meal and after the meal.  (He didn't read it during the meal because that wouldn't be polite.)  It is polite to converse during the meal.  They conversed about the weather and how many nautical miles it is around the coast to France.  That was their next destination.
     The minstrel's name was Hans and he fed them fruit salad for afters.  It was made of blueberries, pineapple, strawberries, cantaloupe, and cherries.  Tatlow produced some Marmelade Cake which was made from a recipe masterminded by his mother (the mother who made him out of a rag) and consisted of a marmelade topping with various other ingredients such as chocolate, marzipan, and a hint of brussel sprouts (for those who really like brussel sprouts and like to have it with everything).  The recipe was a family secret and the cake would last forever (but usually didn't because it was eaten as it was so good).
     A miller was throwing out some lumber he didn't need.  He left it at the side of the canal with a sign which said, "Free.  Please help yourself."  Tatlow went over and inspected the lumber and, finding it to be good, asked the miller if he could buy some rope and a rag off of him to build a raft.  No sooner was this said than the miller produced the aforementioned items and let him pay for them with cake.

TO BE CONTINUED    

Tatlow The Sailor - Part Two by J.M.Okano

     "Swimming!  Why, yes, I would love to go swimming.  What is swimming?  I've never been swimming.  I was only born yesterday, you know," said Tatlow with joy.
     Next day they went swimming at the beach.  Tatlow was a natural.  They swam in a race and won!  So they were given the prize of a meal on board a big cruise ship hosted by the captain with crab and sparkling apple juice to drink.
     "Now we'd better get down to wwwork," said Saskia.  "In order to achieve our plans, you of getting a healthy amount of stuffing so you can walk right and me of speaking without a ssspeech impediment, we would improve our lot if we had transportation and for that we need to earn money."
     "What will we do?"  asked Tatlow.
     "Hhhelp me hoist the grand piano out of the window, ppplease," she asked.
     Tying ropes around the piano and gingerly lowering it from the living room window took some doing, especially for a doll, but it was done in an hour.  Soon the piano was on solid ground outside the old cattle market on the street and Saskia was playing sweet music for passers-by while Tatlow told jokes.  A wandering minstrel playing a xylophone joined them and all three split their sides laughing when Tatlow told his jokes. 
     "Which Dutch city do rodents like the best?"  asked Tatlow.  "Hamsterdam!"
    They decided to pool their resources.  People paid them money in the form of coins thrown in a hat.   When they had earnt enough, they bought a cow.

TO BE CONTINUED

Mollie Katzen

     For lunch today I made Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie) from the recipe by one of my favourite cookbook authors, Mollie Katzen.  You can find the recipe in The New Moosewood Cookbook.  Yum!
     Toodles!

Tatlow The Sailor - Part One by J.M.Okano

     You may have heard the story of Sinbad the Sailor.  Well, this is the tale of Tatlow the Sailor who was made out of a rag by a mother.  His stuffing wasn't quite right and so he walked with a limp.  Tatlow lived in an apartment in Rotterdam in the Netherlands, right by the old cattlemarket, when there was an old cattlemarket, which was a very long time ago.
     The day after Tatlow was made he was exploring the apartment.  He walked around listening to the beautiful piano music floating from the living room.  He looked into the sunlit room and there he saw a beautiful doll playing the piano.
     She stopped playing and looked at him.
     "Wwwhhoo are you?"  she asked surprised.
     "Tatlow the Sailor," he said.  "What's your name?"
     "Sssaskia," she said.
    "What's wrong with the way you talk?"  asked Tatlow, concerned.
     "I have a ssspeech impediment.  If I use my talents, a kind fairy told me, my ssspeech impediment will one day get better and I'll talk normally.  Would you like to go swimming?"

TO BE CONTINUED

The Boy And Girl Who Went To The Festival by J.M.Okano

     Melchior and Lavinia, two friends on a horse, rode down the dewy grass of the hill to the site of the festival.  Guitars were strummed and bursts of song were sung behind them in a caravan.  People were all around them descending the hill in Andalucian dress.  They were arguing all the way.
     Melchior clenched his teeth.
     "What's wrong, Melchior?"  asked Lavinia.  "You're not saying anything."
     "Don't want to say anything," said Melchior sullenly.  "I hurt."
     "Oh, I see," said Lavinia kindly.  "Anything I can do?"
     "I want to see this festival by myself," he said.
     "I see," she said.  She dismounted from the horse and walked away. 
     "It's no good.  We keep hurting each other," he apologized.
     "Speak for yourself," she said.

     After the festival, there was a torrential downpour.  Lavinia and Melchior erected their tents in haste at the tent city.  Melchior was safely sleeping in his tent, when he awoke to hear stifled sobs coming from across the campground.  Lavinia's tent was in trouble.
     "I can't get the tent to stay up!  Somebody help me!  Please!"  she cried.
     He arose from his slumbers and went to help her, making short work of putting her tent back up.
     "Thank you," she said.  They kissed.
    
     They married each other.

THE END

The Little Girl Who Told The Truth by J.M.Okano

                                                                                   
     "She has all the makings of a prima donna ballerina and please could we have her for an audition for our ballet school?"  asked the ballet teacher of Sophie's mother.
     "No," said Sophie's mother, looking away and gritting her teeth.  "I want Sophie to have an academic education."
     Oh, how disappointed Sophie was when her mother told her that was what she'd said.  Sophie was surprised her mother hadn't wanted her to use her talents.  She would have been so happy entertaining people, said Sophie.
     "Oh, how I wish I could have had that opportunity," she said in later years.  "All my life would have gone better."  She said kind things about everyone and tried never to put anyone down, but she did say her mother had put her down.  She was as caring as possible to say it and tried not to say it in a rude way.  She put her mother on a pedestal and said that she had done her best to bring her up to be the best she could be.
     But God made it up to Sophie and put her on a pedestal.  She succeeded in life beyond her wildest dreams in other ways.

THE END

The Tale Of Niels And Crystal by J.M.Okano

     Niels was a man who earnt $60,000 a month and spent it on his bathwater (along with the usual things like a haircut and so on).  His favourite store was Body Silk Meanderings and he went there nearly every day looking for things to buy.  There he met Crystal the girl of his dreams.  He bought HenPeck Syrup for his bathwater so he smelled like a hen and she bought lavender water for hers.  They were made for each other.
     But, alas, an ugly man with a wart on his nose and his friend, if you can call him a friend, made off with Niels' takings and called him names.  These names were lies and made Niels feel very ashamed and worthless.  He gave up and went home instead of going out on his walk when he met the ugly man with the wart on his nose and his friend.  Not only that but the ugly man and his friend said ugly things about Crystal too.  Niels' hopes for a happy life were dashed temporarily he felt and he mistakenly thought, because of what was said, that Crystal, who had wowed him so much, was not a good person.
     "Oh, woe is me," he thought.  "How will I get out of this one.  I'm all in a tizzy."  And he cried for several days. 
     Finally he stopped crying and went to the store and bought Hen Peck Syrup and there she was.  She smiled at him and acted like nothing out of the ordinary had happened.  She was fine he noticed and not a bad person at all.  He realised that everything had been alright all along.  So don't believe everything you hear, children.  Niels and Crystal were still friends.  (They took their baths separately.)

THE END

The Family Who Lost Their Home In A Flood by J.M.Okano

     "There was a flood one day in my home town,"  said the woman to her son.  "Before you were born this was.  I lost my home, and the children were gone at school, so I had no idea if I'd see them again on earth.  I was sad so I prayed, as I was swimming, that I would find them again and make a home with them once more.  Your father was gone on a business trip to India.  Your sisters were fine.  They stood on the roof of the school until a helicopter came and took them to safety at a shelter.  There I saw them again the next day.  We were so happy to see each other again.

                                                                             

     Father returned safely from India and came to our rescue.  We moved into his mother's house in the basement with only a two-ring stove to cook on.  But we had a refrigerator and camp beds and a table and chairs and we felt at home.  At last we were together again.  I homeschooled the children until school opened again and we had a lot of fun.  It took a long time for us to afford another home but we didn't mind because we had so many happy memories.  We moved in and it was even better than before because we felt so grateful and loved each other so much more. 
     The children grew up and started working and then you came along.  We are together for eternity."

THE END

The Toymaker: A Christmas Story by J.M.Okano

     A poor boy was wandering from his home.  He saw a dog.
     "Come here, dog!"  he called.  "Do you have a master?"
     The dog licked the boy's hand.  Soon a man came with a stick and threw it for the dog.
     "Could you give me a job?" the boy asked the man.
     "No, I have no job to give you.  But I could show you how to make your own job.  Make children's toys."
     So the man showed the boy how to make children's toys - trains and rockinghorses mostly.  When the boy was done his training, he started his own workshop, making toys at the back of his parents' house.
     The boy thanked the man for his training.
     Santa came there to pick up toys to take to the children when his elves got the flu one year.
    "What's your name?"  asked Santa.
    "Elfred," said the boy glumly, thinking this was probably the last time Santa would ever pick up toys from him.
     "Oh, well, you should come and work for me at the North Pole.  You'd fit right in with a name like that!"
     The boy brightened right up and stepped into the sleigh pulled by reindeer.  He waved goodbye to his folks.  Santa's sleigh pulled away with Elfred and Santa in it, loaded with toys.  Elfred helped Santa with his rounds of children's houses, filling the stockings, and then went to the North Pole.
     What a life Elfred had there.  He met all the elves and Mrs. Santa.  He fed the reindeer and yes, you guessed it, he made toys for Santa each year.  And he went home to visit his family for Christmas.  :)

THE END