Follow Your Nose

On the other side of that mountain where the sun disappears every night, is the Great Pine Forest. The pine trees are so tall in this forest that some of them almost touch the clouds. The trunks of the trees are so big that two people joining hands can barely put their arms around one tree.

So many pine needles have fallen on the ground that it feels as if you are walking, or sitting, on a soft pine cushion. Your nose is filled with sweet yummy smells. These are not just the sweet smell of pine. These smells are so yummy that when you close your eyes you can almost taste them.

No one asked how pine trees could make such yummy smells—no one except Misty, that is. Misty is a little girl who lives on a farm near to the Great Pine Forest. She understood why the ground was so soft, but she could not understand why the air was filled with such yummy smells. She asked everyone she knew how pine trees could make such yummy smells. None of the answers ever made any sense. So, one day she let her nose lead her to the answer.

Misty's nose led her straight to the Annan Woods, which is tucked behind the Great Pine Forest. Before she stepped out of the Great Pine Forest she stopped and leaned against one of the pine trees. There are two reasons why most people stop in the Great Pine Forest. First, it was, and is, such a great place for picnics that there is no reason to go any farther. The other reason is that most everyone had heard about the Annan Woods ghost.

Thinking about the ghost, Misty started to turn around and go home. Then, instead, she sat on the soft ground and thought. She thought about how some people said the ghost was misty white and small, like a rabbit. But other people said it was bigger than the biggest bear and had a long tail and huge feet. No one seemed to know exactly what it looked like, but everyone knew it was hiding, and ready to jump out and get you.

Misty remembered how her cousins had said that they would never go to the Annan Woods because of the ghost that lived there. As soon as Misty remembered that, a giggle slipped out of her mouth. She thought everyone knows that ghosts do not live anywhere. The next thought that popped into her head was that there probably was no Annan Woods ghost.

Misty stood up, stopped thinking about ghosts, and focused on the yummy smells. The yummy smells led her into the most beautiful meadow she had ever seen. It was so beautiful that she thought she must still be in bed, dreaming. To see whether or not she was dreaming, she turned around and walked out of the meadow. She took a deep breath, pinched herself on both arms, and then walked back into the meadow.

The meadow was still filled with more wildflowers than she had ever seen before in any meadow. You see, almost every wildflower you can think of grows in the Annan Woods, and most of them grow in the big meadow.

Walking into the big meadow, Misty also discovered that each flower had its own yummy smell. Standing there, surrounded by so many beautiful flowers, she began to pick them. She kept picking until her arms could not hold even one more flower. Then she almost dropped all of them, because she heard something moving in the bushes. She started to think again about the Annan Woods ghost. Her legs and feet stopped moving, and her breath froze in her throat

Then she remembered to remember something her dad had told her, and she let out a big sigh. He had said that birds and animals run away whenever there is any kind of danger. All the birds and butterflies were still playing in the meadow. She decided she had just heard the wind playing in the trees, so she relaxed and enjoyed the yummy smells of the flowers she was holding.

The next morning, Misty's mom said, "You brought home so many beautiful flowers yesterday that every room in the house is beaming with light and smells wonderful. I just hope that you left enough for the birds and butterflies."

Misty's mom laughed as she walked away, but Misty's stomach began twisting upside down. She had forgotten to remember that the flowers provided food for the butterflies and birds.

Misty ate her breakfast so fast that the strawberry jam slid past every one of her taste buds. As soon as she had put her dishes in the sink, she was out the back door and running. By the time she hit the field, she was running at top speed. She ran straight through the Great Pine Forest and did not slow down until she was in the big meadow.

The minute Misty stepped into the big meadow, her feet came to a full stop. She stopped so fast that she almost fell. Instead of falling, she closed her eyes and said, "Flowers, I'm so sorry if I picked too many of you. You are all so beautiful that I forgot to remember not to pick too many of you. If I did, I will put some of you back."

Misty then whispered so quietly that only the breezes heard her, "I don't have the slightest idea how to put back flowers, but I will. I really will. I promise."

When Misty opened her eyes, her breath froze in her throat. The meadow looked the same as it had when she first saw it. It was not missing even one flower, let alone the whole armload of flowers that she had carried home. Something felt wrong, so she turned around, went back into the Great Pine Forest, and pinched herself. Then she walked back into the meadow, but it was still filled with flowers.

Misty did not pick any flowers that day, but she kept coming back to the big meadow. Sometimes she picked the flowers. Sometimes she just sat and watched the birds and butterflies playing with each other while they flew from flower to flower.

There were no farms close to where Misty lived, so she had never made any special friends. The flowers were always so beautiful, smelled so great, and listened to everything she said. They began to feel like her special friends.

The meadow felt like Misty's secret place. A beautiful, secret place in a land where almost no one goes is the perfect place to play. She let go of any worries she had about the Annan Woods ghost and simply enjoyed being with the flowers, butterflies, and birds. While Misty had stopped worrying about the Annan Woods ghost, she was being watched.

The animal watching Misty, like her, had no special friends. He walks and talks, like the other animals. He even likes to run through the meadows on sunny mornings, like the other animals. On the other hand, or paw, he is not at all like any of the other animals.

This animal, who a very wise old owl named Ve, would sit in the shadows watching other animals play. He wanted very much to be playing with them, but it was very hard for him to make friends. Every time he would decide to go play with another animal, it would happen. He would try to walk over to be with the other animal, and his legs would simply refuse to move.

Ve thought his legs were telling him that his brothers and sisters were right. His brothers and sisters said that because of his secret he could never let anyone see him. It is hard to make friends when you cannot let anyone see you.

Ve learned to either play by himself or sit and watch other animals play. He liked watching Misty, because she always came to the big meadow alone. Even better, whether she was picking flowers, just sitting, or doing what looked like a dance, she always looked happy. She did not play with any of the birds or the butterflies, but she always said hi to them.

Because Misty was a little human, Ve thought maybe she was not an "anyone," and maybe he could make friends with her. He tried going over to her one day, but his legs refused to move. He just sat and wished they could be friends, the same way he always did.

Then, one day, when Ve was hiding behind a rosebush, Tawny, one of the deer twins, came running up beside her sister. Tawny lowered her head and said very quietly to her sister, "I know a secret way we can get anything that we want. If we do exactly what I heard, our white spots will disappear. Without white spots we will look like the big deer, and then we can go all the places they go."

Her sister tipped her head to one side and asked, "And just where did you hear this so-called secret?"

Tawny carefully looked all around her and then said, "Father Rabbit was telling the little rabbits over by the water drop pond. I was behind the big rock, so no one saw me. After Father Rabbit hopped away, I asked Sati, the smartest rabbit, if she thought it was a good secret. She said all the big animals know the secret, which is why none of the big deer have white spots."

"Okay, okay. What is the secret?"

"First you have to wait until the sun goes to bed, and then you make a wish. If the sun hears you making a wish, your wish will never come true.

"Before you make the wish, you have to wait for the moon to climb into the sky. When you can see the moon, you look for the brightest star in the whole sky. When you find the very brightest star, you look directly at it and then say your wish three times. You don't think of anything else except your wish. After you say your wish, you say thank you to the star three times."

"Oh, great Let's go," yelled Tawny's sister.

"Not now and lower your voice someone might hear you," said Tawny, stamping one of her hoofs. "Weren't you listening? The sun is in the sky."

"Yes, now. We have to find `that' place where we can see all the stars. If we can't see all the stars, how will we know which star is the brightest?"

Tawny pushed her nose into the air and said, "I knew that. You did not let me finish. We also cannot look at that star again until after our wish comes true."

Ve wanted to run out and give Tawny a big thank-you hug. He always did everything three times, so he knew the secret was made for him. But his legs refused to move, so instead of a hug he gave her a thank-you thought.

That night, as soon as the sun went to bed, Ve began looking for the moon. When the moon climbed up in the sky, he began looking for the brightest star. He quickly saw a very bright star on the tail of that big box of stars in the sky. He looked directly at the star. Then he said out loud three times his wish to find a special friend who is not an "anyone."

The next morning, Ve jumped out of bed. He ate a big breakfast, so that he would be ready to play with his special friend. He looked everywhere that his special friend might be. Every time he saw an animal that might be his special friend, his legs would refuse to move. He knew his legs were telling him that none of those animals were his special friend, because they were anyones.

Ve continued to look, until the sun moved down toward the mountain. He had done everything Tawny had said, and there was no reason for his wish not to come true. Then a thought popped into his head. His special friend was probably waiting for him at his cave! He felt a giggle rushing up his throat as he ran home as fast as he could.

There was no special friend waiting outside his cave, so he ran inside. But there was no special friend inside his cave. He was sure his special friend would come, so he sat on his fern rug and waited for a knock on his door.

The sun disappeared behind the mountain, and the moon climbed into the sky. No special friend knocked on his door. Ve closed his eyes and thought very hard. Then he jumped to his feet, because he knew what he had not done. He had forgotten to remember to say thank you to the star three times.

He ran out of his cave and looked up at the sky. It only took him a few minutes to find the brightest star. He said his wish three times, and this time in his loudest voice he said thank you three times.

The next day, Ve did everything he had done the day before, but he still did not find his special friend. After eating his supper he sat in his pinecone thinking chair, trying to remember to remember everything that Tawny had said.

Then he sat up straight in his chair. Something else could be stopping his wish from coming true. He had been thinking about his wish all day, and maybe the sun could hear his thoughts. Tawny had said he could not let the sun hear him saying his wish.

Ve did not make a wish that night. The next day, he did everything that he could to not think about his wish. When the sun went to bed, he began looking for the moon, but then he stopped. Maybe he had been wrong. Maybe the sun could not hear thoughts, and maybe he had looked at the star after he had made his wish.

Ve knew what he had to do. He had to go inside his cave and look out his window. That way he could turn away quickly after he had made his wish. When he turned away from the window, he would not be able to see any of the stars.

Ve looked out his window from all sides so he could be sure to see the brightest star. He finally found the star he knew had to be the brightest. He said his wish three times and, in his loudest voice, said thank you three times. Then he jumped into his bed and pulled the covers over his head, so he could not possibly look at any of the stars.

The next morning, Ve was ready to meet his special friend even before he got out of bed. He had done everything right, so he knew today his wish would come true.

All day Ve kept looking everywhere, but he could not find his special friend. He went home and sat by his front door, still waiting for his special friend. When the breezes came by, he asked them if they had seen his special friend.

When the breezes said they had not seen his special friend, he asked if they knew why his wish had not come true. The breezes said they did not know anything about wishes.

When the moon climbed into the sky, Ve asked the moonbeams the same things. The moonbeams said that the moon was brighter than any of the stars, so maybe he should wish on the moon.

In the morning, Ve thought that maybe the sunbeams would know. He decided he had better not ask them, because the sun might think he was saying his wish. When the moon again climbed into the sky, he went to the water-drop pond. Most of the animals and birds were sleeping, so his legs kept moving until he was at the edge of the pond. In the moonlight, he could see his reflection in the water. He asked his reflection why his wish had not come true, and his reflection told him he had to look harder.

Ve jumped up and turned around in a circle three times. That was the perfect answer. Just as Tawny's sister had said, he had to go where he could see all the stars.

Ve raced to the Great Pine Forest and found one of the tallest trees. He climbed up to the very top and sat down in an old eagle's nest. He sat there looking, until the moon was getting ready for bed, and then he saw it. A star brighter than any star he had ever seen before. He said his wish three times and thanked the star three times.

As soon as Ve said the last thank you he looked down at his feet, or maybe paws. He kept looking down while he climbed down the tree and walked all the way home. He did not look up until he bumped his nose on his front door.

The next morning, Ve woke up smiling. With his head held up high, he stepped out his door, ready to meet his new special friend. He had not walked very far when he heard some animals playing. All he had to do was keep walking, but his legs stopped moving.

All day Ve kept walking and looking, but he did not find his special friend. When the sun went to bed, Ve sat on his front doorstep with his head in his paws, or maybe hands. He had tried everything, and his wish still had not come true.

Seeing how sad he looked, a moonbeam whispered in his ear, "Don't give up. Remember when your mother told you that it matters how you say things."

"That's it. That's it. That's it," said Ve. "I was wishing for a special friend that is not an anyone. I will find that brightest star tonight and just wish for a friend."

The next morning, Ve decided not to look for his friend. Maybe when he had been looking for his special friend, the sun might have thought he was making a wish. It was hard not to look for his friend, because he wanted a friend very much.

To make things easier, he went to the big meadow and counted every flower that looked different. There were so many wildflowers in the big meadow that by the time the sun disappeared behind the mountain Ve was tired. He was so tired that he climbed into bed before he made any wishes on any star.

The next day, as Ve was heading to the big meadow, he heard animals laughing. His legs seemed to agree that they were his friends, and they moved very fast in the direction of the laughter.

When Ve came to some thick bushes, his feet, or maybe paws, glued themselves to the ground. They glued themselves so quickly that he fell down. He peeked through the bushes and saw a young woodchuck and skunk that he knew would make great friends. He took a deep breath and tried to stand up. His legs refused to let him stand, so all he could do was sit and wait. He thought that if his legs had let him come this close, they must know his friends would come to him.

Ve waited a long time, but the woodchuck and skunk did not come over to him. Then tears came into his eyes. His tears made him angry, and he said, "I did everything Tawny said I was supposed to do, and those stars are just bad stars for not giving me my wish."

One of the breezes whispered in his ear, "You forgot to remember that the white spots on all young deer disappear when the snow comes. Tawny is just in too much of a hurry."

Ve knew the breeze was right, and he became angry at Tawny for telling her sister a tale. That made him angry with Father Rabbit for telling the little rabbits a tale. That brought more tears and made his head hurt. The tears and his head hurting only made him feel worse, so he asked the breezes to please take away his anger. The breezes gathered up as much of his anger as they could carry.