In the heart of the Enchanted Forest lived a wise old owl named Winnie, who perched proudly on her favorite tree, greeting each dawn with joy and laughter. Every creature in the forest knew Winnie and sought her advice for anything that tickled their fancies or troubled their tiny brains.
One fine morning, a small mouse scurried up to her and began with trembling whiskers, “Oh dear Winnie, I am in such a fright! I’ve lost my friend Ellie, and I can think of no place where she could possibly be!”
“Calm yourself, dear one,” said Winnie gently. “Not a single moment is it wise to despair or even sigh over things that are gone. If you listen carefully, you may hear good news right now.”
The mouse perked up his tiny ears, and sure enough, in the distance sounded the muffled horn of old Mr. Toad calling “Twee,” his usual morning greeting. Following that came the dreadful squawking of Daphne, the mother duck. “Why, Daphne,” cooed Winnie, “I did not know that anything could annoy you this fine morning, though you seem very out of sorts.”
“Of course I am, Mother Winnie,” quacked Daphne. “Only think of that naughty duckling Ellie, who has nowhere to swim and must stay by herself all alone!”
“It’s true; I had almost forgotten that, Daphne,” replied the owl. “But perhaps someone could take her company and swim with her.”
At this, all the timid creatures gathered about began to cry out, “I’ll swim with her,” cried one. “I’ll float with her,” cried another, while hundreds of frogs and several thousand small fish added to the noise. “And I’ll devote the whole day to little Ellie,” lisped old Mr. Toad, “if I may prowl a bit on dry land at the same time.”
Then with soft flappings, Winnie the Wise Owl flew down to her tiny friend, holding a rose in her mouth to give him comfort. “You see how many friends your Ellie has,” said Winnie. “Comfort yourself! It does not pay to cry or lament. Gladly do I tell you: Wisdom always grows when in company with Friendship and Cooperation.”
The little mouse smiled through his tears and thanked his friends for their kindness. With their guidance, he set off to find Ellie, feeling much stronger now that he knew he wasn’t alone in looking for her.
And so, the moral of this story is clear: it’s much easier to overcome obstacles when we work together, drawing on the wisdom and strength of our friends.