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- Story Listed as: Fiction For Kids
- Theme: Family & Friends
- Subject: Family
- Published: 10/08/2018
The True Story of the Flamingo
Born 2004, F, from Indiana, United StatesThe grandfather loves telling stories. He told them to his children and tells them still to his grandchildren. And they love listening. They all find his stories fascinating. Now, at a zoo in London, the family watches the exhibits with interest.
“Grandpa, look at this!” Says Melonie, the youngest, to her grandfather. “Look at the pretty pink ones!” She points to the flamingos, who gracefully stand close to one another on one leg, some reaching their long necks down to drink from the pond. The grandpa chuckles lightheartedly.
“Yes, aren’t they gorgeous?” He says, watching his granddaughter gaze at them, a smile on his face. “You, know, a flamingo used to be a beautiful woman once?” He says.
Melonie doesn’t glance at him, but smiles, eyes still on the graceful birds. “Really?” She asks.
“Of course,” says grandfather.
Melonie reaches over to her older sister, Alexa, and taps her on the shoulder. Alexa looks up from the information tablet attached to the fence. “Alex, do you know that the flamingos used to be a pretty woman?” Melonie asks eagerly.
Alexa, knowing that grandfather told Melonie this, glances at grandpa with a smile. “No, I didn’t know this,” She says. Melonie giggles and spins back around to grandpa. “Grandpa, how did it happen? How did a woman turn into a bird?” Melonie asks seriously.
Grandfather gestures toward a bench facing the flamingo exhibit, and they both sit. Alexa follows and sits down next to them. She, like Melonie, is eager to hear her grandfather’s story.
Grandfather sighs with content.
“Very well,” he says, and the two girls lean in close. He begins.
“A long time ago, when they were still wearing robes,” he says, “there was a fine young lady named Ruby. She had flowing black hair that was braided down her back. She was beautiful. She was also ambitious. She did everything herself. She built her own house, which she prized as her biggest project. Then one day as she was making dinner for her visiting brothers. She left the fire unattended for one minute, and soon, the house was burning. Her hard work was being destroyed,” says grandpa.
Melonie’s anxious eyes widen.
“Melonie and one brother made it out of the house, but she heard the cries of the other coming from inside. She risked her life and ran into the burning house. She burnt the bottom of one of her feet, and grabbed her brother and threw him out of the house just before the flames engulfed her,” he says.
Alexa puts her hand over her mouth. But grandpa holds up his finger, signaling that the story is not yet over.
“Ruby had done such a good deed in saving her brother that, instead of burning and dying, the flames turned into beautiful, majestic pink feathers, surrounding her. Her foot remained burnt, and she hardly ever walked on it,” he says, and both the girls eyes flitted to the flamingos standing on one leg. “She emerged from the flames bright and glorious. Her name, Ruby, was changed to Flamingo, meaning flame-colored,” says grandpa, finished with his story.
Alexa and Melonie both smile.
“That’s a pretty story grandpa,” says Melonie.
“Maybe I ought to save you from a fire, Mel,” says Alexa, giggling.
“Not if I save you first, Alex!” They say, and Melonie starts chasing Alexa, both of them giggling now. The flamingos continue to stand where they are.
“In my eyes,” grandpa whispers as he watches them run around, “you are both already the most beautiful flamingos I have ever seen.”
The True Story of the Flamingo(Hannah)
The grandfather loves telling stories. He told them to his children and tells them still to his grandchildren. And they love listening. They all find his stories fascinating. Now, at a zoo in London, the family watches the exhibits with interest.
“Grandpa, look at this!” Says Melonie, the youngest, to her grandfather. “Look at the pretty pink ones!” She points to the flamingos, who gracefully stand close to one another on one leg, some reaching their long necks down to drink from the pond. The grandpa chuckles lightheartedly.
“Yes, aren’t they gorgeous?” He says, watching his granddaughter gaze at them, a smile on his face. “You, know, a flamingo used to be a beautiful woman once?” He says.
Melonie doesn’t glance at him, but smiles, eyes still on the graceful birds. “Really?” She asks.
“Of course,” says grandfather.
Melonie reaches over to her older sister, Alexa, and taps her on the shoulder. Alexa looks up from the information tablet attached to the fence. “Alex, do you know that the flamingos used to be a pretty woman?” Melonie asks eagerly.
Alexa, knowing that grandfather told Melonie this, glances at grandpa with a smile. “No, I didn’t know this,” She says. Melonie giggles and spins back around to grandpa. “Grandpa, how did it happen? How did a woman turn into a bird?” Melonie asks seriously.
Grandfather gestures toward a bench facing the flamingo exhibit, and they both sit. Alexa follows and sits down next to them. She, like Melonie, is eager to hear her grandfather’s story.
Grandfather sighs with content.
“Very well,” he says, and the two girls lean in close. He begins.
“A long time ago, when they were still wearing robes,” he says, “there was a fine young lady named Ruby. She had flowing black hair that was braided down her back. She was beautiful. She was also ambitious. She did everything herself. She built her own house, which she prized as her biggest project. Then one day as she was making dinner for her visiting brothers. She left the fire unattended for one minute, and soon, the house was burning. Her hard work was being destroyed,” says grandpa.
Melonie’s anxious eyes widen.
“Melonie and one brother made it out of the house, but she heard the cries of the other coming from inside. She risked her life and ran into the burning house. She burnt the bottom of one of her feet, and grabbed her brother and threw him out of the house just before the flames engulfed her,” he says.
Alexa puts her hand over her mouth. But grandpa holds up his finger, signaling that the story is not yet over.
“Ruby had done such a good deed in saving her brother that, instead of burning and dying, the flames turned into beautiful, majestic pink feathers, surrounding her. Her foot remained burnt, and she hardly ever walked on it,” he says, and both the girls eyes flitted to the flamingos standing on one leg. “She emerged from the flames bright and glorious. Her name, Ruby, was changed to Flamingo, meaning flame-colored,” says grandpa, finished with his story.
Alexa and Melonie both smile.
“That’s a pretty story grandpa,” says Melonie.
“Maybe I ought to save you from a fire, Mel,” says Alexa, giggling.
“Not if I save you first, Alex!” They say, and Melonie starts chasing Alexa, both of them giggling now. The flamingos continue to stand where they are.
“In my eyes,” grandpa whispers as he watches them run around, “you are both already the most beautiful flamingos I have ever seen.”
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JD
10/13/2018I'm not sure if I agree with your including the word 'true' in the title, since it is obviously a tall tale and so might confuse some readers, but the story is imaginative and fun, and the flamingo definitely has the elegance of a lovely woman. Thanks for sharing the story, Hannah! : )
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Help Us Understand What's Happening
Hannah
10/13/2018I included true to get people in the idea that that is believed by the characters. Especially since the grandfather thinks his daughters are the most “beautiful flamingos” he’s ever seen, which is true to him. (I don’t know, it made sense when I wrote it)
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Kevin Hughes
10/08/2018Hannah,
What you think up is so rare that it boggles the mind. To come up with a story like that, and only afterwords finding out what the word really means ..."and it fit in perfectly"...Hannah that is the sound of Genius. You have to work hard (which most folks don't realize geniuses do) but the kinds of things you write and how they come to you...jumping gee whilikers.
Einstein was your age when he dreamed about what you would see if you were going at the speed of light and held up a mirror in front of you. Ellen DeGeneres dreamed (at fifteen) of doing a bit on the Johnny Carson Show, and later in life, she did exactly what she dreamed. Mozart wrote his music without mistakes, and said the notes came "straight to his mind".
Kubla Kahn the mysterious poem written by Samuel Coleridge - supposedly came from 300 lines delivered by a dream, but not finished because of a knock at the door that stopped him from getting the rest of the poem done.
I don't have an explanation for these kinds of things, I just notice that some folks can do these things. I think you might be one of them. Keep writing. Keep that mind of yours open. And well, keep sharing. Smiles, Kevin
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Hannah
10/08/2018Hi! This idea just came to me, and I thought it was interesting, so I wrote it down. Also, after I wrote this, I researched a bit about flamingos and found out that the name flamingo literally means "flame-colored"! It fit in perfectly!
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