A Little Lake
She started as a raindrop, that grew into a puddle, and over many years, she became a little lake in a large forest. Just like all lakes, she had a spirit, but the lake was very lonely. There were no other lakes or streams nearby, and the trees only liked to talk to each other.
One day, a little rabbit came to the edge of the lake. The lake was so happy that some of her spirit jumped out of the water to greet the rabbit. Her spirit took the shape of a little girl. The rabbit was so surprised that it jumped up into the air and hopped away. The spirit was sad that the rabbit ran away, but she was soon faced with another problem. She didn’t know how to get back into the lake! So she sat on top of the water and decided to watch the forest.
While she watched she saw many new things that she couldn’t see from inside the lake. She watched as the little lake froze over, as the animals went to sleep through the cold season, and the world turned white once more. She watched as the ice melted and the animals woke up. She saw all of the ways her lake changed from the outside and all of the life around her. It was beautiful, she decided she missed being in her lake a little bit less.
The little spirit of the little lake watched the forest around her and listened to the animals. As the seasons changed, the years passed, the lake grew larger as the spirit looked older. One day, the animals held a very important meeting at the lake. The humans, who lived outside the forest, were getting closer and the forest was getting smaller. Soon there wouldn’t be enough space left for the big animals to hide and live. The bears and deers and all the big animals said goodbye to the small animals. They started their journey deeper into the forest, and farther away from the little lake, to find a new home.
The spirit, who now looked more grown-up, was sad to see her friends go. She was glad that not all the animals decided to leave, but the humans moved closer and the forest got smaller. The lake was now surrounded by tall concrete buildings and smoky air. She soon found her lake filled with garbage. It floated at her shores and piled at the bottom. Most importantly, it was starting to make her and all of the other animals sick. The animals couldn’t drink from her anymore, and she was starting to feel weaker and weaker. Her spirit was starting to fade.
Before she lost all hope, a group of humans started to gather around her. They started to pick up all the garbage and sing to her. As she listened to their words she realized they were celebrating her and thanking her. The lake spirit could feel herself beginning to heal. As she started to heal, she sunk back into the lake, feeling herself reconnecting with the lake again! The little lake spirit, whole once more, thanked the humans and rested for the first time in many, many years. She knew that they would take care of her.