Jennie and the Elf: ... a Heavenly Story

By Hari Prasad Anne

She could no longer hear the twitter of birds or rustle of the leaves. Is there no place where people are always happy and kind? she thought. Then suddenly a great darkness fell all around her, like a night without the stars and the moon.

Little Jennie is in love with the world until a tragedy throws her a grim revelation. Drowned in misery, she rejects the world as it is and dreams of finding her place in a faraway land of kindness. And when one wishes with a true heart, anything could happen!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Partridge Publishing India
• Release date: Feb 4, 2015
• ISBN: 9781482842739

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Copyright © 2015 by Hari Prasad Anne.

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Contents

Jennie And The World

What Happened To The Lambs?

A Message For Mr. Kringle!

Jennie’s Wish

A Day In Heaven

An Elf In The City

The Actor, Mr. Pringle!

A Man In Heaven

Jennie And Mr. Pringle

for Paadhya

JENNIE AND THE WORLD

Once there was a little girl named Jennie. She chased butterflies in the flowers, engaged in trials to mimic parrot’s trill, crafted paper boats to float in the pond and spent hours resting on the grass looking at sky.

She smiled at the clouds that changed into great dragons or unicorns, dreamed of the heavens far away in the skies and wondered at the squirrels hurrying up the trees.

She lived in a countryside manor, where grew enchanting willows, pines and maples, fruiters of sweet apple, peach and plum, alongside flowerers of roses, magnolias, daisies and lilies. Bustling with maids hurried at cooking, washing, handiwork and gardening was a day at the manor, made even chaotic by antics of the children. On their free day, the young ones troubled the maids as they splashed paint around, chased all with water pistols, plucked the petals off the flowers and had great pleasure in throwing mud at anyone in sight.

Jennie’s brother Edward had an incredible crowd of friends from school, a cheerful and chattering kind that walked in unannounced and stepped out without saying goodbye. Jennie’s sister Jane had her head in adventure books for most of the day.

When will I run away and fall into adventure?, she thought many a time.

The elders of the manor were a merrymaking kind, having long soirées for their friends and kin. There was always a clamorous crowd that made a great commotion as they arrived at the festivities. Then it was time for the grand dinner, with silver candle stands and earthen vases holding roses on a long table.

Little Jennie had her days filled with play in the garden, away from the bustle of the house, wondering at all she could hear and see in the trees and the sky.

Good morning!, she greeted the rabbits with hugs.

Come on, run with me!, she urged them.

How well you swim?, she wondered at the little fish in the pond.

Come here. Be my friend!, she pleaded the scurrying squirrels.

It was that huge a place making for little chance to get dull - the shallow pond, simple tree houses, boundless grassland that enticed to run around and great trees - daring the children to try a hand at climbing and picking their fruit. Peter, June and Willy who lived in the neighbourhood were her usual visitors, with children from the maid quarters joining the crowd as well. And when they arrived, it was a rumpus of capering and screaming young ones, busy at finding a toy or climbing up to a tree house. Sometimes they even played hide-and-seek, and with a great number of alcoves and tree houses all around the garden to hide, the game usually had the seeker ending up on the losing side.

How little time Jennie had for anything but the garden and its dwellers!

Only a year before, they had a herd of sheep brought