Brave Kids

By K.J. Kaschula

Brave Kids: Short Stories to Inspire our Future World-Changers is your survival guide to brave the 21st century.

Each story is uniquely crafted to inspire hope and change for a better world for humans, animals, and the Earth we live upon. 

Being brave doesn't mean you wear a

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brave Healer Productions
• Release date: May 1, 2023
• ISBN: 9781954047983

K.J. Kaschula

Our heroine of this tale, a Ms. K.J. Kaschula grew up in South Africa, where she found herself gravitating towards the arts of storytelling. Her first big adventure and training in this field allowed her to obtain her Bachelor of Arts in Motion Picture. After her studies, she decided to travel to Chaing Mai, Thailand. It was here where she first became interested in working with kids and teaching them English as a foreign language. Soon after this, she moved to Paris, France, where she took care of two kids as an au pair while exploring the city of love and great food. She is the creator of The-Super-Dooper-Secret-Collection, a series of children illustrated books which follow the secret adventures of Little Lizzie who encounters the mystical, the magical and the marvelous worlds which is said (by our very own parents) to exist but has never ever been seen before by a kid. . . until now!Book 1, I Caught One of Santa's Reindeer, follows Little Lizzie as she tries to keep hidden the biggest Christmas secret! And Book 2, I Capture the Easter Bunny's Chicken, follows her as she tries to capture the biggest Easter secret!When K.J. Kaschula is not typing words on the screen or sketching on paper or the digital pad, you most definitely will find her in a cafe sipping on coffee and enjoying a pain au chocolat.K.J. Kaschula has been playing with the art of storytelling since she was young. The world of make-believe is her own personal reality. Almost every day, when she is not living on Earth, you will find her dancing with pirates, picnicking with teddy bears, parting with Santa, the Easter Bunny, and the monster under her bed - who is actually a very nice guy.If you want to know more about upcoming books, the author and illustrator, then check out www.kjkaschula.com or explore more over here: https://linktr.ee/kjkaschula

Book preview

Foreword

By Laura Di Franco

Founder of Brave Healer Productions and Brave Kids Books

This collection of short stories is a masterpiece of awareness, compassion, and courage!

Authors! I’m incredibly proud of you and how you took on the challenge to write from your heart with a mission to help change the world. That’s big-potatoes stuff to me. It’s the ripple I was born for. Thank you for being in my world and for believing in this mission to wake the world up to what’s possible.

When my kids, Jonathan (22) and Danielle (20), came into this world, I had all kinds of ideas about how I wanted that to go and how it ‘should’ look, and not a lot of awareness about the unique challenges they’d face.

What’s it like to have kids? What should I expect? What do I need to do to prepare?

Do you remember asking those questions? Are you laughing at them a little bit now, like me? Did you own the book, What to Expect When You’re Expecting? Where was the chapter that said, You’re about to embark on the most profound and difficult self-development journey of your life; get ready to fail miserably?

There’s no way you can prepare prospective parents for the adventures and obstacles of parenthood aside from encouraging them to buy a much bigger supply of diapers.

At least that’s what I thought, until we dreamed up this big idea of getting our healer and teacher friends together to share stories to help our kids feel and be brave.

That, I realized, is part of how you prepare kids for the journey of life. Because no matter what happens in our lives, we’re guaranteed opportunities to understand what we’re made of. To even recognize that the events and moments of life are opportunities, and not random acts of tragedy, misery, or bad luck, we need awareness and courage. We need the belief, trust, and faith that everything happens for us, not to us. Walking this particular walk of awareness (and teaching it to our kids) is what every author in this book has dedicated their life to. You have the distinct pleasure of learning from our master healers and teachers here.

When I became a mother, I was just beginning my journey as a healer and teacher, but I chose the path and dedicated my life to learning how to help people heal—mind, body, and soul. Every author in this book is passionate about that journey too, and they have a mission to share their stories, lessons, and wisdom in hopes they’ll spark a little courage—in you and in your kids.

I want to give a special thanks to one of them, my mom, Susan Ernst, for the love and support she’s given me all along my journey. My courage comes down the line from strong women like her. I love you, Mom.

I can’t think of a better book or topic to share. BRAVE KIDS! Yes, please!

When I met Kelly Kashula, the very talented lead author and illustrator of this magnificence, I knew I’d found the perfect person to help. Kelly didn’t just agree with me about how to support kids (and their caretakers), but with a pure heart and child-like spirit, she transforms this sometimes-scary world into words (and pictures) kids can relate to. Kelly’s lifelong passion for writing, sharing, and illustrating children’s stories is evident in every word and detail, in this, and all her books.

Kelly, you’re amazing and wise beyond your years. I’m so grateful to know you and to be working on this very-important mission together.

Dear reader, get ready to dive into this brave book. From the bottom of my heart, I wish you a grand, powerful, and delightful adventure. When you pick up this book to read to your kids or help them read, take a deep breath and feel the love, joy, gratitude, and passion (the intentional energy), each author penned their chapter with. Know it’s our deepest wish that you feel our love and support. We know it’s hard being a parent. ‘Hard’ is probably an understatement some days. We know the struggles might feel impossible. But we also know that with awareness and courage, you’ll do your best to guide your amazing, brave kid. We’re so happy to be a part of those moments in the form of our stories. Make sure to reach out and let us know how it’s going and which stories melted your heart or helped you feel the bravest!

And remember, your words change the world when you’re brave enough to share them. It’s time to be brave!

Big love,

Laura

Introduction

Are you brave?

You must be because you picked up this book!

Or, at the very least, you would like to be brave—or braver!

We all have bravery in our hearts. It’s there, somewhere in that beating soul of yours. It’s not hiding at all; it’s merely waiting, waiting to be called upon, or simply just acknowledged.

Oftentimes, bravery is very misunderstood.

We tend to imagine bravery as the strongest of human beings donning a cape or other magical props for the first or umpteenth time and flying around our world ready to save poor souls from harm or the evil, treacherous villain.

In today’s modern world, especially after the 2020 pandemic, we might even associate the brave hero with certain types of professions or the parent/teacher/caretaker taking care of business.

But what about the brave young souls who have to go to school every single day with a smile on their face while the biggest, most scarious bully they can imagine lives in their playground?

What about the brave ones who have to face grief and death at an early age or even lose a parent to the dreaded D word—divorce?

And don’t forget about standing up on stage—speaking understandable and comprehensible words is not to be taken lightly! It is hard and brave work just stepping up and saying, Hi, my name is. . .

Are these kids doing everyday events not brave?

And what about sleeping in your own room, in your own bed, and battling the darkness and its mind demons that appear every night?

What is a kid to do when Mom or Dad orders them to return to their chamber, which taunts their young souls?

Don’t they find their brave, beating heart as they climb back into their own bed?

Brave Kids: Short Stories to Inspire Our Future World-Changers is your brave kid’s personal guidebook to understanding bravery which comes in many forms, magically appearing in many different situations and locations, like an airport, a hike, in school, or even at home.

So how do you calm monkey brain in an airport? Or breathe the lion, bee, snake, or bunny’s breath? How do you lie down on the forest floor and understand fascia or chakras?

You read a story.

Stories are fantastic creatures that come to life whenever you open a book. They take you by the hand and transport you to magical places where characters just like you exist! They become your best friend, show you how to overcome problems, and teach you out-of-this-world things!

So, read a story.

Read a brave story.

Read one of 24 brave stories featured in this book by authors all around the world who have made it their mission to help you, dear big human bean and dear little human bean, to be brave!

Chapter 1

Tonight is the Night!

By K.J. Kaschula

Tonight is the night, I whispered.

Tonight is the night! Mom sang with excitement.

Tonight is the night! Dad roared with enthusiasm.

Tonight was the night I would sleep all alone,

in my very own bed,

in my very own bedroom—all by myself!

Well. . .

I wouldn’t really be all alone, according to Mom. I would have my trusty teddy bear adviser at my side, and of course, my cheetah.

My cheetah is not really a real-life cheetah like the ones that roam free upon the grassy plains of the great African Savanah. My cheetah is a special kind of thought-up animal. In fact, she is my favorite animal, the one I like the best’est of all—that is why I chose her.

She is the fastest of all the land animals upon this Earth, and nothing can escape her stealth and speed—no man or monster, no creepy sound or shadow in the dark. Her hundreds of black spots play tricks upon her chosen prey. They confuse them and make them dizzy inside of their heads. And do not be fooled by her crying face; it’s only a mask to hypnotize these bogeymen.

My cheetah’s fur is made of the whitest of light, and sometimes her light glows in all the different colors. When she senses danger, each hair upon her spotted back lights up in the brilliant shades of purple, and when she’s ready to pounce, a furious, fiery red springs forth.

She is my superpower, and I can call her anytime I need her. All I have to do is close my eyes and imagine she is here, right by my side.

Mom says my cheetah will protect me, and Dad says my cheetah will always keep me warm and comfy while I sleep in my bed, in my bedroom.

I had my first night sleeping in my bed,

in my bedroom, all figured out!

I would make sure that I stopped drinking precisely one hour before bedtime so that I would avoid getting up and running through the dark just to get to the loo.

I would make sure that I ate all my supper so that I wouldn’t wake up hungry in the darkest hour.

I would make sure all my toys were packed away because sometimes they look different to me when I leave them scattered on the floor at night.

I would also make sure that no-one or no-thing was living in my closet or under my bed by checking and double-checking with my truth-seeking flashlight.

And right before I would even think about closing my eyes, I planned to tell the darkness that my cheetah of light was here and that she would protect me and keep me safe, so better beware!

That night,

my first night in my bed,

in my bedroom,

I was tucked in and given a good luck, goodnight kiss. I was ready! My teddy bear held me tight in her arms, and my cheetah lay comfortably next to me on my bed.

My cheetah of light is here, I whispered. She will protect me and keep me safe, so better beware—creatures of darkness.

I squeezed my teddy bear tight, and I shut my eyes.

Breathe. I heard a voice say.

My cheetah of light is here, I whispered again. She will protect me and keep me safe, so better beware, creatures of darkness.

It is going to be alright, child. Open your eyes.

The darkness had entered my bedroom.

My cheetah lay at the edge of my bed.

I could see her. I really could see her!

Her polka-dot fur glittered and shone and glimmered with white light.

She sat up, stretched, and yawned. Her fangs looked sharp and eager for a monstrous supper.

creek, crack, squeak.

Creek, Crack, Squeak!

CREEK, CRACK, SQUEAK!

The creeks, cracks, and squeaks applauded the coming of the darkness.

He is here, they sang. He is here! Hooray, for the darkness is finally here!

So better beware! I whispered, half hiding under my bedsheets, half watching the battleground that was to be in my bedroom.

Silence then echoed as the creeks, cracks, and squeaks retreated behind the shadows.

My purple cheetah stood on guard. Her white light, which had turned to purple, now turned to red.

creek, crack, spueak.

Creek, crack, squeak!

CREAK, CRACK, SQUEAK!

My cheetah jumped off my bed and disappeared under it. She hissed and growled at some unseen, unknown thing, then dragged it from the shadows and sunk her teeth deep into it. She had a taste for monster blood now and would not stop until every dark creature was eaten or had run away in fear.

Next, she swung open my closet doors and fought with the many-armed monster that was most probably my clothes. My socks and shoes—those midnight creepy-crawlies—did not stand a chance against her.

Onwards, towards the battleground!

The troops of darkness stood at the ready before the battlefield-bedroom-mat. Their eyes which glared at me, suddenly shook in terror as my red cheetah approached. The spots on her fur began to dance as she stood her ground. Rhythmically they moved to-and-fro—bewitching the minds of the plush army who stood upon my bookshelf.

Begone! She barked. Or face the wrath of the cheetah of light!

The plush army fell silent. Their bodies froze while their minds surrendered to the cheetah’s dancing spots.

My cheetah gave one last dad-like roar—warning all those who dared trespass to beware. Her blazing red glow then became pink, and the pink turned into a wonderful, safe light which is the purest of white lights.

It is going to be alright, child. Close your eyes. She chirped as she curled up