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Moxie
- The Little Camel Who Lost Her Hump
by Gabriella Tal
for Colie:
Far, far away, in the Land of the Camels, lived a young camel named
Moxie.
Moxie lived with all the other camels in the Sandy Places. All day long,
the camels walked and played, slept and ate in the Sandy Places. It
was
always sunny in the Sandy Places, there in the Land of the Camels.
Like all the other camels, Moxie had a hump. She was very proud of her
hump for it was her very Own and Original One. Every camel's hump is
just
a little bit different than the others'. Like people, whose fingerprints
are each their very Own and Original One.
One day like on all the other days, Moxie woke up. She ate her breakfast
of grass and played with her brothers and sisters. Nothing seemed
different than any other day.
She was thirsty and went with her friends to the Oasis to play and drink
the water there. The Oasis is a very special place to the camels, there
in
the Sandy Places.
As she was laughing and playing, slipping in and sipping the water,
she
noticed something was different. All her friends were looking at her
in a
different way. They seemed to be whispering among themselves.
"What is wrong?" thought Moxie.
Being a very forthright camel, she spoke right up to her friends. "Why
are
you looking at me differently? And why are you whispering to each other
about me?" she said.
The other camels giggled.
Finally, Moxie's good friend,Talya said to her, "Moxie, look at yourself
in the water."
All the camels stood still so the ripples in the water became calm and
Moxie could look at herself. In the clear reflection, she noticed
something immediately. She definitely was not herself. Her very Own
and
Original Hump was missing.
Moxie turned this way and that, looking in the water to be sure. But
there was no doubt about it. Her hump was gone.
Moxie bid her friends goodbye and went on a journey to search for her
hump,
for this, every camel knows, is what a camel must do in such a situation.
She walked a long way in the Sandy Places. She walked and walked. She
saw
something in the road.
"Are you my hump?" said Moxie to the Rock. "You are round like my hump.
You are brown."
"No," said the Rock. "Feel me and you will see, I am hard and cold.
Your
hump is warm and furry. Keep searching, Moxie."
Moxie walked some more. The land turned from gold and sand around her
to
flowers and trees. Before her on the road, she saw something.
"Are you my hump?" said Moxie to the Mountain. "You are the right shape
and you seem to be furry."
"No," said the Mountain. "Climb me and you will see how tall I am. My
fur
is of green trees. Your hump is much smaller than me and its fur is
the
color of gold and sand like the land in the Sandy Places. Keep searching
Moxie."
Moxie walked some more. The land turned from mountains and hills into
green pastures where people had farms. Moxie saw something in a field.
"Are you my hump?" she said to the Haystack.
"No," said the Haystack. "Feel me and feel how scratchy I am. Eat some
of the hay and see how it is of many pieces. Your hump is soft, not
scratchy, and it is all one piece."
Moxie was very tired by now, and very discouraged.
Seeing this, the Haystack said to her, "Little Camel, if you like, you
can
eat some of my hay for dinner. And you can lay down in my hay and sleep
until you are rested. My hay will keep you warm until morning sun."
Moxie was very thankful to the Haystack and she ate and slept very well
in
the warm gold of its love.
When she woke up, she saw her good friend, the Sun smiling down at her.
"Dear Sun," said Moxie, "Do you know where I am? I have walked and
walked. I only know I must be very far from the Sandy Places and the
Land of the Camels."
The sun had known Moxie well, since she was a baby, and even before.
She
loved Moxie very much and had been following her on her journey.
"Moxie, I will point you on your way back to the Land of the Camels."
"But how can I return without my hump?" said Moxie, nearly in tears.
"I
came so far to find it. Every camel knows that in such a situation,
she
must find her very Own and Original Hump before she can return to her
home."
The sun overflowed with love for Moxie, "Let me speak with Wind," said
the Sun gently. " Perhaps Wind can help us find your hump For he travels
far and wide and he sees most things."
Moxie felt relieved to have the help of the Sun and the Wind for that
is
how it feels to have Guardian Angels.
After some time, the Sun said to Moxie, "Wind said, that not far from
here,
on a cloud just south, he has seen your hump."
Then Wind blew Moxie high in the sky and she landed light as a feather
on
the pink cloud just south of that place.
And there Moxie saw a beautiful princess. She was surrounded by elves
and
fairies and wood animals and she sat very delicately on something Moxie
recognized immediately -- as her hump. Her heart leapt into her throat.
She was so happy to see her hump at last , her very Own and Original
One.
Still, something inside her made her very quiet. For before the Princess
she felt very still and very wonderful.
The Princess was beautiful. She had a dress which looked like dragonfly
wings and a crown which glistened like dew and her eyes were the same
gold
glow as the Sun's and the sand of Moxie's homeland.
"Hello Moxie," said the Princess. Her voice was like music melting on
the
soft cloud.
"Hello beautiful Princess," said Moxie breathlessly. Without understanding
why, she found herself kneeling on the ground as camels often do.
"Dear Moxie, you must have been so confused," said the Princess, "But
I
will explain to you. I was under a terrible spell and the only thing
that
could save me was an animal pure of heart. The angels searched and searched
before they found you. When they found you, they knew you right away,
but
they had to bring some token of you back to me to break me of my spell.
So they carried to me, your hump. And since that time, I have been free
of
the evil forces which had tortured me. Whenever I sit on your hump,
which
I have made my throne, I am reminded of your pure heart. This protects
me
from anyone who would hurt me."
When Moxie heard this, she grew very happy and proud that she could
have
helped one as beautiful as this One.
Then her heart sank very deep for she saw that the Princess needed her
hump
to keep her safe. What was she to do?
Moxie sat under a tree and meditated on the pink cloud. She sat with
her
eyes partly closed, the way camels sometimes do. And as she sat there,
Moxie grew a little older and became a little wiser.
Finally, she opened her eyes and said to the Princess, "Dear One, You
may
keep my hump, for although I love it very much, I can live without my
hump.
I will get used to it. I have many Guardian Angels - the Sun, the Wind,
the Haystack, the Mountain, the Rock. You must need my hump like I need
my
guardian angels. Keep it and be safe."
And Moxie again found herself kneeling before the beauty of the Princess.
At that moment a great explosion of light burst in the sky. Sparks of
gold
and rose floated and flooded through the sky.
A deep voice echoed from Beyond saying, "Indeed, such a one, true of
heart
is a rare thing. Moxie, you have broken the spell completely. The Princess
is now forever free of the evil forces. She has been freed by your love."
Moxie shook her head and blinked her eyes before the explosion of light.
When she got her bearings, the Princess was gone. The cloud was gone.
The
tree was gone. She saw around her the familiar sand of her old home.
And
she felt on her back, the familiar feeling of her very Own and Original
Hump.
She was only a little ways from her home in the Sandy Places. She walked
the short distance and was greeted by her friends and brothers and sisters
as the great hero that she was.
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