This story is something of a wish in my biography of holding story
and puppetry in the Light…. Sparkling star-light. Maybe, just
maybe, some of you will open a winter shop of wonder and share
your wonderful healing puppet stories to children everywhere. Xox
and puppetry in the Light…. Sparkling star-light. Maybe, just
maybe, some of you will open a winter shop of wonder and share
your wonderful healing puppet stories to children everywhere. Xox
In the old city, among tall, tall buildings of steel and glass sits a tiny
wooden little cottage. All year long it sits still and empty, with no
one going in or out, with closed curtains and a locked door. But
when the first snow falls and cloaks the city with a quiet beauty, the
little wooden cottage comes to life.
The curtains open and reveal twinkling star-lights welcoming anyone
looking inside. It is a shop filled with books for children. The shop
has opened every winter for as long as anyone in the city
remembers. If you were an adult, you had surely spent a lot of time
there as a child.
The best part of the bookstore was the alcove at the back next to
the wood-stove with its glowing fire. This is where there was a
puppet theater. Every day at teatime all winter long, children came
from far and near to sit on the big soft rug covered with pillows.
They came to watch the puppet show.
Sometimes there were Kings and horses, or giants and antelopes.
But always, always there was a magic that filled the hearts of all the
children with wonder, and a love of story!
After the puppet show, the story curtain closed and a kind woman
with sparkling eyes appeared and said, ‘now children, let’s all have
tea!’ Peppermint tea and a little cucumber and sunflower sprouts
sandwich appeared out of nowhere and were enjoyed by everyone!
There was not a single person in the city that did not love the little
bookstore with twinkling star-lights in the window.
As time went on the city grew bigger and the buildings grew even
taller so that you could hardly see the sky. One day the city told
the kind woman with sparkling eyes that she must move because they
wanted to tear down her shop and build another tall, tall building.
‘Please, please don’t forget the children,’ was all she said.
Word spread, and uproar came from all the people. They came with
banners and noise by the dozens, then hundreds, then by the
thousands.
‘Keep the Little Winter Shop of Wonder,’ they called out.
So much noise, so many people, until at last the city did not know
what to do. Finally the City Mayor stepped forward and declared
the little shop was to become a museum for the children and named it
The Winter Shop of Wonder!
To this day, every winter, the curtains open and the twinkling star-
lights shine. Children go every day at tea time to watch a puppet
show that takes them to the enchanted kingdom of story.
****
image from stockcake
******************************
Friends, do sign up for our free email ECE puppetry newsletter filled with stories, poem stories, resources, events, and more! click here for easy sign up