I'M NOT AFRAID OF THE DARK

The little owl lived at the top of the tallest tree of the forest. The small hollow in the tree trunk was the perfect nest for her, for she could gaze at the whole forest below and she could have the moon light into her nest every night. She loved it when the moon came up in the sky, and she looked forward to it. She was afraid of the dark, you see. Owls are supposed to live among the foliage of the trees, in the darkest hollows, but this one was different. 'I don't like the dark,' she used to say. The other owls teased her. 'You are an owl. Owls live in the dark. You can't be different!' She tried to ignore them. Deep, inside her she would like to feel like her brothers and sisters, though. But she dared not leave her nest and fly with them around the forest. 'I'm afraid of the dark,' she finally confessed, one dark night. 'How very extraordinary,' the other owls exclaimed. 'This is absurd!' And the gossip about the little owl spread fast. The owls announced the incredible news to the sparrows, the sparrows to the robins, the robins to the swallows. Then the pigeons learnt about it, and the eagles, the monkeys and the lions, the tigers and the elephants. Soon all the forest animals knew that the little owl was afraid of the dark. Then, on a moonlit night, an old owl who lived in the middle of the forest said: 'We must help her!' So, all the animals gathered in the big plateau of the forest to decide what to do. The old owl spoke first: 'We have all gathered here to find a way to help the little owl who is afraid of the dark. Each one of you must think of something helpful. We will use the best suggestions.' Then a monkey spoke: 'I think we should give her some fireflies to brighten her nest and follow her around.' 'But this still is not a solution,' said a tiger. 'She will still be afraid of the dark when they leave.' 'I could live with her and escort her around,' suggested another little owl. 'That's a good idea. But you can't live with her for ever,' said the old owl. The animals thought hard and came up with quite a few good ideas. The stars twinkled above them the whole night and just before the last one set, an old lion spoke: 'I think I've found it!' Then he explained his plan. The other animals agreed to carry it out the following night. It was dark. The little owl was alone in her nest staring at the starry sky. 'The moon will come out soon,' she said, 'and I will have plenty of light.' She was feeling impatient to see the moon in the sky. As she was sitting there lonely and scared, she heard voices all around her. 'Hello, little owl,' the animals cried. 'We've come to show you around. You