CLUJ-NAPOCA 2015

THE GUARDIAN ANGELS

OF ANIMALS ANDTHE EGG-LAYING HEN

ISBN 978-606-94069-1-5

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It was a cold December night with crackling snow and the fire burning in the fireplace. Raluca snuggled up near her Grandpa to to listen his tales about Angels. „Grandpa ... you've told me about Angels helping people ... but... I have a question” „Let's hear it, sweetheart! ” „Do animals have their Angels, too? ” „Oh, ho, ho, ho ... and so many Angels! ... Yes, my dear, animals have Angels, too... ” „And... if the children's angels look like children and the grownups' angels look like grownups... then...the animals' Angels look like animals ...with wings? ” „Well, sweetheart, can you imagine an elephant with wings?

„I don't know Grandpa... tell me, because you know all these things... ” „Raluca, did I tell you the story of Tudorel and the egg-laying hen?” „What's that an egg-laying hen? ” „It's a hen like all others only, the only difference being that it lays an egg every day ... these are the eggs that mommy prepares you for breakfast ... ” „I see ... then Grandpa, tell me the story of the egg-laying hen! ” And then Grandpa sat comfortably in the armchair and Raluca cuddled up in his arms listening to his story:

Once upon a time, in a small village, there lived a little boy named Tudorel. He didn't have parents to take care of him so he lived with his aunt, a fat lady who always berated him no matter the reason and sometimes even slapped him... he didn't have an easy life, but besides all that, it was his aunt that sent him to school . She loved him, in her own way and she had the belief that harsh words need to be used in order to raise a child properly That's why Tudorel feared his aunt.

One day something unexpected happened. His aunt returned from town with 5 egg-laying hens that she had bought. She wanted to make some nests for them, but as she didn't have any real coops she used an old dog house and two abandoned beehives. She put them one on top of the other, made a small ladder and that was it. Everyday she would go to the henhouse to find the eggs that the hens laid. The first day all the five hens laid an egg and the aunt was very happy, because she had made such a good deal buying those hens. But the next few days the hens started laying fewer eggs until the aunt could only find = an egg once every other day. She was very upset because they were not good and she wanted to return them to the vendor.

She was grumbling all day long and whenever she was going to the henhouse for the eggs she would take a long wooden stick. Tudorel was watching her her from behind the trees afraid not to be hit if she would find him in her way.

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One day, since winter was coming, they went to town to buy Tudorel a new pair of boots. They decided to spend the night in town, at his aunt's sister.

That night it snowed. And snowed... and snowed... and snowed again... till no road could be seen anymore. In the morning, when the aunt woke up and saw all that, concerned about the animals in the yard, hurried back home, with Tudorel following her.

When they arrived home the gate was stuck because of all that snow. They pushed and pushed and only after a while they managed to open it. The dogs were frightened by the big snow around them and the house was freezing cold. „'Till I light the fire, said the aunt, hurry to the henhouse to see if the hens are well ... and take the stick with you, for the eggs!” Tudorel rapidly took the stick and ran through the yard to the henhouse. There, in the coop full of feathers, he found only four out of the five hens. The hungry hens clucked happily to see a human face. He looked around the coop and saw no eggs. He saw feathers all over the place and then his eyes fell on the stick...he couldn't beat them to give him eggs.

While he was pouring them some grains and water, he was thinking fear about how he would give his aunt the news that the hens hadn't lay any eggs. .

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He sat on a stump, thinking about what todo, and then he heard a noise in the warehouse ... a weak clucking. He ran over there and he could not believe his eyes ... the missing hen was there!

He took her in his arms and covered her with kisses ... The poor little hen was caught by the snow in the warehouse and she could not return to the others. She stood there hungry, in a corner, behind some tool boxes. Can you imagine the joy of the little hen when she saw Tudorel?! The little hen kept clucking slowly in the child's arms and he was happy to have found her... but still... how could he return home with no eggs? And he stood there with the little hen in his arms.

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After a while, the gate opened and a young man, with long golden hair and blue eyes, entered the yard. As he came closer, Tudorel starts wondering where he was coming from.

„Aren't you cold Tudorel?” „No... I don't know... the hen keeps me warm... ” „And what are you doing with her? ” „Well ... I'll keep her in my arms some more and then I'll take her to her sisters. ” „Do you love her? ” „Very much... ” „And then... why are you upset? „Because there are no eggs ... and my aunt told me to take the stick with me, but I cannot beat them... ” „Why would you beat them? ” „To give us eggs... ” „Have you talked to the hens to see why they haven't laid any eggs? ” „Well... I don't know what they are saying... I can't understand them... ”

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And then, just like in a dream, the young man disappeared.

Cluck cluck cluck, Cluck cluck cluck, Little sisters, stop picking me up Cluck cluck cluck, Cluck cluck cluck, Little sisters, stop picking me ! „But why do you want to eat all our grains?” „I'm hungry… yesterday there was no one to feed us … the water froze… we could not drink it… and now you are picking all my feathers … I'm going to freeze also…” „How good it was with the other master. He kept us in a bigger and warmer house… now we have to stay outside and it's so cold… we cannot lay any eggs and the lady's going to be upset again.. ” „If we had at least food and warm water we could lay some eggs … but like this… we can't…”

Tudorel heard the whispering voices but he did not know where they were coming from. „Who's talking? ” „My sisters ”– whispered the little hen in his arms „You speak also? ” „You also speak, everybody speaks, but one can't understand what the other says „Ohhh , you little hen, how come you are here and not with the others?” „I wanted to go back to the other master because I don't like it here … but then came the snow and I could not go any further” „What can I do for you so that you could lay more eggs? My aunt is very upset…

„We know she is upset, but she doesn't know how to take care of us, how to love us. It's cold and we're freezing and she always speaks harshly”

„Yes, I understand”, said Tudorel, „and I'm sorry”

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„Forget about the eggs… you don't have to worry about that! Go back in the house… it's freezing cold here”…

„Tudoreeel! My child … where are you? ” Hearing his aunt's voice, Tudorel flinched. He took the little hen back with the others and stood firmly with the stick in his hand until his aunt appeared. „Tudorel, what are you still doing here? You're frozen, come back in the house! ”

„The little hens … they didn't lay any eggs” – whispered Tudorel

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The aunt put him in bed, covered him and brought him some warm tea: „Drink this so you won't catch a cold … I'll bring you some soup also … but what are you doing with this stick?” „Aunty … why do you beat the hens? … They can't lay eggs because it's very cold…” „God forbid! How could I beat the hens? ” „But isn't that what the stick is for? ” „No my dear! …. Look, you see, here, this end is specially made so that it can catch the egg … because the hen's nest is in the back of the henhouse and I'm big and fat and I can't reach the eggs there … that's why I use the stick…” „Ohhh, aunty, please forgive me … I thought you beat them…” „My child, are you warm now? ” „Yes aunty, thank you…” And then Tudorel ate the warm soup and after that he snuggled in the warm bed and fell asleep. He dreamed about the young man with blue eyes and golden hair. And in his dream, Tudorel was playing in a field covered with flowers together with the young man, the little hens and many other animals… and they all talked, humans and animals and they could understand what the others were saying.

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After a while, they sat in the shade of a tree with all the animals around them.

„Young man, said Tudorel, what can I do to understand what the animals are saying? ”

„The animals have a language that only they can understand but there is a word that all of them understand” „And which is that word? ”

„Love. This word, “love”, is understood by everybody, because it is a magic word. For example, if you say each and every day to your little hens that you love them they will start giving you eggs … if you caress them and clean their henhouse, if you feed them and keep them warm, that is love. Loving someone is not enough, you have to show them also. ”

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- I promise that from now on I will love animals!- If people love animals and animals would love each other and then would love wolves with sheep, dogs with cats, tigers and gazelles, lions and gazelles ...- Pullets with fox ...

- Yes Tudorel, that's right; This is my message: Love animals and they will love each other.

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When Tudorel woke up, the sun was shining and its warm rays fell over his hair, warming him up. The house was warm and outside the snow was still crackling because of the cold. „The little hens!” he said while jumping out of the bed straight in his boots. He took his coat and ran outside to the hens. In the nest, the little hen he had kept in his arms the day before, laid an egg. He hugged it with love and then he hugged all the other hens and started playing with them. He fed them, brought them warm water and all day long, like the man of the house that he was, he repaired the henhouse so that they would be warm. He also brought fresh hay so that the hens could make a new nest. All day long, in the yard, the happy hen clucking could be heard:

Cluck cluck cluck, cluck cluck cluck We have food and a clean house It's now warm and they all love us Cluck cluck cluck, cluck cluck cluck We can play and eggs we'll lay

„And just like that, my little girl, within a week, all the hens started laying eggs for Tudorel.” „Grandpa, but who was that young man with blue eyes and golden hair? ” „And who could he be, my dear? … let's see who could he be? ” „He was the hens' Guardian Angel? ” „He was the animals' Guardian Angel … all the animals have a tough life in the people's houses and yards… some are beaten, they are put to work and their owners can't even imagine that they, too, need to be loved...

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… The Guardian Angel of animals reminds us that people and animals are all God's creations and need to be loved and taken care of. The Guardian Angel of animals creates a connection between humans and animals…” „And how does he do that?” „He brings to the humans all the animals' requests that can't be heard…” „But Grandpa… I also want to speak with the Guardian Angel of animals… how can I call him? Will he come to me? ” „When you want to call him, whisper that:

Blue eyed Angelin the skywith golden hairthat lights the night,come into my houseand into my heart!please sweet Angelfrom above send me all your loveWhisper softly in my earwhat the animals want me to hearTell me please What they can't saywaiting patiently day by daythat their warm and tender voice full of humbleness and lovecan be heard.Please come Angel,now and here,be the messenger I need The animals' message to receive! I'll now wait for you full of hopeAnd I thank you for all your work!

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Illustration:Lucia Lobonţ