Once upon a time a pretty elfin girl with a kind heart was born to two elves with hardened hearts. Their hearts were hardened because they had been through terrible journeys a long time ago. They were very cruel to their little elfin girl. They hit her and shouted at her. She was such a kind girl that she laughed and smiled a lot at first and everyone she knew loved her very much but her elfin parents hurt her so badly that she began to change. She became sad and cross. She cried and cried until she thought her own heart would break.
The older, wise elves around saw how the little elfin girl had changed, so they took her away from her elfin parents and gave her to two parents with very kind hearts, like hers. They knew how to love her. The elfin girl loved being with them. She had a big sister now. They all went on outings together. Her new parents were kind and loving to her. They hugged her and kissed her. But something was wrong. The elfin girl knew that her heart had begun to harden when she had been treated so badly. She could feel it, as if her cruel parents were still inside her. She began to hit and hurt her new parents until they cried. Then she would cry bitter tears.
As before, the older, wise elves around the elfin girl saw what was happening. They knew the cure for a hardened heart. It was love. They also knew that love could take a long time to work, for when a person loves you, their love grows slowly inside you until your heart softens. So the wise elves helped elfin girl’s parents to keep loving her.
Elfin girl and her sister grew into beautiful young elves. And still their parents loved and cared for them. And slowly their love grew inside elfin girl until one day she knew that her heart had softened. She didn’t know when it had happened. It just was. Elfin girl hugged her parents. She said, ‘I am like you. My heart is kind again.’ They hugged her back. ‘You are ours, elfin girl. You are ours.’ As they hugged, their love for each other mingled together until a rosy glow filled the air around them.
Angela Evans 