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Gracie Ann was daydreaming again. She let out a sigh as she stared out her bedroom window. The sky was grayish blue and a storm was blowing in off the sea. Oh how many times had she sat at her window and wished she was a beautiful horse running across the cliffs with the sea air blowing through her mane; for she so longed for a carefree life away from her mother and her problems. At night when the sky was full of bright stars and there wasn't a cloud in sight, she would wish on the stars to wake up in another life, a life full of hugs and kisses and her mother's love would surround her like a warm blanket. There was a loud clang and the front door downstairs slammed shut and the trinkets on the walls vibrated in her room. Her mother was home and she was forced back to reality. Soon she would have to face her mother's wrath, every day there was something new that she did wrong and her mother was just itching to punish her for it. Gracie Ann's shoulders slumped, her bright red locks spilled down her back and framed her delicate face in a swirl of fire. Her pale blue eyes full of desperation. Gracie Ann did not know her father. She dreamed of him often and imagined that he would come for her some day, especially on days like this. When her mother was in rare form, her temper could rival the storm blowing in from the sea. She knew she wouldn't have to wait long, her mother was coming up the stairs, one steady thump at a time. Gracie Ann stood in the middle of the room, staring at the door handle, waiting. It turns slowly and swings open violently. In the door way stood a middle aged woman, her hair a mix of salt and pepper pulled up into a tight bun, her skin leathery from too many years of working on the docks, her plaid dress tattered and torn. Gracie Ann looked into her mothers eyes, bright with the fire of her anger. Slowly, her mother looked around the room looking for anything out of place. Gracie Ann had been careful, she had spent the day making sure everything was in its correct place. She knew her mother well, and she did not want to spent the night in the learning room. Her mother let out a snort of disgust and turned on her heel and slowly started down the stairs. Gracie exhaled slowly, she didn't realize she had been holding her breath. She stood there weighing her options.

Pearls

"One day..." mumbled Ruby, "One day, I am going to be special". Ruby was the only oyster at the bottom of the cove that did not have a pearl. She so longed to be like the others and hated the way they taunted her for being different. Claret taunted Ruby the most, for she had the prettiest pearl in all the cove. "Ruby, you will never have a pearl, and even if you do, it will never be as pretty as mine!" shrieked Claret. Exasperated, Ruby shouted "You are cruel Claret and one day I will be special. Even if I have to sit in the cove and wait patiently for the next 100 years, I will prove you wrong!". Sure enough, Ruby's patience produced a pearl, a black pearl. The first one ever seen in the cove. Claret was no longer the star of the cove and Ruby finally had the pearl she had been dreaming of.

Puppies

Lulu curiously gazed through the purple wild flowers at her brother Charlie. She wondered if he too felt far from home. Suddenly, the wind blows and Lulu sees the pesky feather she and her brother had been chasing for hours. She breaks into a run towards the feather, Charlie’s nipping at her heels. Lulu can almost taste the sweet victory of beating her brother, yet again. When abruptly, the feather floats above a small stream that cuts a trail through the meadow. Lulu tries to stop, however, Charlie does not realize this and inadvertently knocks her into the chilly water. She lets out a tumultuous yelp and swims to the streams edge. While shaking off the excess water, Lulu decides that one good turn deserves another. She runs through the meadow over to her brother and pushes him into the water. Stunned, Charlie yelps in surprise, then crawls slowly out of the water and stares at his sister. She is laughing at him and rolling around on the ground. Swiftly, Charlie runs over to Lulu and the two wrestle by the waters edge. Lulu has Charlie pinned to the ground, when something catches her attention. It that pesky feather again, it was now floating back over the meadow towards home. She jumps off Charlie and runs full force after the feather. Charlie jumps up, sees what his sister is chasing and the game starts again. He eagerly chases after Lulu, trying his best to beat her to the feather. The two are so intent on catching the feather, neither notices that the feather has led them home. The feather gently lands on top of a rock on the outskirts of their farmhouse. Lulu pounces on the feather and grips it between her teeth. She starts to strut around in front of Charlie, when the dinner bell rings. Lulu lets the feather go, and both puppies run home.

Bubbles

There once was a frog named Bubbles. He was born with a bald spot that was as smooth as a marble and just as shiny. None of the other frogs would let him play in the Leap Frog Olympics because he was different. Determined to play in the Olympics, Bubbles made a moss wig to cover his bald spot. He was confident that none of the other frogs would notice his wig. Bubbles leap through every game with confidence and won first place! At the awards ceremony, he stood in front of his fellow frogs and said "I believe we should all be judged on what we can accomplish, not on how we look." He took off his wig and the other frogs were shocked to see it was Bubbles. All the frogs realized they had been wrong to judge Bubbles because he was different and from then on, Bubbles played in the Leap Frog Olympics with pride.