Once upon a time, there was a storyteller. You might laugh, but indeed, this is who he was. Since he was a little boy, he always told stories. They arrived with the first words that came out of his little mouth. An hour would not pass without a story, and the day, the day was full of them.
He grew up in a small village, and his mother often wished for some silent moments. When he was 5, she tried to send him to the local school, which was about an hour away. She hoped that maybe other school subjects would make her boy stop telling stories. So he joined the other kids walking, and he would tell stories, and often, their teacher had to look for them, as they lingered beneath a large tree, its twigs reaching wide and far, where they could sit in the shade, and play. They would bring the stories to life, creating performances, adding details, and soaking the tales.
One day, when the boy was a little older, he was sitting under his favorite tree by a stream of clear water. Sitting on a rock, his feet dangling in the water, he suddenly stopped in the middle of a story. After a few quiet moments, the tree bent down and asked him if everything was well. The fish peeked their heads out from the water to encourage his words. The birds, who accompanied him in their singing, ceased and waited for the next line. But nothing.
The boy’s eyes were closed, and a smile seemed to come over him, so his friends waited. He lay by the tree and seemed to take a long nap. When he awoke, he said, “I must go to the city now.” And so he went.
The tree asked the birds to watch the child and let it know of his adventure. Whispering through its roots, it let all of its friends know of the boy’s route and their friendship. The fish started swimming towards the city. The water helping them to get there before the boy.
When the boy saw the city, he looked at it with wide eyes. Different from anything he had ever told before, a story was evolving within him; he looked within for all the details and then walked on. He walked straight forward. Straight toward the gates of the castle. And when he got to the gates, he said to the guards, “I came to heal the king.” They wondered—no one knew the king was not well. Even the guards had only heard rumors. But there was something honest in this boy. Simple, clear, and knowing, so one of them, quietly, showed him where he could enter and walked him into the back garden. The back garden where the king usually sat in those hours of the day. And indeed, the king looked downcast and ill.
The boy went to him, kneeled, and bowed, and before the king could speak or wonder who he was and why he was allowed into his private space, the boy started talking. And he talked and talked. And he told and told, and the more the story evolved, the wider the king’s eyes opened, and the more details that embellished the story, the more his eyes also closed, and he started breathing. Relaxed breaths, as everything gained clarity. The story was as real as his life. As accurate as his heart’s knowing.
Then, the story ended. What was it that the boy told his king? The only others who heard the boy’s story were the trees, the fish in the pond, and the birds. They all smiled and knew it was a story to behold from man. The trees, through their roots, passed the message to the boy’s old friend, saying “All is well,” “He did fine,” and “The king is cured.” The birds joined the boy. Added their echo to the end of the story as a choir. The fish splashed, dancing in circles. Full of gratitude.
Silence.
The king’s eyes filled with tears of gratitude for the nature around him and this boy who came from nowhere. He asked the boy to stay in the castle. The boy smiled and thanked him. “I’ll come to visit,” he promised. And even before he reached the castle gate, he was already telling stories to the guard.
Healing stories are a magnificent and fun tool, connecting and bridging worlds.
Would you like to learn how to share a heart story with the child(ren) in your life? Enjoy my free guide: How to craft a healing story for your child 🙂
Learn more about mythical healing stories here.
