Once upon a time, there was a baby elephant named Regina.
Regina loved the summer time, when the hills were green and the nights were warm enough to sleep outside.
While the other babies playfully tossed dry leaves at one another, Regina stayed inside the heated barn, by herself.
In the winter, the snows came and the hills turned cottony white. Regina watched through tearful eyes as the other elephants used their massive fannies like huge gray sleds to slip and slide with delight.
Not wanting to miss out on any elephant games, Regina tried putting an old horse blanket on her back.
But the blanket was small and always fell off leaving the skinny elephant cold and sad
As she trudged back to the barn, she cried. Her elephant sized tears freezing to her sad face.
One night, while Regina was watching the shimmer of the winter moon through a crack in the barn, she saw a light dance across the sky.
Regina’s trunk popped up with curiosity, like a periscope on a submarine.
The sparkling light floated through the darkness into the barn.
Regina was a little frightened, but she did not run.
Like a floating dandelion, the sparkly light landed on Regina’s trunk. Then like a soap bubble, the light popped.
A tiny mouse wearing a ballet costume with wings was suddenly staring Regina in the face.
The mouse had big warm eyes and was carrying a magic wand.
“Who are you?” Regina said.
“I’m your Fairy God elephant,” the little mouse stated.
“You aren’t an elephant,” Regina said. “You’re a mouse.”
“OK, I’m your Fairy God Mouse,” the smiling creature said while rolling up the sleeves to her costume.
“Why are you here?” Regina asked.
“Because you called for me.”
Regina blinked her eyes. “I did?”
“That’s right.” The tiny mouse raised her magic wand. “Your wishes floated into the sky and I heard them. Every night that you cried yourself to sleep staring at the winter moon, wishing you could play outside with the other elephants. I heard all of it.”
Before Regina could answer, her Fairy God Elephant began waving her wand.
“What are you doing?” Regina said curiously.
“I’m granting your wish.”
Sparks began to shoot out of the wand. The Colors were so bright; they lit up the barn like a fire works display.
The little mouse waved her wand like a conductor leading an orchestra.
Then in a puff of smoke, it was over. The light faded and the smoke cleared. Except for the snoring elephants in their stalls, it was quiet again.
A big smile emerged under Regina’s trunk as she spotted the bright orange item on the floor.
“It’s so beautiful,” she said moving toward it. “What is it?”
“It’s a sweater-coat,” the fairy god mouse replied. “Big enough for a baby elephant.”
“For me?” Regina asked, pointing her trunk to herself.
“For you,” the mouse said with a big grin.
Regina touched the soft fleece with her trunk, nuzzling it with a smile.
“It’s so soft,” she purred.
“And warm. Try it on.”
Regina slipped her massive front legs through the openings, carefully adjusting the snaps in the front.
“A perfect fit,” the little mouse exclaimed.
Regina looked at her reflection. “It’s beautiful!”
The mouse smiled as a bright light began to glow around her.
“How can I ever thank you?” Regina whispered happily.
From inside the floating light, the mouse’s voice echoed cheerfully. “Every time you are outside, smiling, and laughing with your friends, warm and snug as a bug in a rug, that will be all the thanks I need.”
The sparkly ball of light zipped through the crack in the side of the barn and zoomed into the winter sky like a shooting star.
With a huge smile on her face, and a bright orange sweater-coat on her back, Regina moved to the barn door. She poked her head into the cool winter night.
She inhaled deeply. The air was chilly, but her tummy was warm.
“Yippeeeee!” Regina shouted as she dashed into the snow.
Her sudden yell startled the other elephants that ran to see what the commotion was all about.
In the light of the full moon, they spotted the happy silhouette of Regina prancing up one snowy hill and sledding on her big bottom down the other side.
“Hey Regina, wait up for us,” the other elephants squealed as they raced outside with big smiles on their faces.
Regina, warm as could be, never looked back as she trumpeted with glee.