The Cheer Ringer

Tell a fairy-tale day

Once upon a time in a land not so far away, lived a boy named John. He lived in a tiny house with his ailing mother. Their source of livelihood came from the small farm that they had. John would look after their farm, and a small number of livestock, and somehow their days would pass.

Even though his mother was unwell, she was a lady of incredible humor and zest. She would seldom let John get worried about her health, and went about her day with as much rigor as she could. She would cook them meals and tend to the house, and during the afternoon, she would tutor their neighbor's daughter Anna. Anna brought them joy. From a very young age, she had mastered a sense of empathy. She was concerned about the health of John’s mother. Especially when John would be out selling their produce in the village market or procuring fodder for the cattle, she worried if something should happen to his mother. The houses in the village were far apart from each other, and even if she would shout for help, there was a tough chance that anyone would hear her. She was determined to take care of her, as far as she could, and so often she would just stay around the house on the pretense of playing with the chicken.

One day, Anna got a chance to go on a school trip to the nearby city. While her parents were adamant, John’s mother convinced them that this would be a growing opportunity. So Anna made sure that John would be in the house the whole day, tending to his mother. He laughed away her concern, as he usually did. ”You are a child. Stop worrying so much. Mom will be fine”, he said. But Anna was not convinced. She wanted to go to the city, as this could be a one-time opportunity for her. So with a heavy heart, she went ahead with her classmates, bidding her goodbyes.

Throughout her trip, all she could think about was John’s mother. Will she be fine? She didn’t even notice the chocolate store, the bakery or even the gift shop which had beautiful musical boxes. She walked around in a worried daze, when she narrowly missed the ice cream truck as it zoomed by. All the kids gathered around for their ice cream. Anna looked up, and saw the ice cream boy ring a tiny bell, which seemed to be music to the ears of the kids. And so, an idea struck her.

She quickly ran into the gift shop, and bought the largest, shiniest bell she could find. The shopkeeper smiled as she placed her piggy-bank on the counter as payment. She couldn’t wait to go back home and show this to John’s mother.

The next morning, she went into John’s house and pestered him till he fixed the bell in their front porch. It was perfect. You could hear it ring from all the way across the village. She smiled and told John’s mother her idea. “You get lonely alone in the house don’t you?”, she asked. “From now on, you can bake cookies and sell ice cream to the kids. Every time you ring this bell, we will know that it is time for some sweets”, she said smacking her lips. John’s mother couldn’t refuse this innocent child.

So now, she would make ice cream and cookies and have fresh milk from their cows, and keep it ready. Every morning and evening, when the village market would open, all the elders would go to the market to buy things. On the other side of the village, John’s mother would ring the bell, and all the children would flock around the house, for cookies, milk and ice cream. Now, she was never alone, she always had company. Their life improved from the extra income, and spreading smile and cheer helped John’s mother recover. Anna was not worried anymore.

So they lived happily ever after.