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KIDS UNITED
It is so much fun to belong to a circle of friends. It lets us share ideas and find out how we all live. Sometimes we live differently, but that's part of the fun. Sometimes we talk differently, but that's how we communicate exciting ideas. Sometimes we look different, but underneath our hair and clothes and skin, we're really all the same. We're a circle, and whether we're boys or girls, we're friends. And that's the most important thing in the world.
The Treasure Hunt, part 2
The circle of friends had discovered a map that promised to lead to treasure, a treasure long ago buried by pirates who had roamed the seas. According to legend, those pirates had landed on an island, unloaded their ship, and dug a huge hole where they placed gold coins and jewels. And it was here, within reach of the friends. They just needed to find it and they would be rich!
"Give me the map," Tommy said to Sean who had been carefully studying the directions.
"Why?" Sean asked.
"Because if we're going to find this treasure, we need to do it before someone else does or we'll lose everything. We need to just get started!" Tommy said. Sean gave him the map and soon the friends-Abebi, Chehn, Natasha, Ana, Heidi, Niklas, Susie, Maria, David, Luc and the rest-were all following along a path that Tommy had promised would lead them to great wealth.
"What are you going to do with all of your money?" Maria asked Natasha.
"I'm going to buy my family a new house in Moscow," Natasha said proudly.
"I'm going to travel all over the world," said Ana.
"I'm going to buy the fastest car ever made and race through the streets of France," said Luc.
"We're going to buy all the chocolate in Switzerland so we can make cookies and fudge and everyone will have to come to us!" shouted brother and sister Niklas and Heidi.
The friends thought about this as they walked along the path. There were snakes hanging from the trees, and big, black, nasty birds high in the trees. It had gotten to be a scary place.
"I'm going to buy world peace," said David quietly, and all of the friends stopped and stared at him.
"Then everyone will live together and be nice to each other," he said.
"You can't buy something like that," Susie said. "It's not for sale."
"Well, I'd like to use my money to do good things anyway," David said. "Just because a person has a lot of money doesn't mean they just have to buy fancy things and live in a big house or have the best clothes. Sometimes money means that you help other people to just have a house, or have clothes to wear."
Some of the friends nodded in agreement. It sure sounded like a good idea, being able to use money to help other people in need. Some of the friends weren't so sure.
"Why can't we just use the treasure to buy things for ourselves?" asked Sean.
"We can," Tommy said. "We can do anything we want."
Ahead, the sun was starting to break through and it was less scary. The friends continued on, with Tommy consulting the map. They had to turn right at the big rock and then go straight toward the small group of palm trees that were planted in the shape of an X. As they came out of the forest and into the sunlight, Tommy shouted "We're here!" and they all began to run toward the palm trees so they could dig.
The trees looked like friends themselves, and the circle of friends laughed and giggled as they began to dig toward the treasure. They dug and they dug and they dug, but all they found was sand. Until, finally, David struck something hard, and they found a chest.
"It's a treasure chest!" Abibi exclaimed.
"It better be," Tommy muttered as they pulled the chest from deep in the ground up and out into the sun. They opened it and what they found was… a treasure chest full of sand, and a note. Tommy picked up the note and read it to the friends:
"Dear friends,
If you've found this note it means that you've found the treasure. You might be disappointed, but don't be. You can't expect to get something for nothing. And if you do, you need to share. I found this treasure many, many moons ago. I used what I found to help people all over the world. I hope you'll do the same should you ever find a treasure. Be happy. Be nice. Share."
And that, friends, is the moral of the story: share your wealth with others, whether it be a wealth of knowledge, a wealth of love, or a wealth of money.
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