The waves crashed hard against the rocks
And the moon lit up the water
A treasure chest appeared that night
An odd trunk like no other
The bright and sunny day began
When the alarm began to sound
It startled the sleeping boy
As his large hand came crashing down
He jumps and sits straight up in bed
About to start his day
He stretches his large arms and legs
In a big kid sort of way
He adjusts his glasses on his face
And yet, still barely awake
To his surprise, the calendar shows
Tomorrow a birthday cake
The kid, more than excited
Begins to wrap his gifts
Tomorrow the only surprise would be
Someone to share it with
He hears the sound of laughter
It’s children outside playing
He walks over to the door
And leaves the paper and scissors laying
He walks outside to see the kids
And desperately wants to play
But the kids can not believe their eyes
And laugh at his awkward way
Yet one little girl is fascinated
And watches with amazement
The other kids are not impressed
And tease him because he’s different
During the night, the big kid sleeps
And dreams of a better day
here he’s jumping rope and laughing
With other kids and asked to stay
Suddenly the calendar glowed
With many rays of light
As beams shot all throughout the room
And appeared a fairy that night
She is upset and saddened
Because the boy is by himself
She sees that he’s alone
With birthday presents on the shelf
The fairy has a great idea
And around the place she’ll zoom
She took the trunk that washed ashore
And put it in his room
As night begins to turn to day
The fairy returns in place
A mark for her on the calendar
As shape takes to the boys face
To his surprise a trunk is there
With no one left in sight
He tries to open it every way
But the lock is on too tight
Just as the kid has lost all hope
Another ray of light
And magically a key appeared
To the big kids delight
Inside he finds a present
Wrapped in white and blue
He removes the box from the trunk
And shakes it a bit, too
Suddenly it hops and moves
The box shakes to and fro
The kid is somewhat shocked by this
Now, which way will it go
The boy thinks for a moment
“Something magical, I’ll bet.”
He reaches in to grab the toy
Never expecting a marionette
He takes the cross bar out
And lifts him up and down
The marionette just hangs there
And continuously hits the ground
The sounds of children once again
Makes the kid think for a minute
“I’ll share my surprise with all of them,”
And proceeds to take part in it
He performs a few magic tricks
His best are slight of hand
But the people have yet to see
Just what the box has planned
Then for the kids final act
He saved the best for last
The marionette came out of the box
And waived to the people he passed
He starts to dance around the town
The kid isn’t rejected
The marionette gives the girl a rose
While the kid is being accepted
Later that night the kid couldn’t be
Possibly any happier
He dreams of having lots of friends
While the toy dreams of future days after
The marionette imagines a life that’s free
Of a cross bar and some strings
He pictures the freedom that others have
And awakes to what his dream means
He sees the scissors left behind
From the present wrapping that day
He cuts the strings from his arms and legs
And from the box, he walks away
He’s finally free and anxious
Yet not prepared for what’s in store
He looks at the kid one last time
And walks right out the door
The kid hears some commotion
It’s early in the night
But he can’t go back to sleep
Something isn’t quite right
While the marionette is adventurous
And dealing with new strife
The woods can be an unhappy place
But so was his past string life
While the wind blasts beside his face
And lightning is apparent
The marionette is very scared
And now barely coherent
The kid realizes he is gone
And heads outside to find him
The marionette is lying on the ground
He had fallen on a tree limb
The kid carries him inside
And with any hope he had
He tugs upon leftover strings
Unsuccessful, he’s left sad
Suddenly, a bright light appeared
From the calendar on the wall
Again, the magical fairy is near
And took notice to the marionette’s fall
She uses her power magically
To change the sad face of the kid
For the marionette brought him friendship
Like no one else ever did
The marionette slowly came alive
The kid is getting anxious
To reattach the strings to him
As he starts to regain consciousness
The marionette looks at the kid
He wants to be his friend
But a life without the puppet strings
Is where his life begins
The kid understands completely
And agrees to start a new
And value life together
That so few friends often do
The kid has learned much more
The marionette isn’t just a toy
He taught him the value of friendship
To his life, he added joy
The boy has learned extensively
The marionette is one to treasure
And a life without the use of strings
Creates a friendship that lasts forever
Story by Nicolas J. & Bill Rodd
Poetry by Bernadette Martin
Illustrations by Christian Cordella