Rebella and the Camel

This is a story for a picture book for young children (I am not sure about the age level. 4-7? I am a child play therapist. This story is about a girl who has to cope with her parents' divorce

Rebella and the Camel

When Rebella's dad was taking her to places, his new girl-friend thought she must always join them with her children. Rebella didn't like it.

She didn’t like her Mom's new boy-friend and his children either.

Once her dad took  her to the man who lets people sit on his camel. The camel had two humps. Rebella wanted to sit on the camel and ride. She asked  her dad to put her between the two humps, not  on the front hump. But when the camel-man lifted her high up to place her between the two humps she was scared and began crying . The  camel-man took her down and laughed and she saw that the camel was looking at her with sad eyes.

Later  at the restaurant her dad's new girl-friend came with her children. Rebella didn't want to stay in the restaurant. She went out to watch the camel.

All of a sudden the camel told her:

"You got sad eyes".

Two families arrived. A dad and a mom and a boy and a girl and another dad and another mom and  another boy and another girl. They all wanted to ride on the camel together. The camel-man shouted on the camel to sit down. He had hoarse voice. The camel knelt down slowly. The first family climbed on  his front hump and the second family climbed on his rear hump.

The camel-man hit the camel from behind with a stick. The camel got up slowly, with difficulty, and all the dads and moms and children that were sitting on him were shouting and laughing.

After the two families got off the camel and went away,  Rebella saw that the camel-man was sitting on the ground, leaning on the wall of the restaurant with his head on his knees.  She thought he was asleep. The camel came close to her and said: "Pity you were afraid to ride on me before. Do you feel like riding on me now?"

Rebella was shy and didn't say anything.  The  camel said: "Come on, It will be fun. I hate carrying two whole families on my back. It's so heavy,  and afterwards I get terrible backache, but you are so tiny and light! "  

The camel sat down on the ground and then suddenly Rebella wasn't afraid at all. She climbed on the camel and sat  between his two humps He rose up and began walking.    

  Rebella felt as if she was sitting  on a cloud.

The camel turned his head toward her and said: "I'm tired of being here, with this man. I want to run away".

"Yeah! Let's run away!" said Rebella." I'm also fed up! I don't want to go back to that restaurant!"

The camel began running fast. His man was asleep and didn't see that he was escaping  with Rebella.

The houses looked as if  they were moving backwards very fast and then there were trees and after the trees was the desert. 

It was hot. Rebella was thirsty. Lucky she has a water bottle. She asked the camel:  "Are you not thirsty?"

"Don't worry, sweetie. I have a lot of water in my humps".

In your humps?" "

"Yes. It is like that with us camels. We have water in our humps instead of  in bottles. And what about you? Are you not thirsty? "

"I drank water from my bottle", said Rebella, "but soon no water is going to be left in it".

"We'll reach an oasis soon", said the camel. "There are  palm trees there and a lot of water".

And indeed, tall , green palm trees could be seen not a long way off.

When Rebella and the camel reached the oasis they sat next to the spring and drank water and took a rest.

"I'm glad we ran away", said the camel.

"I'm also happy that we did, said Reballa. Can you bring me home to my mother?"

"Yes", said the camel," but tomorrow morning, because soon the sun will set and at night we can lose our way".

Darkness fell over the desert. Rebella and the camel went to sleep on the grass near the water.

In the morning  Rebella woke up and was startled. The camel wasn't there. He wasn't near the spring and he wasn't  near the palm trees and he wasn't on the sand. He wasn't anywhere.

Rebella stood by the spring and didn't know what to do. The sun was now in the middle of the sky. It was terribly hot.

Suddenly Rebella saw the camel running very fast. He came near her and  said, breathing heavily:  "Let's run away quick!"

Rebella immediately climbed  on his back and he continued running.  He said, panting heavily: "My man came to the oasis in the morning with his  friends and they hit me hard because I ran away. They  took me back. The whole morning  they forced me to carry whole families on my back.  Now I have terrible backache. But I ran away again. They  were chasing me but could not catch me".

The camel went on running, never stopping. It was very hot and only sand and sand and sand could be seen all around.

"I'm so thirsty, the camel said, panting.  I'm run out of all the water in my humps and I'm exhausted and my back aches so bad".

He lay down on the sand, sighing. Rebella stood by his side.

"Drink some water from my bottle", she said. "I filled it with water from the spring".

"And how much water is going to be left for you? You must not remain with no water", said the camel.

"You have to drink", said  Rebella. "Don't worry. There's enough water in my bottle for both of us".

The camel drank some water. He whispered:

I don't feel so well. I think I'm getting sick". "

I'll take care of you and cure you", said Rebella."

"But how can you take care of me? You are a girl and I'm a camel!"

"I can take care of you even though I'm a girl. I'm a sister. My mother told me that a nurse is also called sister.  Once I took care of my little brother and my mom said: Rebella, you are a real sister. Come , drink this medicine. It looks like a bag of grape juice with a straw , but it really is a medicine for camels".

The camel drank some medicine with the straw and immediately recovered and became strong again.

"I'm Ok now", he said. "You can climb on me. I'll bring you to your mom. Where does she live?"

In the new houses, on the fifth floor", said Rebella."

I know where it is", said the camel. "

Before sunset the camel arrived with Rebella at the new houses.

"OK, here we are", said the camel. Rebella came off him. Both of them just stood there and didn't say anything.

And where will you go?" Asked Rebella."

I'll go back to my man, I have  no choice", said the camel. "

"No, don't go back to him!" Said Rebella. "Come with me to my home and stay with me. You can live in my room".   

The camel smiled: "To live with you?  How can it be? I'm so huge. Where can you have room for me in your home?"

"I know", said Rebella. "I'll turn you into a tiny camel".

"But how? How can you make me tiny?"

Rebella took off her hair  rubber band and said:

"This looks like a hair rubber band,  but it really is  a camel-little-maker. When I squash it with my finger you'll become littler and littler and I'll put you in my pocket and take you home with me. But when my mother sees you don't move. I don't want her to know that you are a real camel. I want her to think that you are just a toy camel".

"OK", said the camel.

Rebella squashed the camel-little-maker. The camel became smaller and smaller and smaller until he was tiny and Rebella put him in her pocket. 

Rebella didn't want her mom and dad to know that she ran away. She closed her eyes very tight and wanted with all her might that they'd  forget that she ran away. And that's what happened. They completely forgot it.

And since then the camel lived with Rebella in her room. Every time her mother's new boy-friend came with his annoying children she was going out with the camel to the street and was making him big again with the camel-little-maker that was also a camel-big-maker. She was riding on him and he was taking her to all kinds of beautiful places. And when her mother's new boyfriend and his annoying children were gone she was making the camel tiny again and was going  back home with him. And the same  was when she had to go to her dad and meet his new girl-friend and her annoying children.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Loss and Bereavment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Author's Note

I'll welcome comments about language, grammar and style, appropriate age level,the impact on children and adults, would it interest children and adults who have not experienced divorce?

Reviews

[Dwayne J. Keeves]

I'm encouraged to say, I'm not really sure if it would interest those in that area but, for those of us who have felt the impact, it does target us. In my writings, I try to keep in mind not every piece will grab the whole world. Although we try. I enjoyed this piece.

[Tbear]

I found the story endearing. A perfect blend of fantasy and wishing for escape. This would be lovely with illustrations.. needs very little in the tidying up.. Thank you for addressing the issue of divorce in such a sweet tone.. write on..