Mikey Bedtime Story

    A long time ago, in a rather small village, a young boy lived quietly with his mom and dad. His name was Aaron, a handsome enough name. He loved to read and draw, sketching his surroundings and the outside. He rarely went outside, and when he did, he tried to remain fairly covered.
   
    Aaron was born with a strange feature, a black birthmark the stretched across his right cheek. It embarrassed him; when he looked outside longingly at the other children he never saw any markings on their faces. It made him shy and reclusive. He longed to look like the other children, to be like them, he was afraid that if he showed himself he would be made fun of, perhaps even bullied. His parents tried time and time again to assure him, but he always shrugged and continued a sketch.
   
    One day, Aaron’s mom became ill, and his father told him he would have to fetch a special herb to help her become healthy again. He said the herb wouldn’t be hard to find, and he didn’t want his wife to be alone. Aaron nodded confidently, he had to be brave and face the world to help his mother. He shrouded himself and left. When he reached the point outside the village where his father said the herb would be, his heart sank when the land was barren.
   
    He searched and searched for hours, digging up soil and lifting stones in desperation to see a peak of the bright green herb his father had described. As the sun beat down on him, he threw off his cloak and searched more recklessly until he eventually threw himself onto the dirt and tucked his knees into his chest. His eyes welled up with tears, his mother was sick, in pain, and he was helpless.

    He nearly jumped a foot in the air when a boy came rushing towards him, pointing at his face, a couple others following. He tried to cover himself, hide his hideous mark, but his cloak had been swept away from the wind. When they boy’s all caught up and formed a semi-circle around him, they stood with their mouths open in surprise. Aaron braced himself for an insult, laughter, anything but the silence. The head boy smiled and exclaimed, “That is so cool!” His friends nodded and made sounds of agreement,  a girl from the back spoke up, “It looks like a lizard!”
   
     “Or a turtle!”
     
     “No! A dog!”
   
    They admired the mark, made remarks of slight jealously, even began swiping dirt from the ground and dirtying their cheeks. Aaron smiled the widest he had in a long time, his tears of sadness becoming that of joy. When the laughter died down, he remembered his mission at hand. He described the brilliant green herb to the boys, asking if they knew where it was.
   
     A boy by the name of Kraig jumped forward, saying he knew where a whole garden of them grew. He led the way a bit ahead, down a small hill where a sea of bright green greeted them. Aaron grabbed a handful, in disbelief that he had been so close to the herb the whole time, just as his new friends had been so close, but his fear had blinded him. As he returned home, laughing and getting to know his knew friends, he decided that he would never fear the world in such a way again.