The Enchanted Forest of Dreams Come True

September 9, 2022 Homepage Story, Kid's Stories, Story Seeds, Young Authors

Written by Jasoni

There was once a girl named Zyma and she was going hitch hiking with her parents. There is also a Bunny named Chocolate also known as Brownie. 

The bunny is lost in the forest and is in need of an owner. Zyma really wants a bunny for her birthday. Zyma’s birthday is in two days and the bunny’s birthday is two days after Zyma’s. They know that because it said on the bunny’s collar.

Myla’s Parents went to the bathroom and it took a long time before they returned. Meanwhile Zyma sat with the bunny and she was all alone. After a long time of waiting for her parents to return… it started to turn dark and she was very worried. 

The bunny ate a piece of lettuce and it had some aura from the trees on it, rumor has it that if you eat something that has the aura on it you will be sick for two days and after two days you will be back to normal. Myla thought it was poisoning and now she is worried about two things!

Eventually her parents end up coming back. Zyma is HAPPY and FURIOUS and asks her parents where they have been? They said that when they came from the bathroom they could not remember the way back and that they were “lost.” 

Zyma didn’t believe a word they said. She ran to the car with the bunny with anger, when she got into the car she found a note saying, “We have to abandon our daughter because we don’t have enough money to take care of her.”

Zyma started to SCREAM and CRY in a lot of anger and frustration. The bunny seemed to calm her down and took all her pain away. 

Her Parents came into the car and started driving back. They didn’t say anything because they know Zyma won’t believe or answer them. 

When they got home Zyma asked her parents why they were going to abandon her. They acted like they didn’t know what she was talking about but they eventually admitted they did. They said EXACTLY what the note said. They found a box for the bunny and they all went to bed. 

The next morning when Zyma went to school, her parents went to buy supplies for the bunny.

A few years later. 

Zyma is now 16 and she decided to help her parents become more independent by becoming an entrepreneur by making her own business. She makes enough money to go to college. Zyma’s Parents are now really proud of her for all her hard work. Another one of her dreams was to help out her parents and community, so that dream came true… and that’s why they called it the ‘Enchanted Forest Of Dreams Come True.’

The End

Growing Our Voices, Shaping Our Stories

April 13, 2022 Events, Space Blog, Story Seeds, Workshop

On March 28, Story Planet partnered with Thorncliffe Park Urban Farmers (Facebook, Instagram) for a writing workshop with Pushcart Prize nominated local writer, Nadia Shahbaz!

Here are what some of the students of Marc Garneau said:

“I went deep and wrote about my ancestral roots which I wasn’t expecting.”

“I thought I didn’t have anything to write about but then I put my pen to paper and realized I did.”

By the end of the workshop, participants had a collection of story ideas and early drafts. Keep an eye out for their stories in “More Than a Garden,” a book on community, nature, rootedness, and interconnection—and watch this space for more events coming soon!

Growing Our Voices, Shaping Our Stories with Thorncliffe Park Urban Farmers and Nadia Shahbaz

The terrible thing that I saw downtown

November 24, 2021 Homepage Story, Kid's Stories, Space Blog, Story Seeds

By Angelina, Grade 5 | Submitted on November 20, 2021

Trigger Warning (TW): homelessness, child abuse

Today, my dad, mom, sister and I all went to pick up my sister’s new desk and for a Downtown tour. We went past many clothing stores and restaurants. We saw mostly Chinese, Korean and Japanese restaurants. I also saw other homeless adults. We ate lunch at a Chinese restaurant at 12:10. We had delicious Congee!

After we finished our lunch, we went to drive past the CN Tower. My sister kept on complaining about why she can’t go up the CN Tower. We told her that going up the CN Tower was expensive. We could probably go next month. But not this month. 

On our way back home, I saw something really terrible that made me have a funny, weird feeling in my stomach. It wasn’t what I ate though. Here is what I saw. I saw a homeless child in a pile of old clothes and blankets. There was an old man with a boom in his hand. I didn’t hear what they were saying but I saw that the old man was making the child feel unsafe, uncomfortable and disturbed. The child threw a rock at the old man, and this is what made me have butterflies in the stomach. The old man started to slap the child with the broom. This happened when we were approaching Dundas. On Spadina Ave. I wanted to help, but there was nothing I could do about it yet. I’m only 9. That made me think about the other children out in the streets, homeless, and being bullied by other people. My mother told me a bit about what that man’s life might have been like.

Still, when I grow up, I would want to help the kids with that life. I hope that the world will grow friendlier and more people will help homeless people. Let’s do something about this. Be kind and respectful to people around you. Let’s work together to make this planet a famous and wonderful world!

To learn more about child homelessness and child abuse:
1. Homeless Hub (https://www.homelesshub.ca/about-homelessness/population-specific/youth)
2. Youth Without Shelter (https://yws.on.ca/who-we-are/youth-homelessness/)
3. Child Abuse (https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/cj-jp/fv-vf/ca-me.html)
4. Child Maltreatment (https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/health-promotion/stop-family-violence/prevention-resource-centre/children/child-maltreatment-canada.html)
For youth seeking support (self-guided tools, crisis support, or community resource database):
Kids Help Phone (https://kidshelpphone.ca/)

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