Story 28: Reza Shadey and the Most Precious Thing
Snuggle down, little sleepyheads. Let's hear about Reza Shadey and his search for something super, mega, unbelievably precious!
One sunny morning, Reza Shadey felt extra important. He puffed out his chest and strutted around the garden like a fluffy king. "Penelope", he instructed, "your whiskers are looking frightfully untidy! Give them a good brush!" To Ginger Tom, he declared, "Good heavens, Ginger Tom, your tail is attracting balls of fluff! Wave it about a bit faster!" And to little Tiger, "Kittens should be seen and not heard, especially when important grown-up cats are having very important thoughts!"
But secretly, deep down, Reza wanted something amazing, something shiny and sparkly and utterly, completely precious, so everyone would know he was the most important cat of all. "Yes!" he thought, twirling his tail. "I need the most precious thing in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD!"
He spotted Tiger chasing a butterfly. "Tiger! Come here at once!" he called. When Tiger bounced over, a little dizzy from chasing, Reza said, "Right, you! Go and find the most precious thing in the entire garden! Off you pop!"
Tiger tilted his head, his ears wiggling. "The most precious thing? Like... a really yummy sausage?" he asked hopefully.
Reza rolled his eyes. "Goodness, no! Not food! Something much, much better and more valuable than a silly old sausage!"
So, off went Tiger, bounding through the bushes and sniffing under the flowers. He searched and searched. After a long, long time, he came bouncing back, dragging something big and golden. "Look, Reza! I found it! The most precious thing!" he panted, presenting a big, cheerful cob of sweetcorn.
Reza stared at the corn. "Corn?!" he huffed, utterly unimpressed. "That's not precious! That's just... food for the birds! Honestly, Tiger, try harder!"
Tiger looked a little sad. "But... food is important", he mumbled. "It helps everyone grow big and strong. Isn't that... precious?"
Reza wasn't listening. He gave his tail a haughty flick, and — PLOP! — the big, golden cob of sweetcorn tumbled right into Mrs Higgins' pond with a splash!
Penelope and Ginger Tom, who had come to see what was happening, gasped. "Oh, Reza, that was a bit mean!" said Penelope.
But Reza just shrugged. "Humph! If that ridiculously unspectacular corn is so precious, the pond can jolly well keep it!" In his annoyance, he swatted his paw at the air, and his shiny collar bell jingled loudly — JINGLE JINGLE! — then, oh dear, it slipped right off his collar and fell — PLINK! — into the pond with the corn!
The other cats stared, their eyes wide. "Reza! Your bell!" cried Penelope.
Reza pretended he didn't care. "Fine! Let the pond keep my bell too! See if I care!" He turned his back on the pond and his friends, trying to look very important, but mostly just looking a bit sulky.
Penelope and Ginger Tom and Tiger shook their heads. "He's being a bit silly", whispered Ginger Tom. They walked away, leaving Reza all alone by the pond.
Days passed. Reza sat by himself. He watched his friends playing their games, chasing butterflies, and telling funny stories. He missed them terribly. He missed Penelope's clever tales, Ginger Tom's bouncy games, and Tiger's cheerful "Boing!" when he pounced.
One day, Mrs Higgins' lovely nephew came to visit and decided to clean out the pond. Splash! Splosh! He scooped out the water and the soggy leaves, and suddenly, something shiny tumbled out! CLINK! It was Reza's lost bell!
Mrs Higgins picked it up, wiped it clean, and clipped it back onto Reza's collar. It jingled merrily — JINGLE JINGLE!
Reza felt a tiny bit better, but his heart still felt a little empty without his friends. Just then, he saw Tiger down by the cleaned-out pond. Tiger was batting at something on the muddy bottom. He gave a little pull and carefully lifted out... the soggy, wet, but still golden, cob of sweetcorn!
"Look, Reza!" Tiger chirped, his eyes bright. "I found it! The precious corn!" He dropped the wet corn proudly at Reza's paws.
Reza looked at the soggy corn, then at Tiger's happy, whiskery face. He remembered how Tiger had tried so hard to find something special for him, even if it wasn't what Reza expected. Just then, Penelope came over with a half-eaten biscuit to share, and Ginger Tom nudged a perfect crinkly leaf towards Reza for a game.
"We missed you, Rezzi", said Penelope softly.
Reza's heart felt warm and full, like a sunbeam on a soft cushion. "I missed you too", he whispered, his voice a little wobbly. He looked at his friends, then back at the soggy corn and his jingling bell. "I think... I think I was wrong", he said. "The most precious thing isn't something gold or shiny. It's... it's having friends like you, who care about me, even when I'm being a bit of a bossy boots."
From that day on, Reza tried his very best to be a kinder, less bossy friend. And he, Penelope, Ginger Tom, and Tiger played happily together in the garden, proving that friendship truly is the most precious thing of all.
Night night. Sleep tight.