Discover the Magic of 'Miu and the Enchanted Bell’ in Your Collection of Christmas Bedtime Stories. Step into a world of wonder and enchantment with „Miu and the Enchanted Bell,” a delightful addition to your Christmas bedtime stories. This heartwarming tale of adventure, imagination, and the unexpected journeys life can take us on is perfect for sharing the spirit of the holiday season with young readers.
Miu stretched lazily and yawned. Sun rays slowly climbed up the wall, and the sound of a whistling kettle and gently clinking cups came from the kitchen. It was Lu, already making breakfast. She was heating up two drops of spring water in the kettle, into which she would soon drop two wild rose seeds. Miu adored the taste of this tea, a perfect match for the yeast crescents her mother baked. Just right for a good start to the day. Miu hopped out of bed and, as every day, stepped right into a bucket of blocks with her right foot.
Ah yes, her mother had long said to put the toys away, and Miu really wanted to do it, but there were so many impressions during the day and so much to do (feeding tits, blowing soap bubbles, playing snowballs with Lu, making a chain for the Christmas tree, reading fairy tales with mom, breathing fresh air, stroking the cat…), that she forgot about it in the evening. But Lu had everything folded and put in its place.
Miu sighed quietly; she tried so hard but was so scatterbrained, either putting a book in the ribbon cabinet or laying the sheet on the duvet, and sometimes she even put a hat on her foot. Then Miu would sigh deeply, and her mother would smile warmly at her, sit her on her lap, and say that it was okay, that Miu’s rich imagination, sensitive heart, and delightful scatterbrainedness made her utterly unique. And she would sit Lu on her other knee and say that she was unique too, but in a different way, because she could make quick decisions, always kept her promises, and danced beautifully.
Miu took the bucket of blocks to put them away while she still remembered. She glanced out the window and could have sworn that something twinkled in the forest between the spruces! Like a little bell… And she forgot about the bucket, which she dropped, only to run quickly into the kitchen, calling out:
– Lu, Lu! There’s something in the forest! Some small creature with a silver bell!
Lu calmly swallowed a piece of crescent.
– No Lu, quickly, we put on earmuffs, gloves, and run to look for it!
– Who, Miu? – asked her mother, who had just entered the kitchen with a basket full of firewood.
– I don’t actually know… – Miu worried – the owner of the silver, jingling bell.
– And where did you see it – asked Lu – and what did it look like?
– Oh dear… – Miu fidgeted impatiently – don’t ask so many questions, it will run away! Get dressed quickly!
– Miu, darling – her mother said gently – what about breakfast?
Right. It’s very important to eat breakfast, because they give us energy for a whole day of fun and laughter! Miu sat at the table, and her mother gave her a crescent and a cup of wild rose infusion.
– I saw it under the forest, there between the spruces! Something twinkled, it must have been a bell! Maybe someone had it on their cap, or hung around their neck? – she considered quickly, eating her breakfast.
– I think – said Lu – it wasn’t a bell, it was probably the sunbeams reflecting off the snow and that’s where the sparkle came from.
– You know Miu… I think Lu might be right – her mother stroked Miu’s curls – I was under the forest collecting firewood today and I didn’t see any creatures. Today is such beautiful weather, the sun shines so brightly, and the snow sparkles in this light with a billion tiny sparkles, which shine like diamonds, like silvery bells, so it’s easy to see something else. But it’s wonderful Miu, that you can see such small, beautiful things and that you have such a rich imagination.
– Ahh – sighed Miu, finishing her crescent. She was sure it was a bell…, but maybe Lu was right?
– Miu – Lu stood up – let’s go sledding. We’ll slide down Snowball Hill!
Miu clapped her hands happily. Of all the things she liked to do with Lu, sledding was what she wanted to do the most right now. And Snowball Hill was the perfect place for sledding – it was round – just like a ball – not too big, just right for Lu and Miu to climb and safely slide down, not too small so the ride was long enough, and it was right behind their cottage. Lu and Miu quickly put on earmuffs, gloves, and warm boots. They waved to their mother and ran with the sled towards Snowball Hill.
The sledding was fun and joyful. Lu sat in front and steered the sled, while Miu sat behind her, shouting:
– Faster Lu! Faster!
They whizzed down Snowball Hill as swiftly as they ran to the kitchen when mom pulled fragrant, chocolate cupcakes from the oven. Snow puffed up from under the runners like water from a fountain, its flakes settling on their hair and red noses. Sometimes they went so fast that they tumbled out of the sled, landing softly in the snowdrifts. And that’s when the real fun began! Throwing snowballs and falling backwards into the snow, flapping their arms and legs to make snow angels. Then they climbed up Snowball Hill again, only to slide down even faster.
– Lu, now I want to sit in front – Miu said as they climbed, panting, to the top.
– Alright Miu, do you remember how to hold the strings when turning?
– I remember.
In a moment, they were gliding down again. Suddenly, a rabbit dashed quickly in front of the sled. It had such shiny, gray fur that Miu couldn’t take her eyes off it.
– Miu! – Lu shouted – watch out, turn right!
But it was too late. Miu hadn’t noticed a slight rise, turned the wrong way, and instead of gliding straight, the sled veered left, directly into a large snow heap under the spruces. Miu and Lu finally dug themselves out of the snowdrift, looked at each other, and began to laugh loudly. They looked so funny! Lu had a huge snow cap on her head, and only a bit of Miu’s nose peeked out, the rest of her face covered in snow.
– We need to pull out the sled – said Lu, shaking the snow from her hair – you pull one runner, and I’ll pull the other.
In two minutes, the sled was out.
– Do you hear? – Lu asked – There in the bushes… someone’s crying?
– The silver bell! – Miu exclaimed, pointing to a shiny spot among the branches – it’s the owner of the silver bell!
Lu and Miu ran towards the soft sobbing.
– Oh! – Lu whispered, pushing aside a branch – Miu, you were right!
By the holly bush sat a little Elf. He was beautiful! He wore an orange jacket and a striped cap with a long pom-pom, on which sparkled a tiny, silver bell. On his right cheek, the Elf had a dark gray star. He sat with his chin on his knees, crying softly. He didn’t notice the two pairs of wide-open eyes watching him.
– Good day – said Miu softly.
– Hello – whispered Lu.
The Elf raised his head and froze.
– Don’t be scared – Miu crouched down – My name is Miu, and this is Lu. And you, what’s your name? What are you doing here?
– Tuko – the Elf sobbed – I got lost… fell out of a fairy tale!
– From which fairy tale? – asked Lu.
– From a Christmas story for Millie.
– For Millie? – they chorused.
– Yes, for a little girl who loves fairy tales and elves. And I was supposed to be in the Christmas story specially written for Millie. Millie recently keeps saying 'tuko,’ and her mother invented a Christmas story about Elf Tuko, who ice-skated and made toys for children under the Christmas tree and helped Santa Claus. And in this story were also angels bringing good news and reindeers playing basketball. There were sweet gingerbreads and a gray rabbit… And this story was heading straight into Millie’s ear and… and… and I don’t know how it happened that I fell out of it! – Tuko cried out loud.
– Don’t worry – Miu hugged the Elf – we’ll help you find the story for Millie.
– But how? – Tuko sobbed.
– You said there was a gray rabbit in the story? – Lu asked, and Tuko nodded – Just before we crashed here with our sled, a gray rabbit ran this way. Maybe it’s the one from your story?
– It had a pink star on its paw! – Miu remembered.
– That’s him! – Tuko jumped up and smiled, and when he smiled, it got even brighter around, and the silver bell jingled joyfully. – That’s definitely him! Because all the characters in this story have a star on them – Millie really likes stars.
– In that case – said Lu – we must follow the way the rabbit went!
– Yes! – Miu agreed.
Since Tuko, as befits an Elf, had very short legs, Lu and Miu put him on the sled, which they pulled behind them. The tracks of the gray rabbit shone in the snow; they followed them. They passed Snowball Hill and the old mill, and suddenly behind it, they saw a small house that had never been there before. They approached, right up to the little window, Miu and Lu stood on tiptoes, and Tuko sat on Miu’s shoulder. In the room on a rocking chair, a mother was holding a little girl in her arms. Through the slightly opened window, they could hear the woman’s voice. She was telling a story.
– It’s Millie – the excited Elf whispered – and that’s our story!
Millie listened to her mother’s story, smiling softly. Her mother spoke slower and slower, pondering each word.
– Oh! – the Elf said – this is the moment when I appear in the story.
Lu and Miu boosted Tuko up to the window.
– Thank you very much – he said – and then quickly ran to the rocking chair, climbed up the mother’s leg, and hid behind her ear. And Millie’s mother began the story about little Elf Tuko, who ice-skated and helped Santa Claus make toys. Millie smiled broadly and slowly closed her eyes.
Miu and Lu quietly walked away from the house.
– You were right, Miu – Lu said – I’m sorry I didn’t believe you about the silver bell.
– No need to apologize. You know, if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t know how to look for Millie’s story.
– Let’s go home. Since Millie’s having her afternoon nap, it’s a sign that mom’s preparing lunch.
Miu and Lu ran joyfully towards home. During lunch, they both told their mother about the morning’s adventures, and their mother hugged them tightly, proud to have such wonderful daughters.
As evening came, Miu sat by the window. She wondered how she had never seen the house where Millie lived with her mother before. Lu’s cry pulled her from her thoughts:
– Oh! Miu! Your blocks!
Right. The bucket of blocks was in Lu’s bed; Miu must have left it there in the morning when she saw the silver bell between the spruces.
– I’ll take them now, Lu.
Miu looked out the window again and seemed to see that characteristic glow. She slowly closed her eyes…
Miu stretched lazily and yawned. Sun rays slowly climbed up the wall, she heard Lu making her bed.
– Lu! You won’t believe what a wonderful dream I had! – she said, sitting up quickly. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something brightly twinkling above the spruces, and her ears caught a characteristic sound – Do you hear? Like a bell…
Lu shook her head:
– Miu, you didn’t put away your blocks again. – she left the room.
– … and it’s so bright, like a Christmas elf smiling – whispered Miu.
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