1 – Blankie (Narrated By: Sky, a.k.a. Jewel)

The happy chirping of birds gave me the courage to show my face to others, for was shy. I felt that all the animals of the forest looked at me because I had beauty, no brains. Though all the embarrassments I had gone through were all totally humiliating, there was only one bird who gave the courage to me. She is my best friend.

"Sky, knock-knock." she would usually say in the morning in order to wake me up. I would just simply hide under my blankie. "I know you're in there."

If I hear her opening the door, I would squeeze myself out of the window.

"BOO!"

"Sky, I always knew you would sneak up on me."

"You told me once that you like being surprised, Cina."

"Okay, you need a little more practice on surprising someone. Come, let's have breakfast!"

"But, I haven't brushed my feathers yet."

Cina pulled me to her tree house, which had been newly decorated.

"Your tree house is beautiful." I wandered inside.

"It just needs some flowers." Cina replied. "Could you help me find some?"

"I told you, I haven't brushed my feathers."

She laughed as she took a brush.

"I'll do it." I said as I took it.

"No, I'll do it."

"But – but…"

"Sky, we're best friends. Brushing each other's feathers is synonymous to bonding."

Cina brushed my feathers gently.

"I thought we were in a hurry?"

"Well, I don't want your beautiful skin to be scratched."

"You're calling me beautiful?"

Cina handed me a mirror. I looked into it and I saw some changes in me. My feathers were brighter than ever.

"You have to appreciate yourself. You're lucky to have such a beautiful face."

"But, I am still… the most humiliated creature in the forest."

"How would they recognize you? And why would they laugh at you? All I know is that all those boys who once made fun of you might fall to your feet the moment they see you."

"I don't expect that someone would fall in love with me. I'm a virgin."

"Come on, admit it. Deep inside your heart, I know you're lonely and you want somebody to love you."

"Cina, you're my best friend, my sister. With you, I never feel lonely."

I quickly got something to cover me. Cina suddenly snatched it.

"You're not going to cover yourself today, Sky."

"Huh? Why?!"

"You should show others your true beauty."

"I think you forgot about breakfast."

Cina looked at the table. The pleasant aroma of cake filled the tree house. I quietly slipped away.

"Sky, come here and let's eat the cake!"

I took my blankie and covered myself. I crept near the edge of the lake to drink some water. As I leaned down to the water, my blankie fell into the lake. Should I just leave it down there, or dive down to get it? I tried to make wise decisions. I thought about diving into the lake; splashing the water, feather-loss, wet blankie, and especially – drowning. I took a step away from the lake. Would I just sit there and wait if my blankie floats? I sat there for maybe 20 minutes, I was so hungry that I lost my mind, I began singing. I didn't felt that a lot of birds were listening to my voice.

"Her voice… it's beautiful!" some whispered.

"I think she's new around here; we have never seen her before." Others murmured.

Cina recognized me by my voice. She flew towards me.

"Sky, where have you been? And how long have you been standing there?"

"20 minutes… I guess. Cina, I'm sorry I ran away from you. I just want to play."

"Where's your blanket?"

"I-it fe-fell into the lake."

"It won't float, Sky. We have to dive in and get it."

I jumped into the water.

"She definitely needs to earn some knowledge."

I took my blankie and went back to the surface to breathe. I looked at Cina, who was 15 feet away from me.

"Sky, you're in the middle of the lake!"

"I can't hear you!"

I felt like something had thrown me into the air. I landed safely in Cina's wings, of course – I was holding my blankie.

"What just happened?" she asked me.

"I don't really know."

"Sky, you have to eat breakfast and after that, I have to train you."

"For what?"

"I am not insulting you but, you have a less-than-average level of common sense."

Cina and I went back to the tree house. She handed me a plate of cake when a lot of boys were crowding at the door. She opened it. Each one of them was holding a flower.

"I'm sorry, I'm not ready to have a boyfriend." Said Cina.

The boys went away.

"Cina, why are they trying to court you?"

"Well, I guess they feel something about me."

"They're so many of them!"

"I know."

"Maybe for them, you look beautiful."

"They should have seen your face."

"What's so special about it?"

"Your face looks like the lost princess, she was really beautiful. But, after her mother left, no one watched her grow. No one knows who she is or where she is right now."

"Sounds like an adventure."

"This isn't a myth, Sky. It's true."

"Wait, the princess in which you are talking about is the princess of what?"

"She was destined to be the princess of all the universes."

"That couldn't be me. I couldn't handle such a big responsibility."

"I am not saying that it is you. The princess has some characteristics of humans; that includes the producing of milk, the structure of reproductive system, the understanding of the human language and the speaking of the human language."

"Strange. I don't really know what we are going to study about. From Culture, it became Science."

Cina sighed.

"Sky, some things aren't scientifically explainable. Just like how you were tossed out of the river."

"It was a lake, Cina."

"Then, it's a lake."

I looked at my blankie. I held and stretched it.

"I wish my blankie would dry up already."

"Why don't you blow it so it could dry faster?"

I blew my blankie. I was completely dry, but soft.

"Sky, how did you do that?"

"I don't know. Maybe it may be some kind of supernatural thingy."

"You have powers?"

I was speechless, not knowing what to answer. I looked at my blankie, which was glittering.