My friend told me the story
And I'll pass it on to you
It was handed down this century
And I swear that it is true.

-"Storyteller" by Ray Davies

"OK, class!" said Mrs. Anderson. "Playtime is over! Please clean up and go sit on the circle mat!"

The 25 kindergarteners all quickly cleaned up their play-stations and found their spot on the mat. Dalia sat in between Annie and Timothy.

"So, what comes next, class?"

"Storytime!" they chorused.

"Right! We want to make a change to storytime, though. Soon, you guys are going to get to tell a story, one of you each day. We want to get to know you, so pick a story that you think represents you. Do we have someone who wants to go first?"

Bella's hand shot up. "I would love to go!" she exclaimed.

"Great! Would you be ready to go tomorrow?"

"I think so."

"Very nice. We can't wait to hear your story, Bella!"

Bella lived in a little house in the Jewish quarter of District 12. Well, quarter might be a bit of a misnomer. There were only about 40 Jewish families there, who moved in after the Mockingjay Rebellion from the larger Jewish community that had been camouflaged by the wheat fields of District 9 during the Hunger Games era. The Jews were good Panemians – they tried their best to blend in with their non-Jewish counterparts on the outside while observing their customs on the inside. For the most part, they married within their religion, though children who intermarried were encouraged to bring their spouses into the folds.

Bella was the product of one of these intermarriages. Her Jewish mother, who was much more strong-willed than her father, convinced the latter to convert to Judaism, and soon after, Bella was born. She was given a Hebrew name, Batya Liel, to go with her English name, Bella Lilli.

The plan from birth was for Bella to attend the small Jewish private school run and taught at by other members of the Jewish community. However, a flaw in the plan presented itself 3 years later, when the girl picked up a book and read it out loud to her mother. Her parents realized that Bella wouldn't be able to get nearly as good of an education at the private school as she would at the district school. So, when it came time for Bella to start Kindergarten, they chose instead to send her to the public school, something that many Jewish families didn't choose to do. The fact that Bella had a religion made her different from her classmates. But Bella liked being different.

When she got to the meeting place, Bella took her mother's hand as usual. It was a bit of a walk from the meeting place to her house, but Bella didn't mind, especially because her mother was always there to protect her.

"So, how was your day, darling?"

"It was good! I need your help, Mommy."

"What do you need?" asked her mother.

"I need a good story."

"Why?"

"Mrs. Anderson is having us tell stories during storytime for the next few weeks. She asked if anybody wanted to go first, and I said I would, but then I realized that I don't know any stories really."

"I'm sure you know a good story, honey. Did she say what she wants it to be about?"

"Something about ME."

"So why not tell a story about a Jewish holiday? Like Purim?"

"Purim? But it's September. Purim isn't until March or April this year."

"But it's a good story, and much less violent than the story of Hanukkah."

"OK. So how do I tell it?"

"Don't you remember the story? You've heard it so many times." Bella's mom pulled out her key, and unlocked the door to the house. it was getting a bit small for the family, especially with a sixth member on the way, but they were going to make it work. "Here," she said, pulling a book from the shelf. "This is a book about the story of Purim. Why don't you bring it in to school so that you can read from it?"

"Sure!" exclaimed Bella.

"Do you want to practice now for me?"

"OK!" Bella picked up the book and opened it to the first page.

"Once upon a time…"

Bella was bubbling with excited as she came to school, Purim book in tow. She knew it pretty much back to front, and she was really excited to tell it to her friends. She figured that there wasn't much that descried her more than being Jewish, and so she had to tell a story from her heritage.

When she got to school, Bella hung her backpack on a hook and carefully placed the book in her cubby. She waited patiently all day, but come storytime, she was as ready as she could be to tell her story. Bella sat in Mrs. Anderson's storytelling chair and opened the book. She took a deep breath, and began.

"Once upon a time, in a faraway kingdom called Shushan, there lived a young woman named Hadassah. She lived with her uncle Mordechai, who always called her Dassy. Mordechai and Dassy were both Jewish.

"The king of Shushan was named Achashverosh. He was powerful, but lonely, because he wanted a wife. He decided to search far and wide across the kingdom for a new woman. One day, his messengers came upon Dassy. They knew that she was the right person to be the queen.

"Before she left, Mordechai gave his niece a very important set of instructions. He told her, 'Dassy, when the king asks you for your name, you need to say that it is Esther. Also, don't tell the king that you are Jewish, or it could put you, me, and all of the Jews in Shushan in danger.

"So Dassy, now called Esther, moved into the palace with the help of her uncle. While Mordechai was on the way back, he ran into Haman, the king's second-in-command, who commanded that Mordechai bow down to him. Mordechai said no, because he only bowed down to the Jewish God. Haman got really mad, because he hated it when someone didn't listen to him or bow down to him.

"Haman went to the Achashverosh and said, 'King Achashverosh, I need your help! There are people in the kingdom who are different from the rest of us, and they don't listen to what I say. I'm concerned that they will cause problems in the kingdom!'

"Achashverosh replied, 'You can do whatever you need to do to get rid of those people.'

"Haman went back to his house and wrote an order that all Jews in the kingdom must leave on the 15th of Adar."

Annie raised her hand. "What's adar?"

"It's a Jewish month, that usually falls between February and March or so." Bella looked back down at the page and continued with the story.

"When Mordechai heard about Haman's decree, he became very sad, because he didn't want to leave his home. He went to the palace and asked for Esther, who invited him up to her suite. 'Esther, Haman has decreed that all of the Jews in the kingdom have to leave! You have to go to the king and ask him to help us. It is our only hope!'

"Esther was worried, because she knew that she could only see the king if he asked her to come, and if she came without her permission, she would be killed. But she knew that she was the last hope for her people. So she spent three days waiting and preparing herself.

"The day came to go to the king. Esther got dressed up in her prettiest dress, and went to see the king. When she got there, the king extended his golden scepter, which meant that she was safe. Esther said to the king, 'I have a small request for you, King Achashverosh. I wish to invite you and Haman to a banquet tomorrow night.' Achashverosh was always happy to eat, and so he accepted her offer.

"The next night, after they had eaten, Achashverosh said, 'Is there anything else that you wish, my queen? Anything, up to half the kingdom, shall be yours. Just ask!'

"Esther took a deep breath. 'Achashverosh, there is a man in the kingdom who wishes to get rid of me and all of my people. If he is not stopped soon, I and my family, and all of my friends, will have to leave, just because we are all Jewish.'

"Achashverosh was shocked. 'Who would do such a thing to my queen?' he exclaimed.

"Esther pointed to the third person at the banquet. 'It is Haman!' Achashverosh was so mad that he kicked Haman out of the kingdom, and put Mordechai in his place. Esther now didn't have to hide her real name or identity – she could truly be herself.

"The End."