Little Snap Dari with a Big Heart

 Little Snap Dari with a Big Heart                      

    I hear the wind whistling in my ears and see the sun reflecting in my body, but then I find myself in the dust. Sneezing and coughing, I raise my head; there are trees around.

"Forest," is my thought," I've been lost here."

A bicyclist passes me, then one more. Where is Sue?

 “Hello! Hello!" I scream, but my voice is not loud. Everything around me is big: trees, bushes, plants, and mushrooms! It's so good to be big!

 I am Snap Dari and have always been a part of Sue's jean jacket, the single snap at the top, but I don't belong there anymore. Where is Sue? She has been riding her bicycle! How could my friend leave me here alone in the dust? I don't believe Sue has left me; perhaps she has lost me!

 One more bicyclist appears, and I lose her from my vision. Perhaps this is Sue, and she is looking for me?

Dari rubs her eyes with her fingers and tries to look through them as binoculars. She turns to the right and screams, "Sue-e-e!! Sue-e-e!"

The echo repeats the name. Dari turns to the left and screams again.

 Crow appears on the tree and asks, "Why are you yelling here? Have you lost your way? If not, why are you so loud? It's not a forest, just bushes and trees in the park".

" I have not lost my way. Somebody has dropped me," Dari says.

"Where are you?" Crow looks around and says, "I don’t see you."

She leaves the tree, lands on the road, and looks again.

"Here, I am just in front of your nose, Crow."

“ Not Crow, but Miss Crow, please."

" Sorry, Miss Crow, you have just stepped on me. I am Snap Dari. Nice to meet you!"

"Oh, Goodness, this shiny thing is you, Snap Dari?"

" Yes, Miss Crow. I am shiny because Sue always cleans me until I glitter. Can you, please, help me from the road?"

" Yes, I can pick you up from this dust, dear." Crow sneezes.

"Yes, please; thank you, Miss Crow."

Crow makes a silly face and picks Dari up from the road, "Ha! Perhaps Magpie Ruth can tell me what you are. She is a master at finding shiny little objects.”

Crow puts Dari on the grass. She shrugs her wings and says," No wonder somebody has left you. You are ugly, tiny, and useless!"

Dari cries, and her tears make two streams on her dusty face.

"Oops, you have never washed yourself, Dari! Your face is the same color as the road!" laughs Crow.

  Dari wipes her tears and says," Miss Crow! You are bigger than I am. You should protect those who are small and weak, but you are rude and angry!"

 Crow changes her loud voice to quiet and says, "I have no parents, Dari. I was small when a big bird came and took them and my three siblings. Since then, I have been scared and angry with everyone."

 "That's not a good feeling, Miss Crow. I am not big and cannot do any harm to you! " Dari says," Somebody with a big heart must fill your heart with happiness. Many creatures have big hearts; some don't have them!"

 Crow raises her wings and closes her eyes in surprise," My Lord! How can they live without a heart?"

"I apologize, Miss Crow, for embarrassing you. I've heard from Sue that people say about not having a heart when someone does not feel somebody else's pain."

"And that someone is rude and bad-mannered like me, Dari?" Crow continued.

Dari thinks and answers, "Something like that, Miss Crow."

"I am not happy being rude. I want to change and feel someone's pain, Dari!" says Crow quietly.

Her eyes fill with tears. Tiny Dari jumps to hug Crow and falls into the dust. She jumps again until she gets to Crow's neck and hugs her so hard that Crow screams," I feel your heart, Dari. It is beating fast!"

Tears roll down Crow's face, and she and Dari enjoy the hug. Dari cries, too, as she misses her friend Sue, and Crow's words touch her. Then she wipes tears from Crow's face," I've promised you my story about Sue. Would you like to hear it, Miss Crow?"

" Sure, I would, but please, hug me again. It is so sweet. I have never been hugged, never," and Crow cries again, loudly and bitterly.

  Dari squeezes Crow in a big hug and stays quiet for a while.

 Having enjoyed the first hug in her life, Crow says," Thank you, Dari. You are small, but your heart is big. Is there enough space for it inside you?"

"Miss Crow, you feel my heart not because it is big but because it feels happy when everyone is happy and sad when someone is sad. The heart is big when it feels somebody's pain and joy!"

 Crow comes up to Dari, puts her head on Dari’s chest, and listens to her heart. She hugs her, and both stand together. Then, happy, burst out laughing.

 Dari tells Crow how she saves Sue from the cold, snapping her jean jacket.

Crow says," I don't have snaps or buttons on my body and cannot imagine somebody has."

 Dari explains to Crow that animals and birds don't wear clothes; in winter, they stay warm because of their fur and feathers. People have to put on clothing to protect themselves. They wear jumpers, hats, and coats with snaps and buttons to close and open. Sadly, they break, fall to the ground, and get lost.

" Like myself! Look, Miss Crow!" says Dari.

She stands straight and looks strange with some torn fabric around her body. Crow looks at her with a misunderstanding.

Dari catches Crow's look and explains," I am just a snap without clothing, but together, we are important; we open and close pants, coats, jackets, purses, bags, and even space suits.

"Wow!" Crow exclaims. “You are so tiny but very important and do many useful jobs. You are great, Dari, and you have a big heart."

"Hey, Miss Crow, do you want to see how I work? I can snap myself to your feathers to show what I am and what job I do?"

Without waiting for Crow’s answer, Dari jumps and snaps to one of Crow's feathers.

"Ticklish, ticklish!" giggles Crow. She bends to look at Dari and says, "What a shiny brooch I have. Beau-ti-ful! Don't unsnap yourself, Dari. My feathers are your home now. You will be warm and cozy here and feel my heart growing; I wish it very much. And, please, call me Crow. We are friends now, aren't we, Dari?"

 Dari agrees and accepts friendship.

 Since that summer day, Dari and Crow became friends, and Dari lived in a warm home in Crow's feathers. Crow polished Dari and listened to her stories. Relaxing in a cozy place, different thoughts came into Dari’s head, but one day, something she had dreamed about happened unexpectedly.

 When flying over the stadium, Dari and Crow heard loud voices. Crow landed on the fence, and Dari recognized the City Running Championship. Sue's friend Vas was the city champion last year but wanted to improve his record.

 The day was warm but windy. The starter waved the flag, and the participants ran. Vas was ahead of the others. Dari saw him running, and she heard the sound of a broken snap. His jacket opened and flapped in the wind.

" Oops! Crow, we have to help!" Dari screamed.

 Crow flew closer, and Dari jumped on Vas' jacket, and snapped. Vas continued his competition and crossed the Finish line first.

 Dari asked him about Sue. She grew up and went to a college in a big city.

"I am sure Dari has a new jean jacket, and she still polishes the snap. She has taught me how to grow my heart big and find a friend." Dari said.

   Once, Crow reminded Dari about Sue talking with the mirror, "I always wanted to ask you about it, Dari? Was the mirror magic?"

 "Dear Сrow, I liked to listen to Sue talk with the mirror. It was not magic. Sue was happy and wanted to share her happiness with someone, so she looked at her reflection in the mirror and talked with it as her friend."

"What if she was not happy?" Crow asked.

"Then, she needed a hug," Dari smiled.

"I know, I know," Crow said.

   Crow noticed tears in Dari's eyes when she talked about Sue.

 She hugged Dari, "Don't cry, Dari. I will be your good friend; now I am learning how."

Their conversation was interrupted by something falling from the sky. Crow and Dari saw a bird on the ground and rushed to it. It was an eagle, and his wing was broken. Crow scared big birds, so she slowed down and looked at Dari.

  Dari smiled and waved her hand, "Come on, Crow, he needs us."

  Crow overcame her fear and approached the eagle. The friends built a shelter above the bird's head, and Crow picked up water drops for him from leaves and flowers. Filly, the eagle, recovered and believed such small creatures could be helpful. Crow proudly said they were not big, but their hearts were.

"Thank you for teaching me big hearts can live in small bodies," said Filly, flying into the sky.

Crow cried and said, “ I feel Filly’s happiness. I felt his pain too and wanted to help him be healthy again. Is my heart growing, Dari?”

Dari listened to Crow’s heart,” It is growing!” she whispered.

    Autumn came. Dari and Crow enjoyed life.

   Once, sitting on the pole, they saw young girls models prepare for their "Street Fashion Show" in the town park. The girls wore stylish dresses, shoes, and hats. When one of the girls was fixing the lace, the wind grabbed the hat and blew it high. The girl screamed; she had to open the show. Dari and Crow knew what they had to do. They soared into the sky, caught the hat, rushed to the girl, and Dari snapped together the torn pieces of the lace.

 The show opened on time to great success. Crow watched it from the pole; she saw Dari and was proud of her.

  When they got home, Dari gave Crow a tiny piece of a mirror. She picked it up in town. Crow was happy with the gift and made faces before that magic thing.

  As soon as Dari fell asleep in Crow’s feathers, Crow looked into the mirror and said," I am happy now and want to share my happiness with you, mirror. Me friend Dari is tiny but has a big heart. She has taught me how I can have a big heart, too. Now my heart feels somebody's happiness or sorrow, and I know my heart has grown big."

Crow carefully kissed Dari.

 Dari heard those words and was very proud of Crow.