By Barbara Stanny
Once upon a time there was a farmer who lived at the edge of a forest where a horrible monster dwelled. The monster was mean, ugly and threatened to destroy everything. To protect himself, the farmer built walls around his property. But no matter how high the walls the farmer built, or how strong they were, the monster tore them down.
One day the farmer sat at his hearth, poking the embers, trying to spark a flame. He was cold and he was tired.
"My life has become unmanageable," he thought. "All I do is build and rebuild walls. My crops are dying. My wife and children have left. My friends rarely come around, and those who do only complain about the monster. I'm tired of living like this. I can't take it anymore..."
At that very moment, a Fairy Godmother appeared. She introduced herself to the farmer, and offered him a wish.
"I want the monster to go away," the farmer cried immediately.
"I can't make monsters disappear," she told him.
"But I can show you how to do it."
"Anything, I'll do anything," the farmer exclaimed.
"You must go into the woods and find the monster," the Fairy Godmother said. "Then look it in the eye and embrace it."
The farmer was horrified. "I can't do that. It'll kill me."
"It's already killing you." The Fairy Godmother said gently.
The farmer was silent. She was right. He had little to lose. "All right," he said firmly. "I'll do it."
"Know this," the Fairy Godmother said. "You won't be alone." And in an instant, she was gone.
The farmer was frightened but determined. Off he went into the woods. Deeper and deeper he traveled.
"This is crazy," he thought, pushing back branches. "I've spent my whole life trying to keep the monster away, and now I'm going looking for it. How do I know this will work? Why am I taking this risk?"
He was just about to turn back when he heard a fierce growl, felt the earth tremble, and there miles above him, loomed the most hideous creature he had ever seen. The farmer stood frozen. He wanted to run back to his walls, back to the safety of his cold, lonely cabin. But something kept him there, and he knew what it was. His pain had gotten worse than his fear.
So he looked up, right into the monster's eyes, and something amazing happened. The monster starting shrinking. Smaller and smaller it grew until it was no bigger than he was. Then the farmer went over and touched it, cautiously.
"Embrace it," he heard the words echo from a distance.
The farmer took a deep breath and put his arms around the monster's neck, tentatively at first, then more willingly. And to his surprise, the monster became so tiny it could fit in the palm of his hand. He scooped it up and stared at it. It was no longer a threat. But the farmer had a sudden thought. What if it grows back?
Again, he heard the reassuring voice. "When you learn to face what makes you fearful, it need never control you again."
At last, the farmer was free, and all the energy he had put into building walls was his for building a new life. His shoulders grew straighter. A smile cracked his face. "I had this power all along," he realized in amazement. "Imagine what's possible now!"
And the voice whispered back, "Believe me, this is only the beginning..."
