Little Wooden People - Entertainment - http://maxpages.com/magictreehouse/The_Wooden

"The Wooden People"

The Wemmicks were small wooden people. Each of
the small wooden people were carved by a woodworker
named Eli. His workshop sat on a hill overlooking
the village.

Every Wemmick was differant. Some had big noses,
others had large eyes, some were very tall, and
others were short. Some wore hats, others wore
coats, but all were made by the same carver and
all lived in the same village.

And all day, everyday, the Wemmicks did the same
thing: They gave each other stickers. Each Wemmick
had a box of golden star stickers and a box of gray
dot stickers. Up and down the streets, all over
the city, people could be seen sticking stars or
dots on one another.

The pretty ones, those with smooth wood and fine
paint, always got stars, but if the wood was rough
or the paint was chipped, the wemmicks gave dots.
The talented ones got stars, too. Some could lift
big sticks far above their head and others could
jump over big boxes. Still others knew big words
or could sing very pretty songs. Everyone gave
them stars.

Some Wemmicks had stars all over them. Every time
they got a star it made them feel so good they did
something else and got another star.

Others, though, could do little. They got dots.

Punchinello was one of these. He tried to jump high
like he others but always fell. And when he fell,
the others would gather around him and give him dots.

Sometimes when he fell, it would scar his wood, so
the people would give him more dots.

He would try to explain why he fell and say something silly, and the Wemmicks would give him more dots.

After a while he had so many dots that he did not
want to go outside. He was afraid he would do
something dumb such as forget his hat, or step in
some water and people would give him more dots. In
fact, he had so many gray dots, some people would
come up to him and give him more dots for no reason.

"He deserves lots of dots," the wooden people would
agree with each other.

"He's not a good Wooden person."

After a while, Punchinello beleived them. "I'm not
a good Wemmick," he would say.

The few times he went outside, he hung around other
Wemmicks with lots of dots. He felt better
around them.

One day he met a Wemmick who was unlike any he'd
ever met. She had no stars or dots. She was
just wooden. Her name was Lucia.

"I didn't mean to, Eli. I really tried hard."

"Oh, you don't have to defend yourself to me,
child. I don't care what the other wemmicks think."

"You don't?"

"No. You shouldn't either. Who are they to give
stars or dots? They're Wemmicks just like you.
What they think doesn't matter, Punchinello. All
that matters is what I think. And I think you are
pretty special."

Punchinello laughed. "Me, special? Why? I can't
walk fast. I can't jump. My paint is peeling.
Why do I matter to you?"

Eli looked at Punchinello, put his hands on those
small woddedn shoulders, and spoke very slowly.
"Because you're mine. That's why you matter to me."

Punchinello had never had anyone look at him like
this-much less his maker.
He didn't know what to say.

"Everyday I've been hoping you'de come," Eli
explained.

"I came because I met someone who had no marks."

"I know. She told me about you. Why don't the
stickers stay on her?"

"Because she has decided that what I think is more
important that what they think. The stickers only
stick if you let them."

"What?"

"The stickers only stick if they matter to you.
The more you trust my love, the less you care
about their stickers."

"I'm not sure I understand."

"You will, but it will take time. You've got a lot
of marks. For now, just come see me every day and
let me remind you how much I care."

Eli lifted Punchinello off the bench and set him
on the ground.

"Remember," Eli said as the Wemmick walked out the
door. "You are special because I made you. And I
don't make mistakes."

Punchinello didn't stop, but in his heart he
thought, "I think he really means it." And when
he did, a dot fell to the ground.

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Page Updated Sun Jan 31, 1999 9:51pm EST