I Wish I Could Touch a Star - Ulises Alvarado

Once upon a time a tall maple tree lived on a hill near a winding creek.

Attached to its highest branch lived Twinkle, a leaf who loved the warmth of the sun, the view of the forest on the rolling hills, the sound of the bell from a  nearby church, and the blue ocean in the distance.


The leaf was named Twinkle by a neighbor, a mocking bird who enjoyed catching the twinkling reflection of the sun’s rays as they reflected from the leaf as it shook in the wind.

Every morning, the bird would perch near Twinkle’s branch, greet the little leaf, sing joyful songs, and chatter gossip about the other birds that stopped at the banks of the creek nearby. Then the bird would fly away, to look for food for the day.

Twinkle grew bigger until she was a fully grown leaf.  The maple tree was fond of leaves like Twinkle who lived in its highest branches because at that height they could collect lots of sunshine. Twinkle felt that the world was a wonderful place: she was part of a great tree, she lived in a beautiful forest, was able to see the winding creek, and had a good friend, Mr. Bird.

There was only one more thing she wanted to make her happiness complete: 
to be like her friend, Mr. Bird, who could fly up near the clouds, covering every corner of the forest.

She would watch with longing the birds chasing each other and performing the most amazing feats in the air, then choosing exactly where they wished to land. To have such freedom! she thought; and here I am, a leaf tied to the same twig on the big old tree.

Her friend, the bird, tried to console her by singing early morning songs. 
“How lucky you are, Twinkle, to be here, so high, away from cats and sneaky snakes who want to devour creatures". But Twinkle still had an aching wish to be able to fly.

During clear nights, the leaf would face the sky and see the innumerable stars. 
If she could fly, she thought, she would be able to go higher and higher until she could touch a star. That’s it, she thought, more than anything I would like to be able to touch a star.

One day, twinkle looked over the forest and noticed that many of the leaves had changed in color, some turning lighter green and others turning yellow, orange and red. 

In a few weeks her own tree and those in the whole forest had borrowed every color in the rainbow and painted a glorious picture. She commented, “What a sight, Mr. Bird! It seems as if the whole forest was waiting until the end of summer, and feeling the cool breezes and longer nights they decided to put on their best clothes and the brightest colors.”

Mister Bird just chuckled and responded: “Should not come as a surprise, Twinkle, this is autumn, that’s why. Take a look at yourself; you too are turning orange and even pink.”

Twinkle looked and saw herself reflected on the dew drops on neighboring leaves and realized that she too was full of color. That evening she noticed that the breeze would make the leaves whisper in a rustling sound, like a shivering song.

She noticed also that her companions were curling up and that they shook more easily when a gust of wind passed through. Shedding a tear, she thought that now she would definitively never be able to fly, let alone to touch a star.

On a blustery day in November a north wind shook Twinkle wildly until she was separated from her twig, and she flew away. Up, up she went above the trees, turning so fast that she felt as if she were riding a whirlwind. On the ground, she tumbled and rolled, delighted in the feeling of freedom. Then up again she would go, like a kite flying in the autumn wind.

“I’m flying, I’m flying,” she shouted happily as she joined dozens of other leaves in a flying dance. As she was falling she got caught in something that was traveling fast and making a galloping sound. Then she realized that she had landed on the mane of a fast-running horse. This was a thrill for Twinkle, not only to fly but also be able to ride on a horse, to live through so many new adventures.

Later, a gust of wind freed Twinkle away, lifting her and setting her in free-flight again, coming to rest on the sand at the bank of the forest creek. She slept peacefully with the lulling sound of the water as it flowed over the rounded rocks in the creek.

The next morning she awoke to a rainy day and noticed that pools had formed on the muddy banks of the creek. The creek grew wider as it swelled from the rain falling on the hills. The water came closer until it covered Twinkle and set her floating on the surface of the creek. How cool the water felt! How exiting to move to and fro up and down!

Twinkle was excited as she pretended she was a fast boat racing with the other floating leaves. Sometimes she would get caught on a fallen branch or a rock, but eventually she would be set free by the stream, to float farther downstream.

Eventually the creek flowed smoothly into a larger river that kept getting wider and wider. The water began to taste a little salty, and Twinkle noticed the waves were getting higher. When she saw some fishermen’s boats she realized that she was floating away riding on the waves of the powerful ocean.

The waves became so tall and strong that Twinkle began tumbling and turning, diving briefly under the surface, then re-emerging. Suddenly there was a gigantic wave—or so it appeared to Twinkle—and she was forced underwater falling in the tranquil depths of the ocean. There were many fish around her and she became friendly with a strange-looking sea-bottom fish that had five tentacles and called itself Starfish.

The sandy bottom of the sea was peaceful and quiet on that memorable Thanksgiving Day. Twinkle reviewed her life and was grateful for her life on the maple tree, her friends, Mr. Bird the exhilarating flight, horse-back ride and water voyage, and reaching Starfish.

She closed her eyes and, holding the starfish, she fell in the deepest sleep, there in that vast ocean, a fantastic corner of the galaxy where she had been able to fulfill her dream at last. She had touched a star!

Notes on the Celebration of Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day, one of the most important holidays in the United States of America, originated with the pilgrims who came to America seeking religious freedom and better economic opportunity. Primary among these are the pilgrims in Plymouth, Massachusetts and Jamestown, Virginia, who had their first celebrations in 1621 and 1607, respectively. 

However, it was the Spanish, under Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, who sponsored a religious mass of thanksgiving in Texas as early as 1541.  The origins of the celebration are religious, thanking God for the blessings received in the New World.

In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving as a national holiday to be celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November. Other U.S. presidents had similar proclamations, and the holiday has been celebrated, with civil as well as spiritual content, ever since.

At the present time, Thanksgiving is a strong unifying tradition bringing families together for the blessing followed by the customary dinner usually featuring turkey, stuffing, mashed potato, gravy, and cranberry sauce.

Other modern attractions on Thanksgiving Day include watching key football games, watching or participating in the parades, particularly those in large cities such as New York and Philadelphia. 




The commercial aspects of the holiday cannot be overlooked: it is the unofficial beginning of the Christmas shopping season, typified by Black Friday, when stores are usually filled to capacity with customers seeking bargains and prime availability of goods for gifts.

One of the most heavily traveled holidays, Thanksgiving weekend can fill most of the airplanes and railroad trains in the nation, as well as produce very heavy road traffic.

In spite of some inconveniences, the holiday constitutes an extremely important integrating influence on family life and provides fond memories of family gatherings throughout the years.

I take this opportunity to wish you my friends, readers of  La Caraba en Bicicleta, a very Happy Thanksgiving.