Stories for Healing in Time of Crisis

Together with a coalition of international storytellers, I have gathered traditional tales from around the world, stories that may provide an internal place of peace for children. Stories that explore and transform feelings of powerlessness and fear into courage and inspiration are enduring. It is our hope that these cultural treasures can provide new and rich images to replace actual or televised images of violence.

There are immediate ways to help our children find calm while feeling strong emotions. One of these is the intimate sharing of stories. We can ease our children's hearts while supporting the process of genuine mourning. These tales experientially remind us of the unceasing and potent resources of goodness, love, awareness, and spirit that we each have within ourselves as a natural birthright.

While a tale is being told, everyone telling the tale and everyone listening creates their own internally imagined story. Each person becomes the creator of his or her own story. These images arise within each person in a unique and personal way.

Stories contain seeds of healing, and telling them encourages growth and rejuvenation. Storytelling is an ancient method that has always served to bring people together and to stimulate creative imagination, wisdom, and compassion.

Laura Simms
Director of the Gaindeh Project,
An International Storytelling for Survival Initiative
Email: storytellingforsurvival@hotmail.com
Phone: (212) 674-3479

Stories That Nourish The Heart is created as an emergency storytelling project to be given to children in need in New York City. Laura has made parts of it available to our website. The project is under the umbrella of THE MEDIATORS FUND, inc (a not for profit organization) that is the fiscal agent for the Gaindeh Project: an international storytelling for survival initiative under the direction of Laura Simms, and an international board of storytellers, therapists, journalists, film makers, and humanitarian workers.

STORIES THAT NOURISH THE HEART is being developed on a purely voluntary basis, and we would appreciate whatever contributions could be made. Make checks payable to:
THE MEDIATORS FUND, Inc. for Gaindeh.
Send to Laura Simms
814 Broadway New York, NY 10003.
These are tax deductible donations. We will be happy to send you the Fed Tax ID information, as well as information about our other programs.

Listening to a story is a dynamic process that delights children while allowing them to imagine themselves in a variety of situations. Stories are nondidactic teaching tools. A story heard is not an explanation, but an experience that is enduring and enriching. Each child personally integrates the story, embodying the characters and experiencing the events. Although many of these stories contain challenging incidents, they also have genuine magic. Their references to death and difficulties connect with real life events, while avoiding the potential misunderstandings which might arise from stories that are too literal.

These stories are about basic truth and living in the world as it is. Remember that stories are refreshing for the storyteller as well as the listeners. Storytelling is a shared activity, which increases intimacy and inner enjoyment no matter what the outer circumstances are. Because genuine listening takes place during storytelling, children may be able to find the environment necessary to voice their own fears and concerns.

Please read these stories over to yourself once or twice before reading them or retelling them to your children so they can sense that you know the end of the story. This is an important way of ensuring that the children will experience trust and safety while hearing the story.

These tales are offered in the spirit of sharing. They are not intended to take the place of therapeutic methods for dealing with grief, mourning, shock and loss. We dedicate the joy and goodness that arises from heartfelt communication to all those in the world who are in need of peace and comfort at this time. -- Laura Simms

This is what the elders told me when I was a child. In the beginning, everything was water. There was nothing but a great ocean. Then Water Beetle dove to the bottom of the sea and brought up a handful of mud, which grew to become this land.

Buzzard came down from the world above and flew across this world. Making wind with his wings, he dried the earth, carving the valleys and shaping the mountains.

Grandmother Sun began following the path through the heavens that she follows to this day and Uncle Moon smiled at night. And all the creatures came down from the world above to make a home of this middle world.

At that time, Creator spoke to all his children, plants, and animals alike. "It is my wish that you all fast and pray for wisdom and strength. Keep watch and stay awake. This you must do for seven days and seven nights. His children promised to follow his instructions.

Throughout the first night, almost all of Creator’s children remained true to their promise. When the sun rose, only the littlest people, the insects, had fallen asleep. But as day followed night and night followed day, more and more creatures succumbed to their weariness and drifted into dreams.

When the seventh night came to an end, of the animal people, only the panther and the owl remained awake. Along with the wisdom and strength they had gained from their vigil, they were given the power to see in the dark and to prey on those who must sleep at night.

Among the standing people, the trees, only the cedar, the pine, the spruce, the laurel, and the holly had remained true to Creator’s instructions. To these, Creator gave the gift of remaining evergreen, while their brothers and sisters shed their leaves in the fall and stand bare during the cold months of winter. It was given to them also to be the providers of strong medicines. They were given the most sacred of all powers, the power to heal.

Once upon a time only a twin brother and sister lived upon the earth. Their names were Yama and Yami and they loved each other dearly. They roamed the earth enjoying its smells and tastes, it sounds and sights, the touches of the breezes and the feel of the grass beneath their feet.

Where Yama and Yami lived, it was always day and the season was always spring. The sun never set and the moon and stars lay hidden behind its bright, golden light. Time stood still and there was neither yesterday nor tomorrow. The flowers never wilted or died. Beehives overflowed with honey and it was never dry or cold. The birds never became tired of flying, and the trees were never empty of plump, ripe fruits. In this sea of the eternal, happy moment, Yama and Yami swam peacefully like twin swans.

One time, when Yami returned from a solitary walk, she found Yama lying under a tree as if he was asleep. She whispered his name, but he did not answer. She cried out his name in a loud voice, but still there was no answer. Then she shook him gently, but he did not move. She could see no sign that he was breathing and his body felt cold and still.

Yami knew suddenly that she was alone in the world. Her brother Yama was dead. Yami’s sorrow, deeper than the ocean, began to flow out of her heart and through her eyes. It emerged as tears. The river of her tears swelled and began to flood the world. Her sobbing shook the earth and sky, and her grieving heart sent forth an intense fire that started to heat everything up. The gods and goddesses of the elements became worried about the welfare of the earth and all its creatures. They were afraid that Yami’s mourning would bring about the destruction of the world.

The gods took on visible forms and went to Yami as she sat immersed in her agony. They hugged her, and spoke words of comfort to her about the inevitability of death and the need to light the lamp of hope again. But Yami was too sad to listen to consolation. She kept repeating one sentence over and over; "Yama died today! Yama died today!"

The gods and goddesses left in despair. They went to a hillside and sat in silence. Then a thought occurred to them. Yami’s sorrow was perpetuated not just by her love for her brother. In her life, she had known only today. There was no yesterday and no tomorrow. For the pain of Yama’s death to become easier for her to bear, today must end and tomorrow must begin.

The gods and goddesses summoned their powers of creation. First they created the sunset. Then, slowly, a gentle blanket of night enveloped the world. Under the soothing, dark sky of the first night, Yami fell asleep, just as the birds and the animals did, for the first time. When she awoke, the sun was rising in a glorious dance of colors in the eastern sky.

The following day, the gods and goddesses heard Yami say, "Ah, Yama died the day before yesterday."

As time went by, Yami’s grief began to lessen as the merciful hands of the night dissolved the pain of Yama’s death. Although she never forgot her dear brother, her pain lost its power to haunt her. Her sadness became less fiery, her tears dried up, and the danger her sorrow posed to the world began to fade away.

Four thousand years ago, two brothers lived near each other on a hill by Jerusalem. They each had their own farm, but they shared a threshing floor. Every year they would bring in the harvest and divide it equally between them. Then they would take the grain to their farms and sell it in the market place.

One of the brothers was wealthy but had no family; the other had a family but was poor. One night after the harvest had been divided into equal measures and taken to each brother’s home, the wealthy brother lay awake in this bed, thinking:

"I need just enough grain to pay for my food and servants. But my poor brother, he has so many mouths to feed. He needs the money more than I do. "

He rose up out of his bed and went down to his granary. He lifted up as many sacks as he could carry and started to walk toward his brother’s farm.

"I have a wife and children who will take care of me and the farm if anything happens to me. But my poor brother—if something happens to him, he will have to pay to be cared for. He needs the money more than I do."

Quietly, so as not to disturb his wife and children, he rose up out of his bed and tiptoed down to his granary. He lifted up as many sacks as he could carry and walked toward his brother’s farm.

The two brothers met midway between their farms, their arms laden with the sacks of grain they were carrying to each other. The full moon shone down upon them as they dropped their bundles and ran to embrace each other.

Two men, neighbors and friends, named Nabek and Dagar, lived near a great desert. Nabek had an incomparable horse. It was beautiful and as graceful as a deer. Dagar dreamed of having his friend’s horse. Day and night, he could not stop thinking about the horse. Finally, he went to Nabek and asked him to sell it to him. Nabek said, "I would not sell this animal for all the gold and diamonds in the world."

Unable to control his desire, Dagar decided to trick his friend in order to gain the horse. He disguised himself as a beggar, covering his face, and sat by the side of a road where Nabek passed each day. When Nabak approached, Dagar moaned and called out for help, pretending to be thirsty and hungry. Nabek took pity on the beggar who he thought could no longer walk. He put him on the horse’s back in order to carry him to the marketplace.

The moment Dagar was on the horse, he sat up straight and took control of the reins. He kicked the horse and galloped away, shouting back at his neighbor, "I am Dagar. You will never get your horse back!"

Nabek did not chase after Dagar. But, he called after him, "Dagar, stop for a moment. I want to ask you something." Recognizing that his friend could not catch him by foot, Dagar stopped. Nabek called out, "By Allah’s will you are now the owner of my wonderful horse. But, please never tell anyone how you got the horse."

"If people should hear how you tricked me they might never stop to help another beggar at the side of the road. They will be afraid. Perhaps they will leave some poor soul to die. If this story should be told, it could cause great evil in the world."

Dagar listened and said nothing for a long time. Then, he climbed down off of the horse and gave it back to his neighbor. Together they returned to the tent of Nabek and made an agreement of peace and swore to be friends forever.

A kind fisherman once caught a bright shining red fish. It was so lovely, he took pity on it and instead of cooking it or selling it, he decided to take the fish home as a pet. He dug a hole in the floor of his house, filled it with water, and put the fish safely within it. From that day onwards, the fisherman had very good luck.

One day, he came home early, and discovered the source of his good fortune. It was the fish. He saw it leap from the hole, shed its’ fish skin and turn into a beautiful young woman. She was a fish fairy and she promised to live with him.

Soon, the King, who was a greedy man, heard about the fish fairy and wanted to marry her himself. The fisherman begged the King to let him keep the fish fairy. The clever King said, "Build me a gold palace in the sea in four days and you can keep her!" When the fisherman returned home, there was a gold palace on an island in the sea. The fish fairy had called upon the fish to build it.

The King called for the fisherman again and demanded, "If you want to keep the fish fairy then make me a crystal bridge that stretches from the shore to the palace in two days!" Again when the fisherman returned home, the crystal bridge had been built.

The King grew angry. "If you and your fish fairy are so clever, then bring me an egg with a flying donkey inside by tomorrow morning. When the fisherman told the fish fairy, she gave him an ordinary egg and told him to throw it into the sea. He did and a huge white egg flew out of the waves into his arms. He took it to the King. Out jumped a flying donkey. It leapt onto the King’s back and rode him around the palace screeching, "Hee-haw, hee-haw, hee-haw!" The King screamed, "Get this donkey off my back."

Then the King threatened the fisherman, "If you do not bring me a one-hour-old baby that is wiser than the wisest person in the world in two hours, I will cut off your head and take the fish fairy."

Hardly was the fisherman back in the door of his house, when the fish fairy said, "My sister has just given birth to a baby. Go to the sea and call for him." The fisherman went to the sea where the waves churned and up rose a one-minute-old baby. The baby stamped its little feet on the ground and demanded to be taken to the King.

Once in the palace, the baby jumped on the King’s knees and smacked the King again and again saying, "How dare you have a baby taken away from its mother before it is two minutes old. And how dare you ask for impossible and greedy things." The baby smacked the king again and again saying, "I am wiser than the wisest person and I know you are a fool." Finally, the King begged the fisherman to keep the fish fairy. So the baby returned to the sea and the fisherman married the fish fairy and they lived happily ever after.

There was once a king who offered a prize to the artist who could paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The king looked at all of the pictures. After much deliberation he was down to the last two. He had to choose between them.

One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror for the peaceful mountains that towered around it. Overhead, fluffy white clouds floated in a blue sky. Everyone who saw this picture said that it was the perfect picture of peace.

The second picture had mountains too. These mountains were rugged and bare. Above was an angry gray sky from which rain fell. Lightening flashed. Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. This did not appear to be a peaceful place at all. But, when the king looked closely, he saw that behind the waterfall was a tiny bush growing in the rock. Inside the bush, a mother bird had built her nest. There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird on her nest. She was the perfect picture of peace.

The king chose the second picture. "Because," he explained, "peace is not only in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace is in the midst of things as they are, when there is calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace."

Two old men lived near each other high up among the mountains in a small village. Each owned a small garden. One old man was very generous and thoughtful. He never thought about doing things that were kind, it was just his nature. The other old man was greedy. All day long he thought only about how he could become wealthy.

One day the kind old man found a little bird that had fallen out of its nest. Its wing was broken and it could not fly. The old man felt sorry for the bird and took it into his house. He fed and cared for the bird until it was healed. One morning, he opened his door and happily watched the little bird fly away.

Later that day the little bird returned carrying a single seed in his beak. The bird placed the seed in the old man’s hand and flew away again. The old man said to himself, "I have received this single seed as a gift. It must be the finest seed in the world." And he planted it.

The old man watered the seed everyday. He watched as a vine grew up out of the earth. Day by day it grew taller and stronger until one day, a squash appeared on the vine. Within days the squash grew to an enormous size. When the weather turned cold and the squash was ripe, the old man tried to pull it from the earth. The squash was so heavy that he had to call five neighbors to help him pull it up and carry it into his house.

When the old man grew hungry, he decided to cut open the squash and cook its sweet fruit. But when he cut through the skin, to his great astonishment, he found that the inside was made of solid gold.

After that, the old man thanked the little bird every day and made certain that everyone in the village received some gold so they would not go hungry during the winter.

The second old man heard about the remarkable squash made of gold and came to visit his friend. Without hesitation, the kind old man told him the story about the little bird. The greedy old man went home immediately. He took a bow and arrow and waited for a bird to land in his garden. When a little bird landed, he shot an arrow at it, wounding its wing. "Poor bird," he said and took it inside to feed it and heal it.

Sure enough, one day the little bird flew away freely. The old man waited anxiously, afraid it would not return. But the bird did return with a seed in its beak. "Now I will be richer than my neighbor because I will not give my gold away," the old man thought to himself as he planted the seed.

A vine grew and a giant squash appeared just as it had happened to his friend. But when the greedy old man cut open the squash, a fierce little man leaped out and said, "I was sent by the King of the Lower Realms to give you a reward equal to your actions." The old man scratched his head, waiting for his gift. But the fierce little man chased him down the mountain.

They had not gone far when the fierce little man stopped and said, "Had you not healed that bird, I would have thrown you off the side of the mountain." Then he began to chase the greedy old man again and as far as I know they are running still.

Once upon a time there were three princesses who were sisters. They set out on a journey to see their entire kingdom. They enjoyed the beautiful cities and rich mountain villages of their country. Everywhere they went they feasted and slept on silken sheets.

But, one day they came upon a ruined palace surrounded by a wild rose garden. The three sisters each walked in a different direction to discover how they could enter the palace. A crow hopped out from behind a bush right in front of the youngest princess. His wings were torn and bleeding. He leaned to one side. The bird could not fly. The youngest princess felt sorry for the bird and said out loud, "If only I could heal your wings so you could fly again."

To her surprise, the crow spoke, "I am really a prince who has been enchanted by monsters. In the palace is a room with a golden bed. If someone could sleep in that room without making a sound no matter what they saw or felt or heard for an entire year I would be saved. I would be a prince again."

The princess agreed. When she told her sisters what she planned to do, they become angry. "You are a fool to help a bird," said one. The other said, "A bird can not talk and if it was to talk it would be because it was evil."

But the youngest sister did not change her mind. The two older girls went away as quickly as they could before it grew dark.

The very first night, the princess awoke. She heard the sound of the door opening. The room filled with monsters. Their mouths were almost as large as their heads and their bellies were so big she could hardly see their feet. They darted back and forth and made a terrible noise as they lit the fire in the hearth. Then they set down a huge cauldron filled with water on the flames. They hopped up and down and ran back and forth.

At first, the princess was terrified. But the monsters were so funny looking that she laughed to herself in silence. She thought about running away, but then she thought of the black crow and his torn wings and she did not move.

Toward morning, the monsters lifted her up and carried her toward the fireplace. Now she was truly frightened, but she bit her lips and made not a sound. Just as they were about to throw her in the pot, the sun rose and the monsters disappeared. Exhausted, the princess rushed back to the golden bed and fell asleep.

In the afternoon, when she awoke and went outside, the crow returned. The tips of his wings were healed. "Thank you," he said. "If you had made a single sound my sufferings would have doubled."

Each night it was the same. The monsters leaped and danced and boiled water in the cauldron. And each morning they were about to throw her in the pot, when the sun rose and they disappeared. And each day the crow’s wings became stronger and stronger. At the end of a year, the crow’s wings were completely healed and the monsters no longer returned.

However, the crow did not turn back into a prince and the princess asked him what else she could do to restore him to his true form. "If you work as a servant for one year, then the enchantment will be broken," said the bird.

The princess sought work as a servant. All day she cleaned and tended pigs and in the evening she spun flax. She slept in a tiny cottage with barely a blanket to keep her warm. She worked until her back ached, and her soft hands were weary.

The year passed slowly and many times she thought of returning to her sisters, wondering if what they had said was true. But still, she kept her promise.

On the very last day of the year, the princess heard the rustling of wings. The door of her house opened and in walked a noble young man. "I am the prince," he said and knelt down and kissed her hands. "Your strength and your goodness have saved me."

Together they returned to the prince’s palace. It was as new as the sun when it rises in the morning and the rose bushes bloomed in every color. The rooms were filled with people, and the garden was alive with birds and beasts. Everyone bowed before the princess and thanked her for never forgetting her promise.

In time, the youngest princess married the prince. They ruled together equally on two thrones. They ruled with great kindness and everyone, even the two older sisters, lived happily ever after.

Once upon a time there was a colony of mice who feared the elephants. Whenever the elephants walked through the mice’s land with their enormous feet many mice were harmed. One day, the mouse king went to the King of the Elephants and said, "If you spare our lives, we will help you in a time of need." The elephant king agreed. He ordered the elephants to be careful never to step on a single mouse.

From that day forth the elephants paid attention and lifted their huge legs carefully, never harming their tiny friends. If they entered the land of the mice, they lifted their trunks and trumpeted a warning; "We are walking. We are walking."

One day, elephant trappers came to the forest. They were seeking many elephants for the human king’s soldiers to ride into battle. Day by day more and more elephants were caught in great rope traps.

The elephant king was very sad. Then, he remembered the promise of the mice and sent for his little friend, the mouse king. The king of the mice arrived and listened to the elephant’s story.

Then the mouse king called all the mice together. Thousands and thousands of mice gathered to discuss how they might help the elephants. No one had forgotten how their huge friends had spared their lives. One clever mouse made a plan. All the mice rejoiced.

The mice formed into little groups. Each group gnawed the ropes of a single trap with their tiny sharp teeth. By morning, all the elephants were freed. Frustrated, the trappers left the forest.

The elephant king was grateful. He lifted the little mouse on his back and decreed that from that day forth the elephants and the mice would be the best of friends. And to this day, that is the truth. The elephants and the mice are still good friends.

Long ago in ancient India a ten-headed monster called Ravana the Rakshasa kidnapped a king’s beloved wife. The king was named Rama and his queen was named Sita. Everyone loved the king and queen because their hearts were pure. King Rama waged war on Ravana and set off to battle. The great king of monkeys, King Hanuman, led the army.

They traveled until they came to a vast sea that they would have to cross to reach Ravana’s kingdom. King Rama attempted to calm the raging ocean by shooting his magic arrows into the waves. But the King of the Sea rose up and said, "The seas can not be overcome by force, but only by building a strong bridge." So, King Rama ordered his monkeys to construct a stone bridge that could hold his entire invading army.

Monkey after monkey set to work carrying huge stones and enormous boulders to the seaside. Thousands of monkeys worked ceaselessly and King Rama was pleased. Then the king noticed that a small brown squirrel rushed up and down from the hills to the shore carrying little pebbles in her mouth. "What is that little creature doing?" he wondered.

The monkeys also saw the squirrel and grew angry. "Get out of our way," they screeched. "You are too small. You are not needed."

The little squirrel looked up and said, "I am helping to build the bridge to save Queen Sita." All the monkeys began to laugh. They held their sides and roared and hopped and mocked the little squirrel. "We have never heard anything so foolish in our entire lives," they said.

The squirrel answered, "I can not carry rocks or stones. I can only lift small pebbles, but that is what I can do to help. My heart weeps for Sita and I want to be of assistance."

The monkeys moved the squirrel away, but she continued to carry small pebbles and pile them up nearby. Finally, one monkey grew so irritated that he lifted the little animal and threw her into the air. The squirrel cried out, "Rama!" The king lifted his hand and caught the squirrel safely in his palm.

It was just at that moment that the monkeys realized they needed the little pebbles to place between the larger stones to keep the bridge from falling.

King Rama said to them, "Monkeys, never despise the weak or the deeds of those that are not as strong as you. Each serves according to his strength and capacities and each is needed to make this bridge." With three fingers, King Rama drew three lines down the squirrel’s back. "What truly matters is not the strength one has, but how great one’s love and devotion is." From that day forth squirrels have had three pale stripes on their rich brown furry backs—marks of the great King Rama. And that is how the strongest bridge across the sea was built.

Excerpts from Laura Simms' booklet which have been generously placed on the website was made to be handed out to families, volunteers and children effected by the World Trade Center Tragedy in NY as a gift. If you are a storyteller and downloading these tales for you use, we welcome you to use them as best you can for the beneft of your own healing and others. We suggest that you consider sending a donation to the benefit Fund so they can continue to print out and distribute the books. They are in need of funds to make as many as possible.

The Mediators Foundation, Inc (check made out to this title)
c/o Laura Simms
814 Broadway
New York, NY 10003

AskERIC has compiled a list of resources for educators and parents to help students cope with and discuss this tragedy

Resources that may help teachers, students, and parents from Midlink

CNN educational Web site for classrooms, is offering resources for teachers and parents relating to the attacks

Connect for Kids has gathered a few good resources for adults to help children with their fears and grief.

Educators for Social Responsibility (ESR) has developed a free guide called, "Talking to Children about Violence and other Sensitive and Complex Issues in the World."

EduHound - links to news resources, learning resources and ways schools can contribute

Useful resources that teachers and parents can use in discussing this week's events with students from the librarian at Heritage Middle School.

Children and Responding to National Disaster Information for Children (for educators), from the National Association of School Psychologists.

The National Education Association has a Crisis Communication Guide, and resources for teachers trying to cope with their own stressand the stress of students.

Current Awareness Streaming Media page. Watch/listen to many broadcasts, from George Washington University.

How to Talk to Your Child About the News, from KidsHealth

Global SchoolNet has set up a space on the web to allow kids around the world to send their messages of hope, support, and condolences to those affected by the September 11th tragedy.

Check the New York City board of education website for a list of NYC schools. You can find there website at
For schools wanting to send letters to NYC schools.