THE DREAM
(a folktale found in Ireland and Eastern Europe)

There was once a man named Daniel who was a cloth peddler in the little town of Brody. Everyday he'd walk up and down the streets of the town holding his staff up high and waving bright pieces of cloth in the breeze.

Daniel worked very hard, but no matter how many times he paraded his cloth through the village he was never able to sell much and so he often went to bed hungry. One evening, Daniel came home especially tired. He leaned his staff against the wall and immediately crawled into bed. As he slept, a voice came to him in a dream: "Go to the capital city, Daniel. Go to Dublin. And there you will find a treasure under the bridge by the castle on the hill."

When Daniel woke up he thought, "That was only a dream, what's a dream?" So he paid no attention to it. He got up and got his staff ready, making sure every piece of cloth was hanging just right. He walked through the town, shouting, "Cloth for sale! Beautiful cloth for sale!"

But again, no matter how many times he paraded his cloth through the village he was never able to sell much so Daniel went to bed hungry that night too. Once again the voice spoke to him in his dreams, "Go to the capital city, Daniel. Go to Dublin. And there you will find a treasure under the bridge by the castle on the hill."

Daniel woke up feeling very confused. "What could this mean?" he thought. Knowing he had no breakfast and feeling very tired, he stretched, yawned and fell back to sleep. Again, the voice said, "Go to the capital city, Daniel. Go to Dublin. And there you will find a treasure under the bridge by the castle on the hill."

This time Daniel awoke with a start. He thought to himself, "If this dream keeps coming back, it must be trying to tell me something. So, maybe it's true, maybe I should go to Dublin."
And so he got up, put on his tattered coat and started on his way. He walked for many miles. Now and then, someone would give him a ride but most of the time he walked. He walked through forests and fields and across streams. He climbed up one side of the mountains and down the other side and finally he reached the capital city. He could see the castle on the hill in the distance and as he neared it he saw the bridge just like the voice in his dream had said. But on the bridge was a guard marching back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. Daniel stopped to watch and then thought, "Perhaps tomorrow the guard will be gone, and I will be able to see what is under the bridge." That night he slept in a field covered in darkness, he was so tired he didn't dream at all.

In the morning he went to the bridge again, but suddenly, the Captain of the Guard came out looking very grand and important. Seeing Daniel he said, "You there, what are you doing here? What do you want?"

Daniel walked up to the Captain and told him about his dream. The Captain listened and then began to laugh. "Oh, you poor fellow, you came all this way because of a dream?! If I believed every dream I've had... well, take the dream I've been having lately: A voice keeps telling me to go to the little town of Brody and look for a treasure under the stove of a poor cloth peddler named Daniel. Can you imagine? What nonsense! Ha, ha, ha." Then he turned and walked away.

Daniel stood motionless for a moment. He could not believe his ears. He pulled his coat tightly about him and started his journey home. He walked through forests and fields and across streams. He climbed up one side of the mountains and down the other side. Now and then, someone would give him a ride, but most of the time he walked. At last, he reached his home and went inside.

He took off his coat, rolled up his sleeves and began digging under his stove. He dug and dug and dug. Soon, a large box could be seen in the ground. Daniel pulled it out. Then he opened it and was amazed to find it filled with shiny, gold coins. He was very happy, but he was thankful too. He quickly took a great handful of coins and put them in a pouch. Then he bought a horse and rode all the way back to Dublin to find the Captain who had told him of his dream. When he found the Captain he gave him the bag of gold to show him how grateful he was and to remind him to listen to his dreams because dreams may lead us to the place we need to be.

The End

THE FACE
(an original bit of verse)

"I suppose," said the nose,
as it perched o'er the rose,
"my job is the best there can be."

"Oh, fie!" said the eye,
as it looked to the sky,
"you can smell, but 'tis I who can see."

"My dear," said the ear,
"this is worse than I fear.
For you know that hearing's the best."

"Let me give you some tips,"
said the luscious, red lips,
"I am better than all of the rest."

Said the nose, "is that so?"
He was ready to blow,
"Yes it is," said the lips with a pout.

"We all think that we're great,"
said the eye, "but just wait,
what are we fighting about?"

"Each of us," said the ear,
"is supreme, that is clear,
but we're family, sister and brother.

It's not how we excell,
by ourselves, that's so swell
but how well we work
with each other.

The End

A Giggle, a Snicker and a Snort

What's a pirate's favorite letter?
"R."

When is a road no longer a road?
When it turns into a driveway.

What do you call Batman and Robin after they've been run over by a bus?
Flatman and Ribbon.

What school do you go to to learn how to greet people?
'Hi" school.

What does a nut say when it sneezes?
Cashew!