The Whistling Kettle

Sarah was a kind, loving little girl and for some reason she was always being picked on at school and bullied. Her problems were overcome in a most unusual manner and, as they say, 'Love works miracles.'

Mrs Brown, (Sarah's mum) liked antiques and so did Sarah. One day they were out shopping and eventually found themselves in an antique shop. They both loved browsing in old things, they nearly always found something special and the closeness they felt at sharing something together made them feel good inside.

Well, it was one of those special moments whilst they were looking in the shop. There was only the owner in the place besides Sarah and her mum so she could not have made a mistake

when she heard a kind of whistling noise.

"Please buy me, you won't be sorry!" The sound appeared to be coming from an old kettle. Sarah thought she must be imagining things and turned quickly to look at something else.

"Please buy me, you won't be sorry!" She turned again to see where the voice came from but could see no one. She had a very funny feeling that it sounded like it was coming from the kettle so she picked it up.

'How can a kettle talk?' she thought. "It's true," said the kettle, "and I can help you if you buy me."

"My goodness, can you even tell what I'm thinking. How could you possibly help me with my problems?"

The kettle was quick to answer, "Well, you won't find out if you don't buy me."

"My mum will never let me buy you, you are too dirty!" Sarah replied.

"That's not my fault, nobody has bothered to clean me, just rub the side of me, I'm very beautiful really, just in need of a good clean."

Sarah rubbed the kettle a little and found it started to shine like gold, she took it to her mum, excited that she might have discovered gold. "Please mum can we buy this kettle."

"But we don't need it, it's one of those you have to put on the stove to heat and I have an electric one, it's much quicker than that one and besides it’s very very, dirty."

Her mum thought she was acting very strangely but understanding her daughter, she did not question, but, picked up the kettle to see how much it was. It was only $1 so she thought to herself it was not much to lose should she end up having to throw it away. Mrs Brown also found something beautiful, it was a mirror with engravings all round the frame. It also was in need of a good clean so they both set to work when they got home to clean the things they had bought.

As Sarah cleaned her kettle the shine of the brass became visible and she heard a quiet 'hum, hum, hum.' She looked at her mum to see if she had heard anything but her mother was too busy to hear or notice what Sarah had heard. She took the kettle upstairs to her room. "Now what's the idea humming like that?"

"Well, you hum when your happy don't you. I haven't had such a good wash in a long time and, by the way, you have no need to worry about whether your mum will hear me, only the person who is supposed to hear can hear."

"Why am I supposed to hear you?" demanded Sarah.

"Because you try to be a good girl and you wished to have help."

"I think I need a miracle," whispered the little girl under her breath.

"You will have one, just you wait and see," replied the kettle.

As Sarah finished cleaning the kettle she felt inside herself that things were going to change very soon and that she would never again be so frightened of everything. The kettle looked so beautiful when she had finished cleaning it that her mum asked if she could put it on the shelf among her collection of brass in the kitchen. Sarah agreed and as she placed it proudly on the shelf she saw the smile on his face and knew he was happy to take his place there.

All was quiet for a couple of weeks as Sarah seemed to be finding a confidence she had not felt before. It was raining one particular morning so she decided to invite some friends round to play. When they arrived, Billy had brought along one of his friends who Sarah feared so much. His name was Graham. She did not say anything but her heart felt like it had sunk to the bottom of the house.

"How about a game of snakes and ladders," suggested Julie. Everyone agreed and settled at the kitchen table. It was not long however before Graham started.

"You cheat," he screamed at Sarah. Sarah froze in her seat but not for long. Almost immediately the kettle began to whistle.

"Your the cheat silly boy, just because you can't stand to loose."

The boy went very quiet. He had no idea where the voice came from but he knew it was speaking the truth and he didn't want anyone to know. He looked round, but no one else seemed to have heard it except Sarah. She was smiling a soft friendly smile as if to say to Graham she knew he had a problem and he was going to get help, because only those who really wanted help could hear the kettle.

The kettle continued to speak to the boy, explaining to him that that was the wrong way to attract attention and that if he was good and kind he would feel much better. Much, much, more important - his mother and father would love him. They had not wanted another child and felt he was in the way and stopping them from enjoying their life. The kettle explained to Graham that if he was loving and kind his parents could not do anything else but love him.

What the kettle said to the little boy made a lot of sense to him. He knew he was being a bully to attract attention and that was not the way to receive love. He decided within himself to try what the kettle suggested. Sarah was very happy because the bullying had stopped. She realised it was because she was not brave enough to speak the truth that people hurt and bullied her.

Perhaps she could learn a thing or two from the kettle!!! The little boy certainly went home a lot different to when he came in because by being nice with his friends they were nice to him and he liked that. It certainly gave Sarah a lot to think about.

Again some time passed before Sarah heard the kettle. She was beginning to think perhaps she had somehow imagined all that had happened until some girls from school came to play. There were about six girls all playing happily in the garden, except one. Sarah noticed that this little girl was upsetting the game. She started thinking to herself that maybe this little girl also had a problem. She was so deep in thought she didn't realise how it had happened but she was falling flat on her face. The little girl had kicked a stone in her path and she had tripped over it.

Sarah ran into the house to her mother, blood pouring down her leg. "Whatever happened," asked Sarah's mum.

The little girl, Sally, who was responsible for what happened, went running in with Sarah, frightened of being discovered. "I saw what happened, she fell on a stone. "That's a lie," sang the kettle.

Sally's mouth gapped open, "Who said that?"

"Who said what?" said Sarah's mum.

"Oh, nothing," said the girl when she realised no one had heard what had been said.

"Don't think you will get away with this," said the kettle, "what you did was not kind."

"Why should I be kind, no one is kind to me!" thought the girl.

"Have you tried?" said the kettle.

"How come it can hear what I'm thinking," thought the girl.

"You don't have to speak for others to know how you feel you know. They can feel that you are not happy. If you want others to be kind to you, you have to be kind with them, but most important, you have to be kind to yourself. Love the very precious gift of life that you have and learn to appreciate it. Then others will love you."

"I'm sorry Sarah it was my fault you fell, I won't do it again, please forgive me?" Sally did not know how those words came out but she suspected the kettle had something to do with it.

"Bless you for being honest," said Sarah, "you can come and play anytime. I would love you to come."

"Gosh, it works," thought Sally, "no one has actually said to me that they would love Me to come!"

"The first of many times if you learn," said the kettle. It was an amazing thing that the kettle could speak to her but not be in her house, it was even more amazing that Sarah had also heard what the kettle was saying.

"Now Sarah, I have a few words to say to you which should help you to help yourself. One thing is sure, if we are unhappy, there is only one person who can change that and that is ourselves. Of course there are some people who will never be happy and because of this when they see someone else happy they try to stay around that person to get some of the happy feelings; but happiness is not found in this way. Help yourself, - by not accepting anything that is bad, even ideas that come into your brain, - if you don't like them or they hurt, tell them to go back to where they belong. Always speak the truth, that way you will not hurt yourself, and may help someone else to learn."

It was not long before Sally experienced problems again with a school friend who was bullying her at school. She remembered all the kettle had said and stood up for herself, speaking the truth with love and kindness. The child she spoke to was so shocked at someone speaking the truth to her that she forgot about the bullying and became a very close friend.

When she was getting her hot chocolate before going to bed that night the kettle spoke. "It's time for me to move on Sally, you can help yourself now so you must take me back to the shop."

"Oh please, I don't want you to go."

"You don't need me now and there are lots more children in need so please take me back to the shop so I can do my work."

"I'll miss you, said Sally, but she had learned that the whistling kettle was inside herself and that there were lots of boys and girls who needed help to find their own whistling kettle.

Sally took the kettle back the next day. While she was in the shop looking around a little boy came in and took hold of the kettle, his mouth wide open. Sally understood why because that is how her adventure started and she went home smiling, knowing that someone else was going to get help.