The Little Donkey With The Big Heart

Daisy was a lovable donkey who made many children happy. She lived at the seaside and worked on the seashore. Every morning her master would take her to the spot on the sands. All the children knew her well because she was so gently and kind and she spent her life giving great happiness to them.

She had learned many things about life as she saw the children come and go. Some were happy, some sad, some angry, some gentle and some even said 'Thank you', to her for the ride. Others complained she didn't go fast enough or far enough. She didn't know why it was like that it just was, all she knew was that she preferred the kind, gentle, thoughtful ones to the angry, grumpy ones.

She never thought the day would come when she would not love to give rides but one summer after she had had more than her fair share of noisy, angry children, she began to dream of the day when she would find herself in a beautiful green meadow full of buttercups and daisies. Where she could eat to her heart's content and not be disturbed. Where the sun would always shine and make her back warm and cosy. Where she could doze when she felt like it and just peep every now and again up into the beautiful blue sky in the day, or at night see the stars sparkling.

Well that time came all too soon. Before she knew it she had become old and was not fast enough for the children and so could not make enough money for her owner. Her owner was a kind man. He treated the donkeys very well. When it was time for them to give up work, he had a lovely field waiting for them to retire to. It was like she had always imagined it would be in her dreams. The only problem for Daisy was that she was alone. She had never been on her own and to start with she enjoyed the peace and quiet but very soon became lonely and bored.

"Oh how I wish I was working again," she said to herself again and again. Now she began to dream of the times she was back at the seaside with all the children queuing to get on her back. She remembered the sugar lumps and the strokes and cuddles. She remembered how sore her feet got and the feeling of cool water around her when her owner would take her down to the sea to bathe her feet.

"Oh happy days," she would think, and then she would wonder how she ever thought that being in a beautiful green meadow with buttercups and daisies could ever have been what she thought would make her truly happy. Gradually she lost her appetite and the shine on her coat went with it. She was no longer the beautiful donkey the children loved.

"What's the matter old girl?" her owner asked one day, seeing her off her food and not even enjoying his company.

"If only I could tell him!" she thought.

One night her owner had a dream . He dreamed that he saw Daisy crying and was very unhappy. Someone told him. 'Put your donkey back to work, she will be fine then, she needs to share all the love she has."

The dream was very real to the owner and he woke with a very strong feeling that he should do something to help Daisy.

"I know I cannot use her any more, but, perhaps someone else could, I'll take her to market and sell her."

The next day the owner went to see Daisy. "Come on old girl, I can't stand to see you so unhappy. I don't want to see you go, but I cannot leave you like this."

Daisy seemed to understand and nuzzled her nose to his face as if she had given him a kiss and said, 'Thank you', to him.

"Well blow me down," said the owner, "I believe you are saying, thank you to me."

It was to turn out the biggest and worst thing that ever happened to Daisy. A coal man bought Daisy. His little truck had broken down in which he went round delivering coal to the houses. He could not afford to buy a new one and anyway he thought it would be cheaper and he would make more profit by buying a donkey, what a brilliant idea.

Every day Daisy found herself tied to a cart filled with sacks of coal. The man was so greedy for money he did not care what happened to Daisy, like her previous owner, and at times even forgot to feed her. She soon became thin, her coat all knotted because it wasn't brushed, and her eyes dull. There were even sore marks on her back where the cart had laid heavily on her back.

Each night she went to bed in a dirty old shed, cold, damp and horrible. She cried herself to sleep nearly every night. As she fell asleep one night she said, "I wish my owner would come and see me, he would not let this happen to me I know he loved me."

That night her old owner had another dream, he saw Daisy crying.

"What's the matter old girl?"

Daisy spoke to him in his dream, telling him how cruel the coal man was. The next morning the owner felt uneasy and could not keep his mind on what he was doing.

"Very strange," he said, "last time I had a dream about Daisy she was very unhappy, I must go and see her, it's no good."

He was on his way to the coal man's house when he saw Daisy pulling a very heavy load. It made him very angry to see her being treated badly and he nearly lost his temper with the coal man. He changed his mind and instead said "I need Daisy, would you sell her back to me?"

"Certainly not," he said, "I am making my fortune now."

"How would you like to swop, my truck in exchange for your donkey?"

The coal man thought to himself, "I would not have to sit out in the cold all day, and, come to think of it, that stupid donkey is getting slower and slower, perhaps she won't last much longer.

"Okay, I agree."

The exchange took place and the owner took Daisy back to her field. She needed a lot of looking after to make her beautiful again but her owner loved her and she soon began to shine again. As he was treating her sores on her back one day she nuzzled up to him and gave his a kiss.

"There, there, old girl, it's all right now, you will soon get better now."

She was so happy to be with someone who cared for her she was content to stay in the field, her body slowly healing as well as the scars inside left by a cruel owner.

Of course it was not long before once again she began to feel empty inside. She enjoyed so much making the children happy. The days passed and she became very sad. The only person who ever came to talk to her was her owner.

One day a little girl passed by, she was going for a walk with her mummy. She saw Daisy in the field and cried out to her mother.

"Look mummy, that donkey is crying!"

"Don't be silly," said her mummy, "donkeys don't cry!"

When they got closer to the donkey, even she saw the tears running down the donkey's face.

"Oh, he is so unhappy mummy can't we do something about it?"

"He has probably got a cold and his eyes are watering," she said to distract the child.

So distraught was Sally that her mother began to think. Mrs Brown had a farm just outside of town. "Maybe I could buy him for the children to have rides on." She had another child Edward, who was being rather difficult at the moment and perhaps this would help to change his mind. The sale went through and Daisy found herself at Dapple Farm. She was put in a field with two horses and enjoyed very much their company.

As the nights closed in and the people went indoors they were left in peace and quiet to chat about old times and different experiences they had had. Daisy felt sure she could stay here forever and be very happy. - Except for one little problem the horses warned Daisy about. Sally had a brother called Edward, he was in the habit, when he was not happy, to go and kick the horses when nobody was looking.

Each morning Mrs Brown would bring Daisy out for the children to ride and sure enough when Edward was in a bad mood he would kick Daisy just the same. The horses were very glad he had stopped kicking them, but sad to see poor Daisy suffering.

Sally always had a lovely ride on Daisy, but when it came to Edward's turn it was quite the opposite. As soon as he tried to get on, Daisy would try and run away or throw him off or bite him.

"Good Heavens," said Mrs Brown, "My poor little boy, why are you so horrible to him and yet so kind to my little girl." It was a puzzle she could not answer yet.

One morning the children went to Daisy very excited. "We're going to the fair today and mummy says you can come too." The children put a straw hat on her head and a garland of daisies round her neck and off they went. Mrs Brown had kindly agreed for Daisy to give all the children that came to the fair a ride on her back.

It was like old times for Daisy. The happy laughter of children waiting to have a turn on her back made her feel so good. Suddenly, without any warning Edward came from behind and gave Daisy such a kick on her leg she reared up. All the children ran away frightened.

The mothers all exclaimed, "How could you bring such a bad tempered donkey to the little children to ride on such a monster!"

Daisy was so hurt inside tears came to her eyes. Sally rushed straight to her.

"Edward kicked her," she cried out to her mummy. "Daisy would never be bad with Edward if he loved her, he's wicked, wicked," she sobbed and stroked Daisy's nose trying to reassure her.

The children came back slowly when they saw Daisy nuzzling up to Sally to give her a kiss. She always thanked someone who had been loving towards her in this way. Very soon all the children were enjoying the rides that she gave them. She was given sugar lumps and carrots and they were stroking her, just like in her younger days at the seaside. She was so, so happy.

That might when they went home Daisy was very tired. She was put in the barn with the fresh hay for her to lie on and given lots to eat. She soon fell asleep dreaming happy dreams - until Edward came into her dream, he was like a big black cloud that shut out the light.

"If only he could realize how cruel it is to hurt animals," she said sadly.

Surprise, surprise, - Edward had a dream - that night. He was being kicked by not one donkey but lots and lots of donkeys. So real was his dream that he woke up screaming. His mother came quickly to his side.

"Whatever is the matter darling?"

"That horrible, horrible donkey got all his friends to kick me, they hurt me."

"Hush, hush, go to sleep now, it's only a dream, reassured his mummy. As she was covering him up, she noticed a bruise on his arm. "How did you do that Edward?"

"I told you, the donkeys were kicking me."

"Enough of that nonsense go to sleep."

Edward soon dropped off to sleep again but strangely enough the donkeys would not go away. As soon as he fell asleep back came the donkeys. He became so frightened and so sore that in the end he cried out, "Stop, stop, - please - I won't kick Daisy any more if you will leave me alone."

Immediately the donkeys disappeared and he had the most peaceful sleep dreaming of how nice Daisy was to him and even giving him a kiss.

Next morning Sally and Edward made their usual visit to Daisy with their mother. Edward was just about to do his dirty deed and kick Daisy when something made him stop and remember his dream. Instead he stroked Daisy and just like in his dream she gave him a kiss. He then got on her back and enjoyed a ride such as he had never had before. From then on everyone at the farm was very happy.

As Daisy was going to sleep that night, she thanked her old owner for finding such a lovely place for her. That same night her owner dreamed he saw Daisy playing with children, giving rides and being fussed over.

He knew then that Daisy was happy and he need not fear for her any more.