In a valley far, far away, lived a little girl named Lily.
Lily had golden curly hair and a smile as bright as the spring sunshine. She was a little different from the other children—on her back, she had a pair of small, soft, white wings.
These wings were as light as clouds and as soft as feathers. When the wind blew, they would flutter gently, as if they were always ready to carry Lily into the sky.
But Lily rarely flew.
Sometimes the wind in the valley was very strong, and she was afraid she might fly too high and lose her way home. She was also afraid the other children might laugh at her, saying, “Look! Lily has turned into a little bird again!”
So, she always hid her wings under a wide cloak, picking wild berries, flying kites, and listening to the singing stream with everyone else.
One evening, a lost little bluebird flew into the valley.
The little bluebird landed on Lily’s windowsill. Its wing was hurt, and it fluttered and fluttered but couldn’t fly. It chirped softly, as if saying, “I can’t find my mama.”
Lily gently cupped it in her hands. She made a little nest for it out of a large leaf and found some fresh water and sweet berries to feed it.
“Don’t be afraid,” Lily whispered. “I will stay with you.”
That night, the wind blew in from outside the valley, carrying the scent of the stars. The little bluebird fell asleep, but Lily couldn’t. She looked at the moon outside the window and thought:The little bluebird must really want to go home.
The next morning, Lily made a brave decision.
She took off her cloak and spread her little white wings. The sunlight fell upon them, sprinkling them with glittering sugar-like dust.
“I will take you home,” Lily said to the little bluebird.
The little bluebird chirped happily and gently landed on her shoulder.
Lily stood on her tiptoes, and the wind lifted her wings. Slowly, slowly, she began to fly.
She flew over the hillside covered in wildflowers, over the babbling stream, and over the rows of tall birch trees. The animals in the valley all looked up, watching her in amazement.
“Look! Lily can fly!” said the little rabbit.
“Her wings are so beautiful!” said the little squirrel.
“She looks like a flying little cloud,” the little deer said softly.
Lily heard them, and her heart felt warm. It turned out everyone wasn’t laughing at her; they were admiring her.
She flew and flew, until she reached a grove filled with tiny blue flowers. There, many bluebirds were flying among the branches. One large bluebird saw the little bluebird and immediately spread its wings and flew over.
“Chirp! Chirp!” called the big bluebird, gently taking the little bluebird into its embrace.
The little bluebird chirped back excitedly, as if saying, “Mama, it was this girl with wings who saved me.”
The big bluebird flew in front of Lily and gently touched her cheek with its wing, as if to say thank you.
Lily smiled. For the first time, she felt that her wings were not a strange mark, but a special gift.
On the way home, the wind became very gentle. Lily didn’t rush back. She glided slowly through the sky, like a smiling cloud.
The children in the valley saw her and waved their hands, shouting, “Lily, you fly so beautifully!”
From then on, Lily no longer hid her wings under her cloak.
She would help kites get back to the treetops in the morning, return wet little birds to their nests after the rain, and perform little aerial dances for her friends in the evening.
Her wings were not big, but they were big enough to hold all the gentleness of the valley.
And whenever night fell and the moon rose, Lily would lie in her soft bed and close her eyes.
She dreamed of flying over the stars, over the rainbows, and over all the warm and bright places.
The wind gently tapped on her window, as if saying:
“Goodnight, little girl with wings. Tomorrow, there will be new stories waiting for you.”
