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Last time on Starry
Love Dream! Melanie and Hazel’s narration: Melanie: “My name is Melanie!
I’m 9 years old and I attend Grade 4 and I would like to become
a singer!” Hazel: “And I’m her friend Hazel!” Melanie: “I got to meet Hazel’s
mother and younger brother. Hazel’s
mother is Isabelle and her little brother is Hazel: “Gee, thanks! That’s really sweet of you!” Melanie: “The thing with Hazel: “That’s right. Hey, you even got to sing for my little brother.
I think he liked your song very much.
And those kids who made fun of him, I think they liked your song,
too.” Melanie: “You think so? Thank you so much, Hazel! That is so sweet of you.” Hazel: “Hey, you’re my friend,
right? Don’t be surprised if
I say things like that, because they are true, you know.” Melanie: “That’s the first time
that people in my new school have heard me sing. Nobody in our school used to like me, but I
hope I was able to touch their hearts when they heard me sing. When I become a singer, I want to reach people’s
hearts!” Hazel: “Yeah, just like you did
with me and Lawrence!” Melanie: “Say, Hazel, do you
think there were other kids whose hearts were touched that day? There were some kids who were around us, right?” Hazel: “I wouldn’t be surprised.
You have the voice of an angel.” Melanie: “Time for Starry Love
Dream, I wonder what’s going to happen next!
Stay tuned!” Opening theme song “Starry Love Dream”
by Starry~en~Luv (Happy dreamy love, wings like a dove) (To the starry night, in the starry light) A dream can’t just stay a dream in my mind It would just be a waste and I would be
in a bind No matter where and how far you have to
go You’ve got to chase your dream so much so Never ever lose sight of the love, of the
dream Let your dream flow like the never-ending
stream I know things are tough and it’s easy to
get sad But as long as we’re together, even if things
go bad I want to sing like a lovebird and touch
your heart (touch my heart) Please stay with me and stay close to my
heart (close to my heart) Starry love dream! I wanna be your
happy dreamy love I wanna spread
my wings like a dove Fly with me all the way to the starry night
Fly to the sky and bask in the starry light I wanna be your
happy dreamy love (happy dreamy love) I wanna spread
my wings like a dove (wings like a dove) Fly with me all the way to the starry night
(to the starry night) Fly to the sky and bask in the starry light
(in the starry light) Starry love dream Hold my hand tight and always stay by my
side Let’s hold onto the dream as we go along
the ride Stay with me, my love, and don’t try to
look back If we lose our way, we’ll always try get
back on track There are so many obstacles to fight your
way through But as long as you believe, your dream will
come true Oh, my love, even if things don’t always
go right We have our love, our dream, never lose
our sight I want to sing like a lovebird and touch
your heart (touch my heart) Please stay with me and stay close to my
heart (close to my heart) Starry love dream! I wanna be your
happy dreamy love I wanna spread
my wings like a dove Fly with me all the way to the starry night
Fly to the sky and bask in the starry light I wanna be your
happy dreamy love (happy dream love) I wanna spread
my wings like a dove (wings like a dove) Fly with me all the way to the starry night
(to the starry night) Fly to the sky and bask in the starry light
(in the starry light) Starry love dream (Happy dreamy love, wings like a dove) (To the starry night, in the starry light) Starry love dream, I love you! The Prologue Melanie came out of the house through the
front door. “See
you later, Grandma! I’m going now!” she said, as she closed the front
door. Melanie
looked up at the sky and smiled delightfully as the sun beamed its warm
golden rays at her surroundings. The
weather was getting warmer as the days passed by.
It was a beautiful spring day.
She carried her schoolbag and lunch bag with her and began to
walk to her school. The
other day, Melanie had sung for “Hey, Melanie.” “What is it?” asked Melanie. “Your voice is so beautiful. Why wait until you’re grown up? Why don’t you try to be a singer now? I think you should!” Melanie gasped, for she was totally surprised.
She did not expect that. “Right now? What do you mean, ‘right now’? I’m not grown up yet. I don’t know if I’m good enough to become a
singer now. I know maybe I can
be when I’m grown up, but I’m still a kid.” Hazel put her hands on Melanie’s shoulders.
“Melanie.” “Huh?” Melanie
looked back at her with wide eyed puzzlement. “Of all the singers I’ve heard, even the
grown-up singers, you’re the best one I’ve heard of. Why don’t you try? Try to become a singer while you’re still a
kid? Become a professional singer. You’d surprise everyone.” It
was a sudden memory and Melanie thought about it. It was one of the many pleasant discussions
she had with Hazel. This one
made her smile and she sighed. “I
don’t know, Hazel. I’m still
not sure if I could…” she whispered. Melanie
passed by a house that had a large garden around it. She stopped in front of the house’s property
and noticed the many flowers that were blooming, especially the ones
closest to her near the sidewalk. She
knelt down and looked at the roses that were there. “They’re
so beautiful,” she said softly and with great delight. The
dew seemed to sparkle in the sunlight.
She looked at them as close as she possibly could without actually
touching them and she could smell the wonderful flowery fragrance. “Hey,
kid!” an old man suddenly shouted. Melanie
gasped and was startled and she looked up.
An elderly gentleman who was probably in his late 50’s came out
of the front door of the house and he looked very irritated. Melanie started to become scared as she stood
up very quickly. “Hey,
get away from my roses!” Melanie
gasped. She was very startled. “It
took a lot of special care to get those roses to bloom so don’t you
dare touch them! Get away from
them!” he shouted. Melanie
was very scared. “I’m sorry! Please forgive me!” she said loudly and with
a fearful voice. She
turned around and began to run away from the house towards her school. She continued to run, while behind her, the
elderly man went to the roses and started looking at them to see if
that little girl had done anything to them. “Humph. Kids nowadays,” he whispered as he continued
to inspect the roses. When he
was satisfied that there was nothing wrong with them, he went back to
the house. Melanie
stopped running when she was halfway to her school and she leaned on
a lamp post to try to catch her breath.
She could feel her heart beating very fast, but it was beginning
to calm. She looked back in the direction of the old
man’s house. “What
a…scary person,” she whispered to herself. That
gentleman who lived in the house with the beautiful garden was a scary
old man but there was something that she had noticed while he was screaming
at her, even though she only had a few seconds to notice it about him. The
man looked like he had sad eyes. Melanie
thought for a moment and wondered if there was anything wrong with him. She could tell that he was a very good gardener
because of those beautiful roses and all the other flowers that were
in his garden. But she could
also tell that he was sad. And
his anger towards her earlier was probably something that he used to
hide his true nature. “His true nature? I
wonder what Grandma would say to that,” she said. Melanie
continued on her way towards her school. Starry Love Dream Episode 5: That mean old man, a songwriter? “A mean and scary old man?” said Hazel.
“I don’t really live in your part of the neighborhood so I don’t
really know that many people there. I don’t know anyone there who’s a mean and scary
old man.” Melanie
sat cross-legged at her desk and Hazel sat on Melanie’s desk. It was during a moment of free time during their
class, which was in the morning. “Oh,
I see,” said Melanie. “Well,
he seemed like a mean person, and he seemed really scary when he screamed
at me, but I’m not really sure.” “Melanie,
he screamed at you to get away from his roses.
That’s got to be a mean thing to say, and I think you know that.” “I
know that. I guess it is, but…maybe
he had a reason why he screamed like that.” “Huh? A reason?” said Hazel, looking a little puzzled. ”Yeah,
and I wonder what it is.” Melanie
smiled and looked up at Hazel. Hazel
was starting to look comically puzzled, almost in a slightly annoyed
way. “You really think that? Are you sure that you’re not going crazy, Melanie?” “I
don’t know. It’s just what I
think. I don’t know if it’s true or false.” Hazel
was quiet for several seconds, trying to understand what Melanie was
saying. “And
you know what, I can tell that he’s very good with plants and flowers
and things that grow from the ground.
He had a very beautiful garden and it’s only spring time, too. I wonder what it’s going to look like when summer
comes.” Hazel
giggled softly. “Yeah, I wonder,
too. But I haven’t seen it. And since he seems like a scary old man, maybe
I shouldn’t get anywhere near him.” Melanie
thought for a moment and decided on something very quickly. “You
know, I’m going to pass by his house again after school when I’m on
my way home.” Hazel
was surprised. “You’re going
to do what? Why?” “Well…because…because
I want to know more about him.” Hazel
looked at Melanie as if she had gone crazy.
“What! Good God, Melanie! Are you going crazy on me or something?” “I’m
serious,” said Melanie. Hazel
sighed and shrugged. “Okay. Have it your way. But I still think it would be better to stay
away from him. Just be careful,
alright?” “I’ll
be careful. Don’t worry, I’ll
be fine,” said Melanie, with a delightful smile on her face. “You’re such a good friend for worrying about
me.” Hazel
suddenly looked at Melanie and put her hand on her shoulder and began
to whisper to her. She had a
strange, almost scary look on her face.
And it made Melanie feel strange, almost scared.
What was Hazel planning? “Of
course, I worry about you. I
have to be worried about you if I’m going to be with the girl I love
for the rest of my life.” Melanie’s
eyes went wide and she was extremely shocked.
“What!” Hazel
started to laugh hysterically as she pulled away. “You’re so funny, Melanie!” she said loudly
and continued laughing. Melanie
closed her eyes and sighed. “Hazel,
maybe you are a little weird at times.” “That
was good! You should have seen
yourself! You were so shocked!” Hazel kept on laughing out loud in a hysterical
way. Melanie
sighed again. “Hazel…” She shook her head and she startled to giggle.
“You’re the weirdest friend ever.” “Why,
thank you,” said Hazel, with a very comical smile on her face. Melanie was walking home from school.
She looked around her to see if the old man might be taking a
walk near his house. Eventually, she saw his house a short distance
away. As she got closer to the
house, she noticed that he was outside and she gasped. She felt a little scared. Maybe he might scream at her again, but she
took a deep breath and kept on walking. “This
is no time to be scared, Melanie,” she said to herself. Melanie
stopped just before his house and watched what he was doing. He was picking up some small rocks that were
around his rose bushes. He put
the rocks into a pail and began to move the pail to some other part
of the garden. The pail looked like it was heavy with those
rocks inside it. He was struggling
to pick it up and move it. Melanie
took another deep breath and she tried to calm herself as much as possible.
Then she walked closer to his property until she stood directly
in front of his house. She
tried to say something but the words wouldn’t come out. But
she did not have to say anything. Very
soon, the old man noticed her and he looked at her with a frown on his
face. “What
do you want? Why are you standing
there?” he said with a rather loud and annoyed tone of voice. Melanie
hesitated. “Um, I was just wondering.
I saw you…in your garden, so…I was wondering if you need any
help,” she said very softly. “That looks heavy…” The
old man smirked and shook his head and took a deep breath. “What makes you think that I need your help?”
he asked. Melanie
hesitated again and was not sure how to answer that question. She looked up at him but she held a slightly
scared look on her face. “I’m
sorry about the roses earlier this morning.
I didn’t touch them, I really didn’t.” “Yeah,
I know you didn’t touch them. I
would have known if you did. But,
you still didn’t answer my question though.” Melanie
was startled by that. “Um…” “What
makes you think that I need your help with this garden? Are you saying that I’m an old man who is too
weak to do anything at his age?” Melanie
was startled. “Oh,
no, sir! I didn’t mean
it that way! I’m sorry!” she
said quickly. “Get
away from here. I may be old
but I’m not dead yet,” the man said to her. Melanie
sighed and looked down and she curtsied slightly and she began to walk
away. As she walked away, the
man looked back at her and began to shake his head. It was early evening and Melanie had changed
into house clothes. In the kitchen,
Grandma sat down on her seat and began to eat her dinner while Melanie
was already eating across the table.
When Grandma looked at Melanie, she seemed like she was lost
in thought and was staring at her glass of water. “Melanie,
you’re staring into space,” said Grandma Annabelle. Melanie
blinked and looked up at Grandma. “I’m
sorry, Grandma. I was just…thinking.” “What
were you thinking about?” “Um…well,
there’s this old man that I saw. Maybe
he’s not that old, but he seemed like it.
He lives just a few houses away from us.” Grandma
seemed puzzled but at the same time wary.
She frowned slightly. “An old man? Don’t you
know that you shouldn’t be speaking with strangers, Melanie?” she said
to her granddaughter. “You probably
don’t even know him.” “Oh,
I know. It’s not like I was speaking
to him. I tried to, but…” “Who
is this man anyway? Do you know?” “I
don’t know his name,” answered Melanie.
“All I know is that he seems to be sad and cranky most of the
time and he lives in that house that has a big, beautiful garden around
it and has lots and lots of flowers blooming in it.” Grandma
seemed frowned even more. “A
garden, you say?” “Yes, Grandma.” Grandma
remembered a scene that played out the other day. When
Grandma passed by the parking lot, she saw a man who was perhaps slightly
younger than she was. He was
putting some plastic bags into the trunk of his car.
They were grocery bags. He
had just done his grocery shopping. When the man turned around, he was face-to-face
with Grandma Annabelle, and he stopped. Grandma looked serious and emotionless.
She just nodded to him. “Mr.
Wilkins,” she said as a greeting. With
that, she continued to walk away. The man looked at her as she walked away.
“Humph…” was the only thing that he said.
He looked slightly annoyed as he closed the trunk of his car
and headed for the driver’s seat. Grandma
sighed and shook her head. “I
see.” Melanie
could tell that her grandmother had thought about something. “Grandma, do you know that old man?” she asked. “Unfortunately,
I do.” “Unfortunately?” Melanie asked, a little taken aback by what
Grandma just said. Grandma
took a sip from her glass of water to clear her throat. “His
name is John Wilkins. Mr. Wilkins
lives in that house with the big garden around it.
Since you’ve seen his garden, I’m sure you can tell that he is
an accomplished gardener.” “John
Wilkins? That’s his name? He’s a gardener?” “Yes
and a very good gardener. But
he only does that for himself. Call
it a hobby of his. But, unfortunately,
his gardening skills do not match his personality.
He is a mean-spirited old man who shuns away everyone who tries
to get near him.” Melanie
listened intently as Grandma Annabelle talked about that person. “He
lives by himself in that house, if you’re talking about human companions,
that is. He lives alone with
his pet cat whose name is Fluffy. That
cat is the only living creature that he cares about.
You could say that the only friend he has in this world is that
cat. That’s because he is a mean
old man who doesn’t like people. He
doesn’t respect anyone. He doesn’t
even like it when people just walk by his house on the sidewalk. One time, he made it perfectly clear to everyone
and ever since that time, people have almost always walked on the other
side of the street if they knew that they were going to pass by his
house. He is unfriendly and hates
everyone, except his cat.” Even
though Grandma Annabelle painted a picture of a sour old man who hates
everyone in the world, Melanie had a different picture in her mind. She saw an old man who was lonely and only had
his cat for companionship. “Mr.
Wilkins…must be a very lonely man,” said Melanie. “Humph! Lonely, indeed. Don’t worry.
He has his cat to keep him company.
He wouldn’t like it any other way,” said Grandma. “Maybe
there’s a reason why he acts like that.” Grandma
shrugged. “Who knows? Even if there was a reason, I don’t think it’s
anyone’s business anyway. And
I’m sure that’s what he thinks, too.
He is not the kind of man who would tell you anything about himself. All I know and all that everyone in this neighborhood
knows is that he is a mean and scary old man. He’s mean to adults and scary to children. And that, Melanie, is the reason why you should
stay away from him. When you
walk to school, walk on the sidewalk that is on the other side. Don’t get near his house anymore. He’ll just scream at you for no good reason. You should not waste any of your time with him.
Perhaps the reason why his personality is like that is…” Grandma
stopped herself and that made Melanie puzzled.
What made Grandma stop what she was saying? “You
were saying, Grandma?” asked Melanie. “Nothing,
forget about it,” said Grandma. Melanie
wondered what Grandma was going to say.
She started to say something but she did not finish. She had stopped herself from saying it. But it looks like Grandma wouldn’t like it if
Melanie asked, so she decided not to ask what she had stopped herself
from saying. Grandma
continued her eating. Melanie
continued to eat as well, but she was still thinking about Mr. Wilkins. And she also wondered what Grandma was going
to say just earlier. The things
that Grandma had told her about him made him look like a bad person,
which could be right for a lot of people in this neighborhood.
But she didn’t believe it. Melanie
was still staring at her glass of water, lost in thought. Grandma noticed that and she sighed softly. “You’re
still thinking about him, aren’t you?” asked Grandma Annabelle. Melanie
looked up and she hesitated before she nodded slowly. “Why
are you wasting your time thinking about him?” “Grandma…he
might seem like a mean and scary old man who doesn’t like anybody. But I think if you like flowers and making them
grow and become beautiful…maybe his heart is not as cold as it looks
like,” said Melanie. Grandma
was puzzled. “Huh? What on earth are you talking about, child?” “If
he’s a bad person, how come he likes flowers and plants and other things
that grow from the ground? If
he has no love in his heart, how come he can take care of such a beautiful
garden? You have to be able to love to do something
like that. You have to have some
love in your heart, if you can do something as wonderful as that. You have to be capable of love. If you love something that’s good, and can work
really hard to make it beautiful, then there must be love in his heart,
too. Maybe we just can’t see
it very well.” Grandma
sighed and she shook her head. “What
kind of nonsense are you talking about?” she said, in a voice that sounded
slightly annoyed. Melanie
looked down for a while. “It’s
just what I felt…when I saw him and his garden…” she said very softly. Grandma
thought about that for a while. “Yes,
well, he hasn’t showed any love for anyone at all, except maybe for
that cat of his.” Melanie
smiled. “If he loves his cat,
and I’m sure he does, that cat wouldn’t run away from him. And his garden would be beautiful, like it is
right now.” “I
see.” Grandma looked up at Melanie
with no expression at all on her face.
“You sound like you want to do something for him.
So what are you going to do about it, Melanie?” Melanie
had made her decision. “I’m going
to pass by his house and if I see him doing anything, I’m going to ask
him if he needs help with anything.” “Help
with what?” asked Grandma. “His
garden,” said Melanie. Grandma
looked up with a frown, but she sighed and leaned back. “Fine, do whatever you want. But I’ve already told you that you’ll just be
wasting your time.” “He’s
not dangerous anyway. I don’t
believe he is.” “No,
he’s not dangerous,” said Grandma. “He’s
just a mean old man.” Melanie
smiled again. “I don’t believe
that his heart is as cold as ice and is as hard as a rock. I’m going to find the love that is still in
his heart. And I’m going to try
to make him show it.” The next day, Melanie left the house and
was on her way to school. As
she approached the house of Mr. Wilkins with more courage this time,
she saw that he was outside and he was looking at the rose bushes. It looked like he was cutting some of the leaves
that were no longer living. She
passed by his house slowly and she stopped for a second directly in
front of the house. “Good
morning, Mr. Wilkins,” she said and she smiled at him. She said it in such a happy, bright, cheerful,
and delightful way, too. Mr.
Wilkins was surprised and he looked up, then he frowned. It’s that little girl again. He did not say anything to her. He just went back to his trimming. Melanie
giggled softly and she began to walk away towards her school. When it was after school, Melanie left the
school property as she waved goodbye to Hazel and Lawrence. “See
you tomorrow, Melanie!” Hazel called out. “Take
care!” Melanie replied back. Hazel
and Lawrence went into the car that their mother Isabelle was driving
and they began to drive away. Melanie
began to walk home. Once
again, there was Mr. Wilkins’ house.
She approached the house and she saw him moving some little rocks
once again from one part of the garden to another.
He seemed like he had hundreds of those little rocks that he
wanted to use as decoration. “Hello,
Mr. Wilkins,” Melanie called out with a gentle voice, but still just
as cheery as this morning, when she tried to greet him. Mr.
Wilkins looked up and stood up from the ground and he frowned at the
little girl. “It’s
you again? What do you want now?”
he said with a rough tone of voice. Melanie
looked down slightly but she smiled.
“I was just wondering if you needed help with anything. You’ve been moving those rocks since yesterday,”
she said to him. “And I can see
that there are probably hundreds of them.” “Hey,
I already told you before. I’m
not dead yet just because I’m old. I
can do this by myself. Go home,
kid.” Melanie
smiled at him. “Okay. But if you need help anytime, I’ll do my best.
Good night,” she said to him very sweetly and she started to
walk away. Mr.
Wilkins was taken aback by what she had just said, but he disregarded
it as soon as possible. “Humph! Kids these days,” he whispered, shaking his
head with disapproval. It was another morning, and Melanie passed
by Mr. Wilkins’ house again. When
she stopped directly in front of the house and she saw a cat sitting
down near the fence. She smiled
and she knelt down in front of the cat, which began to walk towards
her. “Hello,
little kitty,” said Melanie with a very gentle and sweet voice. “Is your name Fluffy?” The
cat meowed, as if to answer her question.
And it seemed like a yes. Melanie
giggled softly. “That’s such
a nice name for a kitty cat. I
love cats. I wish I had a pet cat that was as cute as you
are.” “Hey,
kid!” Mr. Wilkins called out from the front porch. Melanie
stood up and glanced at him. “Get
away from my cat,” said Mr. Wilkins, his voice sounding quite irritated. Melanie
smiled sweetly at him, despite his irritation.
“Good morning, Mr. Wilkins. You
have a very beautiful cat.” Fluffy,
the cat, began to walk away and then ran towards Mr. Wilkins. She went up the stairs to the front porch in
front of the house and rubbed his feet with her head. Melanie blushed when she saw the cat do that. “She’s
a very sweet cat, too. I wish
I had a pet cat. But I don’t
think anyone at home has the time to take care of one,” she said softly. “Don’t
you have better things to do than talk nonsense in front of my house?”
said Mr. Wilkins. “Honesty, kids
these days.” Melanie
smiled at him. “I have to go
to school now. Please have a
good day today, Mr. Wilkins,” she said in a friendly tone of voice. She
began to walk away towards the direction of her school. When she looked behind her, she noticed some
kids who were also walking to school.
They were wearing the same uniform as she was so it was obvious
that they attended her school as well. She
watched as the kids stopped some distance away from Mr. Wilkins’ house
and they cross the street to the other side.
Then they continued walking. “They’re
avoiding his house, just like Grandma said…” Melanie whispered, and
then she kept on walking to school. Melanie was swinging on the swings in the
school park and Hazel was with her. “Well,
how are things going, Melanie? You’ve
been trying to talk to that mean and scary old man for the last couple
of days now,” said Hazel. “Things
are going fine, I think,” said Melanie, who smiled with delight. “He is not really a mean and scary old man.
People just look at him like that because they haven’t looked
at his heart yet. They just look
at him and judge him from the way he looks.” “Is
that so?” Hazel looked quite
puzzled by that and she did not know what to think. “I
think he is a good person. But
he’s just hiding it. He doesn’t
want people to see that.” “Why
wouldn’t he want other people to see that?” “I
don’t know,” said Melanie. “Maybe
something happened a long time ago that hurt him.” Hazel
was puzzled and she looked thoughtful.
She was thinking about what Melanie was saying. “Something that might have happened in his past?”
she said. “Yeah,
it could be something like that.” “Hmmm…well,
whatever it is, I don’t think he’s going to tell you. And you don’t even know that for sure yet, Melanie.” “All
I want to do is to try to reach his heart for now. Just for now.
I’m trying my best to be friendly with him, no matter what kinds
of things he says to me when I pass by his house.
And I noticed I’m the only one who passes by his house. Everyone else would cross the street and walk
on the other side away from his house.” “Oh,”
said Hazel. “I guess I would
do that, too. But I hope you
know what you’re doing, Melanie. Don’t
get hurt or anything.” Melanie
smiled at her friend. “I know
what I’m doing. I’ll be fine!” Once again, Melanie was walking home from
school and she was approaching Mr. Wilkins’ house. She noticed that he was watering the garden
and his cat was sitting on the front porch steps. Melanie passed by his house and Mr. Wilkins
saw her immediately and he frowned.
Melanie just kept on looking at him and his garden and she smiled
at him. “Good
afternoon, Mr. Wilkins,” she said sweetly. Mr.
Wilkins sprayed her very slightly with the garden hose and Melanie put
her arms up as if to protect herself.
She was very puzzled by that.
She only got a few drops of water on her school uniform. “Look,
little girl. Why are you always
coming here to bother me? I’m
getting sick of you just walking by my house and talking all kinds of
nonsense. Why don’t you do what everyone else is doing
and walk on the sidewalk that’s on the other side of the street? You would be much less annoying if you followed
their example.” Melanie
wiped the water away from one side of her face and then looked up at
Mr. Wilkins with a smile on her face. “I’m
sorry. I just wanted to make
sure that you were okay, that’s all.
You have such a beautiful garden, and I love flowers.
I’m not trying to bother you or anything.” “But
you are bothering me, kid,” said the old man. “I’m
sorry. The only thing is that…well,
if you need my help with anything, I’ll always try my best to do anything
for you. That’s all.” Mr.
Wilkins was puzzled by that. “How
many times have you said that? Why
would you do something like that?” he asked. Melanie
looked down. “Oh, I don’t know. I guess…I just like helping people. I like helping people because it makes things
easier for them and it makes me feel good at the same time. It makes me feel warm inside and in my heart.” Mr.
Wilkins hesitated and thought for a moment.
What that little girl was saying was very interesting to him
and it was also quite surprising, but he kept his surprise hidden. “Why
would you help a mean-spirited old man like me anyway?” “Because
I don’t believe in what other people say.
I don’t believe you’re a mean-spirited old man. Anyone who can take care of such a beautiful
garden has got to be a loving person.” Mr.
Wilkins was very surprised and he closed his eyes and looked down slightly.
He sighed and wiped the mist that had ended up on his forehead
from spraying the garden with his garden hose.
He looked up at the little girl again. “Do
you want to help me?” he asked. Melanie
looked up at him and nodded. “Yes,
if you need anything.” “Well,
then, come on in here and help me,” said Mr. Wilkins. Melanie
smiled very brightly. “I’ll do
my best, Mr. Wilkins,” she said to him.
Melanie entered the property through the gate at the front. “Put
your stuff over there on the front porch so that they won’t get dirty
or wet. I’m sure you wouldn’t want that to happen,”
said Mr. Wilkins. Melanie
was pleasantly surprised, because of the tone of his voice, which had
suddenly changed. At first, it
was stern and strict, almost like her Grandma Annabelle, but his voice
had become gentler this time. Melanie
was glad. “Are
you just watering your plants right now?” asked Melanie. “That’s
right,” said Mr. Wilkins. “Here. Why don’t you take this garden horse and water
those roses that you were looking at the other day? You seemed to have liked them very much.” Melanie
smiled. “Thank you!” she said
sweetly and took the garden hose and began watering those roses that
she was looking at the other day. She
made sure the hose sprayed gently on them.
As she sprayed them well with water, she looked back and saw
Mr. Wilkins digging in the dirt to plant some seedlings. “You
know, there’s something that I’ve noticed for the last several months. I guess I’m just learning it now. People judge other people by what they heard
or what they saw on the outside of that person.
They don’t even talk to the other person to try to get to know
them. Instead, they just assume that what they heard
is right and make it look like it’s the truth. That doesn’t make any sense to me. It’s like you’re making yourself an expert about
a person that you don’t even know. I
think it’s more important to look at the heart, and that’s what I’ve
been doing for Mr. Wilkins. I’m
looking into his heart. Everyone
else seems to be looking at what’s on the outside and going by what
other people say but they don’t know anything about him.
They haven’t looked into his heart.
I’ve looked into his heart, and I know that he’s not a mean and
scary old man,” said Melanie. “I
know who he is now.” Grandma Annabelle opened the front door
of the house, expecting Melanie to be outside but she did not see her. She was a little bit worried even though she
did not want it to show externally.
She looked around as she went to the front gate of the house. “Where
could that child be? She is a
half hour late in coming home,” she whispered. Then
she saw Melanie in the distance at the house of none other than Mr.
Wilkins. She was quite surprised
as she observed Melanie. “Melanie?”
she said, quite surprised. Melanie
was watering the plants and flowers with a gentle spray of a garden
hose. And while she was doing that, there seemed to
be a brightness that glowed from her face.
She was smiling delightfully.
The water spraying made a faint rainbow appear above Melanie. “You
are one extraordinary child. I
don’t know what I’m going to do with you,” Grandma said, sighing and
closing her eyes. Grandma
could have walked over there and called out to her to come home immediately
and she could have scolded her after that for not telling her where
she was going after school. She
could have scolded her for not coming straight home after school as
well and went somewhere else without her permission.
She also could have scolded her for hanging around Mr. Wilkins,
when she had specifically told her to stay away from him. But
Grandma didn’t do that. She walked
back into her house and closed the door and thought that maybe she could
delay making dinner for another half an hour, to make sure that dinner
is still fresh when Melanie comes home. Melanie checked on some of the flowers.
She was holding a tiny little scissor.
She trimmed the dead leaves that were on the flowers and when
she was done with doing that, she looked at the flowers and inhaled
their wonderful and lovely fragrance. “The
tulips are so beautiful,” she said softly. “Ah,
so you like tulips, too, don’t you?” asked Mr. Wilkins, who was nearby
arranging small stones in a pattern around a rose bush. Melanie
nodded and smiled. “Yes, sir,
I love tulips, too, and roses. I
love all kinds of flowers. Flowers
are so beautiful.” Mr.
Wilkins laughed and Melanie seemed very delighted when he laughed. “That’s
good. They say that flowers have
personality even though they don’t look like it.” “They
have personality?” Melanie asked with a look of wonder. “It’s
a myth among those like me who like taking care of gardens. The personality of a flower is as pure and innocent
as that of a very young child and they’re just as delicate, so you have
to treat them gently and take care of them.” Melanie
blushed at the thought of that. Strange
but cute pictures of flower children began to dance in her mind through
a fictional garden with a rainbow above it. Mr.
Wilkins stood up from the ground and he straightened his back, groaning
slightly. “Ah, what a good day
it is today, too. The sun has
been shining a lot lately. Pretty
soon, it will be summer and more flowers in this garden will bloom.” “Yes,
Mr. Wilkins,” whispered Melanie, who seemed like she was lost in a dream
world. “What
are you thinking about, little girl?” Melanie
blinked and she looked around her. “It’s
beautiful here. That’s what I
was thinking,” she said softly. Mr.
Wilkins smiled at her. “Are you
tired? I know I am.” “Just
a little bit,” she said. “But
I feel good at the same time.” “Is
it because you were able to help me today?” Melanie
giggled softly. “That’s one of
the reasons why.” “That’s
fine. Come to the front porch
and I’ll bring out some lemonade. It
should make us both not as tired anymore.” “Thank
you so much, Mr. Wilkins.” Mr.
Wilkins went inside the house while Melanie sat down on the bottom step
of the stairs that led up to the front porch.
Fluffy, the cat, was sitting on the step beside her and she looked
up at the little girl. And then,
Fluffy started licking her own paws, like most cats do. Melanie
smiled at the cat. “You’re a
beautiful cat, Fluffy,” she said to the cat.
The cat looked up again and then proceeded with her grooming. Melanie giggled and covered her mouth shyly. A
few minutes later, Mr. Wilkins came out of the house. “Here you go, little girl,” he said, as he offered
her a glass of lemonade. Melanie
accepted it. “Thank you, Mr.
Wilkins.” He
began to drink his own lemonade as he stood at the top step of the porch,
his frame towering above Melanie, who watched as he gulped down the
entire tall glass of lemonade that he had.
He finished it all and looked up at the sky. Melanie
was surprised by that. Mr. Wilkins
gulped the whole glass of lemonade down so quickly! She looked down at her own glass. “Ah,
yes. There’s nothing like a good
hard day’s work to do good things for the body.
No matter how old you are, you will always be fit as long as
you make your body work,” he said. Melanie
sipped her glass of lemonade much more slowly.
There was no way that she could gulp it all down like Mr. Wilkins
could. “By
the way, can I ask you something?” said Mr. Wilkins. “Yes?”
Melanie said, looking up at him. “How
did you know my name anyway?” Melanie
just realized that she had been calling him by name without even asking
him what his name was. “Oh, my
Grandma Annabelle told me who you were,” she answered. “Grandma
Annabelle?” “Yes. She lives over there, and I’m living with her.”
She pointed at the house that she lived in which was just a few
houses away across the street. Mr.
Wilkins looked and seemed to understand.
“Ah, I see,” he said. “You
live with your grandmother, that woman who lives in that house.” “Do
you know her? I think you would
know her, too, if she knew you,” said Melanie. “Yeah,
we know each other. But I don’t
see her that often.” Mr. Wilkins
sat down on a chair. “In fact,
I don’t usually see anybody. I
live in this house and I don’t go out of my property unless I have to,
like if I have to buy groceries, for example.” “Why?”
asked Melanie. Mr.
Wilkins laughed. “You know what,
now that I think about it, I’m not even sure myself. I guess it’s just my preference. That’s just the way I like to do things, or
you could say I’ve become very comfortable doing things that way.” “Oh,
I see.” “So,
little girl, you haven’t told me your name yet.” Melanie
stood up from the step and she offered her hand to shake. “Melanie. Melanie
Thompson.” “Melanie
Thompson?” said Mr. Wilkins, and he looked like he was deep in thought. “Ah, I see, so you’re Premiere Thompson’s daughter,
right?” Melanie
gasped. “Um…yes,” she said softly. She suddenly felt uncomfortable about that and
she looked down, holding on to her glass of lemonade in front of her. Mr.
Wilkins noticed the quick change in Melanie’s mood, so he thought about
it for a while. He knew about
the problems that Premiere Thompson has been having because it was all
on the news. Of course, Melanie wouldn’t want to talk about
that. Something like that would
just be depressing for her, whether or not the accusations were true. “It
doesn’t matter anyway,” he said. Melanie
looked up, slightly puzzled. “So
tell me about yourself. What
kinds of things do you like doing? Like
hobbies, for example. As you
know, my hobby is gardening.” Melanie
smiled again softly. “And you’re
a great gardener, too. You should
teach people how to do this kind of hobby the right way.” Mr.
Wilkins smiled at that. “Thank
you for that,” he said. Melanie
thought about the things that she liked to do.
“My hobbies…I like reading books, especially books that have
romance and comedy in them at the same time.” Mr.
Wilkins laughed at that. “You
like romantic comedy, huh? Yup,
you’re a girl, that’s for sure. It’s
very becoming of you.” Melanie
blushed. “I like singing and
writing songs, too…” Mr.
Wilkins stopped suddenly and looked up at Melanie with a surprised face. “What was that?” he asked. “I
like singing and writing songs,” Melanie repeated. She wondered why Mr. Wilkins wanted her to repeat
that part. What was he thinking
about? Mr.
Wilkins hesitated for a while and was quiet.
“Hmmm…” Melanie
wondered what was wrong, if anything.
“Is there something wrong, Mr. Wilkins?” she asked. “Oh,
no, it’s nothing. It’s just that
I was surprised, that’s all.” Mr.
Wilkins smiled and seemed calmer this time.
“But that’s very good. Music
is a wonderful thing and since you said that one of your hobbies is
singing, and then you can touch people’s hearts with music.
And since, you’re a song writer, too, that would make things
even better for you.” Melanie
nodded to that and smiled. “I
love to sing.” “What
did your Grandma Annabelle say about me?
Like, for example, things that I like to do.” “Just
that you like gardening a lot and that it’s your hobby.” Mr.
Wilkins paused for a while and closed his eyes.
Melanie wondered what he was thinking about again. This man seemed to have a lot of mysteries about
him. People don’t like him, and
yet, here he is, acting like someone that she would like. He looked at the sun in the sky for a while
and he was very quiet, as if he was lost in thought. “A
long time ago, I used to be a song writer.” Melanie
gasped. “You were a song writer?”
she asked with surprise. “That’s
right. But that was a long time
ago, when I was much younger. I
still have connections with people in the music industry.
Like this place called Regal Records.
I used to work with them a long time ago, writing some of their
music.” Melanie
smiled at him. “Oh, that’s so
wonderful. And singers got to
sing your songs, too, right, Mr. Wilkins?” “That’s
right. It was a great hobby of
mine back then, but I’m not as good as I used to be.
Things have changed in the world of music and I just haven’t
been able to keep up.” Mr. Wilkins
glanced down at Melanie, who seemed like she was amazed by the fact
that he used to be a song writer. “That’s
amazing,” Melanie said. “I’m
glad you think that way,” said Mr. Wilkins.
He was lost in thought again as he looked away. Melanie wondered what he was thinking about
again. This man certainly was
very mysterious. “Melanie, I
have a request for you.” “What
is it?” asked Melanie. “Since
you said that you write songs…could you sing me one of your songs?” Melanie
was surprised. “Huh? One of my songs? You want me to sing one of my songs?” “Yeah,
sing me one of the ones that you wrote.
You said you were a song writer, right?
And that you are also a singer?
You love to sing, don’t you?” Melanie’s
look of surprise slowly became a look of bright happiness. She smiled and she nodded. “Okay. I’ll
sing you one of my songs. I just
made one recently and I can sing that for you, if you’d like. I’ll do my best,” she said to him. Mr.
Wilkins smiled. Melanie got into
the right mood as she put her glass of lemonade down on the steps. She clasped her hands together at her heart
and closed her eyes and her beautiful and angelic voice began to sing
the song that she wrote, entitled “My Heart”. My
heart, oh, my heart, I feel like it’s been broken Shattered
pieces blown away, forgotten and forsaken Carried
away by the cold wind of the winter storm That
took my life away, too much pain to form I
feel like the whole world has crashed around me I
want to hide away, to a place where I can be free But
it might be nothing more than a cruel illusion The
cold world’s chill has broken my concentration If
only there was a way to pick up the pieces and move on If
only there was a way to dream again and carry on Why
does my heart continue to dream despite it all? The
starry love dream, I hope would give me a call Why
do I still dream when my heart has been broken? Will
my dreams be nothing but a memory forgotten? Please
help me find another way to realize my dream Push
away the cold currents of the torrential stream This
is my life, my wish, my world, and my heart Help
me find a way to mend the pieces of my heart My
heart must love again! So
far away, even if you’re so far away from me I‘ll
never forget you, I’ll fulfill my promise, you see I
feel sad and I feel lonely, like I’m the only one here But
I know that you’re here, to chase away my fear My
heart is longing for you; I don’t want to be alone We
have to bear the pain, the sadness, the hurt, all alone Oh,
I want to keep dreaming, oh, I want to keep singing Diamond
dust flying in the sky, my broken heart is crying There
is a way to pick up the pieces and move on There
is a way to dream again and carry on My
heart needs to continue to dream despite it all The
starry love dream, I know it will give me a call Why
do I still dream when my heart has been broken? Will
my dreams be nothing but a memory forgotten? Please
help me find another way to realize my dream Push
away the cold currents of the torrential stream This
is my life, my wish, my world, and my heart Help
me find a way to mend the pieces of my heart My
heart must love again! As
she sang the song, Mr. Wilkins watched her sing and closed his eyes
and listened intently to the words and the feelings that were being
felt by Melanie. When she was
finished, she looked up at Mr. Wilkins and he opened his eyes and he
looked surprised. “My
God, Melanie, where did you learn to sing like that?” he asked with
great surprise. Melanie
felt his surprise and she blushed slightly.
“Oh, I had a vocal teacher where I used to live in “That‘s
absolutely amazing! You have
a beautiful voice! It’s hard
to believe that a little girl your age could sing so well.” “Mr.
Wilkins?” said Melanie, looking startled and puzzled at the same time. Mr.
Wilkins calmed himself down by taking a deep breath. “I’m sorry.
I guess I got a little carried away there for a second. But it’s true. Your voice is the perfect singing voice.” Melanie
smiled at him brightly. “Thank
you so much. It’s my dream to
become a singer one day. I’ve
been dreaming of becoming a singer since I was very small.” Those
words echoed in Mr. Wilkins’ mind. He
thought about them for a long time and he thought about his connections
with a recording company called Regal Records, a company that he used
to work with when he was younger. Other
things were also on his mind, but he was trying to push them away. He looked up at Melanie. “Melanie?” “Yes,
sir?” said Melanie. “At
Regal Records, the recording company that I told you a little bit about
earlier, there’s going to be an audition for new talent in a couple
of weeks. They’re looking for
new talents, new singers who might become the new stars of the future. If you want, you can go for the audition.” Melanie
listened to what he was saying very carefully.
Did he say audition? Yes! He did say audition! “What? An audition?” said Melanie, very surprised. “Yeah,
your singing is perfect! I think
you should go for that audition. I
think you have a very good chance there.” Melanie
still couldn’t believe what he was saying.
“Me? In
an audition?” “If
you want, I can contact the people there that I used to work with, and
I can tell them about you. If
you want to participate in the audition, you can send them an application
and I can get one of those for you, too.” Melanie
looked at Mr. Wilkins, totally speechless. “It’s
the first step to becoming a professional singer, Melanie.” Total
surprise was written all over Melanie’s face.
Her eyes went wide open and a very bright and excited smile appear
on her face! She nearly screamed
with extreme excitement as she jumped up and down. “Yes,
please, Mr. Wilkins!” Melanie cried out.
She couldn’t believe it. If
she could get into the audition, she could show those people that she
really could sing and maybe, just maybe, she might be able to become
a singer sooner rather than later. Just
like what Hazel said to her before. The End (to be
continued) Ending theme song “My Heart” by Starry~en~Luv My heart, oh, my heart, I feel like it’s
been broken Shattered pieces blown away, forgotten and
forsaken Carried away by the cold wind of the winter
storm That took my life away, too much pain to
form I feel like the whole world has crashed
around me I want to hide away, to a place where I
can be free But it might be nothing more than a cruel
illusion The cold world’s chill has broken my concentration If only there was a way to pick up the pieces
and move on (If only there was a way) If only there was a way to dream again and
carry on (If only there was) Why does my heart continue to dream despite
it all? (Why does it continue?) The starry love dream, I hope would give
me a call (Oh, the starry love dream!) (My heart must love again…) Why do I still dream when my heart has been
broken? Will my dreams be nothing but a memory forgotten? Please help me find another way to realize
my dream Push away the cold currents of the torrential
stream (My heart) This is my life, my wish, my
world, and my heart (My heart) Help me find a way to mend the
pieces of my heart My heart must love again! So far away, even if you’re so far away
from me I‘ll never forget you, I’ll fulfill my promise,
you see I feel sad and I feel lonely, like I’m the
only one here But I know that you’re here, to chase away
my fear My heart is longing for you; I don’t want
to be alone We have to bear the pain, the sadness, the
hurt, all alone Oh, I want to keep dreaming, oh, I want
to keep singing Diamond dust flying in the sky, my broken
heart is crying There is a way to pick up the pieces and
move on (There is a way) There is a way to dream again and carry
on (There is always a way) My heart needs to continue to dream despite
it all (My heart must continue) The starry love dream, I know it will give
me a call (Oh, the starry love dream!) (My heart must love again…) Why do I still dream when my heart has been
broken? Will my dreams be nothing but a memory forgotten? Please help me find another way to realize
my dream Push away the cold currents of the torrential
stream (My heart) This is my life, my wish, my
world, and my heart (My heart) Help me find a way to mend the
pieces of my heart My heart must love again! (My heart, oh, my heart!) This is my life,
my wish, my world, and my heart (Love again, oh, love again!) Help me find
a way to mend the pieces of my heart My heart must love again! Preview for Next
Episode Melanie and Hazel’s narration: Melanie: “I met a new friend
again and his name is Mr. John Wilkins!” Hazel: “Oh, you mean that mean
and scary old man who lives with his cat near your house?” Melanie: “He’s not mean and scary.
People just say that about him because they don’t understand
him. But I talked to him and
he seemed very, very nice. And
you know, he told me that he was a song writer, too! He used to be a song writer! And he told me about an audition for new talent!” Hazel: “What?! An audition for new talent? You’re kidding! Are you going to go to that audition? Hey, I’ve been telling you, you have the perfect
singing voice and you should start becoming a professional singer now
instead of waiting until you’re grown up.” Melanie: “Oh, Hazel, I think
you’re right! Yes! I’m going for the audition. But I’m so nervous! I hope that everything will work out just fine.” Hazel: “That’s so cool, but what
about your grandmother? What
would she say?” Melanie: “My Grandma? Oh, I haven’t thought about that yet. I wonder what she’ll say.” Hazel: “This is your chance,
Melanie! You’re going for the
audition and you’re going to impress everybody!
And you’ll be one step closer to fulfilling your dream of becoming
a very famous, super-cute, absolutely beautiful, idol pop singer!” Melanie: “Yeah, but only if I
win the audition…” Melanie and Hazel: “Next time
on Starry Love Dream! Episode 6: I’m going to make my dream come
true!” |
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