The Jewel Collar by Christine Karol Roberts Read Free Book Online Page A

up with a brilliant idea. Ari’s mother had just given
Ari a beautiful new Jewel Collar as an early Christmas gift to
cheer him up.
     

     
     
     
    Sitting in the garden, Ari thought to
himself, maybe if I offer to share some of my jewels as a sign of
friendship, I can make new friends.
     

     
     
     
    While the new Jewel Collar was his favorite
collar, Ari decided that it would be better to share his jewels and
make new friends than to be alone in the garden every day when his
Mommy went to the Courthouse or to work and also at night when he
sat by the pool.
     

     
     
     
    Ari first approached Steve the Squirrel who
was busily eating sunflower seeds and said, “I am so lonely and sad
since we moved to this new house and garden.”
     

     
     
     
    “It is Christmas and I miss my old friends in
the beach house garden. We always had a great time at Christmas
playing and giving each other little gifts. Would you like one of
the jewels from my Jewel Collar for Christmas?”
     

     
     
     
    Steve was very excited because the jewels
were so very pretty and he had never seen anything like them. He
shook Ari’s paw, took the jewel and told Ari he would be his
friend, even without the jewel. He understood that Ari missed his
friends.
     

     
     
     
    Steve the Squirrel was so happy he had a new
friend that he climbed back up into the orange tree and ate an
orange.
     

     
     
     
    The next day Ari went out to the garden. His
new friend, Steve the Squirrel, was taking a drink of water and
waiting to chase around the pool with him. “Ari, I know Mr. &
Mrs. Morning Dove because I have lived in this garden for two
years. Would you like to meet them?”
     

     
     
     
    Mr. & Mrs. Morning Dove, who also lived
in the garden, were very shy, as doves are, but they were friends
with Steve the Squirrel so they knew it was safe to be around Ari,
too.
     

     
     
     
    Steve the Squirrel took Ari by the paw and
led him over to Mr. & Mrs. Morning Dove, who were enjoying
their daily breakfast of the sunflower seeds left out for them each
day by Ari’s Mommy.
     

     
     
     
    There were many birdhouses in the trees and a
fountain filled with water for the birds. Ari’s Mommy thought it
would help to cheer up Ari to be out in the garden where he could
make new friends.
     

     
     
     
    “Mr. & Mrs. M, I’d like you to meet my
new friend, Aristotle. His friends call him Ari. Ari is having a
very sad Christmas. Ari would like to be your friend and give you
one of the jewels from his Jewel Collar.” The Doves loved the
garden and walking around the pool looking for bird seed.
     

     
     
     
    Mrs. M said “Ari, that is so very kind of
you, but we will be your friends, even without one of your jewels.
All of the creatures in the garden are our friends and we take care
of each other.”
     

     
     
     
    “We always spend Christmas day together
decorating our garden Christmas tree. See our friends the birds
over there eating?” Ari wanted to share his precious jewels with
his new friends, so he handed two sparkling jewels from his collar
to Mrs. Morning Dove.
     

     
     
     
    “You know, Ari, we are good friends with Mama
and Papa Finch and we would be happy to introduce you to them.” The
Finch family, who had been living in the garden for a few years,
were very sad because their dog friend, Larry the Lhasa Apso, had
moved away. The Finches were very excited to meet Ari. Ari gave
each of them one of his jewels and said “Merry Christmas.”
     

     
     
     
     
    Ari thought to himself that things were
almost perfect. The only friends missing were his old friends the
Sparrow Family, Paul the Possum, Mickey the Mallard and the
Hummingbird Family.
     

     
     
     
    If only I can meet a few more new friends
like the Sparrows, The Hummingbirds, Paul and Mickey, spending my
days in the new garden will be so much more fun.
     

     
     
     
    Just about that time, a beautiful green
Mallard duck approached them to see what was