Far beyond the forest, in a quiet, hidden spot, stands a little painted wooden cottage. Its windows are dressed with beautiful curtains, a roof shines red, and colorful flowers bloom on the windowsills. An old lady called Agatha lives in this cottage. She is a woman with a kind smile and a touch of magic. She likes to wear a scarf on her head, round glasses, and a floral skirt.
She lives alone in her cottage, far away from people, yet she knows everything that is going on around her and is always ready to help. How is that possible?
Agatha is no ordinary woman. She has magical powers. She can hear from miles away. She hears everything! When someone laughs, when someone is sad, when someone is angry… Agatha just pricks up her ears and listens.
Once, she was sitting on her bench under the windows, enjoying the nature around her and drinking her favorite linden tea. Suddenly, she heard something. “Where have you gone? Where are you hiding?” came a voice from a nearby village. Agatha recognized that it was a thin girl’s voice and that it was sad. She wasted no time and called on her bird helpers.
“My dear birds, I need your help. There is a sad little girl in the village who needs our help right now. Fly to her and find out who she has lost,” Agatha asked the birds. They immediately flew towards the village. After a while, they found the girl sitting under a tree, wiping away her tears. They flew around her, listening to what she was saying through her tears. They found out that she had lost her kitten. The kitten had run away somewhere, and she didn’t know where he was or if anything had happened to him.
The birds immediately flew to Agatha and told her everything. Agatha had already heard about it before the birds told her. But what now? They had to find the lost kitten and bring it back to the little girl. Agatha thought hard. She knew she had to hurry. Every minute was precious. Who knew what had happened to the cat? First, she strained her ears to hear if she could hear any meowing. But there was nothing. Not a sound. So she asked the birds for help once more: “Fly far and wide, my little ones, and find the kitten.” The birds wasted no time. They immediately flew off and searched the entire forest and village for the lost cat.
After a while, a sparrow saw a dirty ball of fur sleeping in the bushes near Agatha’s house. The bird quickly called the others, and then they flew together to Agatha. They led her to the dirty ball of fur. And indeed, it was the lost kitten. Muddy, hungry, and tired, he was sleeping in the shade of the bushes. He had wandered to the edge of the forest, near Agatha’s cottage, and, completely exhausted, had fallen asleep there. Agatha gently picked him up. She gave him food, washed him, and then sent him to his little girl. Of course, the birds guided him, or he would have gotten lost again. When the little girl saw her beloved kitten approaching her, led by the birds, she immediately realized that Agatha, who had heard her, had arranged it. She was overjoyed. She took the cat in her arms and thanked the birds. She also told them to give her thanks to Agatha.
Far beyond the forest, the wooden cottage still stands all alone. Agatha lives there, and she hears everything. She helps adults, children, and animals. And her little helpers, the birds, fly around us everywhere. Who knows, maybe one of them is sitting on a tree right outside your window.
