Ingrid - from A-Z Bedtime Stories by Celia Blake

Twelve-year-old Ingrid usually enjoyed school. She played violin and enjoyed learning new things. Her favorite subject was World History, and she dreamed about one day visiting Peru. For now, however, she was in the seventh grade; and, it wasn’t going as well as sixth grade had gone.

For instance, she accidentally bumped into an eighth grade girl in the hallway. The girl stopped and looked at Ingrid, “What did you say?” she asked.

“Nothing,” Ingrid replied.

“Yeah. I thought so. You best apologize for running into me,” she said hatefully.

“Sorry,” Ingrid replied.

“If it happens again, you will be sorry,” said the bully. It was obvious she was, indeed, a bully. With her nose in the air, she walked to a group of friends crowded around a locker.

A week later a boy asked Ingrid why she had a dot in the middle of her forehead. “Are you Indian?” asked the boy.

Ingrid thought that was a silly question. Some Hindu women wore a bindi dot on their brow, but Ingrid was a blond-haired, blue-eyed Christian American with a German heritage who happened to have a mole on her forehead. She felt embarrassed by the question. Not because he thought she was Indian, she loved that culture. She was embarrassed because the boy asked her in a snide tone. She felt like he was making fun of her mole. After that she became very self-conscious about it.

Her parents always told her she was a beautiful girl who could do whatever she wanted with her life. But she was in the second row in Orchestra, not first. She only had a couple friends, one of whom was on vacation. And, unlike last year when she got all A’s, her most recent report card had only B’s and C’s.

One day, on a Friday, her teacher, Mrs. Anderson, asked her if she wanted to join Diversity Club. Students come together to create awareness and promote acceptance of various cultures in the school and in society. She said they also did many fun activities to learn more about other cultures. She thought Ingrid might be interested since she enjoyed learning about these things in class. But, Ingrid just wanted to go home and be alone. So, she said she would think about it.

It was cold outside and snowed all weekend long. Ingrid, an only child, lived with her parents in a small house just outside St. Paul, Minnesota. She practiced her violin and did her homework. She spent Saturday doing her chores which earned her twenty bucks a week allowance. She watched a movie with her folks Saturday night, then played video games online with her friends Ava and Suav. On Sunday she attended church.

At church the pastor discussed Proverbs. He called them ‘gems of wisdom’ and said we could go to them if we needed advice or read them to improve our lives. After church, they had lunch and went home.

That night, Ingrid pulled out her Bible and looked up a proverb. She opened to a random page and closed her eyes, letting her finger fall onto the page. 20:13: If you love sleep, you will end in poverty. Stay awake, work hard, and there will be plenty to eat!

“Well,” said Ingrid to the Peter Rabbit stuffed animal sitting on her nightstand. “That might be a sign for me to stop feeling sorry for myself and work harder for better grades.” Peter Rabbit didn’t reply, sitting silently still.

“I guess I could do that. I could try, at least,” she added. But, she didn’t feel any better. So, she decided to do it again. This time her finger fell onto Proverbs 27:6: Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy.

“Hmm. Well, I have only two friends, three if I count you, Peter.” She picked up the stuffed animal. “You are all good friends, though. Ava always shows me friendship by sitting with me at lunch and sharing things about her life. She keeps it real, too. Unlike those other fake girls.” She thought about the mean girls at school, then. It made her sad. “Let’s see,” she continued. “Suave... well, Suav is a friend that will tell me when I do something wrong. And, he is nice about it. He doesn’t expect me to be perfect, but tells me things when I need to hear them. He’s pretty smart and a really cool friend,” she said to Peter.

“And you, Peter. Are an awesome friend because you are always there for me.” She kissed the stuffed animal then replaced it back on her nightstand. She fell asleep soundly.

The next morning she woke up feeling better. However, when she got to school she dropped her pencil case. It was a hard pencil case, so it busted open and scattered the contents all over the hallway. There were colored pencils, pens, and erasers everywhere. She was so embarrassed she turned bright red. Thankfully, Ava’s older brother happened by and helped her pick it all up. Not a good start to the week, though, she thought.

As the week went on, things got worse. She was picked on again. This time by another older girl who made fun of her because her fly was down. And one day in gym class she tripped over the net and fell into a group of boys. She wondered if her awkwardness would ever end.

She spent the weekend alone, again. But Ingrid looked forward to school on Monday because her best friend, Suav, would be home from his vacation.

The weather was warmer, but the playground was scarce of students.

The minute Suav saw Ingrid, he knew something was wrong. He had a feeling her future was in danger, too. Sometimes these things just came to him, these knowings. And, he wanted to help his best friend.

Suav didn’t want her to get lost. He felt she could be on that kind of path. If it was necessary, then so be it. But if he could help her, he would. So, he came right out and asked, “What is wrong?”

“Oh, I don’t know. It’s been a rough school year,” she replied. “But, I’m fine,” she added. “Come, they just added a new toy. It’s called tetherball. Want to play?”

“Sure,” replied Suav, following Ingrid to a circular area where there stood a large pole with a rope hanging from it. At the end of the rope was an attached ball.

“You stand there. I will serve,” said Ingrid. “I need to try to wrap the ball all the way around the pole. You hit the ball, too, trying to undo mine and wrap it yourself. The first to wrap it all away around wins.”

“Sound fun!” said Suav. And it was fun. They laughed a lot. But, Suav could also sense a different kind of aggression coming from Ingrid when she hit the ball. She was doing some sort of shadow work, letting out some buried emotions during the game. He thought that this was more serious than his original concern, and he knew he needed to help her—if she wanted help, that is.

Ingrid won. She was happy about that. The bell rang and they went back to class. At lunch it was just she and Suav because Ava was volunteering for something in the auditorium in order to get extra credit in her English class.

This was a good time for Suav to talk to Ingrid. He was direct. “I can see your soul is troubled, Ingrid. I don’t think you should ignore this.”

“What?” she asked, surprised by his words.

“Well, there’s something wrong. You’re my best friend. I can tell. Do you want to talk?”

“My soul is fine, Suav,” she replied. “I go to church every Sunday.”

“I don’t mean that,” he said.

“You’re a Christian, right?” she asked.

“Yes. But, we have other beliefs, too.”

”You mean, in your Hmong culture?”

“Well, yes, I guess.”

“Like what?” asked Ingrid, extremely curious.

“We believe in reincarnation.”

“So do I!” exclaimed Ingrid. “What else?”

“We believe everything posses a spirit, even objects.”

“Really? Wow. That’s pretty cool,” she said. “So, this table has a spirit?”

“Yes. It is made of energy. It was created by the hands of a living creature. It has a spirit of its own.”

“Interesting.”

Suav was glad that Ingrid was interested in his culture. It occurred to him that maybe this might be a way he could help her. “We also honor our ancestors for guidance and protection.”

“That’s super cool. How do you do that?” she asked.

“Well, for one, we visit them at their graves. And sometimes they call us for a visit. Family is very important in my culture. It is the key to happiness.”

“I can believe that. I love my family,” she replied. “I’m curious, though. How do your ancestors call you?”

Well, they can reach out through dreams, or signs. But, usually, through our shaman.”

“You have a Shaman? So cool! How do you become a Shaman?”

“The spirits decide who gets to be one. But sometimes those people choose to become priests or doctors.”

“You’re kidding me?”

“No.”

“Why have you never told me any of this?”

“It never came up,” he replied, honestly.

Suav thought this might be a good time to get through to his friend. “We can ask my parents if our Shaman can help you.”

“What? What do you mean help me? My soul?”

“Yes.”

Ingrid didn’t think her soul needed any help, but she was extremely curious to learn more about shamanism. So, she asked, “How can a Shaman help a soul?”

“Well, sometimes the soul is, in a way, sick.”

“Sick? Like, has a disease?”

“No. And yes. They help a sick person find their faith again. Then they get better.”

“They heal? Their bodies heal?”

“Yes, if they have physical ailments it can help that. But also, they become happy again, or content. Not troubled.”

“Troubled, like me?”

“We all get troubled sometimes,” said Suav.

Ingrid knew her friend was very smart. And, she was curious to learn more. She was having a rough time this year, but she wasn’t too sure that her soul was actually troubled.

“You could come over for dinner tonight. Then, we could ask my parents if you can meet our Shaman.”

“Okay,” replied Ingrid.

Suav’s mom usually wore a white pleated skirt. She always looks lovely, thought Ingrid. And, she was always kind.

“Come, eat!” she commanded.

Ingrid asked Suav why the sticky rice was purple.

“It’s left over from our vacation. We celebrated the new year and that is one of our traditions. Do you like the soup?” he asked.

“Yes. It’s delicious,” replied Ingrid. “Beef noodle?”

He nodded, yes.

It was a nice dinner, simple and friendly. Suav had three siblings, all older brothers. They were well mannered, just like Suav. And, Suav’s father agreed to take them to the Shaman on the coming weekend.

The week went by as usual for Ingrid. There were a few mean kids, a few disappointments, but she got through them. She got an A on her report about Peru. This made her happy, especially since she had worked extra hard on it. She became a pro at tetherball, but her favorite time of day was lunch with Ava and Suav. She looked forward to the weekend, to meeting the Shaman.

It was a cold but sunny Saturday. Ingrid was surprised that the Shaman was a woman, and she was younger than she thought she’d be. She had long black hair and wore a red cap. Using her fingertips, she sprinkled water on herself. She sat on a bench by what looked to be some sort of shrine and chanted some words which Ingrid did not understand. She motioned Ingrid over, inviting her to sit on the bench.

Sitting there, Ingrid felt her eyelids become heavy, so she closed them. She heard some sedate music, a deep bell sounded a few times, and a few more echoed the celestial song. Ingrid opened her eyes. The Shaman lady was shaking to some sort of rhythm. The music stopped. She stopped shaking, then she was breathing heavy and sweating.

Ingrid became a little nervous. She looked over to Suav and his dad. They nodded encouragement, signaling that all was okay.

The Shaman then made a strange noise and stood up. She started dancing around. Ingrid thought this was strange, but she accepted it. The lady sat down again, shaking slightly. Then she yelled! A word Ingrid didn’t understand. It startled Ingrid, but she sat still. Suav mouthed the words “It will be okay.”

The Shaman cried out, “Yes, bird! I will climb this hill for her and bring it back to her.” Then she was quiet. “No, you go away!” she yelled, and became quiet again. Some moments passed until she spoke again. She said, “I can do this. Because she is a child this is allowed.” Then, she was quiet. More moments passed. She stopped shaking, opened her eyes and removed her red cap. “Come,” she said to Ingrid, guiding her to join the men around the table.

“This was an interesting journey into the spirit realm. I ran into a nosy, bad spirit, but he left upon my command,” she said as she went to the kitchen area.

Ingrid’s eyes grew wide in amazement. Suav and his dad simply nodded their understanding.

“I asked the spirits what to do to help you,” she said to Ingrid. “They showed me your tapestry. And, I know what to do,” she said with positivity. “I am going to brew you a special tea. Do not worry, it is a simple herbal remedy for your soul. No drug,” she added. “I will make a pot, it will be good for all of us actually.

“I do not always see faces, but it does happen. And it did today. A new spirit guide showed herself to me. So, you see, this was not only for you, but for me as well.” She smiled. Suav and his dad were pleased for her. “I was supposed to help you so that I could meet her. You see?” she asked Ingrid.

Ingrid nodded, yes.

“So, thank you, my dear.”

It didn’t take long for the tea to brew. She poured everyone a cup. Ingrid said thank you.

“Drink,” she instructed.

They all sipped their tea.

“So, Suav was right. There were a few paths in sight, some not good for you.”

“Okay,” replied Ingrid, not sure what to say.

“This is what you can do so you follow the right path for yourself,” she said, reaching underneath the table and pulling out some square paper with silver and gold square foil papers within each sheet. “This is joss paper, we must burn this. It is an offering to the ancestors.” She then pulled out a large pottery bowl. “We say thank you, and be transformed. Are you willing to do this?” she asked.

Ingrid had originally decided to go there because she was curious and wanted to learn more about Suav’s culture. She was surprised by the Shaman, but also felt like it was truth. And, if it was truth, then she could help Ingrid. Ingrid would be thirteen in a few months, and she did not want to become a depressed teenager. She admitted to herself right there that it might be a possibility. “Can I use your bathroom?” she asked.

“Of course,” replied the lady.

Ingrid went into the bathroom and washed her hands and said a prayer. She asked God if it would be okay. She believed he said it would. So, she came back into the room and told them she would burn the paper.

Both the Shaman and Ingrid each burned a piece of paper and said thank you to the ancestors. Then, the Shaman told her that when she was in the spirit realms she saw a pool. She said that Ingrid needed to wash her spirit clean.

“How should I do that?” asked Ingrid.

“Well, you could do it next time you take a shower,” the Shaman suggested. “When you bath, allow the water to wash over you and ask it to take away all that does not serve you. Feel it all wash away. Then give yourself a cold rinse before you get out.”

“Okay. I will do that. Thank you,” replied Ingrid.

The next morning, she did just that. And, things began to look up!

It seemed to work! She began to accept herself and love herself, flaws and all. She did become happier, and she, Suav and Ava all joined Diversity Club.

Ingrid continued to strive to get good grades and play the violin well. If she didn’t get an A or if she made a mistake, she easily forgave herself because she had faith that everything would be okay. When someone picked on her she just looked at them for who they were and walked away. This is who she wanted to be. She wanted to be true to herself. She wanted to please God, not some kid who didn’t care for the mole on her forehead. She learned to love that mole, and as she grew up, it became added beauty to her lovely face and honest eyes.

—Celia Blake

Ingrid - from A-Z Bedtime Stories

shared on TwilightLetters.com

A-Z Bedtime Stories

All rights reserved.