Finding a Friend Adapted from Messenger of St. Anthony

Finding a Friend

Adapted from Messenger of St. Anthony

Celina is the youngest in a brood of four. Her two sisters, Gina and Olivia, are teachers and the only boy, Cesar, graduated with honors as an engineer only last March. Celina is only twelve years old. The gaps among Celina, her two sisters and brother make her lonely.

She is loved by everybody. Celina knows this but she feels she has no friend she can confide in. To her, Mona, Celina’s beautiful doll, is the only one who listens to stories which Celina loved to make up.

They live near the sea. Celina and her friend Mona spent a lot of time on the beach. Near the beach, there was a big cave which Celina imagined to be the home of a friendly dragon.

She liked school very much because she enjoyed the lessons but was too shy and quiet to make friends.  She was too shy to join her classmates in their “noisy games,” as their teachers called these. One day, the class had to select the best storyteller. One criterion was that the story must be original. Many joined the contest but only two were chosen s finalist. Celina was chosen because she was narrated the story of a friendly dragon and the other one, Emilia, told a story about pirates. Emilia was a very intelligent girl, full of fun, bubbly, and has lots of friends. Being her opposite, Celina was timid to approach Emilia, the popular girl in school.

The finals came and almost everybody in school showed up to witness the contest. Everyone crowded around Emilia after the contest and told her how smashing her story was.

Celina was disappointed because nobody praised her. At home, she told her family that her story was chosen as one of the best, but her sisters only said “very good, Celina,” without really listening and no one else took notice at all.

It was three in the afternoon when Celina took Mona to the beach. Celina carried a pail and talked to Mona about what happened in school.

Her mother asked her Kuya Cesar to accompany her in the cave. Her brother also listened to her stories but when he saw his friends, he left Celina to stay in the beach alone with Mona. He stayed near the cave.

Celina told Mona that her friendly dragon wants them to make a shell garden in the cave, so they have to collect lots of shells, pretty pebbles, and other treasures they could find.

She propped the doll up on the ledge at the back of the cave and went off to search for shells and pebbles. She chose the prettiest ones with attractive colors like yellow, lavender, pink, and she also picked up tiny white pebbles.

She returned to the cave and presented her find to her brother called her and said that they needed to go back home. She obeyed and immediately waded to the mouth of the cave, found the water to be quite deep for her, and by accident slip into the rockpool.

“Come here, Mama will see you soaking wet and she will make me responsible for that. She’ll be angry with us! Let’s go home now. Goodbye friends, we’ll go ahead!” he said.

Celina slipped into the house quietly but her sister spotted her and asked.

What happened Celina? Where have you been? Where’s Cesar?

“She’s okay, girls, let her change her clothes.” Answered Kuya Cesar.

Her mother scolded Celina and asked her to take a bath immediately. After her bath, they ate supper and she was put to bed by Gina, who read her a story.

“Oh, no! Mona! I left her in the cave!” She told Gina how she had made the garden while Mona had watched her.

“I have to go back to the cave and get her, ate Gina!” she cried.

“Don’t worry, my dear. Sleep early so we can just get her the first thing tomorrow morning. I promise!” Gina said.

Then she prayed, “Oh God, please help me find my friend tomorrow, please!

The next day, Saturday, she asked permission from her mother to go back to the beach.

“Sorry, you will go with me to the plaza to buy you a new pair of shoes,” explained her Mom.

“But mother, I have to find Mona right now!” she cried.

“I’ll do it for you, Celina. Remember, I promised you that! Gina said.

“Please, Ate!” Celina said.

Celina and her mother went shopping despite the fuss. She couldn’t focus because of Mona.

They came home early and Celina asked for her doll.

“Sorry, Celina dear! I looked where you left her but I couldn’t find her. It rained hard last night and probably the doll went with the water flow to somewhere far from our place, “explained Gina.

“Oh, poor Mona!’ It’s my fault. I forgot to get her last night, Celina wept.

Don’t worry Celina! You have other toys to play with,” assured Mother.

“But mother, she’s the only friend I have!” cried Celina.

“What did you say Celina?” asked mother.

“Ma, I have no friends, I only have Mona.” explained Celina.

“Come on Celina, you have classmates, remember?” said Gina.

“You don’t understand!” she uttered and went to her room crying.

Monday came. She went to school very lonely. While listening to their teacher, she remembered Mona and she sobbed silently. She asked permission to leave the room.   She went outside, got her hanky and cried.

“Hey Celina, what’s wrong?” asked Emilia.

Celina told Emilia about Mona and the cave. Emilia became interested in the cave and asked about it.

The two didn’t separate until dismissal time. They planned to go to the cave, as Emilia’s story was also about the cave.

When evening came, Celina felt excited to see Emilia again. She no longer missed Mona.