" Aww! That's so cute Maxy!" Little five year old Aphmau Jessica Irene Lorde giggled as her little brother showed her a messy drawing of their family. Three year old Maxwell Jason Esmund Lorde beamed at his older sister and gave her a hug, which she returned. They sat like that for a while until Aphmau broke the silence. "Why don't we go explore!" She exclaimed, crouching a bit to look directly into her brother's chocolatey eyes. He nodded vigorously and smiled grabbing his sisters hand as she led him out the door. Little Aphmau stepped into the open and her eyes widened, still in awe of the beauty of her planet even if she saw it everyday. Max tugged on her hand and she snapped out of her daze, giggling and walked hand in hand with her brother to the gardens at the center of Asgard. When they reached them, people bowed respectfully. The guards in front of the golden gates surrounding the garden stepped aside and granted them passage. They bowed as Aphmau and Max walked by, with both children waving and smiling at them. When the children  were fully into the garden, the gates were closed behind them, and the pair walked to the large tree in the middle. "Okay, Maxy," Aphmau said," do you have a picture of where you want to go?" Aphmau put her hand to the tree and looked kindly down on her brother, patiently awaiting his response. Max had his eyes and nose scrunched up in concentration. After a couple of seconds, the little boy opened his eyes and nodded, placing his hand on the tree too, slightly below his sister's. Light swirled around the duo and when it cleared, they were gone.

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The two children had reappeared in a serene place. It was small, but just the right size for the two of them. They were standing on a small piece of land elevated out of a clear pond. On it was a small cherry blossom tree, its branches curving down in an arc, creating an umbrella for the children. In the pond sat lily pads with beautiful pink water lilies atop them, accenting the blossoms on the tree. Turtles, frogs, and crickets made peaceful background music.

"Aphie," Max asked, pulling a bag from behind him,  "would you read me a fairy tale?" Aphmau looked at her little brother, confused.

"Fairy tale? What's that," she asked Max, really having no clue.

"It's a type of story told on another planet called Earth! Auntie F got me this book for my birthday!" He said excitedly. His sister ruffled his hair and smiled.

"Alright, I will read what I can, but no promises on accurate story telling, okay?" She said, and her brother nodded, opening the book to a story.

"Here," he said, "Mommy always tells me this one before bed!" Aphmau read the title out loud for a dramatic start to the story.

"The Golden Bird," she said as the two sat down against the trunk of the cherry blossom tree. The little girl started to read, "Once upon a time, in a far off kingdom, stood a tree. This tree, however, was not your ordinary tree. This tree produced golden apples, and it belonged to a king. The king and his land prized these apples, but every time one grew ripe, it had disappeared the next morning. At this, the king was very frustrated, and sent his eldest son to watch over the tree and see what was stealing his apples. The kings eldest son fell asleep upon watching the tree. The next day, the king sent his middle son to watch over the tree. He too fell asleep. Then the third brother was asked to keep watch. He stayed awake and saw a golden bird swoop down to the tree and steal the ripe golden apple. The third brother shot an arrow at it, but it did the bird no harm. The bird had only lost a tail feather, which the third brother presented to the king. The king demanded that he had the entire bird to satisfy himself, so he sent his first son to find it.

The first son set out, and while in the forest, he met a fox. The fox was kind, and offered the boy good counsel. The son, however, was not subject to the fox, and pulled out his arrow. "Now," said the fox, "When you reach the two inns up ahead, do not go into the clean and beautiful one," the son again payed no mind to the fox's word and shot his arrow. The fox escaped and ran off into the forest, tail above his head. The first son reached the two inns, and thought that no harm could come to him from the nice inn, and stayed there for the night. The next morning, the first brother forgot about the bird and his mission. When the king's son had not come back for several days, he sent his middle son to fetch the golden bird. The fox agin offered his good courting, but the son disregarded it and stayed at the better inn. He too forgot about his journey. When the king's second did not return, he became distressed and refused to let his third son go, but eventually, the king found the heart and let his third son go. The third son set out and came across the fox. The fox said, "Please, I offer good courting, it will help you on your journey." The fox gave his advice, and instead of attempting his life, the third son thanked the fox for his advice. The fox said, "Ride on my tail, and I will take you there faster." The third son did as he was instructed and the two set off.

When they reached the village, the son got off of the fox and the creature disappeared into the woods. The son found the more beautiful inn more attractive, but took the fox's advice and slept in the old, run down inn. The next morning, the son set out upon his journey again, and he came across the fox. "I will help you find the bird," he said, "but you must follow my words exactly. You will reach a castle, and the guards will all be asleep. You must walk to its center and you will find the bird you are looking for in a wooden cage, with a golden cage next to it. Do not put the bird in the golden cage." the third son did listened and the two set off for the castle. As the fox had said, the guards had all fallen asleep. The third son crept into the center of the castle and saw the bird in a golden cage. "Why, a bird like you must deserve a beautiful golden cage, so that is what you will get," said the third son, and he placed the bird in its respective cage. The minute the bird was in the nice cage, however, it screeched at the top of its lungs and all of the guards awoke. The third son was taken prisoner.

The next morning, the son sought counsel, and he was sentenced to die unless he could bring the king the golden horse. The son set off in despair, and he met the fox. "Now you see what happens when you disregard my advice," he said, "but I will still help you find the golden horse. Go straight on until you reach the castle. Next to the horse will be a sleeping groom who will not wake if you put the old leathern saddle on the horse instead of the gold one." the son and the fox set off towards the castle. When they reached it, everything the fox had said was correct. All went right, and the groom lay snoring with his hand upon the golden saddle. But when the son looked at the horse, he thought it a great pity to put the leathern saddle upon it. 'I will give him the good one,' said he; 'I am sure he deserves it.' As he took up the golden saddle the groom awoke and cried out so loud, that all the guards ran in and took him prisoner, and in the morning he was again brought before the court to be judged, and was sentenced to die. But it was agreed, that, if he could bring thither the beautiful princess, he should live, and have the bird and the horse given him for his own.

Then he went his way very sorrowful; but the old fox came and said,'Why did not you listen to me? If you had, you would have carried away both the bird and the horse; yet will I once more give you counsel. Go straight on, and in the evening you will arrive at a castle. At twelve o'clock at night the princess goes to the bathing-house: go up to her and give her a kiss, and she will let you lead her away; but take care you do not suffer her to go and take leave of her father and mother.' Then the fox stretched out his tail, and so away they went over stock and stone till their hair whistled again.

As they came to the castle, all was as the fox had said, and at twelve o'clock the young man met the princess going to the bath and gave her the kiss, and she agreed to run away with him, but begged with many tears that he would let her take leave of her father. At first he refused, but she wept still more and more, and fell at his feet, till at last he consented; but the moment she came to her father's house the guards awoke and he was taken prisoner again.

Then he was brought before the king, and the king said, 'You shall never have my daughter unless in eight days you dig away the hill thatstops the view from my window.' Now this hill was so big that the whole world could not take it away: and when he had worked for sevendays, and had done very little, the fox came and said. 'Lie down and go to sleep; I will work for you.' And in the morning he awoke and thehill was gone; so he went merrily to the king, and told him that now that it was removed he must give him the princess.

Then the king was obliged to keep his word, and away went the young man and the princess; and the fox came and said to him, 'We will have all three, the princess, the horse, and the bird.' 'Ah!' said the young man, 'that would be a great thing, but how can you contrive it?'

'If you will only listen,' said the fox, 'it can be done. When you come to the king, and he asks for the beautiful princess, you must say, "Here she is!" Then he will be very joyful; and you will mount the golden horse that they are to give you, and put out your hand to take leave of them; but shake hands with the princess last. Then lift her quickly on to the horse behind you; clap your spurs to his side,and gallop away as fast as you can.'

All went right: then the fox said, 'When you come to the castle where the bird is, I will stay with the princess at the door, and you will ride in and speak to the king; and when he sees that it is the right horse, he will bring out the bird; but you must sit still, and saythat you want to look at it, to see whether it is the true golden bird; and when you get it into your hand, ride away.'

This, too, happened as the fox said; they carried off the bird, the princess mounted again, and they rode on to a great wood. Then the fox came, and said, 'Pray kill me, and cut off my head and my feet.' But the young man refused to do it: so the fox said, 'I will at any rate give you good counsel: beware of two things; ransom no one from the gallows, and sit down by the side of no river.' Then away he went. 'Well,' thought the young man, 'it is no hard matter to keep that advice.'

He rode on with the princess, till at last he came to the village where he had left his two brothers. And there he heard a great noise and uproar; and when he asked what was the matter, the people said, 'Two men are going to be hanged.' As he came nearer, he saw that the two men were his brothers, who had turned robbers; so he said, 'Cannot they in any way be saved?' But the people said 'No,' unless he would bestow all his money upon the rascals and buy their liberty. Then he did not stay to think about the matter, but paid what was asked, and his brothers were given up, and went on with him towards their home.

And as they came to the wood where the fox first met them, it was so cool and pleasant that the two brothers said, 'Let us sit down by theside of the river, and rest a while, to eat and drink.' So he said, 'Yes,' and forgot the fox's counsel, and sat down on the side of theriver; and while he suspected nothing, they came behind, and threw him down the bank, and took the princess, the horse, and the bird, and went home to the king their master, and said. 'All this have we won by our labour.' Then there was great rejoicing made; but the horse would not eat, the bird would not sing, and the princess wept.

The youngest son fell to the bottom of the river's bed: luckily it was nearly dry, but his bones were almost broken, and the bank was so steep that he could find no way to get out. Then the old fox came once more, and scolded him for not following his advice; otherwise no evil would have befallen him: 'Yet,' said he, 'I cannot leave you here, so lay hold of my tail and hold fast.' Then he pulled him out of the river, and said to him, as he got upon the bank, 'Your brothers have set watch to kill you, if they find you in the kingdom.' So he dressed himself as a poor man, and came secretly to the king's court, and was scarcely within the doors when the horse began to eat, and the bird to sing, and princess left off weeping. Then he went to the king, and told him all his brothers' roguery; and they were seized and punished, and he had the princess given to him again; and after the king's death he was heir to his kingdom.

A long while after, he went to walk one day in the wood, and the old fox met him, and besought him with tears in his eyes to kill him, and cut off his head and feet. And at last he did so, and in a moment the fox was changed into a man, and turned out to be the brother of the princess, who had been lost a great many many years." Little Aphmau finished her story and looked at her brother expectantly.

"Well, I'm not sure what I like about the story, but it is my favorite," Max said, answering her unasked question.

"I think I know why," Aphmau said, her brother looking at her with inquiring eyes. "A big thing in the story is don't judge a book by its cover, mostly revolving around the fox, but seen in other, more insignificant parts of the story." She leaned reached up and pinched his cheeks,"I think that is what you wish for most in life, being treated by who you are, and that is a good goal to have." Max grinned at her and carefully pulled the book out of his sister's hands and put it back in the back.

"I think so too,"Max said, and his sister smiled warmly.

"Come now, it is time for dinner, Max. Let's go home."