Once upon a time, in a sunny place, there stood a very big wall. It was made of gray stones. It was very tall. It was taller than a giraffe!
It was taller than two giraffes! On one side of the big wall lived a girl named Noa. Noa was from Israel. She had dark curly hair and a smile that looked like a crescent moon.
She loved to hum happy songs. Hum, hum, hum. On the other side of the big wall lived a girl named Yasmin. Yasmin was from Palestine.
She had beautiful dark eyes and a laugh that sounded like little bells. Ding, ding, ding! The big wall was between them. Noa could not see Yasmin.
Yasmin could not see Noa. The wall stopped them from playing tag. It stopped them from sharing cookies. Sometimes Noa looked at the wall and felt sad.
Sometimes Yasmin looked at the wall and felt lonely. But the sky was big and blue above the wall. The sky did not have a wall. The sky was for everyone.
One day, the wind started to blow. Whoosh! The wind was strong. The wind was playful.
It blew the trees. Swish, swish. It blew the flowers. Sway, sway.
Noa ran into her garden. She held her favorite toy. It was a bright red kite. It had a long tail that danced in the air.
Come on, Mr. Kite! said Noa. She started to run.
Stomp, stomp, stomp. The kite jumped up. Zoom! Up, up, up it went.
Higher than the house. Higher than the trees. At the exact same time, Yasmin ran into her garden. She held her favorite toy too.
It was a shiny blue kite. It had sparkles that glittered in the sun. Fly high, Mrs. Kite!
said Yasmin. She started to run. Stomp, stomp, stomp. Her kite jumped up.
Zoom! Up, up, up it went. Higher than the house. Higher than the trees.
The wind blew the red kite higher. The wind blew the blue kite higher. They went up and up until they reached the very top of the big gray wall. Can you guess what happened next?
Swish! The red kite bumped into the blue kite. Bump! They did not fall down.
They spun around each other. They looked like two friends dancing in the sky. Noa pulled her string. Tug, tug.
Yasmin pulled her string. Tug, tug. Noa looked up at the blue kite. Hello!
she shouted. Her voice was loud and clear. Is someone there? Yasmin looked up at the red kite.
She heard a voice! Hello! she shouted back. I am here!
Noa was so excited. Her heart went Thump, thump, thump. My name is Noa! she yelled.
My name is Yasmin! yelled the voice from the other side. They were friends! They were friends on the other side of the wall!
They could not see each other's faces. They could not hug each other. The big gray wall was in the way. But they had the sky.
And they had the kites. Let's play! said Noa. Yes, let's play!
said Yasmin. Noa had a kind idea. She ran to her room. She found a pretty yellow flower.
She tied the flower to the string of her kite. She pulled the string gently. Down, down, down. The flower floated over the top of the wall.
It dropped down slowly on the other side. Plop! Yasmin saw the yellow flower falling. She caught it in her hand.
It was soft. It smelled sweet. Sniff, sniff. Thank you, Noa!
shouted Yasmin. Yasmin had a kind idea too. She ran to her room. She found a shiny blue ribbon.
She tied the ribbon to the string of her kite. She pulled the string gently. Down, down, down. The ribbon floated over the top of the wall.
It dropped down slowly on Noa's side. Flutter, flutter. Noa saw the ribbon. She caught it.
It was smooth. It was beautiful. Thank you, Yasmin! shouted Noa.
From that day on, the wind was their helper. Every day, Noa and Yasmin would fly their kites. Whoosh! The red kite and the blue kite would meet in the middle of the sky.
They would send little gifts. Sometimes a drawing. Sometimes a cookie. Sometimes just a big wave hello.
Wave, wave! They learned something very special. They learned that walls are made of stone. Walls are hard.
Walls are cold. But hearts are made of kindness. Hearts are soft. Hearts are warm.
The wall could stop their feet. But the wall could not stop the kites. And the wall could not stop their friendship. Noa and Yasmin were happy.
They knew that even if you cannot see someone, you can still be their friend. Even if there is a big wall, kindness can fly over it. Kindness is like a bird. Tweet, tweet!
It goes where it wants. So, if you ever see a kite in the sky, look closely. Maybe it is carrying a message of love. Maybe it is flying over a wall to say hello.
Can you make your heart fly like a kite? Yes, you can! Just be kind. Zoom!
The End.