The Note in
the Forest

Long ago, five little sounds lived in different corners of the Land.

A climbed the tall green hills calling, "ah, ah, ah." E sat beside the cool river humming, "eh, eh, eh." I hopped through the meadow whispering, "ih, ih, ih."

O rolled along the winding path singing, "ah, ah, ah." U waited beneath a little umbrella murmuring, "uh, uh, uh."

Each sound was clear and strong. But each sound was alone.

"I wonder whether anyone else sounds different like me," whispered I.

Then one windy morning, a folded note tumbled through the forest and landed at A's feet.

There were spaces inside the words where letters should have been.

"Something is missing," said A.

The wind carried the note to E, then I, then O, then U. Each vowel saw a different empty place.

So the five sounds followed the same trail toward the center of the Land.

For the first time, they stood together.

A  ·  E  ·  I  ·  O  ·  U VOWELS

They read the note again. This time, each vowel stepped into the empty place that needed a voice.

A opened one word. E warmed another. I brightened the middle. O rounded a sound. U tucked into the final space.

Suddenly, the note could be read.

"Dear vowels. Words need you. Come build a home where every word can find its sound."

The five friends looked at one another and smiled.

They gathered smooth stones, painted a warm door, and built a snug house beneath the trees.

They called it the Vowel House.

From that day on, whenever a word needed a voice in the middle, the vowels opened their door.

A, E, I, O, and U listened carefully. Then the right vowel stepped forward.

They learned that no word had to stay empty.

Every word could be heard.

Every name carried vowels too. Even yours.

"We were never missing," said U. "We were finding one another."

And the Vowel House glowed at the center of the Land, warm as a word finally spoken aloud.