Back Kyle's Ostara Lesson by Lori Dak e, 2002 Kyle's Ostara Lesson, by Lori Dake, 2002 Kyle is a little

boy who lives in a big city. He lives in big apartment building with 12 other families, and every family is very different, but they all get along. Kyle has a mom and a dad and a big orange cat named Sneaky. Like every other family in the big apartment building, Kyle's family is different, too. Kyle woke up to a very bright morning. His room was filled with so much sunlight that it looked like his room was on fire! He threw back the covers, jumped out of bed and grabbed his clothes. It was Ostara morning, and Kyle knew it was going to be a very special day! "Kyle," his mom called, "hurry up or you'll miss it!" Kyle replied, "Okay, mom!" He pulled his favorite green and grey shirt over his head and opened the door. He then ran into the kitchen where a hot plate of scrambled eggs and buttered toast were waiting for him. There was also a tall glass of orange juice resting behind his plate. Kyle picked up his fork and started to eat very quickly. He was very hungry indeed! Just as he sat down, Sneaky meowed. "Kyle," his mom said, "I think someone is trying to give you a hint". Kyle looked down at Sneaky, who was rubbing his body against his leg. "Okay, Sneaky," Kyle said as he petted his head. "I guess you need some breakfast, too." Kyle got up and brought down a can of cat food. He carefully opened the lid so as not to get a cut, and emptied the can into Sneaky's dish. Sneaky was standing right behind Kyle; he was even more hungry than Kyle was! Sneaky came up from under Kyle's arms and started eating even before all of the food was in the bowl. Kyle then went to fetch Sneaky a fresh bowl of water. Kyle then sat back down to continue to eat his breakfast. His mom came up behind him and started to brush his hair. "What kind of a rat's nest do you have in here?" His mom struggled to free his hair from all of the tangles, but gently enough so as not to hurt him. Kyle finished his breakfast and ran into his parents bedroom to wake up his dad. "Dad!" Kyle exclaimed as he shook him awake. "You're going to miss everything!" Kyle's dad opened only one eye as he lied on his side. "Miss what?" he grumbled, and rolled over onto his other side, pulling the blanket over his head. "The eggs!" Kyle cried. "You have to hurry! They're going to stand up all by themselves today!" Kyle's dad rolled back over, pulled down his blanket and smiled. He opened both of his eyes and said, "Okay, buddy, but give me a few minutes, okay?" Kyle smiled brightly. He then ran out of the bedroom and slammed the door behind him, so that his dad could get dressed. Kyle then ran into the kitchen again, and Sneaky galloped behind him. "What have I told you about running around in the house?" Kyle's mom said sternly. "Don't you know you can get hurt?" Kyle sighed. "I'm sorry, mom," he said, "but we have to hurry! I don't want to miss it!" Kyle's mom smiled. "I know, but it's not as important as you being safe, okay?" Kyle's mom pulled a carton of eggs out of the refrigerator as Kyle went to put on his shoes and coat. Kyle remembered from last year that the egg trick works best outside on the sidewalk, because the ground is the most level there. Kyle's dad came out of the bedroom, grabbed his shoes, and sat down to put them on. "Hon?" he asked Kyle's mom. "What time did the weatherman say?" "7:24," she called back from the kitchen. Kyle's dad looked at his watch. Well, it's 7:16 now," he said. "You better get ready yourself!" "Okay," his mom replied. "In a minute. I need to call Gina for her wake-up call!" Kyle's mom picked up the telephone and called her friend. "Tell Michael I said hi!" Kyle called from behind her." "Okay, I will-hi Gina!" his mom said. "In just a few minutes!" she said into the phone. Kyle went over to the counter and grabbed the carton of eggs. Kyle didn't notice that the carton wasn't completely closed, and when he grabbed it, one of the eggs fell out, cracking on the floor! Kyle's mom turned around and said into the phone, "Listen, I need to let you go. Have fun and we'll see you

tonight!", then hung up the phone. "Oh Kyle," his mom sighed. "You better clean up that mess or else someone will get hurt." Kyle nodded, and reached for the sponge in the sink. He began to clean up the mess he made when his dad came into the kitchen. "Okay buddy, time to go!" Kyle hadn't finished cleaning up the broken egg, but he certainly didn't want to miss the egg trick! So Kyle tossed the sponge into the sink and decided to clean up the rest of it later. His dad picked up the carton of eggs and started to head out the front door, not noticing the mess that was still on the floor. His mom grabbed her sweater and followed, making sure Sneaky didn't go outside as well. "I'm sorry Sneaky," she said, looking down at him as he tried to sneak through the opened door. "But you're an indoor cat." She picked up a brown paper bag filled with birdseed and nuts and left, closing the door behind her. They all headed towards the front of their apartment building and started to gently remove the eggs from the carton onto the new grass. Kyle tried to stand one of the eggs up, but it rolled over onto its side. Kyle's dad looked at his watch again. "We have a few minutes yet, buddy", his dad said, "but keep trying!" Kyle's mom squatted onto the chilly sidewalk and tried as well, but again, no luck. The egg she had also rolled over onto its side. Kyle's dad looked at his watch again and said, "Okay, it's 7:21. We should be able to get it now!" Kyle's dad then kneeled down onto the sidewalk and tried to stand up an egg. But again, the egg rolled over, and Kyle giggled. "Ha-ha!" Kyle said, pointing at his dad. "Yours rolled over, too!" Kyle's dad made a smirk. "Ha-ha-ha" he said, "Very funny," his dad smirked. "It's your turn!" Kyle raised an eyebrow and took his egg. He stood it up, and very gently released his fingers. The egg didn't roll over! It was standing by itself! It was time! Kyle's eyes widened in both awe and amazement, and his jaw dropped to the ground! It was at that moment that Kyle suddenly felt a strange feeling come over him. He felt as if he was overcome with a sense of true magick, and as he looked at his parents, he noticed that they seemed to feel it, too. "This is so cool!" Kyle exclaimed. "Can I do another?" Kyle's mom smiled and nodded, and she gently handed his another egg. "Come on, hon!" his mom exclaimed to Kyle's dad. "You, too!" She handed him an egg as well. Kyle's dad took his egg, stood it up and gently released his fingers. Again, the egg stood up! Kyle was right behind him, standing up yet another egg. Then his mom stood up her egg. Soon, there was a perfect row of eleven eggs, all standing in the bright glaze of sunlight. It was time. Kyle and his parents raised their arms in the air, and thanked the Gods for bringing back Spring! They then heard the birds singing louder than they were before, and they noticed the squirrels running around in circles, playing in the grass. It was as if they had the entire big city all to themselves, because not another person, nor even a car, was around to see the birth of Spring-just Kyle's family and Nature. After a couple of minutes, one by one, the eggs began to roll over onto their sides. A car then pulled up and started to beep. "Okay," Kyle's dad sighed, "I think the animals would like their treat now." Kyle carefully began to replace the eggs back into the carton as his mom started to toss birdseed and nuts onto the grass. Kyle couldn't wait to color his magick eggs! "Hey buddy," his mom said. "I'll trade you the eggs for the bag." She swapped with Kyle, choosing to carry the carton of eggs over the brown paper bag. Kyle darted off with the bag up to the back door, because he had a key to get in that way. He ran up the stairs, fumbled for the key in his pocket, and unlocked the door. He ran through the kitchen and then *WHOOPS!* slipped on the broken egg on the floor! The seeds and nuts in the bag spilled out all over the floor, and Kyle began to cry. Kyle's mom and dad came up through the front door, and saw Kyle lying on his back, crying. Kyle's mom tilted her head and looked down at him. "Are you alright?" she said concerned. She extended

her hand to help Kyle off the floor. "Ye-e-e-s-s-s" Kyle sniffed through his tears. "But I bumped my head" and he began to rub the spot that hurt. Kyle's mom examined his head to check if anything serious had happened, but to her relief, Kyle appeared to be alright. "You'll live," she said, and gave Kyle a hug. She kissed the newly forming bump on the back of Kyle's head. Kyle rubbed his head and hugged his mom back. Kyle's dad wasn't so understanding. "What have you been told about running in the house?" he said sternly. Kyle looked up, but he didn't say anything. "Well," his dad said, "you're going to clean up this mess you made on the floor right now, while your mom boils the eggs." Kyle's mom looked up. "The eggs!" she exclaimed. "Kyle, did you clean up the egg you broke?" Kyle looked at his feet. "No," he replied, and sniffed again through his drying tears. His mom shook her head. "That's why you slipped, isn't it?" She looked at down a little closer, and she saw a streak on the floor. "You have to be so careful," his mom said in a caring voice. "And when you're told to clean up a mess like this, you have to do it. Okay?" Kyle looked up at his mom. "Okay," he replied, and retrieved the sponge from the sink. He scrubbed the slippery spot really well, then swept up all of the bird seed and nuts, and poured them back into the brown paper bag. While Kyle was cleaning, his mom was boiling their magickal Ostara eggs so that they could be colored. Later that day, when the eggs were ready to color, Kyle searched in his toy box for a white crayon. When he found one, he took a boiled egg and began to draw a rune on it, and then he dipped it into a bowl of green-colored water. After a short while, the egg took on the color of the water, but not as bright as Kyle had hoped. "Mom," Kyle asked, "Why aren't the colors coming out as nice as the ones on the commercials?" His mom replied, "Because these are natural dyes." His mom pointed to the bowls of different colored water on the table. Kyle looked puzzled, so she began to explain. "I made them from boiling down different fruits, vegetables and herbs to get these colors, instead of buying a kit from the store." Kyle then asked, "But wouldn't that be better? The colors are better that way." Kyle's mom smiled. "Yes and no," she replied. "You may get better colors, but remember that these are our magickal Ostara eggs. Would you use just any old color for special eggs?" Kyle thought a minute and then replied, "No, you're right. Since these are special eggs, they need special colors." Kyle dunked the egg back into the green-colored water. "I'll just dye them longer." Kyle's mom smiled in agreement. Kyle's mom then sat down to color an egg herself. She took Kyle's white crayon and drew a spiral. Then she put only half of the egg into the purple-colored water. "I'm going to make my egg two-toned," she said. Kyle smiled, and he began to color his second egg. "Hey hon," his mom called, "Aren't you going to help us?" Kyle's dad came into the kitchen and sat down. He took an egg and the white crayon and began to draw a cat on it. "This is going to be Sneaky's egg!" he said, and then dunked the egg into the orange-colored water. When all of the eggs were colored and dried, Kyle was asked to go into his room for a few minutes. "We need to call the Ostara bunny to hide the eggs for you!" his mom said. Kyle grinned brightly and started to run into his room. Kyle stopped in his tracks and remembered the big bump that was on his head and decided to walk teh rest of the way. Kyle sat in his room for what seemed like forever! "Okay buddy," his dad called. "Come on out!" Kyle walked out of the room and into the livingroom where his parents were. Sneaky ran from underneath a chair and pounced on Kyle, but he didn't even seem to notice. As Kyle opened the doors into the livingroom, his eyes grew wider and wider! A big basket filled with chocolate bunnies, marshmallow chicks and all kinds of toyd sat on top of the big coffee table. "The Ostara bunny showed up, Kyle!" his mom said grinning ear to ear. "And all of our eggs are hidden," his dad added. "But you need to find them! They're all in this room, so there's no need to look anywhere else." Kyle emptied his basket to make room for the eggs and began the hunt. He searched in the cushions

of the courch, in the shoes, behind the television and under the fireplace. He also checked under the coffee table and inside the bookcase. Eggs were everywhere! Kyle looked and looked, and he finally found the last egg, hiding on top of the windowsill behind the blinds. Kyle then put al of the eggs into the empty egg carton that his mom had saved to make sure he had in fact found them all. A lost egg becomes a stinky egg, and Kyle certainly didn't want a stinky egg! When the hunt was over, Kyle began to play with the little toys that had been in his basket. He had gotten a coloring book, a pinwheel, a stuffed animal, a bunny candy dispenser and a container of bubbles. He blew some bubbles at Sneaky, and they all seemed to pop on his long whiskers before he could catch them! Kyle then unwrapped the big chocolate bunny and too a big bite. To Kyle's surprise, it wasn't hallow! "Wow!" Kyle exclaimed. "This really *is* alot of chocolate!" and followed with another big bite. Kyle's mom and dad smiled to see him so happy. "Just don't eat it all at once, Kyle," his mom said, "or else you won't have any room for lunch!" Kyle looked up, with his mouth covered in a ring of chocolate. "Okay mom," he replied, and rewrapped up the bunny to save for later. Kyle's mom took the carton of eggs into the kitchen and began to prepare them. She used six of them to make devilled eggs, four to make egg salad sandwiches, and the last one, the orange egg Kyle's dad made into a cat, was chopped up and put into Sneaky's bowl. "Okay guys," Kyle's mom cried. "Lunch is ready!" She carried the sandwiches into the diningroom, along with some carrot and celery sticks, a jar of pickles and a pitcher of iced tea. Kyle quickly set the table, and everyone sat down. They again thanked the Gods for bringing back Spring, as well as the thanks for the food they were about to eat. As they began to eat, Kyle shared a couple of his treats from his Ostara basket for dessert for everyone. Later on that evening, Kyle and his parents headed out to Gina's house for a dinner party. Everyone who went were asked to bring a dish to share, so Kyle's mom brought the plate of devilled eggs she made earlier. Everyone liked the way she made hers, because she used bacon bits and crushed cheese-flavored tortilla chips in the mix. They came up to the door and were greeted by Gina. "Oh Linda, you made them!" she exclaimed. "Everyone loves the way you make these! Come in, come in!" Kyle's mom smiled. "Thanks! I made them with the eggs from this morning!" Gina, Michael's mom, looked again. She noticed how the whites seemed to have a touch of color to parts of them. "Oh! I see the little dye marks! How neat! We made a quiche with ours, since we just hid plastic eggs we saved from last year." Kyle's mom smiled again, and nodded in agreement. Michael's mom set the eggs on the table alongside what the other guests had brought. As they walked in, they noticed many people were already there, and Kyle was happy to see so many of his friends! Timmy and his sister Kristin were there, and so was Sarah. They were all standing by the buffet table nibbling on crackers and other snacks. "Hi, Timmy!" Kyle waved at his friend. Timmy waved back, but because he had something in his mouth, he couldn't speak at the moment. Kristin didn't seem to notice, but Sarah sure did! Her eyes grew large and bright, and she gave Kyle a big smile. Kyle immediately went to join them to say hello, and to get something to eat as well. There was a big spiral ham with pineapple slices on it, mashed potatoes with gravy, a green bean casserole, a relish tray with every kind of vegetable imagined, a large salad and a pretty red gelatin mold shaped like an egg. Michael came running down the stairs to greet his friends. Kyle came up to him to say hi, but also to warn Michael about running. "Look what I got today," Kyle said as he pointed to the back of his head. Michael ran his fingers over where the bump was. "What happened?" Michael asked in a concerned manner. "That's because I was running when I wasn't suppost to. And you better be careful too so you don't get hurt." Michael thought that was a good idea and decided not to run in the house anymore. Sarah looked at it, and rubbed Kyle's head gently. Soon, all of the children were looking in awe, and they all became suddenly aware of running when they weren't suppost to be!

Later that evening, after everyone had eaten, Michael's mom lit a couple candles and gave one to Michael's dad. They called everyone to join them downstairs, where a surprise was waiting for them. Many people, including Kyle, didn't know that Michael's mom and dad had built a temple in the basement, so it was a surprise, indeed! Michael walked behind his mom and dad, and all of the guests followed them. At the bottom of the stairs was a big rug for everyone to take off their shoes. Kyle could understand that, because he remembered when his grandma made him do that when she bought a new carpet. "It's a sign of respect," Kyle's mom whispered. "And yes, it's also because it's all new down here." Kyle looked up at his mom with a surprised look on his face. He wondered how she knew what he was thinking! After everyone removed their shoes, they began to enter what used to be the rec room. Kyle immediately noticed that the pool table was missing! Kyle tugged on Michael's shirt. "Hey Michael," Kyle whispered, "where did the pool table go?" Michael held a hand to Kyle's ear and replied in a whisper, "it broke, and mom and dad said it would cost too much to get it fixed, so we gave it away. Then they got the idea to build the temple down here, since dad said he always wanted to do that but never had the room for it." Kyle was a little disappointed, because he really liked shooting pool when he visited Michael's house. Even so, he looked around and saw how really special and neat everything was, and decided that having a special room was important to Michael's family. "This is absolutely beautiful, Gina!" Kyle's mom whispered to Michael's mom. She smiled and nodded in thanks, then joined Michael's dad by the altar in the center of the room. As the ritual for Ostara began, everyone joined hands. Timmy and his sister were given the chance to be helpers by passing out some lemonade and hot cross buns, and Kyle and Sarah were asked to light the candles, since they were a little older. Soon, everyone felt a strong, pleasant energy fill the room, and they all seemed to fall into a state of pure bliss! Later that night when it was time to go home, Kyle waved good-bye to Michael, and he also thanked his mom and dad for having them over. Sarah gave Kyle a hug good-bye, and also a peck on the cheek! Kyle felt a little embarrassed, but he smiled at her anyway. "Awww," Kyle's mom sighed, "I think she really likes you!" Kyle blushed, and headed outside towards the car. His mom and dad followed after saying their good-byes, and they all hopped into their little green car. On the ride home, Kyle looked out the window and saw the moon shine brightly, and a nearby star twinkled, as if it was speaking to Kyle. Kyle rubbed his head, and he remembered his lesson in safety. "I'll remember," Kyle thought, as he gazed at the twinkling star. "And thank you for such a great day!" he thought as he looked at the moon. Kyle smiled, and started to drift off to sleep.