The wax crayon’s tale

Blue Wax

The wax crayons were in a plastic tub to stop them rolling off the table. The trouble was that Blue Wax liked rolling around more than anything else. And when he did, the other crayons loved to watch. Except Green Wax, who was NOT AMUSED. She said, “If you don’t stop messing around like an idiot, the children will never use us to colour again. They think wax crayons are only for babies.”

The other crayons knew this was true, and they sat very still in the plastic tub.

But Blue Wax got fed up, and started bobbing around and pushing the others.

At that minute, Jodi came over and laughed at him. She started shaking the table so that the crayons rattled and jolted even more. “I’m bored, I’m bored, I’m bored,” she chanted. “What shall I do till bedtime?”

Green Wax was furious. So she gave an almighty shove, and Blue Wax flew out of the tub and onto the table. “That’ll teach you,” she said crossly.

Jodi immediately stopped shaking the table and sat down. “I think I’ll use you,” she said to Blue Wax. “I haven’t used wax crayons for AGES.”

She took Blue Wax in her hand and grabbed a sheet of white paper. Then she carefully drew a circle and filled it with all sorts of shapes. She didn’t press very hard and Blue Wax found this interesting. The very small children had always scrubbed at the paper until it tore. He liked Jodi colouring gently.

“I’m going to press harder now,” she told Blue Wax, “but I’ll be careful not to break you. I just want to make these lines show up properly. You’re the most important bit of this drawing.”

Blue Wax was amazed. Jodi was doing something new, and he – Blue Wax – was the most important bit of it. He looked at Green Wax and smirked.

Eventually, Jodi laid him on the table and took up Green Wax to fill in the shapes she’d drawn. Blue Wax didn’t mind. He was pleased to have been the one who started off this brilliant idea.

Suddenly, there was a SNAP! He jumped.

“Bother!” said Jodi crossly. “The green one has broken.”

But Blue Wax didn’t smirk now. He saw that the paper covering Green Wax was torn, and he felt sorry for her.

After a moment, he had an idea. But he couldn’t tell Jodi what to do, so he’d have to show her.

He started rolling backwards and forwards over the table to attract her attention. She stared at him in amazement.

“Of course!” she said. “I can roll the green crayon on its side and make lighter marks that will go with your heavy blue ones.”

And that’s what she did. She pulled the torn paper off Green Wax and turned her on her side to colour the rest of the shapes. When she’d finished, the picture looked super smart, and Blue Wax grinned happily at Green Wax.

“We made Jodi’s picture together and it’s the best in the world,” he told her. “Can we be friends now?”

Green Wax nodded, and they fell asleep side by side in the plastic tub, knowing that Jodi would use them again before long. They’d proved that wax crayons weren’t just for babies.

The moral of this tale is that being kind is always better than being best.