Caroline’s Lies

Tiny raindrops dampened the windows of tall skyscrapers, and amidst the bustling streets and traffic lights, a beautiful little house stood out. Caroline and her brother Tony were playing hide-and-seek when suddenly, Caroline tripped and shattered their mother’s favorite vase into a thousand pieces. “Who did it?” their mother, Anna, asked angrily. Seeing his mother’s frown, Caroline knew exactly what awaited her. “It was Tony, Mom. He tripped over the vase and broke it.” Tony stared, speechless. “Caroline, don’t lie!” Tony said. “You’re grounded,” Anna told Tony. “Go to your room.” Tony walked to his room, crying, “It wasn’t me, Mom! It wasn’t me!”

Caroline, satisfied at not receiving punishment, went to her room and, reading a book, lay down on her bed. Suddenly, the painting on her wall lit up, illuminating the room like a lamp in the night. From the painting emerged a sweet voice: “Caroline, Caroline.” Amazed, Carolain asked, “Who is it? Who is calling me?” On tiptoe, stealthily and full of curiosity, she approached the illuminated painting. Stepping through the layers of paint, a brilliant ruby ​​unicorn emerged. “Caroline, I’m Ruby. Would you like to come with me?” said the magical unicorn. Brave and determined, Caroline mounted the magical unicorn, and in the blink of an eye, the painting absorbed them both.

Caroline opened her small eyelids and was amazed to see the dense and lush vegetation that surrounded her. The trees, upon seeing Caroline, exclaimed, “It’s Caroline, the princess of the forest has arrived!” The stars descended from the sky and, dancing around her, sang, “Caroline, welcome!” Fireflies guided her steps along the narrow paths, while deer, beavers, and other forest animals bowed and said, “Welcome, Your Majesty.” “Where are you taking me?” Caroline asked a firefly. “To the kingdom of the gnomes. They await you there.”

In the most leafy of the ceiba trees stood the beautiful city of the gnomes. “Thank you for coming, Your Majesty,” said the old gnome Otto. “We have brought you rings, bracelets, and diamond necklaces as a gift. I hope you like them.” “Wow, how beautiful!” said Caroline, putting them on. “We would like you to spend the night with us, if it’s not too much trouble,” said the gnomes. Caroline accepted the invitation and fell into a deep sleep in her room.

Suddenly, Caroline felt her face soaked and woke with a start. “Why are you throwing buckets of water on me?” Caroline shouted angrily at the gnomes. “Hypocrite! Shameless!” the gnomes yelled. “We let you sleep in our house, you took our jewels, and now you’ve eaten our winter reserves!” “Take her before the great Gnome King!” Otto shouted. Caroline cried through her tears, “It wasn’t me! I didn’t do that!” Caroline arrived before the King and was stunned to see that the Gnome King had the same face as her brother, Tony.

“Phew… what a relief,” Caroline said. “Is that you, Tony?”

“I don’t know who this Tony is, but he won’t help you today,” said the Gnome King.

“I didn’t eat the winter reserves,” Carolain sobbed.

“Liar! I saw her eating myself!” shouted old Otto.

The King, filled with hatred and anger, said: “For the great crime of stealing from our kingdom, I sentence you to… have your tongue cut out.”

Pointing at her and laughing loudly with a malicious smile, the great Gnome King said: “For being a liar.”

Caroline ran with all her might while the gnomes chased her. The trees, forest animals, and fireflies shouted, “Caroline is here!” betraying her. Seeing that there was nowhere to hide, Caroline cried out, “Ruby unicorn, get me out of here!” Suddenly, Ruby ran towards her, and in the blink of an eye, she jumped on him and disappeared.

Time rewound, and Carolain appeared before her mother. “Who was it?” Her mother asked.

Understanding how painful deceit and betrayal are, Carolain hugged her mother and, through tears, said, “It was me, I broke the vase.” Anna, moved, looked at her little girl and said, “I’m not going to punish you, Caroline. I’m proud of you. Honesty is a rare virtue because to be honest, you must be brave.”

Arelis,

April 28, 2026

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