Dedicated to Karen,
who encouraged me to write
in the first place.

This story is very special to me because it is the first rhyming story that I ever wrote.

The idea came to me suddenly, when I was about to walk out of my house.

It tells about a lonely man who lived by himself at the top of a hill. Nobody liked him.

The people made fun of him and thought him very strange.But no one really knew him well enough to make that opinion,

" Cause nobody visited Long-Bearded Bill,
Who lived all alone at the top of the hill."

One day, a little boy and his grandfather were walking to the train station which was located at the bottom of Bill's hill.

The boy tripped and hurt his foot.
Bill heard the child crying and came down to help.

Bill and the boy's grandfather brought the child to Bill's house.

The boy and his grandfather stayed at Bill's house for several days.

Bill shared his food with them.
He brought them flowers from his garden.

 

They found out something new about Long-Bearded Bill--

"You 're certainly kind, you are not really weird.
HOW SHARING AND CARING IS BILL WITH THE BEARD.

From then on, all the people in the town visited Bill.

 

And...Long-Bearded Bill was no longer alone.
On top of the hill in his house made of stone.

They learned that you have to know someone before making a decision about that person.