Tolerance rocks! Why being different makes our world more colourful

An encounter in Neflental shows: tolerance rocks!

Spring is just beginning in the Neflental valley, and a delicate mist hovers over the fern meadows. In the veil grove, where light shimmers through the mist in a thousand colours, there is a special magic in the air today. Rosa Periwinkle walks through the moss green and peach red, because she wants to lovingly observe the awakening of the flowers. Suddenly, she hears a soft giggle from behind the ferns - a group of Buchians are pointing to a small, shimmering blue creature standing all alone under a lilac-coloured bush.

The other gnomes don't dare come any closer. "Looks funny!" giggles an evergreen. "Has no green leaves at all!" A Buchian adds: "And look how glittery the skin is! That doesn't belong to us. That's different." The voices get louder and the little laundry, in blue skin and with shiny finned ears, looks down to the ground in uncertainty.

Rosa Periwinkle walks up to the little creature with a smile. She knows that there are many different peoples in Neflental, and each one is special. In a friendly voice, she asks: "Who are you? And what brings you to this beautiful place today?" The blue-skinned creature wipes away a tear. "I am a Flossian. I wanted to see the Veil Grove, but the others laugh at me because I'm different."

Rosa Periwinkle replies in a cheerful voice: "But that's what makes our world more colourful and exciting! Your skin shines like water in the sunlight and your finned ears are beautiful. In Neflental, we all have our colours and strengths - together we create harmony." The Flossian smiles. The other periwinkles and Buchians approach curiously. One of them asks: "Can you perhaps do something special that we can't?"

The Flossian nods and quietly drums her fingers on the floor. A small, blue veil of water immediately appears, dancing around the children's feet like an elfin snake. The periwinkles clap enthusiastically. Rosa Periwinkle calls out: "See? If we stay curious and ask friendly questions, we always discover something new. That's exactly what tolerance is."

Visit to the crystal caves of the white elves

To celebrate, Rosa invites her new friend and the curious children into the mysterious crystal caves. Together they walk along the winding path until they reach the waterfall, behind which lies the palace of light and stone. The delicate scent of flowers fills the air, even though no garden grows here. The white corridors glow in the daylight that sparkles through the crystals.

Everyone listens to the sound of the crystal organ, which sends gentle music through the gleaming halls. The Flossian woman marvels: "Everyone feels welcome here!" The white elves smile and nod. "Here, it doesn't matter what you look like or where you come from. In the Crystal Palace, diversity and tolerance are worth more than any gold."

As they listen to the music together, the light flickers across their faces in different colours: haze white for the Evergreens, moss green for the Buchians, lilac for the elves and deep blue for the Flossians. The result is a colourful picture of friendship.

What do we learn from this?

Being different is not a bad thing, it makes life special. Tolerance rocks, because curious friendship and respect open doors to colourful experiences. If we stick together and keep an open mind, our world in Neflental and all over the world will be much more beautiful. Always remember: each of us brings a new colour to the big picture!

You want the book Order "Pink evergreen and the golden oak leaf" - click here!. Also like to take Contact the author Kira Kimmelmann at or read more short stories by Pink evergreen here.