J in the Alphabet Soup

“Mama, did you love me when I was born?”

Juno’s mother stopped spraying herself with water and turned to look at her daughter. “Juno, why are you being so silly? Of course, I loved you and I will always love you.”

“But Mama —” Juno sprayed her mud-caked body with the clear, cool river water and watched as her skin was revealed. Her eyes were filled with sadness. “I’m not normal.”

She didn’t have gray skin like her brothers or sisters. She wasn’t wrinkly like Grandpa Jumbo, or dusty brown like her cousins. Juno was different.

She had been born with speckles – large blue, pink, yellow, green, and orange blotches. She resembled a bag of jellybeans with legs, and everyone noticed.

The other elephants teased her all the time. Some suggested she cover herself with mud, while others laughed and said she was brighter than the sun. Even Nana Tusk grumbled that they’d never be able to hide from the hunters because Juno’s neon colors screamed, “Come get me.”

So, Juno tried to change.

She rolled in mud until it dried and cracked. Instead of playing with the other elephants her age, she hid among the bushes where she wouldn’t be seen. She even tried to paint her skin with squashed berries, which made her smell like Grandma's pies.
 

The other elephants shook their heads and turned away, snickering, “You’ll never be like us.”

And Juno believed them. She wanted nothing more than to be exactly like every other elephant she’d ever seen — ordinary gray.

Then, one day while hiding in the jungle, Juno heard the monkeys chattering amongst themselves while they ate their bananas, high in the trees. Once a year, when the harvest moon was bright orange, the monkeys held a huge celebration — the Moonlight Festival. All the animals were invited. The jungle was decorated with vines and colored leaves. Glowfruit, a berry that grew deep inside the darkest caves, had been harvested and hung here and there like lanterns, but they weren’t very bright.

The monkeys scratched their heads, stomachs, and arms. They were worried, and the more they scratched, the more they ate the bananas, dropping the peels on the ground like rain from heaven. Tonight was the night for their big celebration, and they had a problem.

The jungle was dark — almost pitch black. Clouds covered the giant orange harvest moon, and though the fireflies were willing to help, their tiny lights couldn’t brighten the path.

“We need lanterns!” cried the toucans.

“We need sparkles like bright fireworks!” squeaked the squirrels.

“We need color — lots and lots of color!” shouted the monkeys.

That’s when Squeaky, the tiny gray mouse and Juno’s only friend, offered a solution, “What about Juno?”

Everyone turned and looked at Juno.

She blinked. “Me?”

“Yes, you!” gasped the monkeys. “Bet, if you washed all the mud off, you’d be like a thousand jellybeans! You’re perfect!” They swung from branch to branch, their chatter getting louder and louder in their excitement.

“Juno, you could lead the parade and light up the forest.”

At first, Juno thought they were making fun of her, but Squeaky assured her they needed her help.

“You’re glowing!” gasped the monkeys. “Look at your spots!”

Juno looked down. Her polka dots, usually bright and silly, were starting to shimmer—neon glowing pinks, greens, and blues that sparkled like pearls in the moonlight. Whenever she felt happy or excited, her skin lit up like a lantern made of rainbow glass.

“I do this sometimes when I get excited,” embarrassed, she said softly, “It just — happens.”

“Well,” said the Monkeys, “we’re really excited. Will you help us lead the parade?”

After a long scrub in the river to remove the mud and the berries, Juno swallowed her nerves and nodded. She said she would be happy to help.

She led the parade, lighting the jungle with every step. Her skin shimmered under the trees, her spots sparkled in the shadows, and her smile was brighter than ever.

The other elephants stared.

“Why didn’t we see it before?” whispered her brother.

“She’s not just different,” said Nana Tusk. “She’s special.”

Later that evening, as the stars sparkled above the treetops, Juno stood by the river and looked at her reflection — her colors still shimmering softly.

She smiled and whispered to Squeaky, who was nibbling a berry nearby, “I don’t want to cover up anymore. We should be proud of who we are — not try to be someone we aren’t.”

Squeaky squeaked in agreement. “Especially when who you are is spectacular.”

Juno’s smile glowed even brighter than her spots. From that night on, Juno didn’t hide or try to blend in anymore.

She splashed in rainbow puddles. She danced in the sunshine. And during every Moonlight Festival, she marched proudly in front, glowing like a queen made of jellybeans.

Sometimes, the things that make us stand out and seem different — are the very things that make us shine.