Chapter One
Lumi moved through the deep forest like a little red bird, her bare feet making no sound at all on the cool, soft moss. Her colorful, patched skirt swished softly around her ankles as she searched the forest floor for wild, sweet strawberries.
That’s when she heard it.
A voice, sweet and clear as a silver bell, was singing somewhere nearby. Lumi had never heard a song quite like it. The music made her heart feel warm, like drinking hot milk with wild honey on a cold winter morning.
She tiptoed closer, hiding behind the rough, wide trunk of a big oak tree, and peeked out.
There, sitting on a mossy fallen log, was a girl with bright golden braids and a simple blue dress. Her eyes were closed as she sang:
“Jesus loves me, this I know…”
Lumi’s breath caught in her throat. She had never heard that name before—Jesus—but the way the girl sang it made it sound like the most beautiful word in the whole world.
The singing suddenly stopped.
The girl opened her bright blue eyes and looked straight at the big oak tree.
“You can come out,” she called gently, her lips curving into a warm smile. “I won’t bite.”
Lumi’s heart raced like a trapped bird. Slowly, she stepped out from behind the shelter of the tree, her hands nervously twisting the edge of her bright red skirt.
The village girl tilted her head, studying her with kind, curious eyes.
“You’re a Romani girl, aren’t you?” she asked softly. “I’ve seen your bright wagons down by the river.”
Lumi gave a small, cautious nod, waiting to see if the girl would run away or say something mean.
Instead, the girl smiled even bigger.
“I’m Clara,” she said, brushing off the space beside her. “Would you like to be friends?”
Lumi took one careful step closer, still twisting the edge of her bright red skirt between her fingers.
“Friends?” she whispered, her voice barely louder than the leaves. “You… want to be friends with me?”
Clara nodded, her golden braids bouncing against her shoulders. “Why not? You look nice. And you have the prettiest skirt I’ve ever seen.”
Lumi looked down at her colorful, patched skirt and felt her cheeks grow warm. No village girl had ever said anything nice about her clothes before.
Clara reached into the little pocket of her simple dress and pulled out something small. She held it carefully in her hands, cradling it like it was made of delicate glass.
“Do you want to see a secret?” Clara asked, her voice dropping to a low whisper.
Lumi’s curiosity won over her lingering fear. She took two more steps forward until she was standing right in front of Clara.
Clara opened her hands.
In her palms sat a tiny, hand-carved wooden cross tied to a simple piece of twine.
“This is my most favorite thing in the whole world,” Clara said softly. “It reminds me of Jesus. He loves me… and I think He loves you too.”
Lumi stared at the little cross, completely fascinated. She had never seen anything like it before.
“Does He really love me?” she asked in a tiny, quiet voice. “Even though I’m Romani?”
Clara smiled the biggest, warmest smile Lumi had ever seen.
“Especially you,” she whispered.
Clara looked around the quiet woods carefully, making sure no one else was in the forest with them. Then she patted the empty spot on the log right beside her.
“You can sit with me,” she said in a hushed, secret voice. “But we have to whisper. If anyone finds out I’m talking to you about Jesus, I’ll get in very big trouble.”
Lumi hesitated for only a second before climbing onto the log. Her bare legs dangled beside Clara’s, and the two girls sat so close their shoulders almost touched.
Clara held the tiny wooden cross between them like a glowing, secret treasure.
“Jesus isn’t like the grown-ups,” she whispered. “He doesn’t care what color your skirt is or what wagon you live in. My papa says He loves every single person exactly the same.”
Lumi’s dark eyes were wide with wonder. She reached out one small finger and gently touched the smooth wood.
“It’s warm…” she whispered, surprised.
Clara giggled softly. “That’s because I keep it close to my heart.”
Lumi looked up at Clara, her voice full of quiet hope. “Can you… tell me more about Him?”
Clara’s face lit up like the sunrise.
“I can,” she said, “but only if you promise to meet me here again tomorrow. Same time. Can you do that?”
Lumi nodded so hard her dark braids bounced.
“I promise.”
Clara’s eyes sparkled with joy at Lumi’s promise. She leaned in so close that Lumi could smell the sweet scent of lavender soap in her hair.
“Jesus was a storyteller too,” Clara whispered. “He told the best stories. About lost sheep, and tiny seeds that grow into giant trees, and about how even the littlest sparrow is never forgotten.”
Lumi listened with her mouth slightly open, completely enchanted. She had never heard stories like these before. In her camp, they told stories about the silver moon, the rushing wind, and clever foxes, but never about a man who loved everyone so much He would die for them.
“Can He see us right now?” Lumi asked in the tiniest, quietest whisper.
Clara nodded, smiling warmly. “He’s right here with us. Even though we’re hiding.”
Lumi looked around the quiet, sun-dappled forest, half expecting to see someone standing among the trees. But she only felt a strange, gentle warmth in her chest, like someone had lit a tiny candle inside her heart.
Clara carefully slipped the little wooden cross back into her pocket.
“Tomorrow,” she said, “I’ll tell you about the day He made blind people see and sick people well. But you must be very careful. Tell no one. Not even your family. Not yet.”
Lumi nodded seriously, her dark eyes full of wonder and determination.
“I won’t tell anyone,” she promised. “This will be our secret.”
Clara reached out and gently squeezed Lumi’s hand for just a moment before letting go.
“Then it’s settled. Tomorrow. Same time. Same tree.”
The two girls sat together on the mossy log as the morning sun filtered through the green leaves above them, creating dancing golden spots on the forest floor.
Lumi kept stealing glances at Clara’s pocket where the little wooden cross was hidden. Her mind was spinning with questions, but one burned brighter than all the rest.
“If Jesus loves everyone,” Lumi asked quietly, “why does the village hate my people so much?”
Clara’s smile faded a little. She looked down at her hands for a moment, thinking carefully before she answered.
“Sometimes grown-ups are scared of things they don’t understand,” she said gently. “Your people move from place to place, wear bright colors, and sing songs they’ve never heard before. That makes them nervous.”
Lumi looked down at her own colorful skirt and bare, dusty feet. For the first time, she felt a little embarrassed by them.
Clara noticed, and she reached over to gently touch Lumi’s hand.
“But I like your colors,” Clara said with a sweet, genuine smile. “And I like your quiet way of walking. You move like the forest itself.”
Lumi felt her cheeks grow warm, and the tiny candle in her chest glowed a little brighter. No one had ever said something so kind to her before.
Suddenly, the distant, heavy sound of church bells rang through the trees.
Clara jumped up quickly. “I have to go! If I’m late for chores, Mama will ask questions.” She looked at Lumi with urgent, sparkling eyes. “Will you come back tomorrow? Same time?”
Lumi nodded, her heart racing with excitement and fear all at once.
“I’ll be here,” she promised.
Clara gave her one last bright smile before turning and running through the trees, her golden braids bouncing behind her in the sunlight.
Lumi stayed on the log for a long time, staring at the spot where Clara had been sitting. She placed her hand over her heart, feeling it beat fast and strong.
Something deep inside her had changed. And she didn’t know what to call it yet.
Lumi stayed on the mossy log long after Clara had disappeared between the trees. The forest felt different now. Quieter. Brighter. Even though the sun was the same, something inside her chest felt like it had woken up.
She placed her small hand over her heart, just like Clara had done with the wooden cross. She could still hear Clara’s sweet voice singing in her mind.
Jesus loves me, this I know…
Lumi didn’t understand everything yet. She didn’t know who Jesus was or why He would love a little Romani girl that the whole village called dirty. But for the first time in her life, she felt truly seen. Not as a traveler. Not as an outsider. Just as… Lumi.
She looked down at her bright red skirt and smiled. Clara had said she liked her colors.
With light feet and a heart full of new questions, Lumi slipped back through the forest toward her family’s camp. She didn’t skip or sing. She moved carefully, like someone carrying a secret too precious to drop.
As she reached the edge of the woods, she looked back one last time at the big oak tree where everything had changed.
Tomorrow, she thought.
Tomorrow she would return. And maybe… just maybe… she would learn how to sing that song too. ...READ MORE