Once

Once found out how magic a beginning is on a rainy, nothing-to-do afternoon.

She was little, and bored, and there was nothing to play with. So she picked up a stick and said, just to herself, "Once upon a time, there was a... dragon." And then: "...who lived in a... teapot." And poof — suddenly there was a whole world in her head! A dragon, curled up snug in a big blue teapot. She could see it!

"It was like a door opening," Once says, eyes shining. "I picked one who and one where, and a whole story came pouring out behind them, ready to happen." From that afternoon on, Once knew the secret: every story is just waiting behind a who and a where. Pick those two, and the door swings open. She's helped kids open that door ever since.

Today, Page — the story-trail's brave little guide — brings the kid up the grassy hill to visit Once.

"Watch Once unroll her scroll," Page says. "Then YOU pick a WHO and a WHERE. Who lives here? Where? Pick anyone. Pick anywhere. That's the beginning of your story!"

Once helps the kid pick. The who can be anyone — a kid, a bunny, a dragon, a robot, a frog, an astronaut. The where can be anywhere — a house, a forest, a planet, a teacup, the moon. A grown-up can help pick too, suggesting a who or a where for the kid to take or change, and a grown-up can scribe — write down what the kid says — if the kid wants help with the writing. And Once never says "that's a boring beginning" or "pick something else." She just says "Who lives here? Where?" and writes down whatever the kid chooses. A dragon in a teapot. A girl in a normal house. A frog who is also an astronaut. Any beginning is a good beginning. And if a kid isn't sure what to pick, Once offers gentle choices — "How about a kid? A bunny? A little dinosaur? You can pick one, or make your very own" — and unrolls her scroll a little longer to record each new who and where.