The Quiet Letter F
by Daniel Errico
Illustrated by Michiko Cayce
The Letter F lived in the Land of Words.
He was a very quiet letter.
He didn’t like to talk much.
When he did speak, it was in a very quiet voice.
He was a very smart letter, but no one else knew about it because he didn’t speak.
He was funny too, but none of the other letters knew that either.
He even owned twelve purple-footed apostrophes that loved to play badminton, but he didn’t tell anyone about them.
Whenever he played badminton with them, he lost without saying a word.
But when he was alone in the shower, he loved to sing at the top of his lungs.
He sang every night.
One day he saw a sign for a big singing contest.
Any letter could enter.
The Letter F went down to the playhouse to learn more about the contest.
The moment he arrived, the Letter J saw him and got happy.
“Perfect! We need one more letter to help judge the contestants, and you’ll be perfect!” said the Letter J to the Letter F.
Without saying a word, the Letter F sat down next to the other judges and watched the letters perform, one by one.
He rated them each with a number.
If they did well, he gave them a high number like 7 or 8.
If they did poorly, he gave them a lower number like 4 or 5.
Nobody had scored higher than an eight all day long.
The singers were good, but not great.
The Letter F thought that he could do better if he tried.
At the end of the day, the Letter J made an announcement.
“Every singer in the Land of Words has performed. Now it is time for the judges to make a decision.”
The Letter F stood up and walked to the stage.
Nobody could believe their eyes.
“I still have not sung,” said the Letter F. “You assumed that I could not sing because I am quiet, but you are wrong.”
And then, like magic, he sang the most beautiful song that anyone had ever heard.
The judges rated him a 10, as did the Letter J.
From that day on, the Letter F was much more outspoken.
He sang when he walked down the street.
He spoke his mind whenever he had something to say.
He felt so good that he even started beating the purple apostrophes in badminton.
But he was always a good sport about it and didn’t say much…
In the Land of Words, everyone has a voice.
