Before mankind roamed this earth,

To the day we set foot on the moon

Mother Nature has sung Her beautiful melody,

A song that shines like no other.

Her charming notes rage through the sparkling rivers,

And roll across the deep canyon floors

They echo among the howling wind,

And beat with the patter of rain.

Mother Nature shouts Her beautiful tune,

A lullaby that’s graceful, yet fierce

Every note meant for all ears to hear,

Every chord meant for all hearts to touch.

It is a song full of hope and possibility,

A carol swelling with wonder and mystery,

An anthem that shaped and formed this earth,

A chorus that grants us with life.

Mother Nature has beat Her powerful rhythm,

That pounds like a heart and a soul

Every day and every night,

Since Earth first opened Her eyes

And she will keep on crying her graceful notes,

Until the end of this earth

And even when the planet fails to hold,

Mother Nature’s powerful voice

Will still echo through space, forever.

But as we tear up Mother Nature’s fertile soil,

And as we chop down Her mighty forests

As we blacken Her wide, open skies,

And trash Her sparkling waters

Her precious song becomes duller,

Her chords become flat and minor,

Her lyrics become a plea for peace,

Her voice swells with anger and fear.

Who are we to carelessly watch as this beautiful earth crumbles

Amongst the clutch of our very own hands?

How could we so neglectfully

Tear up Her who gave us life?

Mother Nature gave us a chance on this earth,

And in return we smash Her to pieces

What does that make us?

Absurd!

For we don’t realize that our actions,

Can and will backfire

When we weaken Mother Nature’s song,

We weaken ourselves, just as much

For there is no chance,

No opportunity,

No possibility,

No life,

Without beloved Mother Nature’s precious tune.

We must stop!

Stop demolishing the earth!

Stop shattering Mother Nature’s song!

For as long as that carol keeps flowing,

Live and steady,

Full and grand

We will keep on living,

Keep on growing,

Keep on prospering

So let Her sing.

Once upon a time there was a peanut. But not just any peanut, for this was a SUPER PEANUT. He was the greatest peanut in all of Peanutville where all kinds of peanuts lived: Runner, Virginia, Spanish, Valencia, honey roasted, dry roasted, sea salt, lightly salted, and plain. This is the story of how a little lightly salted peanut named Ralphy Pindar, became the greatest hero ever known! Learn the origins of... THE AMAZING SUPER PEANUT!!!

We begin our journey in the middle of a clear skied day in a small, merry cottage along the border of Peanutville. Ralphy Pindar was playing outside in his yard when his mother called him inside, “Ralphy, dear! Please come in to get ready for school!” Even though Ralphy was having a fun time chasing around his Virginia peanut dog named Goober, Ralphy (trailed by Goober) ran upstairs, and took a quick bath. He hastily put on some fresh clothes, ran back downstairs, and grabbed his backpack. Then he opened the drawer directly right of the stove and grabbed his homework. By then his mother was done packing his lunch and handed it to him in a little brown sack. After that Ralphy said goodbye to Goober and he walked outside with his mother. Ralphy started down the narrow sidewalk while his mother hung back and watched.

You see reader, Ralphy absolutely LOVED school and was just overjoyed to get going.

Once Ralphy got into his classroom, he unpacked his backpack and hung it on a hook near the back of the classroom. Then he sat in his seat in the front of the class and waited for his teacher to come in. When his teacher, Mrs. Earthnut came in, she excitedly exclaimed, “ Now class, settle down! We have had a sudden change of curriculum and can’t do anything today except read! Since I have gotten this update I have put together a very special cart of library books! Now gather around on the carpet near my desk so I can tell you what we’re reading about today!!!”. Ralphy walked to the carpet and sat down. When Mrs. Earthnut came and sat down as well, she began her explanation, “So class, I am going to tell the story of a series of great heroes. They all had the same name…” A student named Herman abruptly butted in, “WAS IT JEFF?!”. Mrs. Earthnut replied, “Thank you for your input, Herman. But no, their names were not Jeff. Now, I’ll continue. Their names were all the same: The AMAZING SUPER PEANUT! Though they did not exist at the same time, they all carried on the legacy of the one before them. It was a great legacy, one of immense good and peace. Every SUPER PEANUT came with slightly different powers that varies in strength and number. All obtained by the level of good deeds they did. But every SUPER PEANUT has failed in the end. This is because their powers don’t have to be permanent. There is something called “The Hero’s Curse”. It ensures that the peanut who gets the powers stays true to their duty. That duty is to uphold the peace of whatever town they belong in, and to do it selflessly. Every SUPER PEANUT has fallen prey to the curse, and become vain and arrogant. They thought they could rule the world. But, alas, they were obviously wrong. The reason the curse is so fatal, is that it takes effect when the hero needs it most. Say you were a SUPER PEANUT who had super strength. If you were fighting a monster who is as big as an elephant- and you said that you could defeat it without breaking a sweat- you would be sadly mistaken. When you would try to lift the beast, you would be able to. Until you brought it up over your head. Once you did that your powers would break… Ultimately plunging you to certain death, from being squished like a worm. That’s the end of my story class!”

This story interested Ralphy. He had heard about the SUPER PEANUTS before, though never the part of “The Hero’s Curse”.

The rest of the day, the class was able to move around the room and read books about past SUPER PEANUTS. Ralphy really enjoyed it. He couldn’t wait to go home and tell his mother and his dog. When the time finally came, he grabbed his backpack and ran towards his home. On his way there, he came across the fountain that was behind town square. Playing right next to the fountain was Herman, and he was getting bullied by the meanest bully in the grade… Larry. Larry was holding Herman by the collar of his shirt and teasing him about the “Jeff” comment he made earlier. At first, Ralphy’s instinct was to put his hood up and quietly walk by. Then he thought about how Herman had protected him several times when Larry picked on him. Ralphy gathered all his fragments of courage and put on his angry face. He marched over to Larry and Herman. “Hey Larry! Over hear you brute!”, Ralphy yelled with all his might. Larry dropped Herman, who hugged his knees and just sat on the ground. Larry turned around and yelled, “Who do you think you’re calling a brute?!” Ralphy replied, “You! Or should I have called you an idiot instead?”. By now Larry was fuming, but he didn’t know how to reply, so, acting all brave, he exclaimed, “I’m telling my mommy!” and stormed off. Ralphy helped Herman up and said he could come over if he wanted. Herman said yes. His dad was a doctor so he didn’t come home till late. Ralphy and Herman walked home, side by side. When they got home, Ralphy’s mother was worried sick. “Ralphy! Where have you been! I’ve been scared to death!”. Ralphy checked his rusty watch and realized how long of a detour he’d taken to rescue Herman. He replied, “I was saving Herman from the bully, Larry.”. His mother’s glare went from nervous and angry, to happy and proud. “Oh! My boy is standing up for people! I’m so proud!”. Ralphy asked if he and Herman could go upstairs and play. His mother was okay with it. As they went into his room, there was a red and yellow burst of light. The boys screamed for Ralphy’s mother, who came in the blink of an eye. She came just in time to see the lights circling around Ralphy. Six figures emerged from the lights, claiming to be spirits of past SUPER PEANUTS. They said that they had chosen Ralphy to be the next SUPER PEANUT. They said that he had committed a deed of true kindness and selflessness. Once they explained everything to Ralphy, and assured his mother he would be okay, they gathered into a tight ball. In a blinding swirl of marvelous light, they swirled inside of Ralphy and exclaimed, “ALL HAIL THE NEXT SUPER PEANUT!!!”

Reader, I’m afraid that I must leave you very soon. I truly am sorry that I have to leave you on such a cliffhanger. You can find out what happens to Ralphy in the next story. So that’s all for today folks! The story of how a little lightly salted peanut named Ralphy Pindar, became the greatest hero ever known. You have now officially learned the origins of… THE AMAZING SUPER PEANUT!!!