A poor little boy is in tears after being teased by his classmates for the cheap Halloween costume his father made until the school principal shows up wearing the same.
Levi loved his small house and his parents, Carol and Darren. They weren’t rich, but they were there for one another and him, which he admired. But one afternoon, after returning home from school, Levi was upset with his parents.
How could he not be upset? It was Halloween, the trick-or-treating season, and there was a fancy dress competition at his school, but Levi’s parents didn’t have enough money to get him a new costume.
His classmates would all be dressed as Superman, Batman, or one of the Avengers, but he would have to make do with his old costume!
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“Honey, please understand,” Carol said. “You know, daddy and I are trying our best to save this house. We need to put money aside for the mortgage payment.”
“Do you not love me, mom?” asked Levi sadly. “I don’t want the house. I want a new costume. But you love the house, not me!”
Carol sighed. “It’s not like that, honey. Mommy and daddy love you the most! We love you more than anything!”
“No!” he screamed in tears. “You are lying! You don’t love me! You love the house!”
With that, Levi disappeared to his room in tears and didn’t come out even for dinner. No parent wants to see their children sad; even Carol didn’t. Did she have a choice, though? Not really.
They were drowned in loans, and their small shop just brought them enough to get by. But seeing Levi sad bothered her, so she discussed it with Darren over dinner.
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“He’s sad, hun,” she said. “Can we get him a new costume? If not, I’ll find a part-time job.”
“Don’t stress yourself out, honey,” Darren said. “You already have too much on your plate right now. I’ve got an idea…”
Two days later, while Levi was eating dinner alone in his room, still upset with his parents about the costume, Darren walked in with a huge parcel in his hands.
In this cruel world, we must stand up for one another and encourage the good.
“Can I come in, little boy?” he asked at the door.
“No, you can’t,” Levi said. He didn’t even look up from his plate.
“Even if I say I got you a new costume?” Darren asked. “I thought you’d be excited.”
“Did you?” Levi looked at the parcel in Darren’s hands and grinned. “Is that a new outfit? Really?”
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“Yes, it is!” said Darren. “Now, can we have a little apology for mommy because you yelled at her two days ago? She was so worried about you.”
Levi was so excited to see his new costume that he bolted from his room and hugged Carol. “You and daddy love me! Not the house! I’m so sorry, mom! Let’s see my new costume together!” He held her hands and ran so fast that she almost tripped.
Then came the BIG moment. When Levi opened the parcel and saw the costume inside, he was in tears.
“Is that a robot?” he asked. “Dad, mom, I love robots!”
“We know you do, little boy,” said Carol. “Do you like it? Daddy made it for you!”
“I love it, mom and dad!” chirped Levi, wiping his tears. “I love it very much! And I love you so much! Thank you!”
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Levi was delighted. He loved the robot costume Darren had made out of cardboard and duct tape. Yes, it wasn’t expensive, but it had his heart and his dad’s efforts.
But on the day of the fancy dress event, Levi was crying because of the costume. He was sad because all his classmates were teasing him.
“Look, Levi is wearing a piece of colored cardboard!” a boy said and laughed. “He couldn’t even buy a new costume!”
“Don’t say that, Tony!” Levi protested, swallowing the tears in his eyes. “My dad worked hard on this! He went through videos on his computer, and he did so much hard work!”
“Oh, did he?” another kid said and chuckled with his friends. “Well, that outfit makes you look like a loser! I bet your dad’s a loser too!”
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All the kids were so mean to Levi that he started crying. When his name was called, he didn’t show up on the stage and instead cried backstage.
Soon, the show was over, and everyone got to flaunt their costumes except Levi.
“I’m so sorry, dad…” He sniffed. “I didn’t even take part in the competition! I wasted your hard work! I’m sorry…”
Suddenly, Levi heard a loud gasp. He looked at the stage and couldn’t believe his eyes. The school principal, Mr. Frederick, was on the stage, and he was dressed as a robot! A red one, unlike Levi, who was wearing a blue costume.
“Where is my fellow robot? Levi, where are you, child?” he called out from the stage.
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“Mr. Frederick?” Levi exclaimed as he stepped onto the stage. “You have the same costume as me!”
“Call me, Captain Red!” he said stiffly. “Agent Blue, you got a nice suit there! Mine took so much time to make!”
“You look cool, Captain Red!” Levi smiled, having forgotten his worries. “My dad made me this suit! I just love it!”
“That’s wonderful, Agent Blue! I’ll ask your dad to make me a suit next time! I saw some kids didn’t appreciate your costume, so I thought, why not show them they’re wrong? You know what? I love your outfit! You’re lucky! Your dad spends love on you, which is more important than just spending money on children…”
That day, Levi won the competition. His dress stood out from the bunch of Spidermans, Batmans, Avengers, and Disney princesses, and he had a huge smile on his face as he lifted the trophy with Captain Red!
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At that point, the group of mean kids huddled around Levi and apologized. “WE ARE SORRY, LEVI!” they cried in unison. “Your costume was awesome!”
Levi was happy that the other kids loved his costume. He shared the big basket of candies he had won as a part of the prize with them and said, “It’s ok! I’m not sad anymore. Let’s not be mean to others, ok? Mommy and daddy say we should love each other!”
“That’s absolutely right, Levi,” Mr. Frederick said gently. “Always remember, kids, that we need to stand up for each other and encourage the good in this world. Never put others down! That’s what Captain Red and Agent Blue also believe in!” he added with a wink, and all the kids happily nodded as they devoured the Halloween candies.
For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Pexels
What can we learn from this story?
- In this cruel world, we must stand up for one another and encourage the good. Thanks to Mr. Frederick, the kids realized they were wrong to mock Levi and learned the importance of love over money.
- Spending love on children is more important than spending money. Levi’s parents couldn’t afford to buy him a new costume, but they loved him so much that they couldn’t bear the thought of him being unhappy. So they got him a lovely outfit that Darren created himself.
Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.
If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about an older woman who decides to feed a starving boy on Halloween and is shocked when the boy removes his mask—he’s her missing son’s carbon copy.
“Amazing Grace” performed by 200 bagpipes brings audience to tears
This rendition of “Amazing Grace” demonstrates the wide spectrum of emotions that music may arouse. People can see the light that does exist in this world and find hope again with the assistance of the video we’re sharing below.
A lone singer is the focal point of the opening scene, which features over 200 bagpipers. The quiet passages gradually give way to his solo performance of Amazing Grace, a soft, baritone song. As he sings each song into the reverberating arena, his voice is mesmerizing. Many more said that his last note chilled them to the bone and brought them to tears.
The song was resumed by a lone bagpiper after the singing finished. playing “Amazing Grace” on the bagpipes at the same leisurely tempo as the singer had adopted. Everyone’s attention moved from the vocal performance to this musical interpretation of the well-known hymn, and the spotlight beamed down.
After an enthralling bagpipe version of the song, more than two hundred bagpipers joined in for the song’s second stanza. Viewers were able to observe the pride and stoicism on each performer’s face as the camera panned between several angles of them. The song’s impact was increased by the bagpipes’ incredible volume.
And the show wasn’t finished even after all of this. The baritone voice began to accompany the bagpipes as another verse began, lending vocal accompaniment to the song’s final sections. Performers surrounded each other with brightly lighted torches as they slowly made their way inside. Amazing visual effect as the camera gave an overhanging view of the performers.
Following the performers’ performance, the audience applauded and clapped. With the same grace as when they had entered, the people holding the fiery torches turned around and left the stage. To allow the audience time to process the powerful performance they had just seen, the mood stayed solemn.
With over 1.5 million views and an abundance of positive comments in the comment box, this beloved hymn gives many people courage and faith each time it is sung. It serves as a reminder that despite our differences, solidarity is essential to navigating these unsettling times.
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