Somewhere in a forest far, far away there is a treasure.
The birds know what it is,
The deer know what it is,
Even the fish in the river know what it is.
The treasure belonged to everybody.
High on a mountain and deep in a forest lived Isaac.
His name meant laughter, and Isaac was always laughing.
He laughed when he got up in the morning.
He laughed when he ate his meals.
He even laughed when he cleaned up his cabin.
But mostly, Isaac laughed because he was always happy.
One morning, Isaac’s friends gathered and asked him what his secret to happiness is. Why is he always laughing? To help them guess, Isaac gave them this riddle.
“My treasure, my treasure, what is my treasure?
I’ll give you a little clue.
I look in the mirror and I see me.
You look in the mirror and you see you.
What is my treasure?”
“I know what it is,” said Molly Moose, in her high, squeaky little girl’s voice. “You see your big, beautiful smile and your twinkling eyes. That’s what makes you happy and makes you laugh all the time.”
Isaac said, “No, no, no. No, it’s not.
Beautiful smiles and eyes aren’t all we’ve got.”
Robby Robin thought he knew the answer. “That’s easy,” he chirped. “Look at how beautifully I’m dressed. Look at how beautifully you are dressed. We see our beautiful clothes.”
Isaac said, “No, no, no. No, it’s not.
Beautiful clothes aren’t all we’ve got.”
Suddenly, Beary Bear Paws jumped up and down and down and up. “I know! I know!” he hollered. “You see you and I see me see me. It’s our faces our faces. We see our beautiful faces.”
Isaac said, “No, no, no. No, it’s not.
Beautiful faces aren’t all we’ve got.”
Y. Walph Weasel slyly stepped forward. “Isaac, I know what your treasure is. Your beautiful smile, your beautiful clothes, and even your beautiful face are all because of the beautiful money you hide in your back pocket.”
Isaac said, “No, no, no. No, it’s not.
Beautiful money isn’t all we’ve got.”
Isaac laughed because not one of his friends could guess what his treasure is.
“Then what, Isaac?” Molly Moose cried. “What is your treasure?”
“He won’t tell us,” Y. Walph Weasel said. “It’s a secret.”
“Hmph,” snorted Beary Bear Paws. “A secret is not a secret, not a secret I tell you unless you tell someone.”
Robby Robin hopped back and forth. “That’s why I like beautiful clothes. You show them off for everyone to see.”
Just then, Isaac’s wise old friend, Dr. Bill E. Goatee, joined them. “What’s all the fuss about? I see troubled friends over there and I see Isaac laughing over here. Are we not being the best of friends today?”
“He won’t tell us what his treasure is,” said Molly Moose. “He gave us a riddle instead.”
“It’s not a riddle, it’s a secret.” Y. Walph Weasel was annoyed.
“A secret or a riddle is not a secret or a riddle, or a riddle or a secret unless you tell someone.” Beary Bear Paws was getting all mixed up.
“There is no secret or riddle with clothes,” Robby Robin said. “They are just beautiful.”
Isaac laughed…and laughed…and laughed. And then Isaac laughed some more. Everybody waited. Isaac could laugh for a very long time.
Trying not to laugh himself, Dr. Bill E. Goatee asked Isaac what his riddle is. “Let me see if I can come up with the answer.”
Isaac bit his lip. He wanted to laugh some more, but he thought he really should let Dr. Bill E. Goatee try to solve his riddle.
“My treasure, my treasure, what is my treasure?
I’ll give you a little clue.
I look in the mirror and I see me.
You look in the mirror and you see you.
What is my treasure?”
Everybody held their breath and looked at Dr. Bill E. Goatee. Did he know the answer? Could he tell them what Isaac’s treasure is?
Slowly, Dr. Bill E. Goatee stood as tall as he could stand. He looked at Isaac’s friends one by one. Then he smiled at Isaac. “That is an easy riddle, Isaac,” he said wisely. “The treasure is in the mirror when you see you and they see them. Put it all together and you have your treasure.”
Dr. Bill E. Goatee could see from the puzzled looks that Isaac’s friends still didn’t understand. “Everybody turn around and look in that big mirror behind you.”
Molly Moose, Robby Robin, Beary Bear Paws, and Y. Walph Weasel all slowly turned around and saw their reflection in the mirror. Behind them, they could see Isaac and Dr. Bill E. Goatee.
“Everybody,” Dr. Bill E. Goatee said, “meet Isaac’s treasure.”
There was a long pause.
“But it’s us,” cried Molly Moose.
“And Dr. Bill E. Goatee,” said Robby Robin.
“And Isaac. I see Isaac, too,” said Beary Bear Paws.
“We’re all there,” exclaimed Y. Walph Weasel. “That’s no secret.”
Everybody looked at Isaac in the mirror.
This time, Isaac smiled his friendliest smile. “It’s all of you with me and me with all of you. It’s not our smile or how our clothes look or what we look like or how much money we have. It’s all of you with me and me with all of you. You are my friends! You are my treasure! You are Isaac’s treasure friends.”
Everybody looked at everybody and then slowly, finally understanding, everybody smiled at everybody.
Dr. Bill E. Goatee smiled his wisest smile. “It is a good treasure to have,” he said.
And then…Isaac laughed, and everybody laughed with him.