The Cloud Kittens
Author's Note: I wrote this piece in inspiration of my brother. One day, he started singing a random song that he came up with at the top of his head. I put that song in the story. I find it easier to write in inspiration of something.
We have an orange tree in our backyard. That tree has been there way longer than I can attempt to remember. In the summer, I like to swing on the swing and pick the oranges right off the tree. Then I open them so they spray right onto my face. Sure, there is a beehive up there, but they have become my friends. Being the only child, I spend a lot of time outside- especially near the orange tree. Sometimes I like to daydream and think about things like imaginary places. There is also a cat that sometimes comes around, so I feed it. I like to pretend it can talk to me.
One day, not that long ago it talked to me. Nothing like I could pretend. It really talked to me. You could not even imagine how surprised I was. “H-h-how did you-”
It said to me, “Hush. I will bring you to my home.” I was too shocked to speak properly, so there wasn’t really any need to say that. The cat started flying just like in movies. It grabbed onto me to pull me up with it.
Soon afterwards, I was on something very fluffy. I must have fainted because when I woke up, there were about 1000 eyes staring at me. I have always been told that clouds are made of water, and things living on them are just fantasy, make-believe things.
“It’s okay. I trust her.” The eyes were still there, but the tenseness from them was gone. “Christy, this is my home. I hope you like it.”
Once I finally regained my ability to speak, I said, “Wow, this is awesome! It is unlike I could ev-”
“Silence!” bellowed a voice from the other side of the cloud as all of th cats made way for him, “Who has brought this strange creature to us?”
“I have, sir.”
“Tumbleweed! I would have never expected such shenanigans from you! You are normally so... not like that. Why have you brought this... thing here?” he demanded.
“I trust her, sir. I have been to earth sometimes, and observing her. She is really nice. Sir.”
“Alright. Does she have a name?”
“Yes, sir. Her name is Christy.”
“Christy,” he said now turning toward me, “Tumbleweed will show you how everything in the Clouds of the Cloud Kittens works.”
“Yes, sir.” All of the other cats started to walk away. “Christy, like King Cloud said, this is the Clouds of the Cloud Kittens. There are many different things for each of us to do. When I am not in school, I have to work for the older cats. You know, make sure they are comfortable and stuff. There is so much to explain for a newbie that I don’t know where to start. Maybe if you just spend time with me, you will meet all sorts of other cats and our customs. Now, I think you want to go home and not spend the rest of your life with us. So I will tell you when you return to earth, no time will pass. Now you are wondering when you can talk. You will only survive here if you only talk if you are spoken to. I know I am speaking to you right now, but I can because I am explaining things to you. Now you are wondering how I can read your thoughts. All cats an do that, so you really have to watch what you even THINK. You can ask any questions now. Oh, and don’t worry too much about the thought thing because only the ones near you can hear your thoughts.”
When he was FINALLY done talking, I said, “Nope. You answered all of my questions. Except do you have time and if so what time is it and what do we do at this time?” I asked these things quickly, for I feared Tumbleweed would talk my ear off again.
“It is time to rest because all of my work is done. The time is just whatever. You know, whenever the sun sets. I don’t really know earth time that well, though because I still am young. I will show you to the place where we make our sleeping spots so you can make one.”
“Alright,” I said. Even though I hate to admit it, I was glad to get away for a bit. I am so used to peace and quiet that the meowing of the Cloud Kittens was almost too much for me. I lay down in the undersized canopy of clouds to just take in everything that has happened. Then, a little head popped into the doorway.
“It’s time for school,” he whispered. School? I thought, I should be at home doing my fun school. “Don’t worry. This school isn’t boring. They teach you about things that every cloud kitten needs to know to live here. For instance, for water we just stick our heads into the clouds and breathe them in. You may think that’s weird, but that’s how we have adapted to this place.” I really didn’t like it that some of the cats knew my secret inner thoughts, but at least I knew not every thought could possibly be read. We walked into what seemed like a white building.
“We have a new student that will be joining us for a bit. Be nice. I know you all will. Lets sing the song now! Christy, you can join in,” said the nice voice of a lovely teacher. Suddenly, 20 cats started singing the same song. It got really annoying because they still had squeaky, high-pitched voices due to the fact they aren’t adult cats yet.
“Kitten on a cloud, kitten on a cloud, there is nothing cuter than a kitten on a cloud! Kittens on a cloud, kittens on a could, there’s nothing prettier than a kitten on a cloud!” everyone was singing. I decided to join in, just so they wouldn’t get mad at me. Then they all stopped in the middle of the song. Was I singing too loudly? Was I of-key? Or was everyone just surprised at my voice? I don’t know, but they all were staring at me.
“It’s okay, class, she hasn’t been here forever, so she doesn’t know our ways,” said the teacher whose name is Tennis.
“But she knows as much as a newborn Cloud Kitten!” said a boy cat, sounding like an annoying teenager.
“Datz ok! She don’t know betters,” pipped in a little cat who didn’t look much older than a cat just leaving his mother’s nest. I was starting to feel uncomfortable.
Luckily, Tennis stopped things from getting out of control. “Silence! In this school, as most of you know, we do many things so you can decide what exactly you want to do when you get older and what you can do. You will learn everything. Now it is time to draw your table mate. Er... CAT table mate.” Soon there was paper everywhere and cats drawing. I love to draw. I mean absolutely LOVE to draw. I try to draw a lot of things in nature. I had already drawn Tumbleweed many times down on Earth, so I was fine. It seemed like a one-room schoolhouse. In fact, it WAS only one room, and there was cats ranging from just leaving their mother’s nest to cats who were almost ready to go the the other school and make sure they get on with their life. But this school only had one room. We went outside to draw a scene of the clouds. I never drew them before, but it was lovely. The other cats were really good, too. I was happy to not be far behind all of the cats. I kept thinking I was going to mess up in some way. At least I survived the day. We were outside for most of the day. It was really nice.
Once I was back in my canopy with Tumbleweed, I had been thinking for a while. I had a good question. It really was a “what if” question, so I was afraid he wouldn’t like it. I asked him anyway. “What happens to the clouds when the earth is clear of clouds? What would happen to all of the Cloud Cats?”
“Well, I’ve never really thought of that before. I guess we would fall to the earth. But that won’t happen. Maybe I should ask my teacher.” I decided to rest a little. Soon I was fast asleep. After what seemed like two seconds, I felt something heavy digging into my side. “Wake up! I have to tell the Cloud King! We may be in grave danger! WHAT IF the clouds disappear from directly underneath us!” Tumbleweed actually sounded deathly afraid. But I wasn’t sure if it was the cloud part or the King part. He dragged me with him to the King’s castle without letting me say anything about it. I started to freak out. In my head at least- not out loud. That’s because even though I didn’t know much about the Cloud Cats, I did know that the king is very much in charge and is probably scary.
After the suspense-filled walk, we reached the castle. “Come on, knock. This was your idea in the first pace,” I whispered so the King couldn’t hear me. Tumbleweed slowly rose his paw and touched it to the door. He almost fell to the floor when the door opened.
“Come.” The King’s voice was more gentle than the first time I heard it. “What has brought you hear today? Have you come for knowledge? I absolutely love it when little one’s visit me. Oh, and the new one is with you. Please, answer.”
“We have come to ask you...” Tumbleweed hesitated, for his voice was as shaky as an old, rickety roller coaster. “We have come to ask you if the clouds will ever blow so much that they disappear? Christy says on earth, sometimes all of the clouds go away. What happens to them? Will we disappear with the clouds?”
“Whoa, that’s quite enough questions already.”
“Actually, I was done.”
“Okay. Well, never in the 1000 years Cloud Kingdom has been here has it disappeared. There is nothing to worry about. The clouds go to different parts of the earth. Thank you or your concern. I have to go to a meeting now, you are excused.”
We tiptoed out of the palace, afraid we were going to scratch the floors. “That wasn’t so bad,” said Tumbleweed.
“Yeah, he seemed a lot nicer,” I replied. There was a scream from far away. “What was THAT?” I exclaimed.
“I have no idea.”
“Lets go and see.” We ran toward the other end of the clouds.
“Oh dear!” shrieked a cat-mother. “My baby has just fallen through the clouds!”
“We MUST inform the Cloud King!” Tumbleweed assured the cat-mother. His little feet pattered against the clouds as he raced back to the castle. I was so exhausted that I merely walked casually behind him. I heard him inside the castle.
“But Cloud King, it’s TRUE! Star’s kit, Wings, just fell to his doom! THROUGH THE CLOUDS.”
“That is a lot to take in, Tumbleweed.”
“Where are we to go?” asked Tumbleweed.
“To Earth, I suppose.”
“But how are we to get everyone to earth?” pleaded Tumbleweed.
“You are a cat of too many questions. Listen to the answers. Let me deal with this, young Tumbleweed.” He obeyed. Then he started to slip out of the castle, but the king called him back. “Tumbleweed, gather all of the cats to the elevators down to Earth. I trust you will do that.”
Tumbleweed beamed, “Thanks!” Then he rushed out of the castle.
“Hey, there!” I said when he came running out of the castle. He went right on past me. He ran into the distance until I couldn’t see him. All of the 100’s of cats in Cloud Kingdom were piling into the elevators. I took the responsibility of making sure they were all safe and sound. Eventually all of the elevators were full; bursting with Cloud Cats and Cloud Kittens.
Soon it was time to leave forever. I know it was hard on the Cloud Cats because i mean, how would YOU feel if you had to leave you home you have lived in your entire life forever? It would be pretty depressing. I just hope all the Cloud Cats are alright with living on Earth.
“Christy, for your help, I present you with three Cloud Kittens. They are old enough to live with you now. I know you will take great care of them. Wish us luck in finding a great new home. “
“Well, there are woods behind my house. You guys can stay there! I will make sure to bring you guys any left over food I can find. You will probably need to learn how to hunt animals. But I know you will find a way.”
“Thank you for all of your help, Christy,” replied the Cloud King. Then he hugged me and I hugged him back.
I visit that group of cats everyday now. Pumpkin, Lollipop, and Lemon are living with me. I love that they are my Cloud Kittens.They seem to love it there. They are even starting to talk! Only around me, of course. I always take them to my orange tree. We visit it together. Now we are back where we started; at my orange tree in my backyard.
The Attack of the Little Bites
Author's Note: Klaire was eating Little Bites. I was done with all my work, so I decided to write a story that was inspired by them. In this story, I added similes to make the story even more descriptive.
I was sitting quietly by the window. Everything was quiet, for everyone was sleeping. All of the stars were out; we live on the countryside. That’s why every night after everyone is asleep, then I stare out the window and soak it all in. Specifically on that night, a very strange thing happened. There was a streak of green light across the sky. Was I dreaming? I ask myself still to this day. Silently, making sure I skipped the creaky boards in the floor, still in my pajamas, I grabbed a flashlight, put on my tennis shoes and coat to go outside and see what on earth was going on.
I was sitting quietly by the window. Everything was quiet, for everyone was sleeping. All of the stars were out; we live on the countryside. That’s why every night after everyone is asleep, then I stare out the window and soak it all in. Specifically on that night, a very strange thing happened. There was a streak of green light across the sky. Was I dreaming? I ask myself still to this day. Silently, making sure I skipped the creaky boards in the floor, still in my pajamas, I grabbed a flashlight, put on my tennis shoes and coat to go outside and see what on earth was going on.
I walked through the woods behind my house. I know the woods very well because I visit them every day. Neither was I the least bit afraid.
An owl hooted in the distance. I must admit at that point, my heart started pumping ever so slightly faster. The green light flashed again. As you could probably guess, I started panicking. Luckily, I didn’t run back to my house.
I continued to walk forward, but most likely walking three steps per minute; almost as slow as a snail. Once I got to the river, I stopped. I could see everything I needed to. Directly in front of me was a UFO. If I hadn’t seen it for myself, I wouldn’t have believed they really existed outside of movies.
Suddenly, the world went blank. I didn’t wake up for a while. At first, I was relieved because I thought it was a dream and sunlight as soft as silk was creeping it’s way into my bedroom. When I blinked a few times, I noticed I was in a white space. I think I was lying down, but I couldn’t move. It felt as if I was glued to the floor. Then I became very tired again. Still, I don’t know why because I was just asleep. Just as I was dozing off again, I saw a flash of what looked like a gigantic Little Bite muffin with huge eyes. He said something that sounded like, “Little Bites that aren’t big yet, prepare to get huge, for we are going to go tonight!”
I was back in my bed where I belonged. Yet I felt the urge to look out my window. It wasn’t sunrise yet. Before I knew it, giant Little Bite muffins were roaming the city. Using their laser beams, they were practically slicing buildings in half.
After a few minutes, there were also bird-ninjas as black as night itself in the sky. I think they were the “good guys” because they started pecking the Little Bites until they were no longer. Silently, I thanked the bird-ninjas and went back to sleep.
When I woke up the next morning, there was apparently a light murmur around town that a tornado had swept through while everyone was sleeping. It would, yet still wouldn’t make sense, for everything to be true. WAS it a dream? Or was it real?
Life of S'mores
Hi. My name is Marshmallow. But you can call me Marshy. That is if you WANT to call me Marshy. I have always been very cautious of what I do. Just kidding! Just so you know, I might do a lot of that, so it may be confusing to see how I really am, but part of what I am IS kidding around about myself to people who don’t know me. I really do like to go on things that I call “Adventures of Awesomeness” because they are just that- adventures filled with awesomeness.
Today I walked right out of my candied house and something fluttered into my face. It was a slip of paper that looked like a receipt. I almost threw it into the trash, not thinking. Luckily, I read it. It was a letter.
Dear Marshmallow,
You haven’t met me. I will tell you nothing about me other than I know who I am and I can be very powerful. But don’t be scared. If you cooperate, we will get along quite well. Actually, I really am nice. Sorry, I know how you are and you wouldn’t like meeting someone like that. So that, my friend, is why I stopped my “I am so powerful” act.
I would like a favor from you. There will be clues that you will have to follow. That’s it. All I can tell you.
From,
You don’t need to know yet
I thought about this mystery person. For all I know, they could be a vicious monster! Although, the writing sounds like a girl. I don’t know of any monsters that are a girl. Well one time when I went on a brave mission to save a princess, this giant praying mantis with a bow on her head- wait, no. That was a dream. Sometimes, I get my dreams mixed up with the real world.
Another thing about me is that I like to change the subject often. Even if it’s about something I like to talk about. Sometimes, I will go back to that topic a while later, and no one ever knows that’s what I’m talking about. It can get really confusing at times. So I hope you’re up for the challenge.
One time when I was walking out of my house, there was a bunny carrying a basket of eggs for all the little girls and boys. The bunny refused to give me anything because I am a S’more, not a “human bean” as they said to me. I AM MAD AGAIN NOW! Really, I mean, even though I’m not a bean, that doesn’t mean I can’t get a present!
I love presents. If you give me one, I will love you forever. Wait, that sounds weird.
This morning, I slapped my clock because it wouldn’t keep quiet. Then I threw it out the window and it didn’t even stop! So, I slid out of bed, out the window, and crushed it with a rake that was left outside from yesterday when I raked the leaves that are covered in snow. It made me so cold that I screamed. No one heard me. I was glad. After the thing with the clock, I went on a walk. I made sure I observed every little thing. I left no stone unturned. What I was looking for exactly, who knows, but I was looking for a clue. Any clue that would lead me somewhere towards the... answer. Well, I did find something engraved on a tree. It said, “Hamsters Rule!” I wonder if that has anything to do with this mystery person. Maybe they ARE a hamster. Luckily, I had my little notebook and pen in hand so I could jot these things down.
I love to write things such as that. I even keep track of everything I do. That’s why I can tell you what I’ve done. Such as: one time, I licked a letter and it stuck to my tongue until I rubbed butter ALL over it.
I was casually walking when I heard a scream, then I saw a statue and ignored the scream. The statue was of a hamster. Now I’m almost positive they are a hamster. And to clear up any suspicions, I was mailed a picture of a hamster by my great aunt, Klaire. I guess this could all be a coincidence, but I don't think it is. The more I think about it, I want to know if Aunt Klaire knows about this mystery person.
Now that I am looking back at when I was on my walk, WHY DID I IGNORE THE SCREAM?! I have no idea. I should have investigated. I will go to investigate right now!
Well, I investigated and all I found was about 400 pounds of ketchup in the lake. (I tested it with a special tool that I know nothing about so I won’t attempt to tell you.)
I flew in an airplane to Tokyo, Japan to look for clues. There were some s’mores I saw traveling. Most people were “human beans”. At a table, there was a s’more. I tried talking to it, but all it said was, “Help me!”. I had no idea what that meant because they didn’t look like they were in any danger. But then the human bean started to place it in a dark cave on it’s face. OH, NO! I thought. That’s the human bean’s mouth!” Of course, by then, it was WAY too late. What I mean is that the human was reaching toward ME! Luckily, I leaped off the table and ran back to my plane departing area.
Once I got to Tokyo, I flopped onto my bed and fell asleep. The bunny came back to haunt me in my dreams!
I haven’t eaten anything in such a long time. That’s probably because s’mores don’t have stomachs. But, today I got hungry by looking at all the huge billboards throughout the city. Which is pretty much impossible. Anyways, I went into a cafe. I ordered everything off the menu. My mouth started watering from the smell of the delicious-looking food. Of course, I couldn’t eat anything. Then I started feeling sorry for myself. When I stopped feeling bad for myself, I packed up my table-full of food into my inflatable suitcase. Then I felt like a good person because I gave it away to people walking on the streets.
Going to Tokyo was really a vacation. Saying I was looking for clues was a way to get people to not care about what I’m doing. Now I’m just starting to confuse myself, so I’ll just get on with this paragraph. Anyways, I flew home today. Right when I got home, I bought ingredients to make spaghetti pie. Some other s’more was staring at my cartful of food, probably wondering why I was buying that stuff since I can’t even eat it. But I trust you, stranger. (Ha ha, just kidding! You’re really no stranger!) When I got back to my candy house, I started feeling sad that I couldn’t eat again. But since giving my food to people make me feel good, I think I’ll mail this pie to Auntie Klaire!
My hands smell of garlic powder. Wait... I don’t have hands? Do I? Or...My brother, Tom, came to visit. I’m not very fond of him. He has a hamster named Cupcake. I actually am fine with him (Tom) but he doesn’t really like me that much anymore because when I was little I used to think whatever something was “named” you could eat if it was a food. So, Cupcake almost died because I was dangling her from her stubby tail with my mouth open. I don’t know why I thought I could eat anything because if I did (or do) it will seep through my felt when it’s rotten.
He slept on a mattress in the living room.
One time I slept on a mattress and I couldn’t sleep because I kept thinking bugs were in my bed.
That same time there were bugs covering the outside of a hotel so much that you could barely tell the paint was yellow. I had to walk up a staircase to get into the hotel, and I was afraid they were going to come bite me. Luckily, they were moths and “harmless”, but I wasn’t taking any chances. I borrowed a mosquito net and wore a hair net on my head. The lunch ladies said I could keep it. When I insisted on letting them keep it, they argued right back that it was completely unsanitary and threw me out of the kitchen without offering me a cookie.
Wait... BRAINSTORM! LIGHTBULB! (Whatever.) Tom suddenly had to come to my house... and he brought his hamster. Now I KNOW this mystery person is a hamster. But now the question is “Where does this hamster currently- with- no- name live? Someplace close? Somewhere far? Next door? In the amusement park? There are so many possibilities!
My rake broke when I did that. I went to Menards today to buy a new one. I looked in the catalog, and there was the new disco rake! It is SO awesome that I probably won’t even use it as a rake. It sparkles and is different colors. Bad news, now. I went to the store and started screaming at the lady with red high heels because she kept telling me they were all out of that kind of rake. She said they practically flew off the shelves. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted something moving very quickly across the wooden floor. It was a hamster! Before replying to the lady with red high heels, I ran after the hamster.
Running is hard for s’mores to do because we have no legs. One time, I went on a treadmill in the gym, and I slipped off because it was going too fast. It wanted me to run .000001 miles per hour! That’s SO MUCH! I don’t think that even the best athlete could run THAT fast!
One time I was on a treadmill, and I sneezed so hard that I kept zooming around the room for hours until the custodian put up his fist and I knocked into it. I survived. Wait... maybe I didn’t. I can’t remember.
Now I’m too much off-topic. Sometimes I actually recognize how far off I am, but other times... not so much. Just like one time, I was talking to this random person on the streets, and I kept babbling so much that they collapsed on the ground, shaking and pleading to stop talking.
I chased that hamster all the way out of town. Soon we came to a beach. The hard rocks were starting to hurt against my “skin”. Even better, I stepped on a hermit crab. I tried to say I was sorry, but it pinched me so hard that I let out a yelp. Luckily, when I was rubbing my graham cracker, the hamster had to stop at a red light. Actually, it was more likely because there was a train coming. I was huffing and puffing, grasping for air when I finally reached the hamster. But he/she was too quick. They scurried off to the park just beyond the train tracks. But I gained enough energy to follow it. Suddenly, it twirled around and made me stop before I ran into it.
“Wait, are you Marshmallow?” asked the tiny creature in a squeaky voice.
“Yeah... what do you want with me? DON’T TAKE ME TO JAIL! I DID NOTHING WRONG!” I blurted out. I guess I was scared because I’ve heard stories of how awful jail can be. I really don’t know where that came from in my mind...
“Hugh? I just wanted to be able to meet you. I am the mystery person. My name is-” she stopped at mid sentence to rub her head, “Wait... I don’t remember... suddenly. Oh, there is this evil person and she-” The hamster stopped again. I had a feeling there was an evil person that was doing bad things to this hamster. “Mary! Is my name. That’s all the evil... um... can let me tell you.”
I went to the store to buy some protective device to put around my candy house so people couldn’t hear what was going on inside. No matter how advanced their devices were. I really don’t know why I bought it at the time, but it can be used now!
We went to my candy house. I said, “Don’t worry, you can talk now.”
“Oh, thank you! Melinda is so evil! She plans to take all the hamsters of the world and make them knit clothes for her new daughter. She believed that I was the only hamster worth letting just do things for her. But she couldn’t let anyone help me. Luckily, with her supervision of course, I could write that letter to you. I saw you in Canada one time when you were looking at rocks in the museum. You must help me and all my fellow hamsterlings!” she said, jumbling it all together so she was out of breath when she finished speaking.
One time, I was at a fair and I brushed up against someone with cotton candy. It wouldn’t let go of me. I started flailing my graham cracker corner (which is like a hand,) in all directions. It still wouldn’t let go of me, so I ran into the bathroom and started beating it with a roll that was free of toilet paper. That only made it stick to more of my body and the roll, so... yeah.
One time, I was out of breath just like Mary. It was when I couldn’t breathe, so I was in the hospital. Don’t worry, I’m fine now. I don’t even know how that happened...
Mary leaped out the door because I knew all I needed to know. Except... where are we to go?! “Mary!” I screamed after her. She came to an abrupt stop on my front porch.
Quickly she asked, “What is it, Marshmallow?”
“Come back inside! We need a plan!” Funny hearing that come out of my mouth. I usually just do things without much thought. She sighed, but came back because she knew I was right. I guess she was just eager to conquer Melinda. Usually I would, too but right now I am in serious mode.
But then I lost it and went screaming and running out the door. This was first of all, I was excited. Second of all, I heard on the radio Penny Mustard Furnishing was giving out cheese curds. Mary seemed a little annoyed at the stop that we had to make, but she knew me, so she tried to hold her patience. All her patience kind of leaked out when we stopped at Wal-Mart to get those creme filled eggs. I heard they tasted wonderful. Maybe she got mad because I couldn’t eat them. But I was going to give them to the bunny so he would like me and stop haunting me. Maybe he would even give me a present!“Marshmallow, we REALLY need to go now...” she said as calmly as she could without losing her temper. But her mind seemed elsewhere, too. So I tried to focus my mind on the task at hand.
I rode my bicycle with Mary in the basket. She was holding onto the sides because she was very scared that and thought she would fall. I said to her, “It’s okay, you won’t fall!” All I heard coming out of her was the vibrating sound of her voice because of all the little pebbles on the road.
“Uhuhuhuhuhuh,” she continued to say until she brought up the courage to stand and say, “We’re almost to the castle. Gameplan- stop Malinda from forcing all the hamsters to knit clothes for her daughter. Maybe we should have thought this more thoroughly. I guess we could just try to convince her. But I KNOW that will never work in a million years. So what else could we do? Maybe we-
“Should chuck pickles at her!” I finished her thought.
“Well... I don’t know how that would work, but it’s worth a try.”
We came to a huge gate. One bigger than I saw even in my mind. There were stone bricks building up a towering castle higher than the sky itself. “Whoa,” I whispered. Mary slid right underneath the gate. “But wait! How am I supposed to get over there?” After a long wait and a stressing time of being pulled up in a seat of rope, I was over on the other side right alongside Mary. I handed her a mini jar of pickles. Then I pulled out a much larger one for myself. I closed my eyes and burst into a room that felt... sticky. Mostly by the fact that I couldn’t move anymore because I was tired. I threw a pickle into the air with all my might, but it plopped two feet in front of me. Or at least that’s what I learned later.
***
I jolted upright. All I could see was darkness. She must have ripped out my eyeballs or something. Oh, well I’ll deal with that when I get home. But for now, I swung at the air, trying to grasp for something... anything... actually, not a snake. I don’t want it to bite me even though it can’t hurt me. They’re just slimy and I don’t like that. I listened to Mary’s chittering. Wait, Mary’s here, too!
“Shh...” she said in the language of hamster so if Malinda was listening, and yes, I speak hamster! “Just follow my squeaks.” Mary starting saying stuff like la and la, kind of like a song that I hear... from... somewhere... remembering! Oh, yeah! La la la la, la la la la, Elmo's world!
I started worrying about if she really did rip out my eyes, because even though I would fix it, I wouldn’t be able to see as good. Now I’m sad, worrying about that. It takes a lot to make me sad. Now I’m depressed because I’m sad and I shouldn’t be sad. Also, I am freezing because of this stupid hallway. Why am I so weird? What do people think of me? What about that one S’more guy at the airport... I should have helped him! I shall now try to clear my mind. Yes, it worked! What was I talking about, again? Nothing? Okay.
The other day I saw a bear, and it just stood there when I beat it with a shovel. It was a really stupid bear.
But then... I saw a bear... a great big bear... oh way up there.... The other day I saw a bear, a great big bear oh way up there! He looked at me... I looked at him... He sized up me... I sized up him... He looked at me, I looked at him. He sized up me, I sized up him! He said to me... why don’t run... because I see... you’ve got no gun! He said to me, why don’t you run, because I see you’ve got no gun! I said to him... that’s a good idea... So some on legs... get me out of here! I said to him, that’s a good idea, so come on legs get me out of here! And so I ran... away from there...but right behind me... was that bear! And so I ran away for there, but right behind me was that bear! In front of me... there was a tree... a great big tree...oh glory me! In front of me there was a tree, a great big tree, oh glory me! And so I jumped... into the air... but I missed that branch... a way up there.. And so I jumped into the air, but I missed that branch a way up there! Now don’t you fret... and don’t you frown.. cause I caught that branch...on the way back down! Now don’t you fret and don’t you frown, cause I caught that branch on the way back down! This is the end...there ain’t no more... unless I see... that bear once more! This is the end, there ain’t no more, unless I see that bear once more! Yes, I just sang the lyrics to the bear song. The “...” meant to repeat, so it works better if you have someone else to sing it with you. Ahhh, the light! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, I’M DYING! Oh nevermind that’s just the lights that Mary turned on.
“Okay, now we must be very quiet. We need some sort of plan! What do you think?” she spoke quickly.
“I’m just going to go with the flow,” I replied with one of my many “motos”.
“I’m serious! Look what you did last time with the pickles, Matilda got us right away and threw you in the dungeon. While you were asleep, I visited my family. They are tired of working for Matilda the Jerkface! We NEED some sort of plan.”
I couldn’t take her anymore, so I ran only a little bit faster than I did before on the treadmill. I was going to take care of this person myself. Did she do anything to help herself? No! The only thing that she did was be weird through a letter to contact me.
In one of the rooms I passed there was a pickle stuffed with cheese wearing a mustache who dropped his contact. I helped him find it and found out his name was Todd.
Finally I found Matilda. “Stop mistreating hamsters!” I screamed. Then I grabbed a shovel which was conveniently sitting against a wall and did what I do best- whacked her with it.
Except I only did it once because then she said, “Stop please, I won’t do that to the hamsters ever again!” and she released them. It made me feel so happy.
***
And that was how I saved the world!
Giraffe Love
Author's Note: This was a piece that I wrote because I think giraffes are cool all of a sudden. BTW, people when I write stories that have a first person, it's not me talking. Please don't think it's me because WAY too many people have been asking… enjoy my story!
Intro: Ever since I was little, I loved giraffes. Everything about them seems so fascinating. When I found out they were giving out giraffe rides, I basically freaked out. The screaming went on for five whole minutes until my mom was screaming, too but for me to calm down. After I was happy, I became sad… but for a different reason.
If the scream coming out of my mouth was one decibel louder, there would be the police knocking on our door. Conrad started crying because the noise was too loud for his tiny little ears. "Mom, can we go? Can we go? Please? I'll do ANYTHING. I would wash the dishes, clean my room, make-" my mom's face showed it all. No. But it was a sad looking face. Something that I hadn't seen in a while. It was loss of hope. Except I knew my mom couldn't have lost all hope- could she?
You see, my family has been struggling. Even before the country's economy plummeted. My family hasn't ever had much, but now we barely have enough money to buy food. I know my mom knows how much I love giraffes. She will do anything she can to make me happy. We just seem to have nothing. It all went *poof* a while ago. So that's why I can't see the giraffes.
I've seen pictures of them. Every night I meet them in my dreams. I could only wish that one day I could see them in real life. Until today. It was the best idea I could think of. I had to run away.
Now I had to think long and hard about this. It took many nights under my bed sheets with the old flashlight. I was reading and writing about what I would do. But I'm not going to run away forever- just for a day or two. My plan is to wake up early in the morning before anyone else does. Then I will grab my previously packed bag containing my lucky necklace, a granola bar, an apple, my dad's old phone which he had forgotten about for a while, and a small camera I bought with my own money to take pictures of the giraffes. Before I leave I'll make sure to leave a note to my mom. Just so she's not worried sick. Well, she might be anyways because I won't say where I'm going. I think she trusts me, but not that much. Then I will walk for 20 miles until I come to McDonalds. I will drink water (it's free- they give you a cup) and then set out again. I'll be going to the zoo. I want to see a real giraffe.
On that night, I remember so clearly I was so excited and jittery that my mom was frantically trying to calm me down. Obviously, she had no idea about my plan. Finally she couldn't take it anymore and got real mad. She sent me to my room. Really, I didn't care. But I was still excited.
I stayed up all night in the darkness until morning. Dusk told me it was time to go. As I started to crawl out of bed, the floor started creaking. Someone was heading down the hallway! Acting fast, I leaped back into bed and pretended to be asleep. I could tell that my mom was right there, watching me sleep. I could feel her smile. It made me want to smile, too but I couldn't. That would give me away. Once my mother sneaked back to bed, I quickly took action. In fact, I was so fast that you'd think the house was on fire. When I came to the front door, I thought of a tiny flaw. A flaw so tiny that it would fully depend upon whether or not I could fix it. The front door is always locked. If you're outside, you can't lock it back up.
That actually was also a tiny fix. I just grabbed the spare key from the laundry room. Sighing and saying good-bye to the house, I was off on my glorious mission.
The walk was long and hard. It was raining the whole way through. For ever car that passed, I struggled not to notice all the eyes glued onto me. I felt way too exposed. But I couldn’t walk through the forest as I would easily get lost. No, I thought to myself, I'll be fine on the path I'm going. Once I get to McDonald's, I will be warm, dry, and probably cleaner. I had planned to wash up a bit in the bathroom. Also, I ate a nibble of the granola bar. Of course I didn't want to eat it all right away. I was pretty used to not eating for a while, so I wasn't all that hungry. But I knew I needed to at least try and keep up on my strength.
I climbed over the fence of the zoo. While I did this, I felt on top of the world. I was finally going to see a giraffe! When my feet touched the ground, my heart sunk. A large man was towering over me. His face looked mean and evil. I knew I was in deep, deep trouble. But when he talked, it wasn't mean sounding. In fact, he sounded nice!
"Are you lost, young one?" he said in his low voice, stroking his bushy beard.
"No," I piped, "I just want to see the giraffes."
The man stood there in silence for a while. "Do ya like 'em?"
"I've loved them since I was a little baby!"
"Well, I'll see what I can do." He started to walk off, then motioned me to come with him. This man was going to show me the giraffes! In fact, he even gave me what he called a "special tour".
We walked into a pit. The giraffes who towered even higher than the man looked so elegant. So much better than any picture. I was breathless. I reached out my hand, trying to reach their head. The man lifted me up, and I touched the giraffe.
The moment. The moment. It was so… so… wow. Slowly, I reached for my camera and asked the man if taking pictures would hurt the giraffes in any way. "Why, no it won't hurt no giraffe. They don't care much." That's really all he said because he knew not to ruin my precious moments. I stood there, gazing at the sky for what seemed like hours. Finally, the man gently guided me back to the gates of the zoo.
"Where ya off to now? Ya got a parent here to pick you up?"
"No. I'm walking," I said, kind of annoyed that he was asking. It wasn't any of HIS business to wonder where I was going.
"How far?"
"I dunno. Bye." I scurried off, wishing I could spend more time with the giraffes. But I knew I was lucky to not have paid a cent and make my dream come true.
Pandas
I was in the slippery jungle of green. The towering green trees grew high above anything else. The wet mud squished beneath my bare feet. In the misty, drizzling rain, I squinted my eyes. When I strained my ears to hear the forest, I heard a small little cry. I hesitated, wondering whether to look in the bush or to run back to my tree hut. Slowly, I lifted the leaf of the bush. Inside the bush was a small bundle of black and white. At first I thought nothing of it- that it was just garbage left here by the high winds. But as I looked closer, there was a small little face staring back at me. I almost screamed for I’d never saw anything like it. Then I remembered the stories my dad told me about the strange creatures living in the forests. He called them pandas-bundles of black and white fur. This looks like a baby. So it must have strayed far from its home. Pandas live in dry forests. Not the rain forests. Unsure of what to do with this panda, I picked it up and stared into its eyes. They seemed to suck me into a black hole. I gave her the name Cookie. I didn’t know what a cookie was, but I’ve heard they are wonderful. Now the panda will be wonderful. I wrapped Cookie in some rags in my pack. I carried her all the way back to my tree hut.
“Where have you been, Kim?” asked my mom who was cooking.
“Oh, you know. Exploring. Anyways, I found this panda.” I showed it to her. “What does she eat? I don’t want her to go hungry.”
She sighed, “Kim, we can’t have a panda in our hut. They belong out in the dry forest, not the wet forest.”
“But she doesn’t have a mother! She needs someone to look after her!”
“Well, I guess-”
“Mother! Look at the fluffy!” cried Kristy, my little sister.
“Yes, Kristy it is called a panda. Kim, you can keep it as long as you promise that you will take care of it. You’ll have to figure out what it eats and feed it yourself. I’m not making any food for that... thing. You also need to figure out what else it needs-”
“Thank you so much! I promise I’ll do everything for it! I don’t know what else it needs.”
“I guess you’ll just have to figure that out, then,” replied Mother in her sweet and sour voice.
Supper was finally ready. It was one of my favorites- stew. I sat at the table awaiting the deliciousness of it all. Carrots, celery, corn- all waiting impatiently to be devoured. Sometimes mother puts in different herbs to get different tastes. Tonight, she put in a spice that I’d never heard of before, but the stew tasted as good as ever. After I had finished, I scooped up Cookie who was rubbing on my feet underneath the table. I grabbed some rags that formed the blanket on my bed. Then I formed them into kind of a nest for the panda to lie in. When I set her down, she reached up and licked my nose. I rubbed it because my nose might be contaminated. It was disgusting.
“Cookie!”I said. “Why’d you do that? It wasn’t nice.”
Cookie kind of tilted her head as if to say, “What?” Then I remembered something else my dad said about pandas: they’re highly endangered. He had said that people have to have them in captivity when they’re babies and sometimes even when they’re adults because their homes have been destroyed. So Cookie must have come from the dry forest looking for a real place to be. I sighed, thinking that I didn’t want to do what had to be done- bring Cookie to a panda nursery.
After the sun went down and the moon was brightly shining in the sky, I slid out the window with Cookie tightly tied onto my back. I left a leaf and a piece of string on the table symbolizing that I had gone, and should be home soon, but it may take a while. I just don’t want my mom blubbering, asking me where I am all the time.
I must have walked 20 miles because the forest was thinning out and I could see the sun peeking through. The sun hasn’t greeted me since I was much younger. I could just remember the light rays grazing across my face. Today, I squinted because I hadn’t seen the light for so long. It was so blinding that I bent over, as if to beg the sun to stop. I sat there for a few minutes, letting the sights sink it. There were birds chirping, everything looked happy. It was nothing like the gloominess of the wet forest. I let Cookie crawl out of her holder. She walked around, exploring. Although, it looked like she was at home. But I couldn’t let her stay here. She could be eaten by other animals.
We continued very quickly, but after only a few more minutes, I was growing very wary, barely picking my feet off the ground. They were kicking up dust and Cookie kept sneezing whenever I let her walk on her own. Even though I was used to walking everywhere, I’ve never walked this long in just a day. Night was falling faster every minute. Soon my legs kind of slipped out from under me and I collapsed onto the ground. Obviously I was going to spend the night right where I was. But I needed somewhere at least a little bit more sheltered for Cookie and me. I tried to crawl, but the ground was full of pebbles and I just fell down. Before I could even acknowledge it, I was asleep.
***
My hand scanned the ground. Quickly I sat up, realizing with a jolt of fright that Cookie was missing. I hadn’t put her in my pack- I fell to the grass and fell asleep too quickly. With my mind racing, I couldn’t think of anything, so I wasn’t helping the situation. I splashed my face in the water at my feet and tried to wake up. Once it started to sink in, I tried to remain calm. Where would I go if I were a panda? Maybe... up in a tree? No, Cookie can’t climb yet- she’s just a baby. Maybe she went under a bush. I looked in just about every bush close to where I was. By then I was starting to really panic. Where could she possibly have gone? Suddenly, a spark flew throughout my head. With haste, I ran toward the place we had rested the day before. I ran with all my might. I’m coming Cookie!
My heart dropped. More like “disappeared”. Cookie wasn’t there. I had lost her. My back slumped against a tree, and I started to cry. How could I lose her? Something rattled in the bushes. Out popped a little panda head. Cookie!
"Cookie, how could you do this to me?!” I said, wiping the tears from my eyes. Even though I was a little annoyed and angry at Cookie, I had found her so I was happy. Now that it was all over, I continued to walk. Today, I was full of energy. Except when I looked into Cookies eyes, my eyes were clouded because I couldn’t bear the thought of Cookie leaving.
Soon, I actually came across a town. Or at least that’s what Dad calls them. Before I could walk into a building and ask for help, the sky opened and started pelting at me. Quickly, I ran into a smelly place that cars eat at. My dad told me what it was once, but I can’t keep track of everything. When I got there, I stayed in an odd-smelling building until the rain lightened up. Before I left, I asked the person behind the counter, “Where can I find the place where they take care of animals?”
“I believe you’re referring to an animal shelter, and there’s actually one just down the street. Now that you have your information, you really need to leave. We’re not supposed to let anyone in here, well unless it’s raining of course, that’s not buying anything.”
What is ‘buying’?”
“Um... well... you earn money that you can use to buy... stuff. Now run along. Hey! Is that a panda?”
He exclaimed when Cookie was peeking out of my pack.
“Yes. Yes it is. Her name is Cookie and I’m trying to save her from-”
“No animals in the gas station!” he said, while shoving me out the door.
I was a little startled because who wouldn’t want to save a little panda? Oh, well, I thought, it doesn’t really matter much anyways. We crossed the busy streets, filled with cars that my dad said could smash your bones before can even think about it. When I swung the hard doorway to the “Animal Shelter”, everyone kind of stared at me. Someone saw Cookie and screamed.
“Calm down!” a lady holding an iguana said and started heading toward me. “Nice to meet you, my name’s Nancy, we’ve better get that panda to a safe place, it’s good you found her when you did before she died in the wilderness...” She wouldn’t quit yapping. Everything she said seemed to be tied into the next.
“Uh... Nancy? Where is she going to live? I just need to make sure she’s going to be safer here than at my own tree hut.”
“She’s definitely more likely to survive here. In fact, if you’d like you can come visit her whenever. Would you like that?”
“I’d like that very much,” I replied, a smile starting to stretch across my face for the first time in a while. I handed Cookie over to Nancy, knowing she would take great care of her.
Author's Note: This was a piece that I wrote because I think giraffes are cool all of a sudden. BTW, people when I write stories that have a first person, it's not me talking. Please don't think it's me because WAY too many people have been asking… enjoy my story!
Intro: Ever since I was little, I loved giraffes. Everything about them seems so fascinating. When I found out they were giving out giraffe rides, I basically freaked out. The screaming went on for five whole minutes until my mom was screaming, too but for me to calm down. After I was happy, I became sad… but for a different reason.
If the scream coming out of my mouth was one decibel louder, there would be the police knocking on our door. Conrad started crying because the noise was too loud for his tiny little ears. "Mom, can we go? Can we go? Please? I'll do ANYTHING. I would wash the dishes, clean my room, make-" my mom's face showed it all. No. But it was a sad looking face. Something that I hadn't seen in a while. It was loss of hope. Except I knew my mom couldn't have lost all hope- could she?
You see, my family has been struggling. Even before the country's economy plummeted. My family hasn't ever had much, but now we barely have enough money to buy food. I know my mom knows how much I love giraffes. She will do anything she can to make me happy. We just seem to have nothing. It all went *poof* a while ago. So that's why I can't see the giraffes.
I've seen pictures of them. Every night I meet them in my dreams. I could only wish that one day I could see them in real life. Until today. It was the best idea I could think of. I had to run away.
Now I had to think long and hard about this. It took many nights under my bed sheets with the old flashlight. I was reading and writing about what I would do. But I'm not going to run away forever- just for a day or two. My plan is to wake up early in the morning before anyone else does. Then I will grab my previously packed bag containing my lucky necklace, a granola bar, an apple, my dad's old phone which he had forgotten about for a while, and a small camera I bought with my own money to take pictures of the giraffes. Before I leave I'll make sure to leave a note to my mom. Just so she's not worried sick. Well, she might be anyways because I won't say where I'm going. I think she trusts me, but not that much. Then I will walk for 20 miles until I come to McDonalds. I will drink water (it's free- they give you a cup) and then set out again. I'll be going to the zoo. I want to see a real giraffe.
On that night, I remember so clearly I was so excited and jittery that my mom was frantically trying to calm me down. Obviously, she had no idea about my plan. Finally she couldn't take it anymore and got real mad. She sent me to my room. Really, I didn't care. But I was still excited.
I stayed up all night in the darkness until morning. Dusk told me it was time to go. As I started to crawl out of bed, the floor started creaking. Someone was heading down the hallway! Acting fast, I leaped back into bed and pretended to be asleep. I could tell that my mom was right there, watching me sleep. I could feel her smile. It made me want to smile, too but I couldn't. That would give me away. Once my mother sneaked back to bed, I quickly took action. In fact, I was so fast that you'd think the house was on fire. When I came to the front door, I thought of a tiny flaw. A flaw so tiny that it would fully depend upon whether or not I could fix it. The front door is always locked. If you're outside, you can't lock it back up.
That actually was also a tiny fix. I just grabbed the spare key from the laundry room. Sighing and saying good-bye to the house, I was off on my glorious mission.
The walk was long and hard. It was raining the whole way through. For ever car that passed, I struggled not to notice all the eyes glued onto me. I felt way too exposed. But I couldn’t walk through the forest as I would easily get lost. No, I thought to myself, I'll be fine on the path I'm going. Once I get to McDonald's, I will be warm, dry, and probably cleaner. I had planned to wash up a bit in the bathroom. Also, I ate a nibble of the granola bar. Of course I didn't want to eat it all right away. I was pretty used to not eating for a while, so I wasn't all that hungry. But I knew I needed to at least try and keep up on my strength.
I climbed over the fence of the zoo. While I did this, I felt on top of the world. I was finally going to see a giraffe! When my feet touched the ground, my heart sunk. A large man was towering over me. His face looked mean and evil. I knew I was in deep, deep trouble. But when he talked, it wasn't mean sounding. In fact, he sounded nice!
"Are you lost, young one?" he said in his low voice, stroking his bushy beard.
"No," I piped, "I just want to see the giraffes."
The man stood there in silence for a while. "Do ya like 'em?"
"I've loved them since I was a little baby!"
"Well, I'll see what I can do." He started to walk off, then motioned me to come with him. This man was going to show me the giraffes! In fact, he even gave me what he called a "special tour".
We walked into a pit. The giraffes who towered even higher than the man looked so elegant. So much better than any picture. I was breathless. I reached out my hand, trying to reach their head. The man lifted me up, and I touched the giraffe.
The moment. The moment. It was so… so… wow. Slowly, I reached for my camera and asked the man if taking pictures would hurt the giraffes in any way. "Why, no it won't hurt no giraffe. They don't care much." That's really all he said because he knew not to ruin my precious moments. I stood there, gazing at the sky for what seemed like hours. Finally, the man gently guided me back to the gates of the zoo.
"Where ya off to now? Ya got a parent here to pick you up?"
"No. I'm walking," I said, kind of annoyed that he was asking. It wasn't any of HIS business to wonder where I was going.
"How far?"
"I dunno. Bye." I scurried off, wishing I could spend more time with the giraffes. But I knew I was lucky to not have paid a cent and make my dream come true.
Pandas
I was in the slippery jungle of green. The towering green trees grew high above anything else. The wet mud squished beneath my bare feet. In the misty, drizzling rain, I squinted my eyes. When I strained my ears to hear the forest, I heard a small little cry. I hesitated, wondering whether to look in the bush or to run back to my tree hut. Slowly, I lifted the leaf of the bush. Inside the bush was a small bundle of black and white. At first I thought nothing of it- that it was just garbage left here by the high winds. But as I looked closer, there was a small little face staring back at me. I almost screamed for I’d never saw anything like it. Then I remembered the stories my dad told me about the strange creatures living in the forests. He called them pandas-bundles of black and white fur. This looks like a baby. So it must have strayed far from its home. Pandas live in dry forests. Not the rain forests. Unsure of what to do with this panda, I picked it up and stared into its eyes. They seemed to suck me into a black hole. I gave her the name Cookie. I didn’t know what a cookie was, but I’ve heard they are wonderful. Now the panda will be wonderful. I wrapped Cookie in some rags in my pack. I carried her all the way back to my tree hut.
“Where have you been, Kim?” asked my mom who was cooking.
“Oh, you know. Exploring. Anyways, I found this panda.” I showed it to her. “What does she eat? I don’t want her to go hungry.”
She sighed, “Kim, we can’t have a panda in our hut. They belong out in the dry forest, not the wet forest.”
“But she doesn’t have a mother! She needs someone to look after her!”
“Well, I guess-”
“Mother! Look at the fluffy!” cried Kristy, my little sister.
“Yes, Kristy it is called a panda. Kim, you can keep it as long as you promise that you will take care of it. You’ll have to figure out what it eats and feed it yourself. I’m not making any food for that... thing. You also need to figure out what else it needs-”
“Thank you so much! I promise I’ll do everything for it! I don’t know what else it needs.”
“I guess you’ll just have to figure that out, then,” replied Mother in her sweet and sour voice.
Supper was finally ready. It was one of my favorites- stew. I sat at the table awaiting the deliciousness of it all. Carrots, celery, corn- all waiting impatiently to be devoured. Sometimes mother puts in different herbs to get different tastes. Tonight, she put in a spice that I’d never heard of before, but the stew tasted as good as ever. After I had finished, I scooped up Cookie who was rubbing on my feet underneath the table. I grabbed some rags that formed the blanket on my bed. Then I formed them into kind of a nest for the panda to lie in. When I set her down, she reached up and licked my nose. I rubbed it because my nose might be contaminated. It was disgusting.
“Cookie!”I said. “Why’d you do that? It wasn’t nice.”
Cookie kind of tilted her head as if to say, “What?” Then I remembered something else my dad said about pandas: they’re highly endangered. He had said that people have to have them in captivity when they’re babies and sometimes even when they’re adults because their homes have been destroyed. So Cookie must have come from the dry forest looking for a real place to be. I sighed, thinking that I didn’t want to do what had to be done- bring Cookie to a panda nursery.
After the sun went down and the moon was brightly shining in the sky, I slid out the window with Cookie tightly tied onto my back. I left a leaf and a piece of string on the table symbolizing that I had gone, and should be home soon, but it may take a while. I just don’t want my mom blubbering, asking me where I am all the time.
I must have walked 20 miles because the forest was thinning out and I could see the sun peeking through. The sun hasn’t greeted me since I was much younger. I could just remember the light rays grazing across my face. Today, I squinted because I hadn’t seen the light for so long. It was so blinding that I bent over, as if to beg the sun to stop. I sat there for a few minutes, letting the sights sink it. There were birds chirping, everything looked happy. It was nothing like the gloominess of the wet forest. I let Cookie crawl out of her holder. She walked around, exploring. Although, it looked like she was at home. But I couldn’t let her stay here. She could be eaten by other animals.
We continued very quickly, but after only a few more minutes, I was growing very wary, barely picking my feet off the ground. They were kicking up dust and Cookie kept sneezing whenever I let her walk on her own. Even though I was used to walking everywhere, I’ve never walked this long in just a day. Night was falling faster every minute. Soon my legs kind of slipped out from under me and I collapsed onto the ground. Obviously I was going to spend the night right where I was. But I needed somewhere at least a little bit more sheltered for Cookie and me. I tried to crawl, but the ground was full of pebbles and I just fell down. Before I could even acknowledge it, I was asleep.
***
My hand scanned the ground. Quickly I sat up, realizing with a jolt of fright that Cookie was missing. I hadn’t put her in my pack- I fell to the grass and fell asleep too quickly. With my mind racing, I couldn’t think of anything, so I wasn’t helping the situation. I splashed my face in the water at my feet and tried to wake up. Once it started to sink in, I tried to remain calm. Where would I go if I were a panda? Maybe... up in a tree? No, Cookie can’t climb yet- she’s just a baby. Maybe she went under a bush. I looked in just about every bush close to where I was. By then I was starting to really panic. Where could she possibly have gone? Suddenly, a spark flew throughout my head. With haste, I ran toward the place we had rested the day before. I ran with all my might. I’m coming Cookie!
My heart dropped. More like “disappeared”. Cookie wasn’t there. I had lost her. My back slumped against a tree, and I started to cry. How could I lose her? Something rattled in the bushes. Out popped a little panda head. Cookie!
"Cookie, how could you do this to me?!” I said, wiping the tears from my eyes. Even though I was a little annoyed and angry at Cookie, I had found her so I was happy. Now that it was all over, I continued to walk. Today, I was full of energy. Except when I looked into Cookies eyes, my eyes were clouded because I couldn’t bear the thought of Cookie leaving.
Soon, I actually came across a town. Or at least that’s what Dad calls them. Before I could walk into a building and ask for help, the sky opened and started pelting at me. Quickly, I ran into a smelly place that cars eat at. My dad told me what it was once, but I can’t keep track of everything. When I got there, I stayed in an odd-smelling building until the rain lightened up. Before I left, I asked the person behind the counter, “Where can I find the place where they take care of animals?”
“I believe you’re referring to an animal shelter, and there’s actually one just down the street. Now that you have your information, you really need to leave. We’re not supposed to let anyone in here, well unless it’s raining of course, that’s not buying anything.”
What is ‘buying’?”
“Um... well... you earn money that you can use to buy... stuff. Now run along. Hey! Is that a panda?”
He exclaimed when Cookie was peeking out of my pack.
“Yes. Yes it is. Her name is Cookie and I’m trying to save her from-”
“No animals in the gas station!” he said, while shoving me out the door.
I was a little startled because who wouldn’t want to save a little panda? Oh, well, I thought, it doesn’t really matter much anyways. We crossed the busy streets, filled with cars that my dad said could smash your bones before can even think about it. When I swung the hard doorway to the “Animal Shelter”, everyone kind of stared at me. Someone saw Cookie and screamed.
“Calm down!” a lady holding an iguana said and started heading toward me. “Nice to meet you, my name’s Nancy, we’ve better get that panda to a safe place, it’s good you found her when you did before she died in the wilderness...” She wouldn’t quit yapping. Everything she said seemed to be tied into the next.
“Uh... Nancy? Where is she going to live? I just need to make sure she’s going to be safer here than at my own tree hut.”
“She’s definitely more likely to survive here. In fact, if you’d like you can come visit her whenever. Would you like that?”
“I’d like that very much,” I replied, a smile starting to stretch across my face for the first time in a while. I handed Cookie over to Nancy, knowing she would take great care of her.
