The Squirrels of Nutty Forest

 

Art: Ella Annelies Wusten, 9, The Netherlands

Mr and Mrs Squirrel lived in the hole of a big tree near the Nutty Forest.

Every day, after they woke up, they rubbed their eyes, shook their bushy tails, and ran to the Nutty Forest to gather nuts. They found big brown nuts and small red ones. They made many trips from their tree to the forest and back to collect nuts because each of them could carry only one nut at a time. Their little hole was always full of delicious nuts which they ate whenever they were hungry.

Then one day, Mrs Squirrel had three babies. The babies were tiny, toothless, and totally blind. 

Mr Squirrel, who was proud of the babies, said to Mrs Squirrel,

“My dear, you take care of our babies. I will go to the Nutty Forest to bring nuts.”

Mrs Squirrel thought this was a good idea because she couldn’t leave the babies alone. They were tiny, toothless, and totally blind. 

So Mr Squirrel went to the forest many times in the day to bring nuts. In a week, he became thin and tired. 

“You take some rest, Mr Squirrel, let me bring the nuts” said Mrs Squirrel. 

But Mr Squirrel didn’t listen to her. He made more trips to the forest to bring more nuts as the babies grew stronger and bigger and hungrier.

One day, their neighbours came to see the babies and sat on several branches of the tree. The babies were no longer tiny, toothless, and totally blind. They had become cuddly and playful. By now they had little teeth and bright eyes. Mrs Squirrel, who had taken good care of them, was proud of her young ones. 

The neighbours patted and fussed over the babies. While Mrs Squirrel served them delicious nuts, Mr Squirrel arrived. He was balancing a huge nut in his arms.

“What a burden!” he said, as he dropped the nut in the hole and wiped his brow with his bushy tail.

“Oh, Mr Squirrel, you work too hard” said the neighbours.

“Yes, you see, Mrs Squirrel sits in the hole all day and I have to bring all the nuts. It is hard work indeed to feed a family” he said and sat down at the base of the tree with a scowl on his face.

Mrs Squirrel was upset. She stopped serving nuts, came over to where Mr Squirrel sat, and said, 

“Mr Squirrel, it was you who wanted to bring all the nuts by yourself and told me to stay with the babies. How can you now say that it is you who does all the hard work?”

Mr Squirrel remembered his words and said sorry to Mrs. Squirrel. 

Soon, Mr and Mrs Squirrel, along with their three young ones, began to go to the Nutty Forest together. They gathered so many nuts that they had to find a bigger hole to put them in. Afterwards, they all sat together and munched on the delicious nuts. 



A story by Aashoo. Protected by Copyright, 2015.