Makind Sense Of The Woods

• Mia Tuyau, Grade 3
• Short Story
• 2018

There was once a snow leopard named Crystle. She lived in the snow in the South Pole. Her coat was as soft as a lamb’s wool. Her eyes were as blue as the deep blue sea.
One day, Crystle wandered from where she lived. She wanted to see the other side of the South Pole. She arrived in the woods. While walking through the woods, she noticed a slithering creature. It was coming towards her, a snake. The snake knew that Crystle was lost.
He asked, “Are you ok? Do you want to go back to the snow?”
“Do you know the way?” asked Crystle.
Snake, who had a very good sense of smell, said, “Use your sense of smell. Put your nose to the ground and up. Smell as you go along.”
Crystle obeyed Snake and had her nose right, left, up, down. After a long walk, Crystle met a star nosed mole.
“Do you know where the snow is?” she asked.
“No” replied mole, “Use your sense of touch to find your way back to the snow.”
Crystle continued walking with her nose up and down feeling things with her paws. At night time, she saw a fruit bat flying in the sky. Bat stopped to greet Crystle.
“Salutations,” said bat.
“I am desperate to reach the snow,” said Crystle.
Bat who had sharp ears added, “Use your sense of hearing. Prick your ears up and listen to all the sounds and you will surely reach your destination.”
Crystle kept on walking with her nose in the air, her paws feeling things, her ears pricked up.
Morning came. Crystle was tired and thirsty. She longed for water. She stopped at a nearby lake. While she was drinking, a catfish leapt out of the water. Crystle asked, “Do you know where the South pole is?”
Cat fish, who had an excellent sense of taste, answered, “No, but use your sense of taste to find your home. As you go along, taste the grass and the water. The colder they get, the closer to the snow you will be.”
Crystle kept walking, nose in the air, paws feeling things, ears pricked up and tasting grass and water. On her way, Crystle spied an eagle sitting high on a gum tree. “What are you doing in the woods?” he asked.
“I’m lost, I want to return to the snow!”
“Use your eyes. As I have very good eye sight, I will fly high in the sky, find the snow and tell you how to get there.”
Eagle flew very high in the sky, found the snow and returned to help Crystle.
“Go straight for fifty kilometres, turn right and keep walking and you will reach the snow. “
Crystle followed eagle’s direction and finally came home to the snow. She was so happy. From all the animals she had met, she learnt to use her five senses, smell, touch, hear, taste and sight.