That Rainbow Squirrel

• Jessika-Anne Zimmermann, Grade 1, Golden Grove Lutheran Primary School
• Short Story
• 2021

Excellence Award in the 'The Write Note 2021' competition

Little Nut is the best squirrel in Gumnut Town. She is a rainbow squirrel who loves to make people happy. When Little Nut was born, she was brown and loved to eat mashed up acorns. When she was one, she discovered that her ears were turning pink. On her sixth birthday, when everyone was singing Happy Birthday, everyone stopped in the middle of the song, stared at her and looked amazed. She transformed into a rainbow squirrel. Little Nut spun in the air with enchanted acorns swirling around. There was some acorn dust around. She had powers to grant wishes now. Gumleaf the koala held an acorn and wished for all the gum leaves she could have. Little Nut took the acorn, the acorn whispered into her ear and then she threw the acorn into the garden and did the special chant to grant the wish. Hannah the dingo wished for as much stew as she could. Crystal the pony wished for someone to ride on her. Little Nut and Crystal’s mum said, “Time to play.” Little Nut, Gumleaf, Hannah and Crystal played hide and seek chasey in the playground. When Crystal was it, she tagged everyone. She was the fastest of all. The girls went to eat the birthday cake. When they got there they couldn’t see the cake. It had vanished. They looked around the playground, up in the treetops, in the grass and in the horse’s mouth because the horse loved eating cake. They didn’t find the cake. Then Little Nut remembered she put the cake under the table for safe keeping. She said, “Everybody follow me” and she went under the table and everyone was wondering what she was doing. She came out with her Acorn cake. They all celebrated and ate the cake up in ten minutes. They never had to look for a cake again.