Hercule was a pigeon that had skills of extraordinary means
Nobody could do what he could do, not even a bunch of wolverines
By day, Hercule went to school like every other teenage bird
He didn’t have many friends; in fact he was quite a nerd
But there was something that nobody knew about this feathered boy
At night, Hercule had a super strength that nobody else could employ
And this super strength made him a Super Pigeon every night
When he would cease to be a nerd pigeon and instead he became a pigeon knight
His super powers allowed him to rescue anyone in need
And since he could also fly, he didn’t even need a loyal steed
Instead he would dart through the sky making not even a sound
Flying high above the town at night, inspecting the ground
And should any creature whatsoever need any help
Hercule was always ready to save them they only had to yelp
He would descend to the ground wearing his beautiful blue suit
And the word spread quite fast about this pigeon of excellent repute
But no animal he saved so far knew who this Super Pigeon was
Even though he suffered terribly for his monumental cause
Because no pigeon can attend the school and do his algebra by day
And patrol high above the city at night to end any possible affray
Or save trapped animals that have gotten themselves into unusual strife
Nobody could pull that off for long, such fantasy life
When his grades began to suffer because he would fall asleep at school
He realised he broke the Super Pigeon’s fellowship’s most important rule:
Every Super Pigeon has to make sure he has time to also study other things
It is not the most important thing in life to have the silent wings
And the power to look dashing in his super cool blue suit
Flying high above the town every night covering his usual route
It is also important to study literature, history, maths, chemistry and art
Because being an excellent Super Pigeon is also about being very smart
So Hercule had to decide to have some time to sleep and rest
There was no point in fighting it as he was becoming quite stressed
And he wanted to do well at school and eventually be the best
Learn to read, divide and multiply numbers, play a guitar and pass every test
So in the next day or two Hercule found some time to sleep
And he dreamt as soon as he closed his eyes, he didn’t need to count the sheep
This made him much better at school and better at all of his work
And being a Super Pigeon at the weekend became a very nice perk
Because if a pigeon wants to become an excellent adult Super rescue bird
He needs to be excellent at every subject at school and not be demurred
Hercule took his study quite seriously and lost no more sleep over that subject
And in the next few years he finished school and became what you would expect
An excellent brave and smart, adult pigeon Super rescue bird
And even though he passed all his exams with ease, nobody could call him a nerd
Because being an excellent Super Pigeon is also about being very smart
And it is studying hard when he was little that gave Hercule a very good start.
© Martina Zelenić 2007
Illustration by Lara Crow
NORBERT, THE MONSTER SLAYER
Suzi was just an ordinary little girl until the nightmares began. She went to nursery, she had many friends, she liked to read books and go to the park. She had a soft toy, gorilla, which she loved above all else. Gorilla slept with Suzi every night and the two of them never had any nightmares until one day, suddenly, the nightmares began.
Suzi would go to sleep and everything would be fine. Her daddy would read a story to her and gorilla and the two of them would drift off peacefully. Then right around midnight, Suzi would have a nightmare. She would dream of monsters following her quietly and even gorilla was terrified of them. She would wake up in tears almost every night.
Soon, Suzi began to see monsters everywhere. In the dark cupboard under the stairs, behind the trees in the park, when she was reading quietly on the sofa, she always felt a monster was right behind her. And she started hating bedtime. She would try to avoid it, stay awake as long as she could but eventually, she would fall asleep and then the monsters would come out. Suzi lived in fear every night...until Norbert came into her life.
Suzi’s daddy came to read her a story one night and he looked pleased with himself, really pleased. He held something in his cooped hands and he smiled. Suzi looked at him puzzled.
“I brought you someone”, said Suzi’s daddy, smiling. “It is a very special bee, a bee that fights monsters, a monster slayer bee.”
Suzi looked suspiciously at her daddy as he opened his hands and seem to release something in the air. Daddy looked around the room, his eyes darting from corner to corner, from ceiling to the floor. Suzi followed his gaze but saw nothing.
“Where is a bee? I can’t see a thing”, said Suzi with a frown. She thought that daddy was making a joke and was not amused. Bedtime was serious matter for Suzi.
“But of course you can’t see anything”, said Suzi’s daddy: “This is a very special bee, a monster slayer and he is invisible. If you could see him, then the monsters could see him and he wouldn’t be able to do his job of scaring them”
Suzi looked at daddy with certain bewilderment and she didn’t believe a word he said but she thought it was very nice of him to make such a wonderful story up.
But something amazing happened that night, Suzi and gorilla slept uninterrupted until the morning, dreaming most wonderful dreams. Suzi woke up in the morning and she was surprised to find that the monsters did not wake her. Also through the whole day, monsters left Suzi alone to read in peace, to play in the park by herself. She was a little curious by the teatime and she decided to have a look in the cupboard under the stairs. She opened the door, she took a peek inside and there was nothing but coats and shoes...no monsters.
And the next night was the same, no nightmares, and no monsters. The night after that also, and the one after that...in fact, after two weeks, Suzi started to believe that her daddy really was right, and the monster slayer bee really was protecting her while she slept. Even gorilla seemed to believe it. Suzi decided to talk to daddy about this and find out more about this bee, the monster slayer. She was starting to believe it really could be true.
The next evening Suzi asked her dad to tell her more about this bee and he began to tell her. Only daddy could see this bee, he would release him every night in Suzi’s bedroom and watch him settle above the fireplace. The bee would sit patiently and watch daddy read Suzi a goodnight story and then watch him turn out the light. Daddy told Suzi that the bee’s name was Norbert, the magnificent monster slayer.
Norbert is one of the professional bees trained for this purpose of keeping the nightmare monsters at bay. Not every bee makes this grade. Suzi chuckled at the thought that she had one of the very special bees, the monster slayer bees.
There is a special school for only the very bravest bees, where they learn to fight monsters and guard children from nightmares. There is a special secret agency where parents can order one of the monster slayer bees and they usually stay for couple of months, until they scared all the monsters away.
Suzi listened patiently to daddy as he spoke and she was glad that she could look forward to a peaceful night’s sleep and not only that night, but every other night too.
Norbert would be there to guard her and scare monsters away.
So everywhere in the world, wherever children are scared of monsters, there will be a bee hard at work, just like Norbert, the monster slayer. Protecting children, scaring the monsters away forever, and ever, and ever...
© Martina Zelenić 2007
Illustration by Constanze Von Kitzing
LOST
It was Saturday afternoon and it was a lovely, sunny day. Isabel loved Saturdays because Saturdays were never school days. And since it was a lovely day, Isabel wanted to go out for a walk in the woods to pick strawberries. Isabel loved strawberries. Strawberries were her favourite fruit.
So she put on her new red boots and she took her rucksack with her so that she could pick many, many strawberries and have them after dinner with some whipped cream.
Isabel’s mum saw her get ready and she said:
“Don’t wander too far into the woods, it’s almost dinnertime. And you mustn’t go past the lake, remember? ”
“I won’t”, said Isabel and she hopped off to Vladimir’s house.
Vladimir was Isabel’s best friend in the whole world and he lived only a short walk away. Isabel and Vladimir were inseparable and they did everything together and they both loved strawberries so it took Isabel no time to persuade Vladimir to come with her.
Vladimir’s dad shouted after them: “ Don’t go too far, it is dinner time soon.”
“We won’t”, said Vladimir rolling his and eyes giggling along with Isabel.
They stopped in the park for a while and had great fun on the swings, playing with their friend Ignatius.
Ignatius had nothing better to do that afternoon and he soon agreed to come with them to pick strawberries in the nearby woods.
Isabel was excited, with all this help she was going to pick so many strawberries that there would not only be enough for dessert but to make some jam too.
And so the three of them set off for the woods.
They diligently picked strawberries for a couple of hours, but then all three got a bit tired and bored with that and they sat down and decided to tell stories.
Ignatius went first and told a story of an incredible giant that lives in the woods, in the cave hidden by brambles, just across the lake. A giant so huge that he needs to eat five big bears each day to survive.
At first Isabel and Vladimir didn’t believe Ignatius, but he insisted it was true. He said he overheard his uncle tell this story to his father and that the giant wasn’t cruel but just very big and very, very lonely because he lives by himself, away from others, as he’s too ashamed of the way he looks.
This made Isabel and Vladimir very sad and after some thinking Vladimir said: “ I know what we can do. Let’s try to find his cave and cheer him up.”
“Yes, that’s a great idea, we can give him some of our strawberries.” said Isabel.
“But I have to be home for dinner...” protested Ignatius.
Isabel quickly interrupted him; “ I know the shortcut around the lake, we’ll be there in no time and there is still plenty of time until dinner.”
So Ignatius had no choice but to follow them.
After a while they managed to reach the other side of lake, where the woods were very thick and scary. All three of them felt scared but neither would admit it so they carried on.
They were so busy on their quest that they failed to notice that the sky got darker and the rain was on its way.
Instead they were quietly going deeper and deeper into the woods, searching for the giant’s cave.
After a while they finally reached the cave. It looked very dark and scary.
“I think we should call him out.” said Vladimir, but nobody dared to raise their voice.
Suddenly they weren’t so brave anymore. But after a while, Isabel said: “Look, somebody has to go in and see what’s in there. Otherwise we’ll be here all night.” and she slowly entered the cave.
“Hello!” shouted Isabel, closely followed by Vladimir and Ignatius. “Hello, is there anyone here?”
But all they heard was the echo of their own voices.
The cave wasn’t very big and it didn’t take them long to realise there was nobody living there.
“It’s empty.” said Isabel.
“Maybe we are in the wrong cave.” mused Vladimir with a smirk and they looked at each other and started to laugh.
But just then, the biggest thunder ripped across the sky and scared them.
They were so busy looking for the giant’s cave that they haven’t even noticed that the day got dark and the clouds covered the blue sky.
They huddled together as it began hailing outside.
“What are we going do? My parents will be really mad.” grumbled Ignatius.
Isabel looked worried too. Vladimir thought for a moment and said: “ I am sure the rain will stop in a bit and we can set of home and if we hurry, we’ll be back by dinner time and nobody will know where we’ve been.”
But an hour later, it was still raining as hard and it didn’t look as if it was going to stop.
Now they were all worried. The clouds covered the sky and made it very dark and the night started to fall.
Ignatius started to cry and Isabel was consoling him.
They were never going to find the way back in the dark and the rain, they had no choice but to stay in the cave and wait for the rain to stop. It was getting cold too.
Soon the night fell and it was still raining and it was obvious that they would have to stay in the cave 'til the morning.
They were all quietly crying now, scared and hungry and cold. They sat together, listening to the strange noises coming from the woods, imagining the worst.
“We should have never gone this far from home.” said Isabel.
“No, we were really silly.” agreed Vladimir, wiping his nose.
“We’ll be eaten by wolves.” sobbed Ignatius
And although there were no wolves in those woods, all three shuddered at that prospect.
Finally they fell asleep hugging each other tight and soon it was morning.
They ran all the way home, relieved and happy their scary adventure was over.
Their parents had spent the night crying and worrying where their children were and when they finally got home; it was a happy moment for everyone.
Isabel got grounded for a month for not listening to her mum and wondering off where she shouldn’t have, but she didn’t mind at all, she had had enough exploring to last her a while.
© Martina Zelenić 2007
Illustrations by Ian Hill-Smith
SCHU, THE GREAT FALCON
In a land far far away, were the sea stretched further than anyone can see and where dangerous rocks and tall, grey cliffs make most of the landscape lived a colony of giant and very rare falcons. Falcons had powerful wings that allowed them to fly higher than any other bird and they were fast, faster than any airplane and ever so quiet and deadly.
The place where falcons lived was on the edge of the end of the world, where the sea is very cold and the clouds gather dark and gloomy, heavy with rain.
There isn’t much to do but fly above tall cliffs and hunt for fish in the day and in the evening, all the falcons gather in the biggest cave, telling stories, eating fish and having fun late into the night, before they finally retire to their nests for some sleep.
Falcons have lived here, upon these cliffs for centuries and nothing has ever gone wrong until a really unusual thing happened one day that disturbed the quiet life of the falcons. That day, Schu was born.
Schu’s parents, Hydra and Rheus fell in love and decided to have baby falcons and Hydra lay three big, beautiful, cream coloured eggs and they took turns to sit on them and keeping them warm until they hatched.
When finally that day arrived, Rheus was napping in the nest while Hydra went out to collect some berries. When he felt the eggs move, he immediately squawked loudly for Hydra to return to their nest. Hydra heard him and flew really fast to be there for the exciting moment.
The first two chicks were just perfect, they pecked through the eggshell with their sharp beaks and jumped out but the third had some trouble. It rolled the egg all around the nest unable to break it. Rheus and Hydra looked at each other puzzled for a minute or two and then Rheus broke the shell with his beak unable to contain his curiosity.
But when the baby falcon from the third egg stepped out, both Hydra and Rheus let out a quiet squeal in shock.
There was something utterly wrong with their baby falcon, it had powerful falcon wings but no beak, in fact, and the rest of his body resembled a cat.
Hydra and Rheus never ever saw a cat so they didn’t know quite what to do with their third son. His brothers, Pollux and Alcor sensed that something was not quite right with their sibling and they shunned him, preferring to play by themselves. So from his very first day, Schu felt great loneliness and all because he was different.
When Schu was a bit bigger, Hydra and Rheus decided to consult the oldest and very wise falcon Terra, who lived in the cave all by herself and was not seen about very often. By then, Schu has grown a long, furry tail with which he could swish about, something no respectable falcon had ever had.
But Terra didn’t seem worried at all, she smiled wisely and told Hydra and Rheus that for everything that happens, there must be a reason and that they should teach their son to hunt and fly just as if he was an ordinary falcon.
But Hydra and Rheus were not reassured by that, they did their best to treat Schu as a normal falcon but as soon as he started school, it was obvious that he will never be a normal falcon.
Other falcons often made fun of him and, stepping on his tail and pulling on his whiskers. Schu felt ever so alone and often played by himself. He learnt to fly faster than any other falcon and often flew to the highest cliff to sit by himself.
But old Terra was a wise falcon lady and it soon came a day when it would be apparent that Schu was not a normal falcon but it is precisely because he was so different that he saved the colony from a very ominous intruder and this is how it happened…
One day there was an urgent meeting in the biggest cave being organised first thing in the morning. All the falcons attended because in the night, somebody stole two eggs from a nest and all the grown up falcons were scared their eggs would be stolen next.
Nothing like that has ever happened before and everyone was suspicious and scared but nobody had a clue who did it and how it happened, up until that moment, their lives have been tranquil and undisturbed.
The next night, three more eggs were taken despite everyone being vigilant, it happened quietly in the middle of the night and it only became apparent when the parent falcons counted the eggs in the morning.
The same happened the night after; only four eggs were stolen that time. Falcons were in uproar, everyone was scared and one of the falcons reported seeing a strange animal with a long tail scurrying from the cave late the night before.
But what could it be? Who is stealing the eggs? And now the grown up falcons were scared because if all eggs are stolen, there will be no baby falcon chicks that year.
Schu sat above the great cave whilst the meeting was going on and he listened attentively. He decided he would do something about it and solve the mystery.
So that night, when his parents told him and his brothers a good night story, he only pretended to fall asleep and as soon as Pollux and Alcor were fast asleep, he sneaked out of their cave and he flew to the highest cliff, from where he could overlook all the other cliffs. Because he was different, Schu was not only able to fly faster but he had an amazing eyesight and he could see very well in the dark, something other falcons couldn’t and he had a very good sense of smell too.
Schu sat on the cliff and kept watch for what seemed a long, long time until he almost drifted off to sleep but the something woke him up, he sensed a strange smell and he thought he heard a tiniest shuffle on the rocks below.
He descended quietly to investigate.
The creature entered the cave where the two newlywed falcons Draco and Lyra slept on their five eggs. Schu landed silently and followed the creature but the creature turned around and bared its teeth. It was a giant rat with ferocious teeth and big, fat tail and its scream woke Draco and Lyra and half of the falcon population already really scared due to recent crimes.
Soon Draco’s and Lyra’s cave was swarming with falcons that came to help but none of then saw a creature like this and they were ill prepared to fight it. Their long wings were useless and when they tried to catch him with their beaks, the giant rat kept on running away. But Schu was not like the other falcons, Schu had four strong legs that came equipped with premium claws and he swiftly jumped on the rat, grabbing him with all four of his paws until he was unable to escape.
All the falcons cheered happily and none more so than Draco and Lyra whose eggs were saved by brave Schu.
Schu then flew off with a rat and took him far far away across the sea and then released him in the meadow so far away that the rat couldn’t possibly ever come back to their cliffs.
And from that day on, Schu was no longer an outsider but a valuable member of falcon colony and his parents finally realised that wise Terra was right. Sometimes being different is not so bad after all.
© Martina Zelenić 2007
THE VERY FORLORN STORY
George was the saddest duck ever. Nobody was ever as sad as George. He was just a very sad duck. Nothing made him feel happy, not the lingering breeze in the branches of his favourite tree, not the ripples on the pond, not even frolicking with other ducks, diving to scare the silver fish below the surface, not even the best summer’s day...nothing could make George happy.
George was the saddest duck ever.
When other ducks wallowed in the shallows, sunbathing, George thought about sad things. George never smiled. He was the saddest duck ever. Nothing could ever make George happy, he was just so sad. He never felt quite the part of the crowd on the pond and other ducks never truly understood his forlorn nature and for the best part, they just left him alone. George was just too sad for them.
George was not only sad but he was also lonely. He was very lonely because nobody was as sad as him and nobody understood his need to think sad thoughts.
George was the saddest duck ever. He was a very lonely duck. Nothing could make him happy and he never talked to anyone. His parents didn’t know what to do about his forlorn nature. He was a saddest duck ever.
Until, one day, another duck family moved to his pond. They had a daughter named Francesca, a girl duck, whose feathers were bright orange and green and they shone so bright in the sun. Yet Francesca was also a very sad duck. She floated by herself in the muddy shallows at the edge of the pond thinking sad thoughts all day long. Despite looking quite glamorous and pretty, Francesca was a very sad duck...nothing could make her happy. Not the playful dragonflies darting across the pond, not the ladybirds that would come and play. Francesca was a very sad duck.
Although she had the prettiest feathers and she was very good at school, nothing could make Francesca happy. She sat and ate her pack lunch alone and she played her violin after school alone and she read the books alone and she thought sad thoughts alone. Francesca was very sad duck. And she was a very lonely duck. Nobody understood her forlorn nature.
It was one Saturday, the school was out and everybody was at the pond having fun. The sky was blue and the clouds were white, so white and low and it was a perfect day for being happy. Everyone was out on the pond, playing catch, diving, swimming, and relaxing… It was a perfect day for being happy, yet George floated sullenly at the edge of the pond thinking sad thoughts and being forlorn as usual.
Not far away from him, in the muddy shallows, Francesca was doing exactly the same, doing what she knows best…thinking sad thoughts, very sad thoughts.
Neither noticed one another due to their forlorn nature.
Francesca was threading the mud with her foot absentmindedly as she considered the sad thoughts. She liked doing that almost as much as thinking about very sad things. But all of a sudden her foot got stuck, tangled into something and she couldn’t pull it free. She tried for 15 minutes and she was still trapped. This made Francesca truly sad. She also couldn’t dive to investigate as her foot was trapped, she couldn’t move as she was tied, all she could do is quietly despair and think sad thoughts. After a while, Francesca got scared and very very sad and she started to cry quietly.
All the other ducks were playing too far away to hear her cry and anyway, they were having too much fun to notice very sad ducks on the edge of the pond. But George, who was himself dithering at the edge of the pond under the willow tree thinking very sad thoughts, heard the sad cry and he stopped thinking sad thoughts for a moment and decided to investigate. When he peeked through the willow branches, he saw Francesca crying nearby and he, unsure of what he should do, went to investigate.
“Why are you crying?” asked George approaching Francesca, who by then entered such deep despair that nobody could ever be as sad as that.
“I am stuck, my foot got stuck.” said Francesca trying to hide her tears in front of the boy duck.
George felt great sadness for the pretty girl duck trapped in front of him, he thought for a moment and then he dove to investigate. He realised that Francesca’s foot was tangled in the abandoned fishing line that was stuck to a rock and it took him a long while to bite through it. He almost ran out of air.
“There, you are free now.”
“Thank you” said Francesca and she smiled. For a moment she forgot about sad thoughts as she looked at this boy duck.
George looked at Francesca and he also forgot sad thoughts all of a sudden. Then they both smiled.
“I am George.” said George, the saddest duck ever.
“And I am Francesca.” said Francesca, also the saddest duck ever. Yet they were both smiling.
“How come you are not playing with the rest of the ducks?” asked George.
“I like thinking sad thoughts.” answered Francesca “and I’ve never met anyone that likes doing that.”
“I like thinking sad thoughts!” exclaimed George almost with joy, which was so unlike him, because he was a very sad duck, very sad duck indeed. “We could think sad thoughts together. Would you like that?” asked George.
Francesca couldn’t think of anything as magnificent as having someone to be forlorn with and she nodded as she smiled, while her eyes sparkled.
“Cool.” said George and smiled too.
And from that day on, George and Francesca, two saddest ducks ever, met at the pond every day after school and at weekends too and they floated side by side at the edge of the pond, doing what they do best, thinking sad thoughts, being very very forlorn, very sad but no longer lonely.
© Martina Zelenić 2007
Illustrations by Georgina Luck
ADVENTURES OF DAZ AND TINNY
TRIP TO CASUALTY
It was a Friday afternoon and Daz and Tinny were playing in their favourite field, chasing butterflies and enjoying sunshine and flowers around them. Daz brought some cheese and grapes and they were having a lovely picnic on the grass, feeding squirrels, watching the clouds go by and talking. Daz and Tinny were best friends. They liked playing together and talking and they liked picnics.
When the sun was setting, making the sky a lovely red colour and it was time to go home, Daz noticed a small bite on his leg. It had started to itch and bother him.
Tinny looked at it. It was red and was starting to swell so she put some cream to make it better. Daz felt better immediately and they walked home, eating the last of the cheese, talking and laughing as they walked.
Tinny went to cinema on Saturday and when she came back from the cinema, she received a call from Daz. He sounded upset, his leg hurt and sensing that it was serious, Tinny went straight to his house to look at it.
When she got there, Daz was lying on the sofa, visibly upset and his leg was very swollen and the bite has grown bigger overnight. He was hardly able to walk so Tinny cooked him lunch and told him to go to the doctor’s to get some medicine.
Since Daz didn’t like doctors and tomorrow, on Sunday, he had a tournament to go to that he’d been waiting to compete in for a long time so he decided that the leg would get better on its own and by the morning he would be just fine.
On Sunday, Daz went to the tournament and he performed difficult martial arts moves for almost two hours, hiding his pain and he won the first prize, a trip to an enchanted castle. After the tournament, he went round to Tinny’s house for lunch and by then he was in so much pain that he could hardly walk and he started to cry. The bite has gotten worse and his leg was very swollen and red and it looked painful. Tinny measured his temperature and it was high and she decided to take him to the casualty straight away. Daz was in so much pain that he didn’t complain this time. He realised he needed some medicine.
The doctor in the hospital looked at Daz’s leg and was very concerned about the nasty bite and she looked very worried. Daz was hiding his tears; he was in so much pain. The lady doctor put a dressing on Daz’s leg and gave him some medicine to take to make his leg better.
When they got home, Tinny put Daz to bed and she read him a bedtime story, hoping he would forget how much his leg hurt and Daz put on a brave face despite his agony.
The next day, Tinny had to go to school and since Daz was still poorly and his leg was still red and swollen, he was to stay in bed all day. Tinny left him her favourite soft toy, a penguin to sleep with him until she returned. Daz cuddled up to a penguin and fell asleep. In the afternoon, Tinny cooked Daz a dinner and they watched cartoons till it was time for bed. Daz felt much better but his leg was still very red and painful.
The next day, Tinny decided to stay home to look after Daz. She took a first aid kit and she cleaned his bite and she put a fresh dressing on it. She also decided Daz needed cheering up and after she made sure Daz took his medicine, they had pizza and ice cream and watched cartoons again and played games all afternoon. Penguin watched quietly satisfied.
The medicine and what Tinny did for Daz worked because he woke up the next day and his leg no longer hurt and he was able to walk and go back to school. He was glad to be back to his usual cheerful, bouncy self and Tinny was glad her best friend was better although they had so much fun in the past few days too.
And Daz learned a valuable lesson…sometimes even if we don’t like it, we have to see the doctor and take the medicine.
© Martina Zelenić 2007
TRIP TO THE MOUNTAINS
Daz and Tinny are going on a trip, to see Daz’s sisters; Meg, Lila and Annie. They live at the top of the mountain in another country and it is not easy to get there, especially if it snows and it always snows at the top of the mountain.
First, Daz and Tinny took the plane and then they had to rent a car to drive all the way up the mountain. The drive is peaceful and lovely, they see lots of very big trees and they listen to their favourite music and they talk.
Couple of hours later they arrive at the small town hidden deep in the mountain where Meg, Lila and Annie live. Daz parks the car and they go in to have some lunch and a rest. The trip was long and very tiring.
In the evening, after dinner and after they’ve helped to wash the dishes and put them away, they all sit together by the fire and exchange presents. Puck, the cat sits on the windowsill.
The next morning it is a beautiful, sunny day with lots of snow. Daz and Tinny decide to go sledging. But first they have to climb the hill and the snow is deep and it is not very easy to walk so it takes them a long time to get there. But then there is a problem…they only have one sledge, if one of them takes a ride down the hill, the other one gets left behind. They think about it and decide to go down the hill on the sledge together. Sounds like a great idea.
But the snow is very thick and there is so much of it and the two of them are too heavy to have a smooth descent so the sledge begins to swerve and gather speed, Tinny shrieks, Daz tries to get in the straight line again and suddenly they topple over and roll down the hill together with their sledge, gathering snow as they roll.
Just as they are about to hit the wall at the bottom of the hill, they finally come to an abrupt stop and they untangle.
Daz and Tinny are laughing like crazy, this was so much fun, they love the snow.
The day after, they decide it would be a great idea to rent the snowshoes and climb up the mountain to see the magnificent view, so after breakfast, Daz, Meg and Tinny start walking towards the foot of the mountain. Lila and Annie decide to stay home to make lunch. They put their snowshoes on and they start climbing but it’s not as easy as it looks. The snow is very deep and when she falls down, it takes Tinny a long time to get up from the deep snow. And walking with snowshoes on is very awkward but without them, they would sink so deep into the snow that they would not get very far at all. After ten minutes, Tinny realises she isn’t up to this task and she decides to give up. Meg is also having a hard time so the girls decide to head home and Daz decides to climb further.
The next day it is the time to go back home and Daz and Tinny are sad to leave. They had such a great time. Their plane is very early in the morning so they need to get up when it is still dark to drive all the way to the airport.
As they drive down the mountain, it is pitch black and the snow illuminates the woods around them. It is a very beautiful drive and both of them are in awe of such a beautiful sight. Just then, the sun starts rising on the horizon and paints the sky with beautiful colours. Daz stops the car so Tinny can take a photograph of the sun coming out through the ancient trees. They feel sad they have to leave..
Couple of hours later, they sit on the plane, going back home. Daz is quietly doing a puzzle and Tinny is listening to the music. They are both lost in the wonderful thoughts, thinking of things they did together in the past few days. Daz is missing his sisters already and Tinny is glad she had so much fun with her best friend even though she is heartbroken about going back home. Beautiful holidays are always fun, and there is always sadness when one has to go back home, but Daz and Tinny promised Meg, Lila and Annie to come back very soon. And they really really want to.
© Martina Zelenić 2007
Illustration by Lara Crow
TRIP TO THE PENGUIN SANCTUARY
Tinny really really likes penguins. Her favourite soft toy is a penguin called Chick. So Daz decides to take Tinny down to the coast to see the penguins in the penguin sanctuary. It will take them a long time to drive down to the coast so Daz decides the best way would be to drive half way first and stay the night at his grandma’s house and continue the trip the next day. Daz’s grandma lives in a very pretty town that has lots of beautiful old buildings and since she doesn’t live near him, he doesn’t get to see her as much as he would like to so this would be a wonderful opportunity to combine both, an exciting trip with Tinny and seeing his grandma.
On a Saturday afternoon, Daz and Tinny buy some food for their trip and they set off for the coast. The drive is very long and Daz has made a playlist of their favourite songs to listen to as they drive. They enjoy the beautiful scenery, they count how many sheep they can spot in the fields they pass by as they drive and they sing quietly to the songs on the stereo. Tinny is very excited about seeing the penguins. She saw penguins before but only in the Zoo and this penguin sanctuary allows one to walk among the penguins and play with them.
Couple of hours later they arrive at Daz’s grandma’s house. Daz’s grandma greets them and plants one big kiss on each of their cheeks and invites them in.
After they have some tea and custard cream biscuits, Daz takes Tinny outside to show her his grandma’s pony. Daz’s grandma also has a very old cat called Gertrude. Daz and Tinny stroke and feed the pony apples and carrots. Grandma teaches them how to brush his hair until it’s shiny and silky. Gertrude watches silently contemplating, in her thoughts, an exciting mouse hunt.
Daz and Tinny spend their time watching TV and talking after dinner. Daz has brought his guitar with him and plays a song for Tinny. After a while they are both very tired so Daz’s grandma makes them both a wonderful hot chocolate drink and they sip it in the living room, quietly contented until they both start yawning and feeling so tired that their eyes are closing. Tinny falls asleep on the sofa in front of TV and Daz carries her to bed. Then he goes to bed himself and dreams of playful and mischievous squirrels.
Next morning after breakfast, Daz and Tinny set off to penguin sanctuary but not before Daz’s grandma’s packed them some home made cranberry cookies.
They arrive at the sanctuary around lunchtime and they decide to first have some lunch and then go see the penguins.
Daz swaps his broccoli for Tinny’s mushrooms. They both agree that it is wonderful to have a friend that doesn’t like the same things as you because you get to trade things that way. After lunch they order cake with custard. Daz loves custard.
Finally it’s time to go and see the penguins. Daz and Tinny arrive at the sanctuary. The sanctuary doesn’t only have penguins but it also has seals, puffins, ducks and avocet birds. Tinny wanted to see an avocet bird for ages because they look unusual. Their beaks point upwards and they are very cute. Also, there are many kinds of penguins in the sanctuary: Emperor penguins, Macaroni penguins, Adelie penguins, Gentoo penguins, and Rockhopper penguins.
Daz has smuggled some crisps and shares it with the penguin that is following him around. They also see the seals, puffins, unusual ducks and the Avocet birds, which are so funny and cute, darting around that they make Daz and Tinny giggle with joy.
Soon the afternoon is over and it seems as if it’s only been an hour, that’s how much fun Daz and Tinny had exploring the penguin sanctuary and playing with animals. They feel sad as they leave. On the way home, Daz tries to cheer Tinny up by playing her favourite song but they both feel sad that their beautiful adventure is over so soon. As they drive back home, both Daz and Tinny are silent as they reflect on the beautiful day they had together, each lost in their own thoughts. The price of every good adventure is that it always makes one sad when it is over, but Daz and Tinny always manage to find new adventures and it won’t be long before they are off on a quest again. Not long at all.
© Martina Zelenić 2007
Illustration by Lara Crow
CATS ON A TRAMPOLENE
I will tell you a story if you can imagine a scene
There were once five little cats with such an extraordinary gene
A gene that made them playful and mysteriously keen
To spend all day jumping up and down on a trampoline
Five jumping cats is not a scene that is routine
In fact, it is rather strange and oddly obscene
As they could have chosen to eat a tangerine
Or travel below the ocean in a yellow submarine
There were once five little cats with an extraordinary gene
Kathleen, Maxine, Francine, Eugene and Geraldine
And what they liked doing above all, nobody could have foreseen
Jumping up and down and all day long, on a trampoline
Instead of enjoying the elaborate and succulent cat cuisine
Playing a piano, a guitar or a even a tambourine
Being mischievous, inventing stories or a time machine
They would spend all day on a green trampoline
Things were never different for them, not even at Halloween
When every cat was ‘trick or treating’, hoping for a sardine,
A catnip toy mouse, a ball or a colourful jellybean
They were only keen to go outside and jump on a trampoline
Can anyone even imagine such a magnificent scene?
Five little cats with such an extraordinary and special gene
Making them keen to jump every day and days in between
On their amazingly playful, green trampoline
© Martina Zelenić 2007
FRANKIE AND EDNA
Frankie was the cutest cat on the block, all the others wanted to be like him
His fur was a golden colour and he wore a stripy scarf, whilst all the other cats looked grim
The girl cats all wanted to marry him and they would try to give him a kiss
But Frankie wasn’t interested in girls and he’d always give romance a miss
Up until the day when the new cat came to town and moved into his very own street
Her fur was stripy, fluffy grey and Frankie thought she looked quite neat
He found out her name was Edna and soon fell madly in love with her
And from that day onward, to his surprise, everything became a blur
But Edna wasn’t an ordinary girl cat, she paid no attention to Frankie
This made him quite heartbroken and often a little cranky
But Frankie didn’t want to give up, he had to make her fall in love with him
Although he couldn’t think of ways how to and his chances were rather slim
But one sunny day, while languishing on a roof, his eye caught something shine
Through the window of the next door house, it was a necklace and quite divine
And Frankie got a great idea, he decided to steal the jewel himself
By jumping down on to the window from the roof and then onto the highest shelf
He took the necklace carefully, out of the green jewellery box
And he went out through the window again as quiet and sly as a fox
All day he kept a low profile, thinking of ways to propose to the love of his life
To give her the shiny necklace and ask her to be his wife.
So he waited for the evening to come, carefully planning what to say
He wrapped the necklace in the pretty paper and waited for Edna to come out to play
And when Edna eventually came, he smiled and walked towards her
And she smiled back at him and started to purr
Frankie gave Edna her present and she absolutely loved her shiny gift
And there between them, under the moonlight, something began to shift
Frank helped her put the necklace around her neck and he kissed her gently on the cheek
And Edna blushed and went all shy from the kiss and her knees were suddenly weak
And there under the moonlight, Frankie and Edna held hands for a long time
watching the shooting stars across the sky, smiling at each other and feeling sublime
The next day it was oh so clear that Frankie and Edna were engaged
This made other girl cats quite sad and few were even rather enraged
But such is love, you never ever know who will steal your heart
And from that day on, Frankie and Edna would never be apart.
© Martina Zelenić 2007
ARCHIE THE CAT THAT WANTED TO BE A VET
There once was this Archie and he was a very special cat
He’d always get in some sort of trouble and his best friend was a rat
He liked to sing very loud and he liked to sneak and spy
He liked playing football and he liked to eat blueberry pie
Since he was but a little kitten Archie wanted to be a vet
Even though no cat has ever gone to school, not as yet.
But the strangest thing about Archie, was that he had this one unusual whim
Whenever he saw a little puddle of water,he wanted to jump in it and swim
Once Archie swam across a very, very, very long lake
It took him almost 3 hours and he never complained of even an ache
He calmly swam to the other side and promptly given himself a shake
But just as he was drying his fur, he accidentally stepped on a snake
Which promptly bit him on his leg, so it definitely wasn’t fake.
‘Ouch’: yelped Archie, surprised and in shock
And then he got quite angry and he picked up a rock
But the snake quickly shouted: ‘Don’t hurt me, don’t, please
I was napping when you scared me, napping in the breeze’
‘I wouldn’t bite you on purpose, I’m only a grass snake
I never ever bit anyone ever, please, come join me for some cake.’
Archie rubbed his rather sore thigh and then he thought for a second
‘Anyone offering cake’, he thought ‘cannot be bad, I reckon.’
So Archie and the snake, whose name, by the way was Bruce
Went to the cake shop down the road and ordered blueberry pie and juice.
They ate so much pie laughing, talking, happy all day
And after leaving the bakery, they continued to play...
And that is how it all happened how Bruce made amends
And how Archie the cat and a snake became very best friends
© Martina Zelenić 2007
Illustration by Edith Acosta
