Picture by Marianne Sopala
“Ho ho ho, my young friends, you do seem to have got yourselves in a bit of a pickle but I think I may be able to help you,” said Maisy the friendly elephant who wasn’t at all frightened of mice and didn’t believe that they could run up your trunk. Even if mice were so small and an elephant’s trunk so big.
“Oh yes, Maisy it would be really lovely if you could help us get our house back down on the ground where it belongs,” shrieked the frightened little mouse family, “But how do you think you will do it?”
“I’ll tell you after you tell me how your little house got up in the tree.”
“Well, last night it was so windy that after we had all gone to bed the wind picked us all up and blew us up here. We didn’t know till Mummy mouse looked out this morning and saw where we were. We’ve been so frightened, waiting for someone to come and help. We’re so glad you came by. Now, how can you help us?”
“Oh, it’s easy she trumpeted in reply, “I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house down.”
I had one impulse, it consumed my desire. I was dangling on a gossamer thread that was tethered high above my head. I stared up, fixing my eyes on the branch, not daring to look down. Out of the corner of my eye I could see all of my siblings starting to move upwards. A relentless tide of greenish-yellow bodies, each hoping to be the first to reach the succulent leaves that had overnight covered the branches of the birch tree, our ultimate goal. We all moved with one intent, to eat the sweet-tasting, luxuriant, green parcels of protein. Within minutes I had reached the smooth bark and I knew I would have to start eating the leaves. I would eat until my body felt like bursting at the seams. It was time to spread out along the branches as they became thinner, gradually dwindling to bushy growth.
When the pen takes control. 