Natural Wonder Bonus

Trip To The Nature (by Saket Pattnaik )

 
Photograph of a jungle path disappearing into thick trees and greenery

by @isaacquesada via unsplash

 

Trip To The Nature

BY Saket Pattnaik

The poet’s friend did not know about nature because he lived in the dry deserts. 

What is nature? Poet’s friend asked him in a letter one day.

Nature is very beautiful. In our nature, there are flowers, snow, hills, gardens, jungles, the poet said.

Wow! I want to go there too! Can I come there? When can we go to the jungle? The poet’s friend had many questions.

Oh, I’ll wait for you. Please come and we can go see the nature, said the poet.

Then, the next morning, he went to the poet’s house and he went to his room. But the poet was sleeping.

Wake up! Wake up!

But he did not wake up.  

Then, he said, Have you forgotten that we go to see the nature?

Then, like magic, the poet woke up.

He said, We will go to see the nature. Let’s eat breakfast, then we will pack our things and go.

Let’s go! 

They started walking to the jungle.

What’s this?

Haaaaaa!

What’s this? Shouted the poet’s friend.

That was a lion. Don’t be afraid, said the poet.

After walking for some time through a thick line of trees, in sun and shadows, the poet’s friend said, I want water.

There is no water in this forest, the poet said.

Really? I don’t believe this!

Of course! That is true!

Did you not bring any water?

Hmmm…I think, no. 

How did you forget such an important thing?

Look water! The poet’s friend exclaimed.

You had a mirage. 

No! I did not have a mirage. Let’s go and drink!

The poet said, Oh, I can also see there’s water over there! Let’s go!

But at that spot, an animal was enjoying the water. It was a hippopotamus. They had not seen it before. 

The poet and his friend went near and drank some water. But the puddle was soon dry.

The two friends were happy but the animal wasn’t happy, he was angry.

The animal began following the two, the poet’s friend and the poet. 

The poet said, Look, run fast.

Then it is funny, the animal did not catch the two people. Because suddenly, he felt thirsty and could not run. The two people were safe.

In the end, the poet’s friend said, nature is so good, it gives air, and beautiful trees, so green everywhere. I am so happy coming here.

The End


Saket Pattnaik reads books, loves to travel and plays the piano.

Stepping in a Mud-Puddle (by Sabel Joseph-Etheridge)

 

by @sarti46 via unsplash

 

Stepping in a Mud-Puddle

By Sabel Joseph-Etheridge

In quarantine, we were allowed to walk outside for two hours, from 4-6 P.M. My mom, my sister, and I were taking a walk when I stepped in a mud puddle. 

Since I didn't want to be bored on the walk, I had brought my headphones and MP3 player along. My headphones kept getting tangled and my socks were too big. I had all these quirky squirms and small problems, but my biggest problem was yet to come. 

It had rained earlier that day and we were expecting more. Our dog, Sandy, kept stopping, wanting to investigate small shrubs and broken pieces in the sidewalk and know what was happening all around her. 

Mom had just helped me fix my headphones and she asked me to hold the bag with water and the closed umbrella. I was not watching where I was going and stepped right into the middle of a giant, round mud puddle. The sidewalk pavement had been dug up or something else that it had a small hole out of nowhere. The rain probably collected mud and water in the hole. 

When I stepped in it my shoes and socks and even my feet sank up to my knees. My shoe filled with dirt and mud water. I was so angry yet sad. I wanted to scream but knew I couldn’t.


When mom stopped to check what happened she saw that I was jaw dropped and struck dead by the drench of water and dirt in my feet. I got out and didn’t know what to do. I started crying. Mom made me look her in the eyes and calmed me down.

 
I realized muddy feet suck but I don’t have to freak out. After that, Mom suggested I sit by the road and remove my shoes and socks before putting my dirty shoes back on. I started walking towards the road but my feet squished. So I needed to fix this. I found a spot to sit but meanwhile, a man was walking towards his car next to where I was going to sit, and since I didn't really want to sit on the road, I looked around and I spotted a big rock, big enough for me to sit on but with ants all around. Nonetheless, I went back, sat on the rock, and took off my shoes and socks then I poured water over them and said I needed something to wipe them with. Mom gave me her mask. I took it and wiped my feet. After that, I put on two plastic bags we brought in case Sandy pooped, and limped back home. When I got home, I washed off my feet and changed into my PJs.
 
It was one of the: 
Easiest yet hardest  
Weirdest   
Adventurous 
Walks I had ever taken. 
 

That night was a blessing in disguise. 


Sabel Joseph-Etheridge is a fifth grader who grew up in Kuwait and recently returned to the United States. She loves to cook and always tries to work really hard and enter her assignments early. Sabel loves her parents, her sister Safyre, her dog Sandy, and books.