Saturday, May 12, 2018

2018 Kipling Award Finalist:Isabella May, Oak Grove Elementary School, Erek Tuma, Teacher




How the Rabbit Got its Twitchy Nose By 

 Long ago, when the world was very new and rabbits had still (not twitchy) noses there was a rabbit named Daisy. Daisy and her family and relations and best friends, friends, and acquaintances, lived in a beautiful green valley in the Swiss Alps, where no rabbit ever left. Daisy and her parents and her sisters (Daffodil, Daphne, Dandelion, Dahlia, and Diana) lived a happy life in their burrow in the beautiful green valley, with the white topped mountains in the distance.

All her life, Daisy dreamed of visiting the white top of the mountains. But all of Daisy’s family and relations, best friends, friends, and acquaintances teased Daisy about her curiosity. Whenever she asked her family, relations, best friends, friends, and acquaintances about the white top of the mountains they said “hush” and that there were hungry foxes and unknown animals. But Daisy did not care. She wanted not to see, but to be on that tiny white top.

So she ate a good breakfast (carrot greens) and packed her possessions (a rock that had her name on it and a dried up daisy also a packet of sugar) and some dandelion and left. It was a hard climb up the sides of the beautiful green valley and she often stopped to rest.

Daisy traveled all morning and by midday she was ravenous and very sleepy. She found a soft grassy spot near the Dreary, Dangerous, Dopey, Shulibonduy river, ate her dandelions and fell asleep. She woke up to something moving very fast across her body. She opened her eyes and saw a bear like creature with a funny nose. It managed to say still long enough to say that its name was Ruthie and that she was a sloth. And then Ruthie dashed off to the Dreary, Dangerous, Dopey, Shulibonduy river.

About 10 seconds later Ruthie came bolting up the hill and very quickly said something like this: “areyouarearabbitsofarfromyourvalley”. And more clearly and slowly, “What is your name?”. Now, Daisy was still a little dizzy from all Ruthie’s running. She recovered and thought about how her family, relations, friends, best friends, and acquaintances would answer Ruthie’s question. She ended up saying her name is Daisy and that she was going on a quest to go to the tiny white top of the mountains. Ruthie said she was headed in that direction too and asked if she could go with her.

 Daisy wondered about what her family, relations, friends, best friends, and acquaintances would say. She thought they'd say “no,”  but then she remembered that their opinion did not matter (she was on her own now). She ended up saying because she wanted to know why Ruthie always moved so fast. Ruthie was very happy and did an anticipation run up to the horizon of the setting sun. Daisy knew that she would come back in about 5 minutes, so she found a good grassy nook for sleeping nestled in the mountains.

About 4 and a half minutes later, Ruthie came bolting back with handfuls of violet flowers (Daisy and Ruthie’s favorite). Then Ruthie said that they should eat and go to sleep so they would have energy for tomorrow's journey.

 So they ate the delicious violets and curled up in the grassy nook (after Ruthie ran up and down the banks of the Dreary, Dangerous, Dopey Shulibonduy river 10 times) and fell fast asleep.

When Daisy woke up she was very excited for the journey to the tiny white top of the mountains. When she looked over to Ruthie’s side of the nook she was gone. It was quite common for Ruthie to always be coming and going so she made breakfast (some of the leftover violets from supper and reeds from the banks of the Dreary, Dangerous, Dopey Shulibonduy river). Daisy wondered what her family, relations, friends, best friends, and acquaintances would be doing? Probably adding fresh grass to the beds and drying dandelions and other plants for winter. She also wondered if they missed her. But before she could think about her valley more Ruthie came bolting right to her with long grasses which later after breakfast she said were for the journey.

After packing up her possessions, Daisy was ready to travel. It was a long journey up the side of the mountains and Daisy thought that the tiny white top was getting bigger and bigger. All morning they traveled in silence. At noon, they stopped to rest and eat the long grass that Ruthie packed. But in the afternoon Ruthie asked if she could tell her story. Daisy said yes of course and here is what Ruthie said. “ I was taking a walk looking for violets and I took a shortcut through the caves and came across a whole room full to the brim candied violets. I knew I shouldn't take any but I couldn't help it. Then I thought only one wouldn't hurt so I ate it quick. But before I could run out of the room the Wicked Witch of the Mountains blocked my path she said I would have the curse of speed till I could find an animal to trade for part of their slowness”. It all made sense now thought Daisy. Ruthie needed her packet of sugar or a part of her that is slow. But before Daisy could think about it more they got to the white top of the mountains. Daisy was speechless.

 It was incredible, the rolling green hills and the amazing flowers and a new cold substance which Ruthie called snow. Except Daisy could not smell a thing. And that was because Daisy had a still nose. And then it hit her. She could trade her still nose for Ruthie’s fastness and then she could smell and keep her packet of sugar. So she told Ruthie. Ruthie thanked her many times and said all Daisy had to do was say what she had said to Ruthie to a particular black rock with the initials of the Wicked Witch of the Mountains.

Daisy did that, and the next thing she knew Daisy could smell everything from the flowers to the cold snow. Ruthie for once was still, but she had dark circles under her eyes and they both were exhausted. So they slept and when they woke up Ruthie was slow again and Daisy could smell everything.

That is how the Rabbit got its twitchy nose.

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