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- Herausgeber: Little Tiger Press
- Kategorie: Für Kinder und Jugendliche
- Sprache: Englisch
- Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2016
As the stars twinkle on a snowy night, a brave barn owl teaches a little hare not to be afraid of the dark, an adventurous kitten discovers a magical new home and a lonely foal finds a friend to share Christmas with. A heart-warming collection of animal stories, perfect for bedtime reading. Cuddle up and share this delightful anthology with your little ones.
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Seitenzahl: 95
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CONTENTS
I DON’T LIKE THE DARK
Anna Wilson
The sun was setting in the clear blue sky. It was going to be a cold and frosty night. Deep in the forest, all sorts of animals were waking up, stretching and yawning – then chattering excitedly as they remembered what a special night it was. It was Christmas Gathering Night! Everyone would soon be busy collecting food and finding beautiful pine cones, brown leaves, twigs and berries with which they would decorate their homes.
In her neat little house in the hollow of a tree, Ma Hare was getting as excited as everyone else. She was so excited that she had not noticed her son, Small, looking rather upset.
“Come on, Small, dear,” Ma said, reaching for Small’s paw. “Time to go Christmas Gathering.”
“No,” said Small. He bounded out of Ma’s reach.
Ma Hare frowned and jumped over to him. She pulled his ear gently. “You can’t stay here on your own,” she said.
“I am not coming outside. It’s too cold. And dark.” Small shivered.
“Nonsense,” said Ma. “You’re a big boy now. All hares need to learn to forage at night. It’s time you did, too.”
“No,” said Small.
Ma sighed. “All right. I’ll have to find someone to look after you, though.”
Small pulled a face. “I am not a baby.”
Ma put her head on one side. “No, of course you’re not. But I’m sure your good friend Owl would like to come and see you. How about that?”
Small smiled. “All right,” he said.
Ma Hare kissed him on the nose.
“Good little Small,” she said. “I’ll send Owl right over. And I’ll be back before you know it – with all kinds of yummy surprises.” Then she lolloped to the opening of their cosy little home and, with a flick of her tail, she was gone.
Small hopped up to the doorway. “Don’t be long!” he called into the black night air.
The only answer was his own voice echoing back at him: Long-ong-ong!
Small Hare sat up and blinked.
“I don’t like the dark,” he said to himself.
The dark stared back at him.
“I don’t think it likes me much, either,” Small added.
He went back inside to hunker down in his snuggly bed and try to think warm, snuffly thoughts. But all he could think, over and over, was, “I don’t like the dark.”
“WHOOOOO!” A spooky noise made him jump.
“Eeek!” said Small, and he rolled himself into the smallest Small-Hare-ball that he could manage. He pulled his ears down and flattened them with his paws and tried to go to sleep.
“Whooooo!” came the noise again.
A cold breeze rushed into the tree hollow accompanied by a fluttering sound. A shadowy shape appeared in the doorway.
Small leaped up and held his forepaws in front of him, ready to box.
“No need for that,” said a low, quiet voice. “It’s only me – Owl.”
“H-h-h-ow do I know it’s you?” Small said. “All I can see is a s-s-scary shape in the d-d-dark night. I don’t like it!”
The tawny owl gave an impatient, “Tu-whit tu-whoo!”
“Oh,” said Small, peering out. “It is you.” No one else in the wood said “tu-whit tu-whoo” except Owl.
“Of course it’s me. There is no reason for you to be afraid of the dark,” Owl went on. “In fact, if you come outside with me, you’ll see that it’s not as dark as you think.”
Small twitched his nose. “I don’t want to,” he said.
“Come on,” said Owl. “Trust me.” He spread wide his wings and ushered the shivering, shaking Small into the night.
Once out of the safety of the hollow, Small made himself look around. There were long, black shadows everywhere and spooky shapes between the trees.
“It is as dark as I thought,” he said. “And it’s scary.”
Owl hugged Small tightly under his soft wing. “There’s nothing to be afraid of,” he said. “In fact, there are lots of animals who prefer the night to the day. Would you like to meet some of them?”
“I don’t know.” Small wasn’t sure he believed Owl. It was far too quiet for anyone else to be up and about. But then, everyone in the wood thought that Owl was the cleverest creature of all, so maybe he should trust him…
“Urgh!” Small jumped as something flickered past him, brushing against his face. “What was that?” Small saw that there was a pinprick of light flying around in front of him.
“It’s only me – Firefly,” said a tiny voice.
Small realized the voice was coming from the same place as the light. “You look like a teeny dancing sun,” he breathed.
“She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” said Owl. “You wouldn’t be able to see Firefly in the day. Besides, she sleeps in the daytime.”
“Sleeps?” Small sniggered. “In the daytime? What a lazybones.”
“Not at all!” squeaked Firefly. “I work very hard all night, just like your ma, while you are being a lazybones,” she teased. “I get to see all the beautiful things you miss while you are snoozing. Look at those stars!” she said, pointing her light upwards.
Small craned his neck. The sky, which had earlier looked as dark as a blackberry, was now studded with millions upon millions of glittering stars. Suddenly one of them zoomed across the blackness.
“A shooting star!” said Firefly.
“Wow! Where did all those stars come from?” It made Small’s head spin. He stretched his neck to see even more stars … and tumbled backwards into a somersault.
Firefly let out a tinkling laugh. “They’ve always been there. It’s just that you couldn’t see them before – it takes your eyes a while to get used to the dark,” she said.
“But the stars mean it’s not really dark at all!” Small said, bouncing back up on to his hind legs.
Firefly flew and twinkled around his head. “That’s right.”
“So, nothing to be afraid of, then?” said Owl.
Small looked ahead where the trees grew thick and close together. “It’s still dark down here, though,” he said in a low voice. “I don’t like it. How do I know what’s out there?”
As if in answer, there was a sudden scurrying and hurrying from beyond a tree trunk.
Small squealed and hid behind Owl as lots of dark shapes came rushing towards him.
“Don’t be afraid, these are my friends,” said Owl. “They’ve all been Christmas Gathering, like your ma.”
Small took shelter under Owl’s wing and Firefly came and sat on Small’s shoulder. She cast her light over the ground in front of them and it revealed a badger, a mouse, a mole and a bat.
The creatures began chattering all at once.
“We’ve been foraging!”
“Would you like some of these berries?”
“Have you seen the shooting stars tonight? So magical!”
“Let’s roast these chestnuts!”
Small couldn’t believe his eyes. So many animals, all awake in the middle of the night.
“What have you found, little one?” asked Badger.
Small couldn’t speak. He looked at Owl, who chuckled and then spoke for him.
“Small here has never been out in the dark before,” he said. “And he’s a little bit worried.”
Badger smiled. “No need for that,” he said. “Come with us and we’ll show you that the dark can be your friend.”
Badger held out his paw.
“Go on,” said Owl, when Small hesitated. “Go with Badger. I’ll be right above you.”
Small took a deep breath and let Badger lead him away from the light into the trees.
“Lift your nose to the fresh night air,” Badger told him.
Small did as he was told and immediately he caught a waft of the most delicious aromas. “Mmm! Buds and berries and bark!” he said. “Where are they?” He looked around wildly.
“Listen to your nose,” said Badger.
Small giggled. “How can I do that?”
So Badger showed him, while the other animals followed behind, whispering and gossiping while they sniffed and foraged, too. Small found that the deeper they went into the forest, the easier it was to concentrate on the wonderful smells. Soon he had snuffled out some delicious treats of his own: berries and hazelnuts, seeds and sweet plant roots.
The animals came together in a clearing where the moonlight shone and sparkled on the stones and grass and twigs below. They heaped their treasures into a pile and sat back with a satisfied smile. There was a mound of yummy food before them and lots of pretty pebbles, pine cones and stones to use for decorations, too.
“Time for a feast,” said Mouse.
“We need a fire!” said Mole.
“I’ll gather some firewood,” said Bat.
“I’ll help,” said Owl.
Badger and Small collected some stones and made a little fireplace, then the other animals helped stack firewood on top. Badger showed Small how to rub two sticks together to make a spark of fire and soon there was a warm glow coming from the firewood. The animals waited until the flames had died down and then Mouse and Mole scurried to and fro, putting nuts in among the embers and roasting berries on long twigs. Before long there was a meal for everyone to enjoy.
Warmed by the fire and the tasty food, Small felt his eyes grow heavy. His head lolled forwards and he began to tip over sideways. He woke with a start, his ears flicking back and his paws jerking up.
The other animals giggled.
“Someone’s ready for bed,” said Badger.
“Come on, little one,” said Owl. “Hop on to my back. It’s no wonder you’re tired after so much excitement. I should think Ma will be home by now, so I will take you back.”
The tiny hare smiled sleepily. He snuggled into the beautifully soft feathers as Owl took off and swooped low over the other animals. “Goodnight, Small! Goodnight, Owl!” they called.
“Goodnight!” Small shouted. “And thank you!”
Owl and Small returned to find Ma was indeed already back from her Christmas Gathering expedition. She ran to the doorway as soon as she heard Owl hooting hello, and opened her arms to give Small a hug.
“I hope Owl has looked after you,” she said. “Has the dark been very frightening?”
“Frightening? The dark?” said Small, puffing out his chest. “Whatever is there to be frightened of? The dark is fun!”
Ma laughed. “Is that so?”
Owl nodded. “Small has grown up a lot tonight. I think he’s big enough to come out foraging with you now. See you soooon!” he hooted as he flew off.
Small stood up on his hind legs to wave goodbye. “Owl’s right. I am big enough,” he said to Ma. “Look.” He boxed the air with his forepaws. Then he lost his balance and fell over.
“Funny little Small.” Ma Hare smiled. “Come on, let’s go inside. I want you to snuggle down and be good. You’ve been up all night, and it will soon be morning. It’s time for us to rest.”
“All right, Ma,” said Small. He scampered after her into the warmth of their nest in the tree hollow. He yawned and stretched
