Sally Squirrel

Sally Squirrel was fast, furry and funny. She could also be stubborn, impatient and deeply annoying.

She lived in a garden full of oaks, some hawthorns, hollies and even maple trees.

If she had been a human child, her teachers would have told her parents she was obviously hyperactive. Luckily for her, she was just a little animal and she'd never been inside a horrible school building.

'Slow down, Sally,' her mum said.

'Chew carefully,' her dad added.

'You're just a greedy, goofy, little know-it-all' her twin brothers Sam and Shawn said in unison.

Sally didn't care. She only wanted to run, hop, climb up and down trees and watch humans from the top of her favourite oak, where she also hid when there was work to do.

'Why is Sally never around when we have to collect acorns?'

'You know your sister. She can't stay still.'

One winter a scary, slippery snowstorm came. Sally and her parents hid under the cabin at the bottom of the garden.

'Sally, one day we'll be gone and you'll have to find your own acorns,' her parents told her.

She felt sad, she didn't like it when her parents were angry with her. But spring came and with it lots of colours, tall grass, sunshine and warmth. Sally forgot everything  about the winter and scampered happily round the garden with the other little squirrels. She didn't even remember her friend the oak till she almost bumped into him while playing cops and robbers.

All of a sudden she felt ashamed. They had shared so many good times together...

When the oak saw her, he felt hurt. True, he didn't speak Squirrel and she didn't speak Oak, but she could have somehow told him that she was sorry. Sorry, because she had sat on his branch to hide, but never said a kind word to him.

'It was probably a misunderstanding,' he thought. He also wondered how wonderful it must be to be as free as she was. He wished he had no roots. But wishing to be what you are not is a waste of time.

Suddenly, silly scatterbrain Sally hugged him. Looked up at him and ran away to join her friends. Funny! She wished she could be a tree...