I wrote a short story for a Children’s Day contest hosted by Inkhorn Publishing. Didn’t bag that contest, but I liked the idea of creating a fictional series for kids.
Read on for the first instalment…
Jigaroo was a smart rabbit. He was sharp as a tack. So smart that he decided to go on an adventure to explore the farthest corner of the woods. All his cousins and aunts & uncles advised against it.
“It isn’t safe for small animals like us!” they warned. But Jigaroo was confident that he could use his wits to his advantage.
He built a coat from leaves and covered his shiny white fur. Now he could move around freely as he was camouflaged under the bushes and trees. The forest provided enough cover. But eventually he reached the edge of the tree line, and came to shore of a big blue lake.
He knew how to swim of course, but his instincts told him that the predators of the lake wouldn’t be fooled by the leaves on his back. Walking around the lake would take him too long, he had to find some other way to get across. As Jigaroo sat down by the lakeside to consider his options, the Hawk flew down and sat beside him on the rock.
“Well, hello there little Rabbit,” said the Hawk. “Have you come to feed me?”
Jigaroo didn’t panic, he quickly came up with a plan.
“Hello there, Mr. Hawk. You have me confused with someone else I believe,” said Jigaroo. “I’m not a rabbit, I’m a Tiger.”
“A tiger!? So white, and small? And where are your stripes?” the Hawk squawked, he sounded amused.
“Oh, don’t you look at outward skin to decide who I am!” announced Jigaroo. “I’m small built for sure, and I haven’t earned my stripes yet. That doesn’t change the fact that I am a tiger inside.”
Jigaroo straightened his shoulders and sat up with pride. He tried to look like his most majestic self.
“I’ll prove it to you too,” he said to the Hawk. “You know that tigers hate water, right?”
The Hawk nodded, now a little unsure of what this little creature was.
“Well,” said Jigaroo, “Look what happens when I try to put my feet in the lake.”
Jigaroo dipped his small toe in the water, and quickly withdrew it. He gasped deep breaths and stumbled back from the waterline, he even made his entire body shiver for extra effect. The Hawk was impressed; he had never known that water could be so fearsome for anyone except a Tiger.
“There you see!” announced the little rabbit. He convinced the Hawk to treat him with respect, and then went on to explain that he had gotten separated from his bigger and stronger brothers at the other end of the lake. Jigaroo played his part well. He promised to remember the Hawk, and ignore his mistake of thinking him to be anything less than a tiger. “We are the strong creatures of the forest and we must look out for each other,” he said to the Hawk. “If you help me now, I’ll make sure all the tigers in the forest are your friends for life.” The Hawk conceded and took Jigaroo on its back to cross the lake. After all, it would be good sense to have a Tiger as an ally in the forest.
And so Jigaroo the Rabbit, managed to get a quick short flight to cross the lake, with the help of the mighty Hawk and his quick-thinking wit!
