Story: Mia’s Discovery
“Pip! Pip!” Mia, the blue jay, swoops down and lands in the meadow next to her closest friend. “Guess what I found?”
“A pretty meadow flower?” Pip, the deer mouse, giggles.
“No!” Mia laughs.
Pip thinks for a moment, “A new adventure?”
“Sort of, but no!” Mia continues to giggle. “You will never guess!”
“What is it?” Pip asks. “Tell me. Tell me, please.”
“I saw something by the old stump near Canvas Creek. You have to see it! I can’t tell you.” Mia smiles.
“Okay,” Pip’s whiskers twitch. “Let’s go!”
The two race through the Watercolor Woods, and they reach the old stump by the creek.
“What is it?” Pip asks, again.
“Look!” Mia whispers and points to a small creature sitting on the old stump.
“Oh!” Pip exclaims. “He’s tiny! No bigger than my paw. I love his velvet-like hair and big, pretty eyes.”
“Hi! My name is Fergus,” he leaps into the air and lands a little closer to Pip and Mia. “I am a jumping spider.”
“Wow! Hello, Fergus,” Mia watches as he jumps one more time. “I have not seen a spider jump like that before!”
“Me either,” Pip crunches down and peers at Fergus. “How do you jump so high?”
Fergus chuckles, “It’s all in the legs! I use my legs like springs, and I can leap many times my height.”
“That’s incredible!” Pip exclaims. “Can you show us again?”
“Sure,” says Fergus. He crouches low, then springs into the air. This time he flips over in the air before landing back on the old stump.
“Wow!” Pip and Mia shout in unison.
“What’s going on here?” A deep voice croaks from behind them.
“Hello, Oliver! Come over here and meet Fergus!” Mia encourages Oliver, the bullfrog.
Fergus waves his tiny leg, “Hello, Oliver. It’s nice to meet you. My name is Fergus. I am a jumping spider.”
Oliver giggles, “I jump too! Not as high, but I do think I jump farther.”
Fergus smiles, “Maybe we can have a jumping contest sometime?”
Before Oliver can answer, Pip hears a rustling noise behind them, “Hello, Moonbeam.”
Moonbeam, the skunk, waddles to them, “Hello.”
Mia shares with Moonbeam, “We have a new friend! This is Fergus, the jumping spider.”
Jasper, the opossum, hears the commotion near the old stump and scurries down a nearby tree, “A jumping spider? Let me see!”
Fergus waves, “Hello!”
Moonbeam tilts her head and asks, “What’s your story? Where are you from?”
“Well,”. Fergus sits down on the log, “I’m from a family of jumping spiders. We are known for our keen eyesight, and our jumping abilities. We like to explore and find new places.”
Jasper gasps, “You must be brave to explore by yourself.”
Fergus nods, “I love adventure, but it can be lonely sometimes. I’m glad to meet all of you.”
“We are glad to meet you too!” Pip says with a big smile. “Mia and I love adventures too. The Watercolor Woods is full of places to explore.”
Mia adds, “You should join us on one of our adventures sometime.”
Oliver wonders and asks, “You are so small, Fergus. How do you stay safe on your adventures?”
Fergus shrugs, “I’m quick, and I can hide easily. Plus, most animals don’t bother me. I’m too small to be of interest to them.”
“Very brave,” Oliver thinks aloud.
Mia smiles and nudges Fergus, “I’m glad we found you.”
“Me too,” Fergus smiles.
Pip adds, “Welcome to the Watercolor Woods Community!”
And with that, the friends sit together around the old stump, sharing stories about their adventures in the woods. They talk and laugh until the sun sets over the Watercolor Woods.
