Story: Stormy Day In The Watercolor Woods
“Mia, Mia! Wake up!” Pip, the deer mouse, calls as she pokes her head out of her hollow to the higher branches of the cypress tree.
“What is it, Pip?” Mia, the blue jay, asks while stretching her wings. She flies down to Pip.
“Smell the air, Mia,” Pip asks curiously, with her nose in the air.
Breathing in, Mia sniffs the air, “Hmmm.” She gazes over the Watercolor Woods, “Look over there, Pip. On the horizon, dark and gloomy clouds are moving this way.”
A green heron hears Mia’s warning.
“A storm is coming!” Pip realizes out loud. Her heart sinks, “We need to prepare the community garden for the storm!”
“I will spread the word and get help,” Mia calls back to Pip as she flies off into the woods. “Then, I will meet you in the garden.”
Pip gathers as many members of the Watercolor Woods Community as she can on her way to meet Mia. “We must work quickly to prepare the garden and return home before the storm arrives.”
Mia flies over the woods and shouts, “A storm is coming! Meet in the garden!”
Henry, the groundhog, coordinates the volunteers in the garden by handing out assignments. “Corvid and Moon, the crows, scout for supplies we can use to prepare the garden for the storm.”
“Moonbeam, the skunk, and Jasper, the opossum, add extra mulch around every plant.”
“Rosemary, the rabbit, and Boone, the raccoon, cover areas that might wash away in the rains with rocks.”
“Josie and Walter, the twin turtles, harvest the ripe fruits and vegetables. Then, store them safe from the storm.”
“Oliver, the bullfrog, help Josie and Walter, please.”
The animals in the Watercolor Woods sprint into action, securing the garden the best they can.
“Pip, Mia!” Henry calls.
“Yes, Henry,” Pip answers.
Henry, the groundhog
“Everyone has finished, and the storm is getting close.” Henry shares.
Mia instructs him, “Tell everyone they should go home and prepare their homes for the storm. Stay safe. We can meet back here after it passes.
“Raindrops!” Pip yells up to Mia as they arrive back to their cypress tree.
“Come join me in the hollow,” Pip shouts to Mia.
“Okay. Thank you!” Mia says, flying over, and landing next to Pip.
“CRACK!” the sound of lightning in the sky as thunder begins to rumble.
Huddling together in Pip’s hollow, Mia shuffles anxiously, “I hope all our efforts in the garden are enough.”
The storm rages outside. In the next three hours, Pip and Mia listen to the heavy rain pouring, the thunder and lightning cracking, and the wind howling.
“It’s quiet outside, Mia. I think the storm passed,” Pip shares with Mia. “We should go check the garden.”
Mia hops out onto the hollow entrance. Peering out, she says, “The sun is out, and the storm clouds are gone. Let’s go!”
Jasper, the opossum
Approaching the garden, Pip sees Corvid and Moon flying above. “Hello, Corvid. Hello, Moon,” Pip calls to them, waving.
Mia asks them, “How did the garden fair?”
“Much of the garden weathered the storm well,” they report. “However, the carrots and tomatoes were uprooted and damaged.”
“We have a lot of work to do,” Pip thinks aloud, looking at Mia.
Mia nods and scans the damage, “Gather everyone, and let’s get started repairing it!”
An armadillo walks out from between the tomato plants, “Can I help? My name is Hazel.”
“Hi! I’m Pip. Yes, you can. We need all the help we can get.”
“I can help get the carrots back in the ground,” Hazel offers.
“I will help you, Hazel,” Moonbeam volunteers.
“I can work with Rosemary replanting the tomatoes,” Henry says.
“We can re-mulch the damaged areas,” Josie and Walter offer.
Pip looks around and sees, “Everyone is working hard. They will have the garden repaired quickly.”
Mia agrees, “I’ll fly over and see if we missed any damage.”
“The storm did a number on the carrots and tomatoes,” Oliver thinks out loud.
“It did!” Pip agrees. “Yet, look at how everyone in the community comes together to fix it.”
Dusk is approaching, the garden looks great, and all the woodland animals head home. As the days pass, the garden returns to its beautiful and lush self.
