Copyright statement: This is an original work by the author. Any resemblance to any person, living or dead, is unintentional and coincidental. The writer retains all rights to this work, and the copyright may not be infringed.
Camping Adventure - A kids' story
The sun was shining and the leaves rustled in the gentle afternoon breeze. The laughter of children could be heard all around the little clearing. Little paws were busy putting up tents and in the middle of the camp was a grown-up owl giving orders.
Presently, a little Scottish blue hare came up to the owl and asked, “Please, Miss Ella, I’ve finished with my tent. What should I do next?”
Miss Ella smiled at him. “Good, Einstein. Why don’t you go and help Pin Pin over there?”
“Tha,” said Einstein Mickels, the hare. Miss Ella frowned at the strange word. “Oh, I mean ‘yes’, Miss Ella,” Einstein told her. “‘Tha’ means ‘yes’ in Scotland.”
“Oh.” She smiled again. “Better go and help Pin Pin.”
“Hey Pin Pin, need any help?” Einstein asked.
Pin Pin, the cute little Siamese kitten, looked up and smiled. “Thank god. This tent is so difficult to put up and Poodles is no help at all,” she said, almost growling. They both turned to look at Pin Pin’s ‘roommate’ who was sitting under a nearby mangrove tree but out of Miss Ella’s sight. The pretty little poodle glared back at them. “See what I mean?”
“Ignore the Sasannach,” Einstein told her as he bent down to help Pin Pin hammer in the pikes for the tent.
“Sasannach?” Pin Pin giggled. “That’s a funny word. Ssssassssannach…sounds like a snake.”
Einstein put his paws over his mouth to cover his laugh, his whiskers twitching. “Oops. That’s what my grandpa calls the English like Poodles Upton.”
“But she’s not English. She’s Singaporean.”
“But her parrrents or grandparrrents are from England, right?”
Pin Pin nodded. “I think so. She did boast of going to visit her uncle in London.”
“So, she’s Sss…English,” Einstein stated. “Doona let her make you mad.”
“I won’t.”
Before long, all the tents were up and a camp fire was lit. Miss Ella got up and spoke, “Good, children. Your tents are up. Now tomorrow, we will explore Pulau Ubin. I want you to keep close to your partners so that you won’t get lost.”
“Miss Ella, can we change partners? Pin Pin knows nothing about camping. She will only slow me down.” whined Poodles.
Pin Pin’s face grew red and she said to Poodles angrily, “As if you are much better. You can’t even put up a tent.”
“Says who? Just because I don’t want to work with you…”
“Stop it, girls!” scolded Ms. Ella. “And no, Poodles. You can’t change partners. You both have to learn to work with each other.”
Grumbling, both girls stopped complaining and ate their dinner.
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The next day, Pin Pin woke up to the sound of Miss Ella calling everyone to breakfast, “Come out children. It’s a bright and beautiful morning. Breakfast is ready.”
Pin Pin greeted Einstien and Maleek, a sloth bear cub who was also her best friend. “Good morning. What are you having, Einstein?”
“Lettuce. They are crrrunchy and juicy.”
“Eww. Maleek, what about you?”
“I’ve got some bananas and rambutans. Or if you like, my mom packed me some termites. They are tasty.”
Pin Pin made a face and shook her head. “No thanks. I’ll stick to this tuna sandwich.”
“Where’s Poodle?” Einstein asked her.
“Don’t know and don’t care,” Pin Pin said.
“Now, Pin Pin. You know what Miss Ella said,” scolded Maleek.
Pin Pin stuck out her tongue at Maleek.
“Children! Come on. Find your partners and hold paws. Stay together. We have to get going. Now follow me.”
Pin Pin and Poodle glared at each other. “I’m not holding your paw,” Poodle said. “I don’t want to dirty my clothes.”
“Fine,” answered Pin Pin with a ‘I-don’t-care’ look.
Miss Ella continued to talk to the children, pointing out the granite quarry as they passed. “People used to blow up the rocks around here to get the granite.”
“What’s granite, Miss Ella?” asked Lucy Quacker, a little duckling.
“Granite is a type of rock people use to build houses, Lucy. It is strong and will make the houses last long.”
“Like the castles we have in Scotland, right Miss Ella?” asked Einstein.
“Yes, Einstein, some castles in Scotland are built using granite. They last hundreds of years,” answered Miss Ella.
“Are you that old, Miss Ella?” Lucy asked.
“Of course not! No one is that old,” said Pin Pin.
Mis Ella laughed. “Now, where was I?” she asked.
“Blowing up the rocks, Miss Ella,” Maleek said, excited. “Do they still blow up the rocks? Can we see them blowing up the rocks?”
“No, Maleek. They don’t do it anymore. Now, there is only a lake. See,” Miss Ella said, pointing to the granite quarry lake.
“Ooh, the water is sooo blue,” said Poodles, her eyes wide. “Can we swim in it?”
“No, Poodles, you can’t. People have drowned in there. Now come along.”
The children and Miss Ella had fun going to the prawn farm. Besides the prawns, they saw mudskippers which were a type of fish that spend most of their time out of the water and can move faster on land than water.
“Look! Those two mudskippers are fighting!” The boys crowded around excitedly. “Wow, they have sharp teeth,” said Maleek.
“Yes, Maleek. They have sharp teeth because they eat worms,” said Miss Ella.
“Ewww,” said the girls.
“Now girls. Some of the bigger mudskippers also eat crabs and smaller mudskippers.”
“Isn’t that murder, Miss Ella?” asked Poodles.
“No, Poodles. That’s their diet. Just like you eat meat and bones. Or Einstein who eat vegetables,” explains Miss Ella. “Now, let’s go to the village.”
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The sun was nearly over their heads and it was getting hot. So they stopped for ice-cream at the little village. Then Miss Ella brought them to see rubber trees.
“Now children. This is a rubber tree. Who knows what a rubber tree is used for?”
“I know, I know! Me, me, Miss Ella.”
Poodles glared at the excited Pin Pin. “Will you stop making so much noise?” she whispered. Pin Pin just glared back.
“Yes, Pin Pin?” said Miss Ella.
“They cut the bark of the rubber tree to get the sap which is then used to make things like tyres, erasers, rubber gloves like the ones my mom use to wash the plates.”
“Good girl. That’s right. Now, this is a rubber seed. If you rub it against a rock, it will grow very hot. But don’t try it. It’s painful if you touch it.”
“Ouch! That hurts.” Einstein looked around but couldn’t see what bit him on the tail. A soft giggle could be heard behind him.
“What’s wrong, Einstein?” asked Miss Ella.
“Something bit me,” Einstein said.
Miss Ella looked but there wasn’t any bite mark. She then shooed the children back to camp. “It’s time for lunch. Come on children.”
At the back of the group, Poodles tripped over a root of a tree and fell. “Ooh, my leg.”
“What’s wrong?” Pin Pin asked, bending to see the injury.
“Don’t touch it! It hurts!” cried Poodles in tears. “I want to go home!”
“Oh pleaseeee. Stop crying, you’re such a cry-baby,” said Pin Pin
“Am not!”
“Are too.”
“Am…where are the others?” Poodles looked panicked. “Oh no! They left us!” She began to cry harder.
“Stop crying! Please!” begged Pin Pin.
“But how are we going to get back?” Poodles sniffed into her handkerchief.
“Well, I know how. It’s easy. The camp is in the north. Sun rises from the east and sets in the west, you know,” said Pin Pin knowingly.
“But where’s north?” asked a puzzled Poodles.
“Er…it’s that way.” Pin Pin pointed to the path that goes into the dark trees.
Poodles frowned. “Are you sure?”
“Of course. See the shadows? They are pointing to the west since it’s still morning, I think. If we face north, east will be on our left and west will be on our right…or is it the other way?”
“Which is it?” asked Poodles, not really caring. Her leg was hurting.
Pin Pin tried to remember. “Okay I think I’m right. East on our left, West on our right and North straight ahead.”
“How do you know that?”
“I read it in a book. Now come on.” Pin Pin helped Poodles stand and slowly they walked down the path.
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Back at the campsite, Einstein couldn’t find either Pin Pin or Poodles. “Maleek, have you seen Pin Pin?”
“No, not since we were at the rubber trees. Why?”
“I can’t find her. I’ve checked everrrywhere, even in her tent.”
“Oh no! We have to tell Miss Ella,” Maleek said.
“Let’s go.”
“Miss Ella! Miss Ella!”
“Boys, don’t run,” scolded Miss Ella. “Now what is the matter?”
“Pin Pin…huh huh…is…huh huh…missing,” huffed Einstein, out of breath.
Miss Ella looked alarmed. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, Miss Ella,” said Maleek.
“Poodles is missing too,” said George Gan, a little gosling and a friend of Poodles.
“Oh dear,” said Miss Ella as she flapped her wings, worried.
“Ouch! Something bit me again,” said Einstein. He rubbed his tail while someone nearby giggled.
“There’s nothing there, Einstein,” said Maleek.
“Something bit me, I’m sure,” said Einstein.
“Einstein’s a liar. Einstein’s a liar,” said George, sticking his tongue out.
“Not now boys. We have to find Pin Pin and Poodles,” scolded Miss Ella.
“Yes, Miss Ella.”
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Back in the dark woodland, Poodles was getting tired. “How far is the camp? I’m tired,” she complains.
“Is your leg in pain?” asked Pin Pin.
Poodles nodded.
“Okay, let’s sit down and rest. I wish I have some water,” said Pin Pin.
“Er…you can have mine,” offered Poodles. She passed Pin Pin her water bottle.
Pin Pin’s eyes widened. “Are you sure?”
When Poodles nodded, she said, “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome,” said Poodles. Then her stomach growled.
“Would you like to share this tuna sandwich?” offered Pin Pin.
Poodles smiled. “Yes, thank you. Do you think we’ll get back before dinner?”
“Sure we will. Just think, we have an adventure which the others don’t,” said Pin Pin. “We’ll be famous! Everyone will ask us for our story.”
“Wow, you’re right!”
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“When did you last see them?” asked Miss Ella.
“At the rubber trees, Miss Ella,” said Maleek.
“Okay, we will go there. Come along children. Stay together. We don’t want anyone else to be missing.”
At the rubber trees, they all look around but there was no Pin Pin nor Poodles. “Oh dear,” said Miss Ella. “Where could they be?”
“Doona worrry Miss Ella. My grandpa taught me to follow a trail,” said Einstein. “Ground is quite soft so they have left some footprints we can follow.”
“Good idea, Einstein. Can you find their footprints?”
Einstein searched. “I found them, Miss Ella! They lead into the woods.”
“Oh no. What are the kids up to, going South instead of North? Okay now children, let’s follow Einstein.”
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“Let’s get going, Poodles. Here, let me help you up,” said Pin Pin.
“Thanks. That was a good lunch. Which way should we go?”
Pin Pin stopped. She couldn’t see the sun anymore through the trees. “Oh no, there’s no sun.”
“Do you mean that we’re lost?” asked Poodles. She was afraid. “I don’t want to be lost. I want to go home!” She started crying.
Pin Pin shook her head. “Stop crying.”
Poodles cried louder. “I want to go home.”
“Well, so do I. But do you see me crying?” asked Pin Pin.
“I don’t care! I want to go home!”
“Well, we can’t go home if you keep on crying. So stop crying,” Pin Pin scolded.
Poodles sniffed. “I shouldn’t have followed you.”
“It’s too late now,” said Pin Pin.
“Nothing is ever too late,” said Miss Ella. She and the other children appeared round the corner.
“Miss Ella!” Pin Pin ran and hugged the owl. “I’m so glad to see you!”
Miss Ella hugged her back. “Are you both all right?”
“My leg got hurt,” said Poodles.
“Let me see. It’s a small cut, Poodles. I’ll put a plaster on it with we get back to camp. Maleek, George, can you both help Poodles?” asked Miss Ella.
“Sure, Miss Ella,” said George and Maleek.
“How did you find us, Miss Ella?” asked Pin Pin.
“You can thank Einstein. He found your footprints and followed them, Pin Pin. Tell me why you were going South,” said Miss Ella.
“South? Not North? Oh oh. I remember wrongly,” said Pin Pin.
“Wrongly?” asked Miss Ella.
“In the book, it says if you face North, you will have East to your…er…” Pin Pin stopped.
“You will have the East to your right and the West to your left,” said Miss Ella gently.
“Right,” said Pin Pin with a smile.
They finally returned to camp and had their dinner. Miss Ella praised them for helping each other as good partners. She then told them that they should have waited at the rubber trees so that they wouldn’t get lost like they did.
“All right, children. I’m glad that everyone is safe and sound. Now go to sleep. Tomorrow, we will all go home,” Miss Ella said.
The children cheered. They were happy that they were going home. Pin Pin and Poodles thanked Einstein for finding them. Einstein’s face grew red. “It’s okay,” he told them.
Just before they all went in to sleep, they heard a shout, “Ouch! Something bit me!”
Giggles could be heard. “Not again!” someone said.
“Shut up, Einstein!” shouted Maleek from the next tent before all became silent.
