Friday, July 12, 2013

An Original Pourquoi Tale by Active Girl



A pourquoi tale is a story "that explains something in nature and how that came to be!" Below is one that I wrote. Hope you like it!

Why Cacti Have Needles 
          Centuries ago, at the beginning of all creation, the desert was a big and crowded place. Birds flew through the treetops while chirping songs happily, and rivers danced through the land. All were happy except for the cactus.
         “I am feeling so depressed,” Cactus told Mouse one day. “But why, Cactus? You have such beautiful smooth skin!” Mouse squeaked.
         “I know,” Cactus said, “but so many animals love my skin so much, that they sit on me! That is very uncomfortable!”
         “I never thought about it like that,” Mouse said apologetically. “I will ask the other animals to stop sitting on you.”
        The next day, Mouse told all the animals that Cactus did not like getting sat on. The animals tried not to, but Cactus’ smooth skin was very soothing, and they still rested on him. Soon, Cactus was very annoyed.
         “It is time for desperate measures!” he exclaimed determinedly.
          The next day, Cactus went to The Sewing Club. “The Sewing Club” was a group of bears that loved to sew.
When he got there, Cactus said, “Black Bear, Polar Bear, and Brown Bear, you are always losing your sewing needles, because you have nowhere to put them. I will find something for you to stick them in, so other animals don’t step on them and get hurt. Then, I will be a hero, and heroes are to be looked upon, not sat upon!”
        “Okay,” the bears said together.
         Now, I must tell you that Black Bear, Polar Bear, and Brown Bear are not the brightest bears in the cave. So, when Cactus made his speech, they completely misunderstood him, and thought he wanted to be their pincushion! Later that night, when Cactus was asleep, the trio of bears walked over, and began to stick needles in him.
         “Hey, my needle is stuck!” exclaimed Black Bear.
         “Mine too!” yelled Polar Bear.
          Brown Bear said, “Ditto!”
         The next morning when Cactus woke up, he was very surprised.
         “Ahhhhh! What has happened to my beautiful smooth skin! Now, all my friends will be afraid of me!” He sulked.
         Sure enough, Cactus was right. When everybody in the desert saw him, they were terrified. The rivers packed their bags and left as quickly as they could, and the trees uprooted themselves and went as far away as possible. A stampede of animals created a storm of dust until the desert was nothing but an oversized sandbox.
         “Wahhhh!” Cactus sobbed. “Now, I’m all alone.
         Cactus was very sad, until he realized something.
         “Hey, wait a minute.” he said, “No one is sitting on me!”
         Cactus was so overjoyed by this fact that he forgot all about the sharp needles piercing his skin. Soon, he began to stand taller and straighter.
         To this day, whenever you visit the desert, you will see Cactus standing proudly, with needles all over his once smooth, shiny skin.


The End

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