Tales

Who are you ?

Once upon a time, in a faraway land, three young people were wandering in a forest, under the watchful eye of their nanny, Mrs. Owl. Prosper the raccoon and Viky the fox were playing tag, circling around their friend, Milo the badger, who was grumbling at them:

- Go play somewhere other than my paws, or I’ll bite you!

- Come on, Milo, be nice to your little friends! Intervened Mrs Owl.

Suddenly the little badger stopped dead in his tracks: There was something in the trees.

- I’ll see, I’ll see! Says Prosper as he begins to climb.

But Mrs Owl stopped him :

– No, Prosper, it could be dangerous! Go hide behind a tree trunk, I'll see what it is!

And she flew off into the branches. The three friends looked at each other for a moment and then started to run after her. Mrs. Owl was agile and flew between the branches. She easily caught up with the little creature, who had run away when she saw herself discovered.

– Don’t be afraid, my little one! We won’t hurt you!

The three young people who were running stopped at the foot of the trunk from where they heard their nanny's voice.

- Do you see anything? Milo asked.

- No, there are too many leaves in the trees, Viky replied.

– I’m going up! Says Prosper.

He climbed up to the first branch and looked a little higher. From here he could see Mrs. Owl, and about a meter away from her, a curious animal. He went back down at once to tell his friends what he had seen:

– It looks like me, but it’s red, like you Viky!

- A fox ?

- No, it really looks like a raccoon, but red! And it knows how to climb trees!

At the same time, Mrs. Owl landed next to them, the strange animal coming down to meet them, head first! Amazing!

– This is Eloïse. She is a bit shy, so be nice to her!

Viky approached her to smell her.

“It’s true that you look like Prosper! But you’re not gray, like him! And you don’t have the same smell,” she said to him. “Are you some kind of raccoon?”

Eloise shook her head to say no.

- She doesn’t speak well yet, kids.

Prosper, qui était le plus curieux de la bande, s’était lui aussi approché, pour regarder Eloïse de plus près.

"Maybe it's a fox, then," he said.

“Oh no, I’m sure,” Viky said. “Did you see how she came down the tree? I can’t even climb up!”

Eloise emitted a small cry.

- Are you hungry? asked Mrs Owl.

The little creature nodded.

– Yes, we’re hungry too! The three young people exclaimed at the same time.

- And what do you eat, little one?

– Ban-ou, she tried to articulate.

– Ban-ou? Viky asked. What is that, Madame Owl?

- Bam-oo! Said Eloïse, a little stronger this time.

– I think she means bamboo! The nanny intervened.

Bamboo? The three young people opened wide eyes.

“What animal can eat bamboo?” asked Milo, who hadn’t yet opened his mouth.

– I know, I know! Viky says. A panda!

– But a panda is black and white, isn’t it? Prosper asked.

– Let’s go see Mr. Paulie, children. If anyone can tell us if Eloise is a panda, it’s him. Come on, Eloise, Mr. Paulie is a panda. We’ll probably find him in a bamboo grove. You can eat!

Eloïse jumped with joy and the whole little troupe set out for the bamboo grove. Mr. Paulie was actually there chewing a long rod.

- Sorry to disturb you during your meal, Mr. Paulie… We have a short question to ask you, Viky began.

The panda looked at them, continuing to chew his bamboo. Prosper moved forward a little, and pointing at Eloise asked:

– Mr. Paulie, is Eloise a panda, like you?

Little Eloise had begun to eat bamboo leaves voraciously. Mr. Paulie looked at her and said:

– Yes, it is indeed a panda.

– But still, she's not black and white, like you, Viky intervened.

– No, because it’s a red panda!

“A red panda?” the three young people exclaimed in chorus.

- There are red pandas? asked Viky.

– Yes, you can see that! Now let me eat my meal in peace!

And Mr. Paulie turned to catch another bamboo rod.

Suddenly, Eloïse ran into the grove.

– Eloïse, comes back! Cried Mrs Owl.

They all followed her and came face to face with a larger animal, which looked exactly like little Eloise. It was her mother! She had gone into the thicket to feed and had left Eloise hidden in a tree. But Eloise had wanted to follow her mother and had come out of hiding. That's when she heard the small group and got scared. But now Eloise had found her mother again and was hopping around her.

- Come on, kids, let’s go home! Said Mrs Owl.

- Will you come for a walk with us again, Eloïse? asked Viky.

The little panda looked at his mother, who licked his forehead in agreement. She then nodded, delighted to have made new friends.

The end.

A-G Pério