Patient and the Strawberry Patch

Patient woke up on a ridiculously hot summer afternoon. She climbed out of her hole and blinked into the sun. She had slept in again, which was usual in the summer but she would have to get up very early when school started back up again. She did the regular morning routine of polishing her shell and cleaning her feet off from yesterday.

Patient liked to go on morning walks to wake her up and to feel the cool breeze. Today she would have to go a particularly long way to get to strawberry patch that her friend, Lucy the ladybug, said had the most delicious fruit in the valley.

Patient walked halfway when a flash flood came through the grass making a river that only got larger and larger. “How will I get to the strawberries now?” thought Patient as she stared hopelessly into the puddle of water that used to be the trail. “Maybe it's not as deep as it seems,” said Patient and at that she started to wade into the water. It wasn't that deep at first but the ground beneath her sloped like stairs that seemed to only got down. So Patient swam back to the shore to get her breath back. “I guess I'll just have to go turn around and go home,” said Patient.

She started to turn around when suddenly Patient heard a voice behind her. “Why do you want to go back Patient? I went to the strawberry patch yesterday, they're not bad at all. Let me help you cross the river.” Patient turned around to see no one. “Where are you?” said Patient. “I'm down here!” Patient looked down to see a little ant not bigger than a sunflower seed. “My name is Arty the ant, I know I'm small, but I am very strong. I crossed the river yesterday all by myself. Let me show you how!”

Arty walked over to the dandelions by the bank of the river. “Help me pick this dandelion Patient.” said Arty. So Patient walked over to the dandelion and helped Arty push it over. Arty then pushed and pulled the dandelion so that it touched both ends of the river, like a bridge. He grabbed some grass and fastened it to the ground on one side and then scuttled over and did the same to the other side so that it wouldn't float away. “Thank you so much Arty!” said Patient. “Anytime Patient I'll always be by the river if you need me again later.” “Okay, Thanks for your help!”

Patient crossed the bridge, waved to Arty and hurried down the path. She had walked for an hour or so when she came across a very big peach right in the middle of the path. She couldn't go around it and it was too tall to go over it. Patient started to lose hope when she realized she couldn't do anything about it. So she sat there for a very long time being very patient waiting to see if anything would happen. But nothing did, so she decided to turn back and as she did hit her head on the peach.

“Ow” said Patient as she began to get a headache. Out of nowhere someone said “Who just knocked on my door?” Patient turned around and there stood a worm right inside the peach. “ How long have you been there?” asked the worm. “Over an hour. I am trying to get to the strawberry patch.” said Patient. “Well that's easy!” said the worm. “You can just go through the tunnels of my house. “ Thank you so much!” said Patient. Within five minutes she was back on the trail.

She walked and walked and walked! The path seemed to go on forever when suddenly she could smell the delicious smell of the strawberries. They were just over the hill! She hiked up the hill only to find that there was a gigantic gaping cliff between her and the strawberries. This time she was sure she couldn't get across. She waited for what seemed like forever. When nothing happened she sat down on a rock and started to cry. “I was so close! If only the gap wasn't so big!” she said.

Patient was startled when she heard a loud kerthump, kerthump, kerthump and turned around to face a ginormous robin. Her mind went blank. She didn't know what to do! The robin kept getting closer and closer. When he was finally one inch away he turned his head to her and said... “How would you like a lift across the gorge?” Patient was startled. “ I. . .I would l. . .love to have a ride.” “Well then come on! Don't worry I've been doing this for years!” Patient hopped onto the robin and within a few seconds she was by the strawberry patch. Lucy, her friend came to greet her and they strolled off into the strawberry patch where they spent the rest of the day eating strawberries until they were stuffed.

The End

story by Claire Jenkins