Esmeralda and the Woodland Creatures

    Esmeralda and the Woodland Creatures

Once upon a time, there was someone who deserved more love than she received. Esmeralda was not a very pretty girl. She wasn’t the smartest girl in school and certainly not very popular. In fact, she was the one kid everyone picked on.  They were mean to her and bullied the young lass.

Many of the other students watched as she was pushed around and humiliated. They couldn’t believe that she would take all of that nonsense and not fight back.  One day in the cafeteria, Sue Weldon and her loser mean friends poured milk over Esmeralda’s head.  

The girl just took the abuse.

After school, when all of her chores were done, she would steal to the small clump of trees that sat at the back of the five acre property. It was there that she was transformed from Esmeralda the uncool, unpopular to Esmeralda the ultra cool and super popular.

The woodland creatures loved her. She was their forest queen.

The young girl would sit on the fallen tree stump and hold her hand out. The song birds would have to take turns landing on her finger.  

“Well, hello, Mr Summer Tanager, how are you today?”

“Esmeralda, I am super great now that you are here. You always put a chip in my chipper.”

She would pick up the squirrels and the squeals and squawks that other humans heard turned into words and phrases.

“What do you have to say for yourself Sammy?”

“I am super happy that you are here because you just drive me nutty with happiness.”

They both laughed at his witty comment.

Petunia the skunk would show up and everyone cleared the way. She would hop up and sit on Esmeralda’s lap and the young girl would stroke her.

“I love you, Esmeralda. Nobody likes me because I have horrible problem with odour.”

“That’s okay, you are sweet and kind and gentle. You mean no one any harm and if someone ever does anything to you then you have the right to defend yourself.”

Sonya, the doe came around with her fawn, Flawless.  

“Hello, mother and daughter.  How are you on this pleasant day?”

“We are super great and thank you for asking.  How are you?”

“I am the same.”

Hoot the owl would swoop down and rest next to her. He couldn’t sit on her hand because of his sharp claws. After all, he didn’t want to hurt the fabulous Esmeralda.

“Esmeralda, I am nocturnal and supposed to be sleeping right now, but when I hear your melodic voice, I just have to come and say hello.”

“And, I totally appreciate your visit.”

Even Gerald the Gartner snake would slither up and slowly rest in her outstretched hands belly up.

“I really like the way you hold me. It is so comforting.”

“You are very welcome, Mr. Gerald.”

“Oh, please you don’t have to call Mr. at all. Just call me Gerald.”

He seemed embarrassed to be addressed with such a fancy title.  

As much as they loved her, the animals could sense that there was something wrong with their beloved Esmeralda. So one day, when she left all of the animals gathered.

“Why is that girl so sad?”

“Maybe she doesn’t have any friends?”

“But, she has us.”

“Yes, but we are not human friends.”

“I think that someone should fly around and investigate to see if there is a problem.”

“I will do it,” said Simon the crow.  

“Very well then tomorrow you go and see if there is a problem.”

So the next day, Simon followed the school bus and when it stopped he was perched in a tree. He saw a boy push Esmeralda to the ground and some of the other kids laughed.

Like all of the other animals, Simon loved Esmeralda with all of his heart. When he saw how she was being mistreated, he wanted to hurt that boy.  All day long, he watched her get pushed around and the anger was so deep that the poor creature almost exploded in anger.

Before she went to the forest that day, he returned and told the others what was going on.

“So that is why she is so sad!”

“What are we going to do about it?”

“We are going to teach those kids a lesson.”

“But how?”

Hoot just smiled.

“We will draw them into the woods and when they are here, we will really give them the business.”

“But, how are you going to draw them in the woods?”

“Leave the details up to me.”

The next day, Hoot flew over the school with a pile of money clutched in his claws. It was the end of the day.

“Hey, look at that crazy owl clutching all that money.”  Sue Weldon pointed at it.

“Let’s follow it.” It was Jimmy the mean boy that had pushed her to the ground.

So a bunch of them ran off keeping track of Hoot as he flew across the beautiful blue spring sky like a super awesome kite. He landed in the woods and the kids didn’t even notice where they were at as a bunch of them entered the tree lot with visions of riches dancing in their heads.

The animals were waiting for all of them. Now, some of them weren’t mean to Esmeralda, but most of the crowd was part of the group that tormented the young girl.

They ran into the woods and stopped.

“Where did the owl go with all of that lovely money?” Sue Weldon looked all around and up.

Simon the crow aimed and pooped right in her face. The white goop oozed down and the young girl screamed and jumped around.  

Jimmy thought it was funny as did some of the others.

“That crow really got you good.”

“Shut up, Jimmy, I hope something bad happens to you.”

Sammy the Squirrel bounced up to Jimmy and bit him hard right in the meaty part of the calf.

“Ouch, oh my God something bit me.”

He danced around on one leg and was in severe pain.

“Hey, that worked really fast.” Sue Weldon was wiping the bird poop with her handkerchief.

Suddenly, Sonya and Flawless appeared.  

They had money in their respective mouths.

“Hey, they have money.”

One of Sue’s friends Geraldine, a very mean girl rushed at Sonya who dropped the money and bit the young female in the hand.

“Oh, my God it bit me.”  She jumped around screaming and was in major pain. “I am going to die. It is full of diseases.”

The song birds flew by and dropped garbage on all of the other kids.

“What is wrong with these animals?”

“Do you want to know what is wrong with us?”

It was Fluffy the bunny.

“A talking bunny?  This is like a really bad dream.” Sue Weldon couldn’t believe it.

“There is nothing wrong with us. The problem is all of you and others. You are mean to our friend Esmeralda. I speak for all of the animals in this forest. If you don’t stop hurting her then we are going to go into your houses and do really bad stuff to you in your sleep.”

The group were huddled together because the animals had surrounded them. They were terrified.

“We don’t like Esmeralda.”

“We don’t care if you like her or don’t like her. We saw you hurting her and that is going to stop.  If you hurt her one more time then we will carry our threat out.”

“We aren’t afraid of you,” said Sue Weldon. But it was apparent that she was scared looking up hoping there were no more poop bombs ready to drop on her.

Just then Petunia appeared but from the side and no one saw her.

“We aren’t afraid of you,” said Jimmy still rubbing the puncture wound on his leg.

“Yeah, we aren’t afraid of you.” Sue and Geraldine said.

“Well, you should be,” announced Petunia who turned around and nailed the entire group.

“We’ve been hit!” Screamed Jimmy.

They all ran out and went home.

Everyone got in trouble because their clothes had to be burned. They all had to take baths in tomato juice and the local grocery store’s shelves were cleaned out.  

The next morning, Simon sat in the tree and watched Esmeralda get off the bus. Nobody tripped or pushed or dropped milk on her head.

They whispered and she walked through the crowd as they divided for her like she was Mother Nature or some divine queen. Later that day, she went into the forest and talked to the animals. None of them ever said a word about the revenge that they inflicted on the mean kids.

“I am not sure why but the mean kids at school have quit picking on me. In fact, they totally avoid me. Sue Weldon and her friends and that awful Jimmy run away when they see me.”

“Who cares about them?” Said Simon the crow.  “After all, you have us as friends and who could have better friends?”

“You are right.”

Never again, did the horrible little children pick on Esmeralda.