5 Storie di Henry

Tuesday

Henry and the wood

Henry , the rabbit with the long, pink ears was running in the wood. Everything he could see seemed magic, the colours , the sounds, the smells of autumn. While he continued along his way in the soft carpet of fallen leaves, he felt happy , full of curiosity , playfull and eager to learn about everything around him. He wanted to become one with the wood, with the other animals, with the plants , with the rays of sun that warmed him and made him feel more alive than ever.

He had ventured far from home , but he wasn't afraid because the entire wood was his friend and he couldn't wait to begin another exciting game.Here was a blackberry bush with round , dark, juicy fruits that hung heavily from its branches. Henry could already taste the jam that Mother Rabbit would make :he smacked his lips , raised himself up with all the strength he had in his hind legs and lunged into the blackberry bush with so much force that those long, funny ears of his got caught in the brambles .

He felt a sharp pain and was afraid for a minute but managed to stay calm knowing that someone would help him : the fairy that lived in the wood was there to protect all the animals even the most inexperiencend like him . He had been stuck for some time when he heard the sound of short, quick, cautious steps getting closer .He tried to look calm and didn't move pretending to be indifferent: he didn't want to act like a beginner who manages to get into trouble the first time out in the wood all alone.

"I only hope that it's not the fox looking for food!". The footsteps stopped right behind him. A shiver ran up his spine .

That instant lasted forever until that animal said :"I'd like to know what could possibly be so interesting to make you stand there looking into that bush; it's dangerous .A predator could come by and you would become an excellent lunch in no time.".

"The fact is that I can even move", confessed the little prisoner ." I wanted to pick some blackberries but I got caught in the thorns".

That's it , thought Henry , in just a few minutes I put my life in danger and the worst part is that I've ruined my reputation, I've lost my male rabbit pride, my dignity is shattered !"

"Stay calm ! The same thing happened to me last year when I was a young inexperienced squirrel .Luckily, an old and very wise badger was walking by and managed to free my tail with no pain at all and without even pulling a single hair after patiently trying for over an hour. If you can hold on for yet another minute , I'll free you!"

In a few minutes Henry was finally able to look his rescuer in the face:He was a funny little squirrel with big hazel eyes and such a soft fluffy tail that it looked like a powder puff .

Suddenly, Henry felt very happy . His heart started beating quickly for the excitement: he was free and he had overcome a difficult test.Above all , he had found a friend.He felt entirely in harmony with the wood. Actually he had always known this : even while he was trapped in the thorns, he didn't stop hoping that everything would soon be over.

The adventure he had experienced had confirmed that he was not alone , that the wood was on his side , that nature was his friend: the secret laid in the great enthousiasm and love he felt when he roamed in search of adventure in the middle of nature.It was the same feeling that he had when he was in his mother's arms.