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2017 Inklings Book Contest finalist: Amy Gillson

2017 Inklings Book Contest finalist: Amy Gillson

Today we are featuring Inklings Book Contest 2017 finalist, Amy Gillson! Amy finished 5th grade this past school year. The story she submitted is called The Planting We hope you enjoy reading it as much as we did!
Leave a comment below on what you thought!

 


The Planting

by Amy Gillson
 

+++++I awoke with a start. I tried to remember what I had been dreaming about – a world like Earth, but warmer. The temperatures climbed, the snow had melted, and the forest I lived in, Oak Hills, was flooded by what I assumed was the ocean. That wasn’t the worst part, though. I distinctly remembered my tree expelling me from my home, letting me drown in the murky water below. It was like no other dream I had ever had, as if someone had put the thought into my mind.

+++++Suddenly, a knock broke into my thoughts. I looked around my house wondering where it could have come from. The treehouse, really just a cozy hole in an oak’s trunk, was around a foot wide and half a foot long, with the roof resting around four inches from the floor. It was easy to see around the room, and nobody was there. The knocking continued, and I soon realized it could not be from the door. My door was round and sturdy, but it had a peephole on the top, so I would have been able to see who it was.

+++++“Who is it?” I called, to nobody in particular. But, to my surprise, someone answered.

+++++“Delivery! It’s Bushel here, with a package for you,” the voice replied, then continued in an embarrassed tone, “Um, I’m kind of stuck though,” the squirrel replied. I laughed.

+++++“Where? In the root again?” Whenever my friend came with a package, he would step in front of the wrong hole. In front of that hole, was the start of a bird’s nest. Unfortunately, the bottom was not fully done yet, and he always crashed through, falling down the length of half the tree until he landed in between two roots and had to be pulled out by one of his paws.

+++++“Maybe,” he said sheepishly. I could only imagine his face when he said that, and I smiled. Unlatching the door, I exited, soon rescuing Bushel from yet another pickle. I laughed again, remembering his many similar predicaments on our trip over the mountains and to the coast last year.

+++++“So,” I asked, “what’s the package?” Bushel swished his tail and motioned for me to come forward. It was small and oddly shaped covered with brown, wrinkled paper and tied with white string.

+++++“You’re needed. I don’t know why, but Magi wants you,” he whispered, handing me a box. I stifled a gasp. Magi was the leader of all rodents, not only squirrels. The last traces of thought about my strange dream vanished, and I scrambled to my feet.

+++++“Do you know why?” I asked a few minutes later, gathering a few of my belongings for the journey.

+++++Bushel shook his head, then said, “Oh! I almost forgot. Magi sent a letter as well.” After frantically digging through his sack of letters, he took out a small note. It read:

Twitch–
Although we have never met, I have been watching you closely. As you have a kind soul and a heart for adventure, I believe you are one of few that can help us. Please meet me at The Great Pine as soon as possible. (I would recommend some extra food and water, as it may be a long time until you return home.) Also – Do not open the package I have sent until you reach Magi’s Forest.
Thank you,
Magi, King of the Rodents

+++++Bushel walked me to my door before bidding me goodbye. I looked at him for a long time, knowing I wouldn’t see my friend for many suns. I knew I would always remember his gray coat with its unusual tiger-striped pattern.

+++++I finally tore my eyes off him and started to walk away. “Bye!” I called. “I’ll tell you all about it when I get back.”

+++++A few days later, The edge of Oak Hills, my village, was visible. The patch of trees thinned out, and I could see the lands beyond. On the hill I was standing on, I could see Magi’s Forest in the distance. Although it was beautiful, I noticed the forest was brown and dry with patches of dead trees. The usually snowy mountains were bare and desolate. My mind immediately recalled the dream I had had a few suns ago. But was it really just a dream? I continued to ponder this as I made a suitable nest for the night.

+++++I woke at midnight, shivering. I had the same dream as before, but this time I could remember everything. It had been a normal day, but as Bushel delivered a package, he got caught by a wave of water infiltrating the forest. I had tried to climb my tree to get away from the rising water, but the tree pushed me off, separating me from my home and everything I knew. I fell into the water below and noticed that it was much warmer than now. I was caught in the pulling tide and pushed under the water. When I could see again, I was in the ocean. I could recall fish screaming for the minerals of the deep sea that they could not get because there was so much more water between it and them. Likewise, the fish below screamed not for minerals, but for oxygen. Many of the coastal habitats were ruined like my home, and the animals there had no homes and struggled to survive. A blue jay tried to help me, but for every time he tried, another animal became endangered and he got farther and farther away. I tried to call for help, but my voice was stuck in my throat. A wave of hot water covered my head, but not after I got a glimpse of the mountains in the distance. Instead of ice and snow on them, they were brown and desolate. I would die along with the planet. Global warming. The words swam in my head, and I gasped. That’s why I was called to Magi! I had to keep global warming from happening. I scrambled to my feet, running as fast as I could towards the middle of the Large Forest, where Magi’s Forest was, and then Magi. I had to know how I could stop that dream from becoming reality!

+++++As I neared the entrance of Forest of Kin, a blue jay flew towards me. I looked at him closely, confused. He looked exactly like the one in my dream!

+++++“Hello, sir,” I said, trying to be as polite as possible in case he was somehow connected to my dream. Then I shook my head, telling myself that I was just being delusional. “What brings you here?”

+++++“Can I see your satchel?” he asked. “There is something I must know.” I nodded, a little puzzled, but handed it over. Reaching down, the blue jay nosed through my belongings until he found the mysterious package. “I’m Magi’s Messenger, see?” the blue jay continued. “As you must already know, blue jays are his mascot.” I did not know that, and found it odd that the leader of the rodents had a bird as its mascot. But I just watched as he pulled out the parcel, then nodded in thanks before flying away with it in its claws.

+++++“Hey!” I called. “Thief! That’s mine!” I climbed up the tallest tree I could find, then scampered through the branches, following the bird closely, but the jay was always a paw’s length away. Running from tree to tree for hours, as fast as I could, was tiring, but I finally caught up. The only problem was that the blue jay had disappeared! It took a minute for me to catch my breath, and as I did, I looked around. Above me, there was a cloudless blue sky partly blocked by a canopy of leaves and all around, redwood trees stretched up as high as the eye could see. I had only one thought: I was completely lost.

+++++“Lucky I brought you here, eh?” a voice said, startling me. “You’re lucky I kept going after you called me a thief!” The blue jay I had been chasing flew down, dropping my package.

+++++“Where are we?” I asked, completely befuddled.

+++++The blue jay laughed. “We’re in Magi’s Forest. So if you really didn’t know, now you know.” I slowly collected my bearings and took the parcel from the ground. I could finally open it, know what was inside! There was a world of possibilities for it. I didn’t want to ruin it. I wanted to be able to think that anything was possible.

+++++So, surprising even myself, I said, “Blue jay. What is your name?”

+++++Startled, he paused before replying, “Jay.”

+++++“Jay. Please… Can you open the package for me?” Jay looked at me curiously for a moment before nodding. Opening it slowly, Jay finally pulled off the string and slipped the object out of the bag.

+++++It was an acorn. I stared at it. It could have been anything, but it was just an acorn! Scrutinizing it, I decided it looked just like the others I had always picked at home except a half an inch larger than the average one. It could have been a natural phenomenon, but somehow I didn’t think it was.

+++++“Could you bring me to Magi, now?” I asked. “I’d like to talk to him.”

+++++Jay nodded. “He lives in The Great Pine, the oldest tree in the forest.” As we started walking, I tried to start some conversation.

+++++“So,” I asked, “Do you know what rodent Magi is?”

+++++Jay thought for a moment. “Well,” he finally said, “He’s not exactly a rodent.”

+++++“Oh. What is he, then? Have you seen him?”

+++++“That I am not allowed to say, but if you must know more, Magi isn’t what you’d expect.”

+++++“Oh,” I said again. My imagination grew, as I thought about what he could be. Is it possible he was a cross between all of the rodents? Or maybe even a Human? Or whatever you wanted him to be?

+++++As we settled down for the night, I knew the morning would put a new light on things. Once Magi told me what I had to do to stop global warming, who knew what would happen? After a long time with thoughts swirling in my head, I finally fell asleep.

+++++“Are we close yet?” I mumbled. I had been walking for hours, with Jay flying low overhead, and now was in the middle of the forest.

+++++“We’re there, actually,” Jay replied.

+++++“So when will I see Magi?” my excitement, anticipation, and curiosity grew.

+++++“Well –” Jay hesitated. “You don’t suppose you’re talking to him right now?”

+++++I laughed. “You’re joking, right? ” I asked, as we neared The Great Pine. Jay shook his head.

+++++“It’s always hard for travelers to grasp. That a bird with no manners, no flair of superiority, is the great King of the Rodents? Well, it’s true.”

+++++“Why are you a bird?”

+++++Magi sighed. “The name Magi was passed on from king to king, all rodents, until the one before me lost all of his. I was his closest friend and the best person to take the spot, so Magi chose me to take his place. There was much controversy, though, since I’m a bird. That’s why I’m kept hidden from the prying eye of the public.” Magi paused, then returned to the former subject. “Many never do take my advice. An unfortunate waste of time, energy, and magic. But, it’s the only way to test the animals I’ve given gifts to see if they’re worthy. So, will you be another one of them who don’t do anything?” I gaped at Jay – Magi – dumbfounded and slowly shook my head.

+++++“Good. Now, what can you do with an acorn?”

+++++Without stopping to think, I cried, “Eat them!” Magi stared at me with annoyance and slight disapproval, and I immediately regretted it. That was obviously not what I was supposed to do with the acorn.

+++++“Think about it while you return home.”

+++++“Wha-” I started. I was shocked. I came all this way just to learn I had to think about some acorn? Finally, I composed myself. “I will. Thank you.” I bowed, then turned towards home.

+++++As I walked, I had time to think about my feelings. An emotion was stirring inside of me, and finally, I realized what it was: disappointment. Magi was a bird, nothing magical, and he told me nothing that would help global warming.

+++++But still, I thought about what he said because he was still King of the Rodents and known to be very wise. Acorns were seeds. Seeds were dug in holes by squirrels. Squirrels found the seeds in the winter. The squirrels ate the seeds. The squirrels pooped out the seeds. The seeds either became fertilizer or became a plant. If the squirrel didn’t remember where the nuts were (which happens more times than I’ll admit), then the seed grows – that’s it! I had to plant the acorn!

+++++Just like the puffins I tried to save in my dream, I thought of the creatures in the forest. I knew they needed to be saved, but I also knew I couldn’t do it alone. We can plant trees!

+++++It was dawn, three months after I planted the acorn. The other rodents and I were gathered around what the beautiful seed had produced.

+++++“Thank you all for gathering here!” I shouted, projecting my voice throughout the crowd. “Some of you may have noticed that there is less rain, the trees are dying, and Winter is getting shorter. This is because of something called global warming. It threatens all of us. Creatures are losing their homes, not getting enough to drink, and dying because of this. If one of us tries to help, nothing will happen. It’s not enough to stop global warming. But, if everyone does something, it will make a difference. We can fight this curse on nature. We can work together and stop it from continuing to hurt our friends and families!” I paused, letting what I just said sink in. “I just planted one tree,” I said, motioning towards the sapling my acorn had produced. “It will do nothing to help global warming. But–” I stopped again– “if we all plant one tree we can create a forest. If we plant one tree and tell two others to do the same, we will create one hundred forests. One small thing, something that only takes a minute, can do a lot if we do it together.”

+++++I stepped off of the stump I was standing on and looked around at the crowd. The animals that had been afraid and feeling powerless were now enthusiastic and empowered. I saw them scatter, each looking for an acorn or seed to plant or looking for friends to enlighten. I knew then that my journey was complete but the planting had just begun.