Myrtle the Snapping Turtle lived at the bottom of a pond. He loved to take naps in the mud there and dream of what lay beyond the pond, especially in the forest next to the pond. So one day he decided to explore the forest.
The first thing he saw in the forest was a plant that had a large, bright red berry on it. He wondered if the berry might be good to eat. He thought he had better ask someone, since some berries are good to eat but other berries are poisonous and could make him sick. So he looked around for someone to ask.
The first animal he saw was a snake. “Hi, who are you?” Myrtle asked.
“I’m Baxter the Snake.” said the snake, “Who are you?”
“I’m Myrtle the Snapping Turtle,” said Myrtle. :What are you up to?”
“Just looking for some mice,”said Baxter. “What about you?”
“Well,” said Myrtle, “I live in the pond and this is my first time exploring the forest. I am wondering if this red berry is good to eat.”
“It might be,” said Baxter. “But I don’t really know because I don’t eat those things. You should probably ask a bird or a mammal.”
“OK,” said Myrtle. “I’ll do that. Thanks. It was nice to meet you.”
“Yes, it was nice to meet you too.” said Baxter. And then he went off to look for some mice.
Myrtle looked around some more and soon saw a bird up in a nearby tree. “Hi,” he said. “Who are you?”
“I’m Henry the Bird,” said the bird. “Who are you?”
“I’m Myrtle the Snapping Turtle,” said Myrtle. :What are you up to?”
“I’m just flying around the forest,” said Henry. “How about you?”
“Well,” said Myrtle, “I live in the pond and this is my first time exploring the forest. I am wondering if this red berry is good to eat.”
“Those berries are very good to eat,” said Henry. “I have several friends who really like those. You should try them.”
“OK, I will.” said Myrtle. “Thanks for the information.”
“No problem,” said Henry. “It was nice to meet you.”
“Yes,” said Myrtle. “It was nice to meet you too.”
Then Henry said goodbye and flew off into the forest to look for some seeds.
Myrtle was very excited to know that the berry was good to eat. He tried to reach his head up to grab the berry in his mouth. He stretched and stretched his neck but he couldn’t quite reach the berry. He needed to find something to climb on so he could reach it. He looked around and noticed a rock nearby. If he could move the rock over close to the berry plant he thought he would be able to climb on the rock and reach the berry. He tried to move the rock but it was too heavy for him to move by himself. He needed to find someone to help him.
He looked around and saw a deer stepping out of the trees. “Hi,” said Myrtle. “Who are you?”
“I’m Cho Cho the Deer,” said the deer. “Who are you?”
“I’m Myrtle the Snapping Turtle,” said Myrtle. “What are you up to?”
“I’m just hanging out in the forest,” said Cho Cho. “How about you?”
“Well,” said Myrtle, “I live in the pond and this is my first time exploring the forest. Henry said that this berry is really good to eat and I would like to try it. But I can’t reach it with my head. I need to move that rock over so I can climb on the rock and eat the berry, but it is too heavy to move by myself. Can you help me move the rock?”
“Sure,” said Cho Cho. “I’ll be glad to help.”
So they both put their heads down gently to the rock and they worked together to move the rock close to where the berry was. And then Myrtle climbed up on the rock and was able to reach the berry with his head. He picked the berry with his mouth and ate it and it was delicious!
“Thanks so much for helping me, Cho Cho,” said Myrtle. “The berry was delicious!”
“You’re very welcome,” said Cho Cho.
From up on the rock, Myrtle could see another berry within reach. He wanted to thank Cho Cho by giving him the second berry as a gift. So he stretched his neck and he reached the berry. Then he said “Cho Cho, would you like this berry? I want to give it to you to thank you for helping me.”
Cho Cho said “Yes, I would love to have that berry. I love berries!” And he ate the berry and it was delicious!
“It was very nice to meet you, Cho Cho,” said Myrtle.
Cho Cho said, “Yes, it was nice to meet you too. I hope to see you again soon!”
They said goodbye and Myrtle returned to the pond, very happy that he had such a nice visit to the forest. He had met some new friends and found a new food that he liked. He went down to the bottom of the pond and took a very nice nap.
The end.
