Poems, stories and lots more- Dr Audrey Coatesworth

TO LISTEN
Press this star
There is also a star to
press after you
have read the story

In a beautiful park there lived some red squirrels. They were not the grey squirrels who can be real pests in the garden, digging up little plants to find their hidden nuts . No, these were beautiful red squirrels who lived in a big, parkland with lots of big trees. Several families all lived peacefully and happily together. Can you picture them in your mind. I have put a picture of the father squirrel for you to see.

The red squirrel families were very happy families. The parents were kind and good and provided well for their two little squirrels. They took them on outings around the parkland and they knew lots of different places to visit and have fun. The parents taught them about the park so that they gradually became confident and brave.

One or two of the older red squirrels lived in a different part of the park as these had become old enough to find their own food and could tell good nuts from bad nuts. They had learned how to build their own nests to keep safe from danger and had many friends. All the red squirrels met regularly and travelled around the parkland to visit each other.

One day, quite suddenly, one of the Daddy squirrels, who was the father of several little squirrels, left the park and went into a large forest, called the 'Forest of Light'. The mother squirrel and the younger squirrels had not known that this was to happen. The Daddy squirrel did not know this was to happen either, and so could not tell the rest of the family that he would not be able to see them again.

Let me explain about this forest.

The 'Forest of Light' was different from most forests as no squirrel living in the park had ever seen it or been there and come back to tell everyone what it was like. It was a long distance from the park and no one actually knew the way. There were no signposts and no one had any map to help them to find this forest, but all knew that the forest was 'somewhere', but no one knew where. So, you may ask, 'how did anyone go there if they didn't know where it was?'

I will tell you.

For each squirrel there was a special but secret time, but no one knew when. When it was time for a squirrel to go to the 'Forest of Light' they were collected by a special, kind squirrel whose home was in the forest. No one was able to travel to this forest until permission was given. But, once this happened, then they had to go. No squirrel know when it was going to be their turn, and they couldn't say 'no'. Once in the Forest of Light, no ordinary squirrel could return to the park. But, all squirrels knew that sometime, usually when they were old squirrels, they would be collected one day, taken to the forest and then they would meet their loved ones again.

Any bad squirrels, and, sadly, there were a few in the park. who hurt others would be taken , when it was their turn. But they would be lost for ever. Why? Well , there was another forest called the 'Forest of Darkness'. This was even further away and just for those who were cruel and unkind. No one every met up with them again.

So, only kind squirrels were taken to the 'Forest of Light'. Daddy squirrel haad been very kind, so everyone knew that he would have been taken to this forest.

Of course, this was such a shock to all the squirrels who had loved him very much and they were upset and crying. The younger ones who didn't understand were angry that father squirrel had not told them that he was leaving for the forest. In fact the father squirrel did not know this was to happen either and so could not tell the rest of the family. So, he had not been able to prepare them for when he left. Not only were they angry with him but they also thought that maybe they had caused him to leave. The little squirrels thought they may have been naughty or done something they shouldn’t have done. This wasn't true, but it was all very, very upsetting.

One day one of the little squirrels was sitting on a low branch of a big oak tree in the parkland. This was a very special tree as it was where most Mummy and Daddy squirrel used to show the younger squirrels how to climb and jump they learned to run up and down trees without falling off and how to jump from branch to branch. They often played 'Hide and Seek' hiding on its big, safe branches beneath its many leaves. The little squirrel usually ran up and down having fun, but now he was very sad and was just sitting very still. Yes, he was crying again as it was his Daddy squirrel who had gone to the 'Forest of Light'.

He heard a soft cough near by and then he heard it again. The little squirrel looked up and through the tears saw a wise and very old squirrel sitting nearby. The light shining through the tree made the old squirrel's fur look as if it was made of silver.

The little squirrel had not noticed the wise, old squirrel and he did not remember having seen him before. The wise, old squirrel spoke to the little squirrel very gently and told him to think again about this big oak tree and to remember the games he had played racing up and down that tree when he was watched and helped by his Daddy squirrel. He asked him to go and look for the nut that Daddy squirrel had helped him to bury in case he needed it. He thought he needed it now. He would find the nut by the roots of the tree.

    Click on the star to go to next page ------->