Storytime: MIKA and the wonderful World Of Trees
Mi-Ka the Meerkat is searching for her home
#2: The World of Trees
Mi-Ka the Meerkat has lost her home and has no idea where she belongs. After exploring the Underwater World of Fishes, she decides to visit the World of Humans – maybe they will know where she can find her family?
On her way, Mi-Ka sees a large forest and decides to explore the World of Trees first. She is fascinated by the large tree trunks and green, leafy tree-tops so high up in the sky. As she is exploring the pretty, colourful flowers and moss on the forest floor, she hears the ‘KWEEEE’ of a shy Loeriebird and the joyful ‘chirp-chirp-chirp’ of other forest birds. Just then, a beautiful yellow butterfly flutters past her nose. She runs after it, eyes on the darting yellow spot when, SUDDENLY! she bumps into a huge tree … but wait … the tree trunk feels leathery and makes a deafening trumpeting sound! Mi-Ka falls onto her bum *BUMP*, looks up and sees a thin tail swishing impatiently high up above her head. As she scrambles backward, a humongous, leathery creature with four legs as thick as trees turns around. All she sees are BIG whooshing ears and a long, swaying trunk. It’s an elephant!
Mi-Ka lifts her arms and shouts: "Hellooooooo! I am Mi-Ka and I don’t know where I belong! Do you think the forest, this amazing World of Trees, is my home? Have you seen my family?"
The elephant calms down as it starts to inspect the little meerkat, lifting her arms and sniffing her with its large trunk. "No," the elephant slowly grumbles, "you do not belong here in the World of Trees. Your fur is the colour of desert sand, you do not smell like trees and you can stand on two feet. I think you belong in another world."
Mi-Ka sadly looks down at her hands, the colour of her fur and her feet. "I was on my way to the World of Humans. Do you think that I belong there?"
The elephant is silent and makes a squeaking noise while thinking (*SQUEAAAK*). "Yes, it's possible … humans also walk on two legs. When you get there, please ask them to stop cutting down our trees? They use the trees to make paper, but they are destroying our world,” grumbles the elephant sadly. "Soon we will have no home left."
"Okay," Mi-Ka says, feeling sorry for this enormous, yet loving creature. Mi-Ka knows exactly how sad and lonely it feels to be homeless, after all. "I'll do that for you." And she gives the elephant a tight SQUUUEEEEZZZEEEEE before she runs off, ready for her next adventure.
