Animal Tales The Journey Begins Read online

Animal Tales

  The Journey begins

  By Dr. Rhia Roberts

  Copyright 2012 Rhia Roberts

  Front Cover Artwork by Brian Anthis 2012

  Find other published titles by Dr. Rhia Roberts at

  https://www.Dr-Rhia.com

  Available now in the Animal Tales series:

  The Journey Begins

  The Okapi’s Tale

  The Lion’s Tale

  Coming THIS YEAR in the Animal Tales series:

  The Giraffe’s Tale

  The Ostrich’s Tale

  The Warthog’s Tale

  The Rhino’s Tale

  The Zebra’s Tale

  The Crocodile’s Tale

  The Elephant’s Tale

  The Vulture’s Tale

  The Journey’s End

  About the Author

  Dr. Rhia was born and raised in Wales, UK. She has taught on four different continents (Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America) and has backpacked through more than 30 countries. She earned her Ph.D. in Special Education at the University of Arizona; her areas of expertise and publications are in reading, writing, and dyslexia. Dr. Rhia and her husband, Dan, have adopted three children. Links to some of her professional publications are found below.

  Phonic Reading Lessons: Skills and Practice at PRL

  Writing Assessment and Instruction for Students with Learning Disabilities, 2nd ed. at Writing Book

  Test of Silent Word Reading Fluency (TOSWRF) at TOSWRF

  Test of Orthographic Competence (TOC) at TOC

  About the Animal Tales series

  Dr. Rhia blogs about creating a more compassionate, supportive, and successful life at Dr-Rhia.com. She believes Dr. Phil McGraw’s Life Strategies support these goals and was pleased when Jay McGraw translated Dr. Phil’s strategies to teen-speak in Life Strategies for Teens. Dr. Rhia then set about bringing Dr. Phil’s strategies to the elementary school level (3rd-5th grade) in a series of controlled readers; a student with good phonic skills and good sight-word recognition can read this series successfully. The Life Strategies are presented as fables as the reader is taken on an African adventure with Jake, Nia, and Elena.

  Dedication

  The Animal Tales series is dedicated to my family and friends, and every child who has helped me learn more about how to write books that support the mastery and love of reading. But most of all, the series is dedicated to my children: Jacob (Jake in the series), Hannah (Elena in the series), and Rachael (Nia in the series).

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1 – It’s Time

  Chapter 2 – Magic

  Chapter 3 – Are You the One?

  Chapter 4 – Off We Go

  Chapter 5 – Hide!

  Chapter 6 – Where’s My Mama?

  Chapter 7 – Lunch

  Chapter 8 – The Poachers

  Chapter 9 – Trapped

  Chapter 10 – Home Again

  Chapter 1

  It’s Time

  Grandpa awoke from his nap, tingling all over; it’s almost time to get rid of the poachers, he thought. Jake’s story is about to begin; I can feel it in my bones. The warm glow of the sun shone through the window and a shaft of light fell onto Grandpa’s face. It made the painting seem to come alive. It’s time, the old man thought.

  Three sets of footsteps came up the stairs toward the door. The first set scampered up the stairs. Ah, those are the footsteps of a child, thought Grandpa. The other two were heavier and slower. And those must belong to the parents, thought Grandpa.

  At that moment, the door opened and a boy and his parents entered. The boy had a slender body but looked quite strong. He was the color of sand. His hair was thick and black, and his eyes were lively and brown. The woman smiled at the excited boy.

  “Jake, I know you want to have your own room but I don’t think we can put you in the attic,” she said. “Why do you want to move here anyway?”

  “Oh mama,” replied Jake, “this room is special. I can feel it.”

  The man and woman disagreed and were about to say, “No!” But Jake was a clever boy and so, quick as a wink, he added:

  “Look there’s already a half-finished painting of an African village on the wall and I know you two could finish it. And it’ll make a wonderful birthday present; the best present EVER!”

  The man rolled his eyes knowing that the battle was over and that his son would soon move his stuff into the attic.

  In the corner of the room, the painting of the old man smiled an invisible smile; things are happening exactly as they should, Grandpa thought.

  So much happened over the next few days and, at the end of it, the room stood empty and clean. But the best thing was that the wall painting had been finished. Grandpa still sat by his drum in the village surrounded by acacia (a-kay-sha) trees. But now the sky was blue and he could see many different African animals on the plains. Giraffes, zebras, warthogs, and okapis grazed on one wall. Elephants, rhinos, ostriches, and bongos roamed on another. And crocodiles, lions, hyenas, and vultures scavenged on a third wall. Perfect, thought Grandpa.

  But the parents weren’t done. They laid a beautiful African rug on the floor and brought some amazing furniture into the room. On one wall stood a bed with a headboard that looked like an African hut. Inside the hut sat an iPod docking station. Bookcases with doors in the shape of huts stood on either side of the bed. It was a little village! Carved wooden boxes dotted the room; the most beautiful one stood at the foot of the bed and was a hollow tree trunk carved all around with a village scene. An African basket sat in one corner and an old African drum stood right in front of Grandpa’s painted picture in another.

  Grandpa smiled at the results. The room was perfect. Everything is done and now Jake’s story begins, he thought. It’s time.

  Chapter 2

  Magic

  “I love it! I love it! I love it!” said Jake, hugging his parents as he danced around the room. He looked at everything and loved it all.

  “Happy Birthday, Jake,” smiled his dad.

  “Do you really love your birthday present?” asked his mom.

  “Oh, yes!” Jake replied, his eyes sparkling. “Thank you so very, very, very much. This is perfect. It’s just like being in Africa!”

  The parents looked at each other and smiled. Jake was desperate to go on a real safari, but they didn’t have the money to take him to Africa. At least, not yet. The room would have to do for now.

  “Thank you, mom and dad,” Jake repeated. “This is almost as good as going on a real safari.”

  “Well,” said Jake’s mom, “enjoy your new room for a while. We’ll call you when it’s time for birthday cake.”

  Jake’s parents hugged their son then left the room.

  Jake hopped around the room touching everything and looking at every painting. Mom and dad have done a great job, he thought. There’s something about these paintings that make the animals seem to move and that old man’s eyes seem to follow me around. Weird! Boy, this is a great present!

  It was then Jake noticed the surround sound and smiled to himself. His dad always said that surround sound makes you feel like you’re in the middle of the action! Let’s see if dad’s right, thought Jake. He searched through his iPod playlist and found a song he’d never seen before. Where did this track of African drums come from, wondered Jake, and how did it get onto my iPod? Not really caring how it got there, Jake chose that track and sat on the rug to listen.

  No sooner had the track started than Jake realized two things. First, there seemed to be a tiny keyhole in the door of one of the huts. Second, his dad was right! He felt that like he was in the center of an African village. Jake found
the first thing a little bit odd and he found the second thing A…MA…ZING! I may not be able to go on safari quite yet, Jake thought, but with this room and sound track, it’s like the safari has come to me!

  Jake smiled as he looked at the herds of animals surrounding him. Then he closed his eyes and let the beat of the drums wash all thoughts from his mind. Although he sat, still as a rock, his mind flew to Africa and wandered the African plains with the animals.

  “It’s almost as if I can hear the animals and smell the African plains,” Jake murmured to himself.

  “What?” a male voice asked.

  Jake’s eyes shot open and, with a jolt, he realized that something had changed. In fact, a lot had changed. He was no longer in his room! He was no longer sitting on a rug listening to drums on his iPod! He was no longer surrounded by painted animals! Instead, he was sitting on the dirt ground in a little village where an old African man sat beating a drum. In the distance, Jake could see real herds of African animals wandering the plains. He no longer imagined the noises and smells but actually heard and smelled the African plains. Am I asleep, Jake wondered, pinching himself.

  “Ow!” he grumbled. “That hurt so I must be…awake.”

  Jake looked around, trying to make sense of what had happened. But he couldn’t. There was nothing here from his room. There was no bedroom door or bed or surround sound. There was just the village and animals and an old man playing a drum. Jake turned to look at the old man.

  “Wh…wh…wh…what…?” he stammered.

  But the old man did not let Jake finish. He gazed into the boy’s eyes, and put a finger up to his lips.

  “Shhh,” he whispered. “It’s magic!”

  Then he turned away and continued beating the drum.

  Chapter 3

  Are You the One?

  Jake stared at the old man and waited for him to talk again. But the old man said no more.

  “I don’t know what to do!” cried the boy.

  “I can help you,” said a little voice from behind him.

  Jake whipped around to see who had spoken. He saw a girl peeking out at him from behind an acacia tree. Next to her, holding her hand was a small chimp.

  “Who are you?” Jacob asked the girl.

  “Nia (nee’ah)” the girl replied.

  Nia was about the same age as Jake but was shorter and thinner. Her hair was braided into about fifty little braids, each with two or three colored beads on the end. Her skin was darker than Jake’s, but her eyes were brown and lively just like his.

  “Who is that?” asked Jake, pointing to the chimp.

  “This is my friend, Elena (El en’ ah),” replied Nia, smiling down at the little chimp. “She’s very clever’” she added.

  “Oh,” said Jake.

  There was silence for a few seconds before Nia looked at Jake and asked in a very quiet voice, “Are you the one?”

  “What?” Jake asked.

  “Are you the one?” Nia repeated more loudly this time.

  Jake was a bit puzzled.

  “I don’t know what you mean!” he exclaimed. “The one for what?”

  “Are you here to save us from the poachers?” Nia asked.

  Jake didn’t know what to say so he just stared and said nothing. But Nia persisted, “Grandpa said he was going to use his magic to bring someone here to help us. Are you the one?”

  “Is that Grandpa?” questioned Jake pointing to the old man beating the drum.

  Nia nodded and smiled at her grandpa.

  “He brought you here,” she said simply, acting as if that sort of magic happened every day.

  Jake wanted to ask more but he didn’t. Instead he asked, “What sort of help do you need?”

  Nia grew sad. She looked at the boy whom they hoped would help them. Then she took a deep breath.

  “You see,” she began, “our lives were great until a few months ago. We had plenty of water to drink and to water our crops, and plenty of animals to hunt for food and clothing. My people and the animals all understood the balance of nature. We respected each other.”

  Jake nodded. He had read about this in books. His new friend gave a big sigh then continued her story.

  “All was well until a group of poachers set up camp by the lake. They let my people get water but they won’t let any animal drink from it. They kill the animals for their hides or meat or tusks. All they care about is money! Now the balance of nature is upset. We can’t live like this for long. The poachers have to leave!”

  “But why don’t the villagers fight the poachers and send them away?” asked Jake.

  “We’ve tried!” snapped Nia. Then she said more calmly, “We have tried to fight them but they are stronger than we are. We need help.”

  Jake wondered what he was supposed to do about poachers with guns if a village of people couldn’t do anything. But before he could ask, Nia continued her story.

  “Grandpa spoke to the Great Spirit in the Sky,” she explained, “and it said that only a boy from a faraway land could get rid of the poachers. The boy has to be brave and kind and he has to go to the lake alone.”

  Jake was horrified! I have to get rid of the poachers by myself, he thought. These people must be nuts. I won’t even make it to the lake because there are too many wild animals in the way. WILD animals! This girl is mad! NO WAY am I going to do anything as silly as that. I think she must be confused or something. Maybe she’s sick! I’ll try to help her find someone else, he decided.

  But when Jake looked up, he saw pain and misery in the girl’s eyes. Tears streamed down her cheeks. Then, when she looked at him with hope, Jake’s heart exploded for Nia and her people. He opened his mouth to speak and, as if from far away, Jake heard himself say, “Yes, I’m the one!”

  Chapter 4

  Off We Go

  Nia threw her arms around Jake’s neck.

  “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” she exclaimed. “Grandpa said he knew you were the one as soon as he saw you.”

  Jake forced himself to smile as thoughts swirled around. What have I done? What will happen to me? Why did I say that I would do this? What exactly am I supposed to do anyway?

  Nia interrupted his thoughts:

  “You must leave immediately,” she stated as she pulled out a pouch full of mangoes and boiled rice. She gave Jake another pouch of water. “This will keep you going until you get back,” she said.

  Jake took the pouches but didn’t say a word. He was still too shocked to speak.

  “Elena is coming with you to show you the way and to help you” Nia informed Jake. “Always listen to her. She will keep you safe.”

  Nia bent down and whispered something into the chimp’s ear. The chimp listened then nodded and hugged her friend. She walked over to Jake, took his hand into her little one and headed toward the African plain.

  Jake, pale with shock and fear, waved to Nia as he and Elena set off. The drums continued to beat as the two left the village.

  “It will be okay; it will be okay; it will be okay…” the drum seemed to say.

  “It will be okay, Jake.”

  “What!” Jake looked around. Someone had interrupted his thoughts. But who? The boy turned, half expecting to see Nia standing next to him. Elena laughed.

  “Jake, I’m down here,” she giggled.

  “But…you’re…I’m…you…” Jake stammered.

  “I know. I’m an animal and you don’t think animals can talk,” smiled Elena. “But animals do talk. It’s just that, usually, people don’t understand us. But before we left the village, Nia asked me to speak so you could understand.”

  “I’m shocked and really glad,” admitted Jake, “because I was feeling rather lonely and frightened. Now, I’m just frightened,” he added after a pause.

  “It will be okay, Jake,” repeated Elena. I can tell you are a kind boy so things will be okay. I know you don’t understand yet, but you will soon.”

  The two walked side by side and, soon, Jake started to
feel less frightened. He loved the smell of the plains and the sight of the animals in the distance. And even though they were now far from the village, Jake thought he could still hear the drums say, “It will be okay…” With every step, his confidence grew and his fear shrank. That is, until Elena led him toward a large herd of giraffes.

  “Elena, why are we going toward that herd of giraffes?” Jake’s voice shook as he asked the question. “Giraffes can kick at any angle and they can easily kill a person. I love giraffes but…perhaps we should go around them?” he asked, hopefully.

  Elena shook her head.

  “No, Jake,” she said. “There is a little baby giraffe lying on the ground. He’s a newborn and will die unless you can help his mother get him up.”

  “But the mother will think I’m trying to hurt her baby,” exclaimed Jake, “and she will attack me. I really think we should stay away!”

  Elena stopped and looked at the boy.

  “It’s up to you,” she shrugged.

  Jake was about to turn round when, in his mind, he heard himself say, “Yes, I’m the one.”

  “Let’s go and help,” he sighed.

  He didn’t see Elena smile as she took his hand and led him into the middle of the giraffe herd.

  It took Jake a moment to realize that the loud beat he could hear now was the beating of his heart, not the drums! He was frightened! In fact, he was terrified as he clutched Elena’s hand and dragged himself toward the mother giraffe.

  “I…um…I’m here to help you,” Jake said when he reached the mom and baby.

  The mom didn’t say a word but snorted and glared at the boy. The rest of the giraffes closed in behind Jake until there was no way for him to get out.

  This isn’t good, thought Jake, as he bent down to help the baby. One of the animal’s legs was trapped beneath him. Jake tried to pry it loose but the baby giraffe was too heavy. This may be a baby, Jake thought, but he’s about seven feet tall and I’m not even five feet tall yet! He pushed, pulled, and prodded but couldn’t get the leg free. Jake was about to cry when two giraffes stood at each side of the baby and, pushing their noses under his body, they picked him up. Jake then wiggled the leg until it popped into place. And soon after, the baby giraffe stood on his own four feet and wobbled to his mother.