Once upon a time, when Fern was 9 years old, she loved to explore. Every morning she sneaked out of her castle and into the rainforest. One day she was exploring when she found a ladder coming down the tree. It was strange, since there couldn’t be anything up there, but when Fern got to the top of the ladder, there was something. There was a big wooden platform. There was a roof, and it was very cozy and quiet inside. There was a huge bookshelf and a lot of blankets and pillows to sit on. There was a fireplace and Fern noticed that no one was home. She looked around, but she still saw no one. It had been a cloudy day and had been raining for the last couple of days. It was nice and dry in here.
“Well,” meowed Fern, “If no one’s here tomorrow when I come, then I’ll claim this for myself.”
And so, the next day, Fern went out to find no one in the treehouse!
“Weird,” purred Fern, “But now I guess it’s mine!”
So Fern settled herself in a cozy rocking chair, got one of the books, and slowly began to drift asleep.
When she woke up, the sun was shining and the birds were awake.
“Wow,” thought Fern, “I’ve been asleep a long time. I better go home, my mom must be worried.”
So Fern got out of her rocking chair and climbed down the ladder. When she got to the bottom she raced back home.
Mama Leopard was standing anxiously at the front of the door. When she saw Fern, she cried, “Fern, where have you been?!”
“Oh, um, I’ve just been playing with the toucans.”
OF course, Fern didn’t want her mom to know that she had a secret hideout.
So Mama Leopard and Fern had some tea, and then Fern said, “Mom, I better go. The toucans said they wanted me over.”
“Okay,” purred Mama Leopard, “but be careful!”
“I will,” Fern reassured her. “Bye!”
So Fern dashed outside, ran back to her treehouse, and started reading her book in the rocking chair. She was reading, “Little Red Riding Hood” when she heard someone climbing up the ladder!
“Someone must be here,” Fern thought. “Maye the owner of this house?”
So she got up and off her chair and went to the entrance. There, in front of her, was a big black panther.
“Oh, hello,” stammered Fern.
“Hello” growled the panther. “Why are you in my house?”
“Oh, well,” Fern meowed. “I didn’t know this was someone’s house.”
“Of course it is,” growled the panther. “Why wouldn’t it be?”
“I don’t know,” meowed Fern. “Could I visit here soon?”
“Of course,” purred the panther.
Fern looked at the panther’s face. It looked angry, but its words were coming out happy.
“Um,” meowed Fern. “Are you angry with me?”
“Why would I be,” meowed the panther. “I just look angry. It’s basically how all panthers are.”
“Oh,” stammered Fern. “Well, I should go home. My mom is very worried at all times.”
“Can I come with you?” meowed the panther.
“Of course,” said Fern.
So they went to Fern’s castle and had tea with Mama Leopard, and had a great time. Mama leopard loves tea.
“Um, Mom?” Fern asked. “Can we go exploring?”
“Of course,” purred Mama Leopard.
So Fern and the panther walked over back to the treehouse.
“Umm,” meowed Fern when they got there. “What’s your name?”
“My name’s Patter.”
“What’s your favorite book in here?” asked Fern. “By the way, my name’s Fern.”
“My favorite book in here is called ‘Pastries and More.’ I love baking.”
“What’s your favorite thing to bake?” asked Fern.
“I love mostly everything,” said Patter. But I also like baking bread, muffins, cupcakes, and croissants.
“Yum!” purred Fern. “Sounds delicious! By the way, can I keep coming here?”
“Of course!”
So Fern and Patter settled themselves in a corner that had lots of comfy pillows and blankets.
Fern went over to a bookshelf and picked a book called, “The Adventure.”
Patter got up and picked up his favorite book, “Pastries and More” and they both settled down to their spot and started reading. Soon they began to feel hungry, and went into the kitchen to get some food.
“I’ll bake some muffins for us to share,” purred Patter. So he got out the flour and the eggs and some wrappers. Once he was done baking, the smell of the muffins was so good that Fern ran to the table and sat herself down immediately. It was so good.
“Yum,” said Fern. “Let’s eat!”
So Fern and Patter got out some plates and cups and had some orange juice with their muffins. It was very good.
After that, they went to the toucan village and played and played, and then they went back to the tree house, and Fern asked Patter, “where’s your family?”
“I don’t have one,” Patter answered. “I only have a little sister who ran away a long time ago.”
“Oh,” said Fern. “I’m sorry that happened.”
“It’s okay,” said Patter. “I’ve gotten used to it.”
“Well,” said Fern, “I better get going because my mom’s calling me. Bye bye!”
So Fern went home and the next day she came to visit Patter again. And the next day, and the next day, she came too. She never stopped coming!
And she still comes to this day.
The end.
