The Adventures of Three Friends

The Adventures of Stinky, EarAche, and Plucky
by Ryan, 5th grade

One day on the Zabel farm, a dog, a cat, and a chicken set off into the forest. They walked for days before they saw a leaf that was heart shaped and chocolate hanging from a tree. They had come to the Enchanted Forest of Valentine’s Day.

They walked farther into the forest to find a village full of the nicest people they ever met. One man fed them. One family gave them a home for a few weeks, until the three friends decided to journey farther into the forest. The friendly villagers gave each animal a wagon full of food to take with it. They traveled for days and days, eating the food in their wagons and chocolate until they became so fat their stomachs drug the ground. As they passed under the chocolate trees, they gathered chocolate to take with them in the wagons.

Finally they saw a bar of gold hanging from a tree in place of chocolate. As they walked deeper into the forest, their eyes were dazzled by the sparkling lights caused the light reflecting off the gold and silver in the trees. Three weeks after entering the forest, the three animals entered another village of people who seemed even nicer than the ones in the village before, but they left their wagons inside the forest. One family invited them into their house and fed them. The family included a father, a mother, three girls, and a boy. Stinky, the dog, was fed sirloin steak every day for a week. EarAche, the cat, had salmon every day for that week. Plucky, the chicken, had fresh ears of corn each day.

At the end of the week, the father said, “Come sit on the table for dinner.”

Stinky whispered to EarAche and Plucky, “There’s no food on the table.”

EarAche relied, “You’re right, but let’s see what happens.”

After the animals got on the table, the father went to the kitchen and returned with a butcher knife. Plucky clucked, “I don’t like the looks of that knife.”

Stinky said, “On the count of three, run! One . . . two . . .” suddenly he screamed, “. . . tree!” The three animals jumped from the table, knocking over the father. They ran for an open window because the boy of the family blocked the door. Outside the window, other villagers ran toward the house after hearing the strange scream.

In the confusion the three friends, howling and yowling and clucking, raced for the forest. Their loud cries alerted the forest animals, who came to their rescue, hiding the three until the villagers quit looking. A wolf offered to show them the way back to their home farm.

Stinky agreed. “But let’s get our wagons first. Our master will like us to bring home some of that gold and silver we saw.”

“And,” EarAche said, “his wife would like some of that chocolate.”

So, the three animals filled their wagons with gold and silver and chocolate as they traveled back home. The farmer and his wife were very, very glad to see them come home.

© Ryan 2004.