The Adventures of Wallace

                                                                                                            Wallace and the Elephant

My name is Wallace and I am a dog.  I am, one, two, three four years old. I like to play with my favourite ball. It is a yellow ball and it has rope on it too.  One day when I was one,two,  I was playing with my yellow ball and it rolled outside the garden. I had to run fast to get it, just in case it got lost.  I picked up my yellow ball and I ran and ran very fast until I reached a big, big field, with lots of grass.  I put my ball down for a moment because I could smell something strange. I sniffed and sniffed with my nose to the ground. I didn’t know what it was.   Then, I heard a noise and it made me jump and I growled and woofed and hid behind a bush.   I was scared at first, but I peeked round the bush to see what had made the noise.  There was something very big; it was even bigger than the bush.  I took a closer look, wow; I had never seen something like this before.  I didn’t know what to do so I stayed hidden behind the bush and tried not to make a noise.

“Hello, little one”, the big thing was talking to me, “what are you doing here?”

“I am looking for my yellow ball,” I said. “What is your name?” The big thing asked.

“My name is Wallace and I am a puppy dog”, “I am one, two years old and I am big for my age”,  I said that to the big thing. “Hello Wallace, my name is Bella and I am an Elephant,  I am  ten years old”, she said.

I went towards Bella and sniffed at her feet, I had not smelled anyone like that before.  “What’s an Elephant”?  I asked, as I walked around her huge feet.  Bella said, “I am an animal, just like you, and I come from a faraway place”.    “You don’t look like me Bella”, I said.  I ran in and out of Bella’s long legs, it was good fun it was like running round trees.  “Well, now Wallace”, said Bella, “Can you tell me what is different”?

I walked all around Bella and went behind her to see what was different.  Bella’s tail was very long and reached right down to the ground, I jumped when it moved. The tail was thicker than the rope on my yellow ball.  “You have a long tail Bella, my tail is smaller, look I can wag my tail too”, I said.  I wagged my tail so that Bella could see.  Bella nodded, she liked my wagging tail.

I walked round to look at Bella’s face, “Oh, Bella, you have really big ears, my ears are long but not big like yours”.     Bella nodded again, I think she liked my ears too.  I looked more closely at Bella and I asked, “Bella, why do you have two tails?  You have a skinny one at the back and a big thick one at the front”.   Bella laughed and said, “This is my nose Wallace”, and then she lifted it up in the air. I jumped back I was a little scared at this big long nose.   “Can you sniff things with it”? I asked.  “Yes little one, I can sniff things with my nose, and I can pick things up with it too”.  “Move closer and I will show you”, Bella was smiling, I like Bella she is nice.  I moved closer just a little and Bella picked me up in the air and I was swinging, whooo, it was nice I like that very much. Back and forth back and forth, i was feeling sleepy, but I didn’t want Bella to stop.

“It’s getting late Wallace”, Bella said as she put me down to the ground again, “You have to go home now, it’s dark and your mummy will be worried”.   “Oh, I said, my yellow ball, I have to find it, oh no it’s my best yellow ball”.  I was worried and sniffed and sniffed. Bella helped me to look for my yellow ball and she found it fast before I did.   “Here it is Wallace, she said, “now come along and I will take you home”.    “You will have to show me the way Wallace; I will hold your tail till we get to your house”.  Bella’s big nose took hold of my tail and we slowly walked back to my house.

When Bella and I got to my house, mummy was so pleased to see me, and she said to Bella, “Thank you Bella for bringing Wallace home, I was worried in case he had got lost.”  Then Bella patted me on my head with her big nose and said, “It was nice to meet you Wallace, you were a good boy “.   “Can I see you tomorrow Bella”? I asked.  “I will be going away tomorrow Wallace, but I will be back next year, you can come and see me then”. Bella smiled again, I like Bella’s smile.  I wagged my tail and went, woof, to Bella to say goodbye, then mummy took me into our house and I went straight to bed and fell asleep, I was very tired, but I was very happy because I had met a new friend called Bella and she is an elephant from a faraway place, how cool is that!  I see Bella every year when she comes back to the field and we have such good fun playing with my best yellow ball.

This is my  entry for Bluebell Books: Short Story Slam Week Six–Children’s Literature.  Bluebell Books 

Author

Jeanie McBain

Hello,

I am a retired freelance journalist who has a passion for writing. I am married with three grown up children and three wonderful grandchildren.

I am now enjoying life as a senior citizen.

See author's posts