Leo and the Blackberries

HEY!!! This was just a school project, and I think it turned out REALLY good, so I decided to post it on Wattpad! Enjoy the short story! :D 

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Leo was a ladybug, all red and shiny. Not a spot on his back. He was proud of the way he looked, and sometimes, it got him into trouble. A lot of trouble.

            One of those times was when Sebastian, the naughty squirrel, who lived in a knothole of the eucalyptus tree, started to taunt him.

            “Hey, Leo! You’re so red! I bet you that you couldn’t steal one of Chloë’s blackberries! You would stick out like a sore thumb!”

            Of course, cocky as Leo was, he said he could. A few minutes of bickering had passed before Basil the bird flew by with a twig in her mouth. She was making her nest warmer for the baby birds. When they started getting particularly mean, Basil glared at them like a raven would, not a blue jay.

            “Boys! Stop fighting; my eggs need to rest! And why would you want to steal a blackberry, Leo? You’re a ladybug! Just drop it.”

            Leo ferociously shook his head and arrogantly said, “Red I am! Proud of it too! Sebastian, I take you up on your challenge. I will go to Chloë’s nook of blackberries and take one. I’ll carry it back to you, and when I succeed, the shame you shall feel will be so unbearable!”

             Basil chirped, “Chloë?! You’re going to steal from Chloë, the Coyote Goddess?! That’s —”

            “That’s foolish,” rumbled Kai.

            Kai was the wisest, oldest koala in the entire forest. Some said that he could see into the future, while others said he lived back when dinosaurs roamed! Whenever someone had a question, they would ask Kai for advice.

            Kai continued. “You should not steal from Chloë! She has a temper. Do you know why I only eat eucalyptus leaves?”

            No one could answer.

            “Because of Chloë! She . . .” Kai took a deep calming breathe, “She cursed me for taking a nap in her home after I raided her nook. Leo, listen to me, and listen well.  You are like the uncontrollably floods in theGreatRiver. Just keep yourself at bay, and you won’t do anything that you’ll regret.”

            Leo scrunched his eyes. He had no clue what Kai was talking about. That was the problem with the old koala: He spoke in riddles so that no one could ever understand him. Leo rolled his eyes and crawled down the tree. He was going to get those blackberries and show Sebastian who was boss.

w w w

            When Leo got to the nook, he had to admit, he was surprised. Chloë had hid her blackberries very cleverly; the were stashed in a hollow log that looked empty, since the berries were black like the dark hole. The only way to get to the blackberries was to climb around the rocky boulder it was lodged in and get it from the other side. Luckily, Leo was small enough that he could just go through.

            He crawled into the dark space and marched in bravely. Suddenly, he bumped into something. A smirk grew on his face as he realized what is was.

            “I got it! Hah, take that, Sebastian! Now, all I must do is . . .” shouted the victorious Leo.

            He put all his muscle into rolling the blackberry out of there. He panted heavily; the blackberry was so much bigger and heavier than he was. But Leo was determined. So Leo wiped the sweat of his brow and shoved, kicked, and did anything it took to get the blackberry back to Sebastian.

            Leo started to see light ahead and he cheered. With renewed strength, he heaved it out into the sunlight. He grinned widely and whooped. Just as he started to coast downhill, for the rest of the way was down the hill, a shadow blocked his light. Leo raised his head and met the eyes of . . . Chloë!!!

            He started to stammer, but Chloë interrupted him before he could explain.

            “WHAT ARE YOU DOING, PEASANT?! DO YOU DARE STEAL MY BLACKBERRIES?! GIVE IT BACK, BEFORE YOU GET HURT!!!”

            Leo began to hand it back, but just as Chloë was about to reach for it, he snatched it away and scampered down the hill.

            “COME BACK, LADYBUG! I WILL GET MY REVENGE, I SWEAR! YOU WILL REGRET THIS!!!” she growled menacingly.

            Leo laughed as he sat on the bouncy blackberry. He hollered his joy every time he raced over a especially large bump in the trail. Eventually, the berry rolled to a stop next to a tree with nice shade.

            I guess I could take a nap, thought Leo. I deserve it; after all, who got the blackberry and escaped Chloë! Me! Haha, I can’t wait to see Sebastian’s face!

            He jumped of the berry and made himself comfortable on the moss hugging the tree. Leo closed his eyes and started to doze off, dreaming of Sebastian’s face, showing with shame and disbelief, but most of all, awe . . .

w w w

            “Why hello there, little ladybug. I told you I would get revenge.”

            Leo was jolted awake. A furry paw was knocking him around on the ground. He yelped and ran for the safety of the berry . . . but where was it?

            “Looking for the precious blackberry?” snarled Chloë.

            Leo glanced up nervously and saw the tiny thing held delicately in the goddess’s mouth. He gulped audibly. Chloë snickered.

            “Please, don’t make me eat eucalyptus leaves like Kai! Please don’t!”

            Chloë laughter rose from a snicker to a howl. She took the berry out of her mouth and said, “Hahaha! No, I won’t do that, but, how would you like spots? Nice black spots all over your shiny, red back?”

            Leo gasped. “No! No, not my back! I’d rather eat eucalyptus leaves! Oh no, please, no, no, no!!!”

            “Too late,” she purred. Chloë pinned Leo under one of her paws and put the berry back into her mouth. She bit down on it gently and watched the sweet, juicy droplet separate into five. The goddess closed her eyes and murmured a incantation. The five drops landed on Leo’s back, leaving five perfect circles on his back. Leo winced as each drop ruined his spotless, well used-to-be spotless coat. Chloë strutted away, her job done.

            Leo was ashamed, for he now understood what Kai was talking about. When Kai said the floods of theGreatRiver, he meant pride. And Kai knew that Leo had too much of that in his system. All Leo had to do to keep his untainted coat red was to ignore Sebastian’s taunt and stay calm, or as Kai said, stay at the bay. Leo stared at the ground. He knew he could no longer return to his home. Instead, he marched to a city miles away, his head hung down in shame . . .