The Squirrel's Flying Acorn

The Squirrel's Flying Acorn - Author : Ebru Mina TOMURCUK

High in the big oak tree, where the leaves whispered all day long, lived a squirrel named Pip. Pip had warm russet-orange fur, a fluffy curved tail, and big amber eyes that sparkled with questions. Pip loved to build things. In a cozy hollow in the trunk, Pip kept a tiny tool belt with a wrench and a screwdriver. Every morning, Pip climbed out and looked at the sky, wondering. 1

Pip had a secret wish. "I want to fly," Pip said, wiggling small tufted ears. "Not just hop from branch to branch. Really fly!" So Pip began collecting treasures: twigs, vines, soft moss, and one special acorn cap. Down in the workshop hollow, Pip spread everything out. The little round nose twitched with excitement. "I will build a flying machine," Pip said, "shaped just like an acorn!" 2

All week, Pip worked. Snip, snap, twist! The tool belt jingled as Pip bent twigs into a frame and stretched moss over it. The acorn cap became a perfect little nose. Aviator goggles sat pushed up on Pip's forehead, ready for the big day. At last the flying machine stood finished, shiny and round. "Tomorrow," Pip whispered, "we fly!" That night the wind hummed softly through the leaves. 3

Morning came bright and golden. Pip climbed onto the acorn machine and pulled the goggles down over big amber eyes. "Ready, set, go!" The little propeller spun. The acorn wobbled left. It wobbled right. Then it tipped sideways and plopped into a soft pile of leaves! Pip sat up, blinking. "Well," Pip said, "that was a wobble. But I will try again!" 4

Pip tried new wings made of wide oak leaves. Whirr went the propeller, and off went the acorn! It flew three whole branches before a gust of wind nudged it sideways. Bump! It landed in a bush full of berries. Pip climbed out, sticky and giggling. "Too wiggly," Pip said, and wrote a note with a tiny pencil. Wide wings wobble in the wind. That was lesson one. 5

From a nearby trunk came a tap-tap-tap. A woodpecker with a bright red crest and black and white feathers peered down. A thin blue scarf fluttered at its neck. "Hello! I am Tap," said the bird. "I saw you flying. Well, almost flying. Want some help?" Pip's fluffy tail curled with hope. "Yes, please!" Pip said. "I keep crashing, and I do not know why." Tap pulled a small notebook from under one wing. 6

Tap perched beside the acorn machine, tilting a sharp grey beak this way and that. "Your wings are too flat," Tap said kindly. "Real birds curve their wings a little." Tap sketched a shape in the notebook. So Pip cut new wings and bent them into a gentle curve. "Now test it!" said Tap. The acorn zoomed off fast, then flipped right over. Crash! "Hmm," said Tap, writing. "Curved wings flip too fast. Another test!" 7

They tried again the next day. This time Pip made the wings smaller and stiffer. Before takeoff, Tap tapped the frame three times. "Everything tight? Everything straight?" "Everything tight!" said Pip, checking the goggles. The acorn rose up, smoother now, but a stiff wing snapped in a breeze. Down it came, tumbling into clover. Pip brushed off leaves. "One more lesson," Pip said. "Strong wings need to bend a little." 8

Tap nodded and opened the little notebook. "Look what we know," Tap said, pointing with a clawed foot. "Flat wings wobble. Curved wings flip. Stiff wings snap. Every crash is a clue!" Pip's amber eyes grew wide. "So crashing is not failing," Pip said slowly. "It is learning!" "Exactly," said Tap, and the red crest bobbed happily. They hurried back to the workshop to build something brand new. 9

Together they worked all afternoon. Pip twisted vines while Tap measured twigs. They made wings that were curved a little and stiff a little, with bendy tips that could wiggle. Tap tested each joint with a sharp beak. Pip tightened each screw with the tiny wrench. The acorn machine grew stronger and smarter. The fluffy tail swished with excitement. "I think this one is our best," Pip said. 10

At last the new acorn machine stood ready, gleaming in the sun. It had four bendy wings, a moss-green body, and a shiny acorn-cap nose. Pip climbed in and pulled the goggles down. Tap tucked the notebook away and gave a cheerful whistle. "Remember," said Tap, "if it wobbles, we learn. Then we try again." Pip took a deep breath and held the little steering stick tight. 11

The propeller hummed. The acorn lifted off the branch, steady and sure. It rose higher, higher, past the leaves and the woodpecker's trunk! It did not wobble. It did not flip. It zoomed straight through the treetops, smooth as a dragonfly. "I am flying!" Pip shouted. "I am really, truly flying!" Tap flapped alongside, laughing, blue scarf streaming in the wind. 12

Far below, the forest looked like a green quilt. Pip swooped around the oak, over mossy branches, and past the workshop hollow. A few other squirrels looked up, eyes wide. Pip landed softly by Tap with a happy thump. "We did it!" Pip said. "No," said Tap, grinning. "You did it. I just wrote things down." They both laughed until their bellies ached.