The unexpected by gaby

The Unex pect ed

Wr it t en and Illust r at ed by Gaby Gomez Dedicat ed t o Oliver Er gas

?Squirrel is back! The vicious horrible meanest criminal is attacking Happyville!" Nicholas, the lion reporter, screamed in shock. At 97 NN (97 news network) everything was catastrophic. The main village news had just found out that their worst nightmare had become reality. Nicholas continued, ?Here is a witness who saw him? ? Then a giraffe turned up with heavy breathing and wide eyes then uttered ?I was on the bus when I saw a furry tail. I knew it must be him since there are no squirrels in our village and we only have two bunnies. It was a brown tail so I knew it wasn?t them since they have white ones.? The giraffe was still open eyed. He hadn?t even twitched an eye. ?This is Nicholas the lion as your reporter and Gary the giraffe as our witness. Good afternoon Happyville.? Happyville was shocked, they were all in the main plaza watching the soccer game when the news came on. Nobody could believe it. Every animal left running to hide in their houses. They had heard of what Squirrel had done to other villages. They couldn?t imagine how Happyville would end up like after Squirrel destroys it. But most importantly, they couldn?t imagine who Squirrel would have the pleasure of attacking first.

Since everything was hyperactive in the village, Takoa, the mayor wanted to try make everything ?normal?. So he asked the only musician in the town, Frodo, if he could play a few songs to calm down the people.

Since Frodo never rejected a gig, he accepted. Frodo started to prepare and create new songs.Night had come, it was 7:00 and some village people had already started to come to his night club. By 7:30 everyone was there, ready to hear their favorite musician. Frodo came out and started adjusting his microphone, right before he was about to start playing the guitar they heard the door slam open.

BOOM! The glass door shattered into a million pieces.

Everyone turned back to see who it was. Normally Happyville was a calm place and nobody was mean, no robberies, no stealing and no bullying. Everyone was nice and empathetic, they cared about each other. That is why they were surprised when they saw a small, soft, fluffy brown tail in a black robe.

Everyone slowly and very carefully turned around to look at each other. All mouths were wide open yet you couldn?t hear a sound of breathing or gasping. A little baby elephant began to cry. She had heard about Squirrel and was not happy to see him.Her tears became a small puddle and her mom tried and tried to calm her down but nothing worked.

Squirrel?s famous malicious smile formed from ear to ear. Squirrel fought his way like a ninja through the crowed and in no time he was in front of Frodo, with a trail of destruction in his wake. Animals had been thrown to ground and others were hit at the process.

Squirrel and Frodo paid no attention to that since Squirrel was face to face with Frodo. Frodo could hear a low cold heart beat and a warm breath at his shins.

Squirrel grabbed Frodo?s guitar and smashed it to the ground a million times until there was nothing left except broken strings and pieces of wood. He grabbed Frodo?s microphone and did the same to it. Wires and electricity were thrown to the air.

CRASH! SMASH! BOOM! Frodo?s only guitar. He was heart broken. Then, again Squirrel fought his way through the crowd with his ninja/karate skills and was gone. All the bears, tigers, lions wolves, bunnies, giraffes, etc. were screaming in fear. They ran all over the cafe. Bumping into one and other again and again( the cafe is not very big).

Nobody could believe it, especially Frodo,all he could think about was why Squirrel attacked him. Was it because all the animals were there. Was it because Takoa(black bear)the mayor and Taiden(alpha wolf)

were there? After all, they are the only animals who could have a chance against Squirrel. Nobody wanted to hear his songs and instead ran home (again).

Phones ringing possessed the sound of the night. All the animals were calling each other, making sure everyone was ok.

Meanwhile, Frodo was sitting at his desk thinking about and listing ideas of why Frodo attacked him and why he broke his guitar and mike. Why didn?t he attack Taiden or Takoa? He couldn?t come up with any ideas of why. Normally his desk always helped and inspired him to get ideas. That was the same desk where he wrote his songs. But he couldn?t come up with a single thought except the two obvious ones: He probably broke my guitar to spread fear?

Maybe he attacked my club since almost everyone was there and he saw me first so he attacked me?

The next morning Frodo went directly to the library to do some research. He wondered if that would help find out why he was the victim. He searched about what Squirrel had done to other villages. In Treegap it said Squirrel had attacked one of their musicians and that a few minutes later, he attacked the other musician. Then in Hogsmeade he attacked the music bar. Again he attacked the only musician of Stars Hollow. Then out of nowhere it all became clear to him.

Frodo yelled, ?it?s the music!? All the animals in the library stared at him. The librarian shushed him, but he was so proud of his accomplishments, he didn't even feel remotely embarrassed. Luckily he brought his trusty notebook and he started taking notes.

Frodo knew he would never be able to catch Squirrel by himself. He didn't know who to share his plan with, animals might just think it is a bad idea. The only animals he could trust were his family, his pack.

He was going to direct them with the solution. Right away he started running towards his pack, hoping they were all there. He ran for what seemed like hours, yet they were only seconds. His pack thought of him as a very nice animal but as just a musician, they always thought that he couldn?t do much. Well he was going to prove them wrong. Frodo was so proud with his accomplishments that he just wanted to scream out for the world to know. He had found a way to catch one of the greatest villains of all time. Finally he arrived to his home. But, not all of his pack were there. He just couldn't wait to give the news so he rounded up the ones who were there. ?Pack, I want to address you with a solution to a huge problem that started yesterday. It?s

about Squirrel...? Everyone gasped one wolf even said ?How dare you speak the name!? While another wolf yelled in anger at the mere mention of his name. ?You have a solution?!? ?Yes I do,? continued Frodo, ?It is music that drives him mad. We have to play music to lure him into a trap, then Happyville will be safe.? The 13 wolves of the pack who were there, just laughed. And laughed until they couldn't stand anymore, some of them even fell down. ?The music! Ha! Everyone likes music!? yelled a wolf.

Frodo tried to persuade them ? It?s true! I promise, you have to believe me!? Yet nobody believed him. They didn't even pay attention or listen to him. Frodo ran off and started to cry and scream, why did everyone think he was just a fool, just some musician. He couldn't believe it. He just kept thinking and thinking until, Pum! Something hard but soft bumped into Frodo. When he looked up to see who it was, he saw Taiden, the alpha wolf of the pack. ?I am so sorry Frodo.? Of course Frodo greatly respected the leader of his ?tribe.? So he felt really embarrassed and thought it was all his fault. He felt greatly ashamed since Taiden was one of those 13 wolves who listened to him.

Taiden probably thought that his idea was also very dumb. ?No, no Taiden, it?s my fault,? Frodo couldn't help but have a voice full of sorrow. ?...I am really sorry. I was just getting to the...the? the library, yeah the library, I forgot my pen-.?

But Taiden cut in, ?Look, I know you probably think that I think your idea is not the best. But it's the contrary. I believe in you, you have to pursue your idea. I will help you find what you need to prove it to everyone. But you can't just give up, you have to have grit!?

Frodo couldn't believe it, his hero, idol even, believed in him. He knew he had to complete his mission.

Frodo was home, in his cave sitting at his favorite wooden desk which was engraved with his own illustrations. He kept thinking and drafting plans to catch Squirrel. But every plan he wrote and drew, sounded bad as he re-read it. He knew he had to catch Squirrel by music, but what if Squirrel was wearing protection over his ears at this very moment so that music won't enter his ears (?which would totally make sense,? Frodo thought as it made sense that Squirrel would do everything he could to avoid the thing that drove him crazy: music) , then Frodo?s plan would be ruined.

He had to have a second plan in case the first one didn't work. But there was one serious problem Frodo had: he didn?t have a guitar to play music with, which would be key if he was going to lure Squirrel into his trap. No many animals played music so they didn?t have instruments either, and if they did, it probably wouldn?t be a guitar since Frodo was the only one who knew how to play it.

Frodo sang and played guitar and only guittar. Maybe he could sing! But what if singing wasn?t e what drives squirrel crazy since, after all anyone with a sweet voice can sing. Maybe even Squirrel can. ?It must be, no, it has to be the instruments,? he thought So what was Frodo going to do? ?That will come in later, but first I have to decide on a plan? he told himself. ?It will have to be in a closed area where no one is around, like my cafe when it?s closed.

Yeah, and I will have to lure him into my cafe and set up a trap. Then,...then....then I will talk to him or something. But first of all, I have to find an instrument, and learn it.? A beginning of a plan was starting to form in Frodo?s mind. It had flaws, with all kinds of room for improvement, but it was a start. This felt good to Frodo. He had to find a way to keep this mental momentum.

The next day all you could see were wide eyes and animals sticking together, huddled and quiet. They thought that if they stuck together, Squirrel would not likely attack them. Oh, how wrong they were.

There was one huge group walking to what was going to be their last day of school. The principal couldn't risk the fact that Squirrel might attack the school, so they decided to close the school until Squirrel left.

The group of friends were whispering to each other and were almost running to school when they turned a corner and saw a fluffy tail. They were all paralyzed, frozen as an ice cube.

Except for Elinor, the female elephant of the group. She started pulling them away. ?You guys, move, we are all going to be killed. Oh, come on!? she tugged so hard on most of them that when she let go she tumbled over and almost fell down. ?Well, I am not dying today so, goodbye!? Elinor started walking at first, then jogging, and she finally started running until she heard something behind her. Elinor froze and slowly turned around. There was no one there, only her group of friends in the same position as before. She slowly turned around again as the sound that she heard continued. She had been planning on just running home and not going to school. Her decision was changed in the next moment. As she started to make her first dash to safety by running for her life, she saw a small brown body.

?I can?t believe you would abandon your friends!? A hoarse voice came from where the noise originated... it was Squirrel! Elinor couldn?t believe it, and, like her friends, she stayed awestruck. She knew it would be the end of her. Fortunately for her, she was wrong yet again. ?Well go ahead, go back to them- you traitor. Friends are precious. You can lose them-? Now Squirrel?s voice became sad and depressed. ?- at any minute.? Elinor quickly turned around and darted toward her group, when she looked back to see what Squirrel would say, he was gone. That is when Elinor noticed that her friends were hugging her. Why had Squirrel let them all go?

Elinor looked through her backpack, putting back what fell out of it when she dropped it. Everything was there except for? her flute!!! Her instrument, her only hope in music class (she was the leader of the Hamilton High orchestra and Mr. Roberto was not a very thoughtful professor). The flute was the thing that made her happy when she was sad. Why did Squirrel want her flute? All she knew was that she would tell the police, maybe it could give them hints about him. So she went to the police department and told them. But it didn?t seem to be any help. ?You saw Squirrel and he didn't attack you! He just took your flute! Why didn?t you call us? We could have caught him!? The police just kept chatting and yelling to each other that at one point, they didn?t seem very happy with Elinor 's information. Elinor just slipped out and they didn?t even notice. To her it seemed that she helped, but really, it didn?t help a bit. It turned out to be a complete waste of time to go tell the police of her encounter with Squirrel, and to report the fact that he stole her flute. ?Well, at least it didn?t help them,? she thought. Taiden was part of the police department. So, as soon as Elinor told them about the flute, he immediately started thinking and knew he had to tell Frodo.

At 8:00 PM the police animals had finished their day at work. Immediately Taiden left jogging home. He got home at 8:10. When he arrived, any animal that was awake wanted to talk to him. They wanted to ask him if Squirrel had been caught, if Squirrel was still in the village, and they wouldn't let him go until he answered.

Tension was definitely at an all time high.

After what felt like an eternity of endless questions and attempts at answering, Taiden was finally in his cave getting ready to sleep. Frodo walked by his cave to say goodnight. Taiden said goodnight back, but then remembered what he had learned at the police department. ?Wait, Frodo! May I talk to you? It?s... something important,? Taiden called with an unexpected forcefulness. Frodo?s eyes widened- nobody THAT important ever wanted to talk to him; Especially not about something important. Frodo took a step back and looked at Taiden, Taiden beckoned him in. Frodo slowly walked in. He didn?t know what to say. Was he in trouble? Was his idea bad after all?

With a quivering voice, Frodo stood up and asked, ? Y...y...yes??

Extremely excited, Taiden smiled. The smile calmed Frodo, which was important because of the conversation that was about to take place. Taiden then said ?Well at the police department, this tigress, who said her name was Elinor told us that Squirrel attacked her? No, he didn?t attack, he showed up and let her go, but he took her flute. I thought this tidbit could help you make your plan since you said Squirrel hated music and, well, a flute makes music.? Taiden still kept on smiling. Frodo felt pleasant feeling, because of the smile.

This tied things together in Frodo?s mind in ways that confirmed everything he?d been thinking. ?Taiden, thank you so much. It really does help me. I am done writing my plan but, the steps to getting there are a little hard. But again, thank you, that helps me make sure that I was right.? Frodo spoke with a knowing smile on his face. He spoke rapidly but with intention. Then (again) they said goodnight to each other and were off to sleep.

.....

That night, Frodo had an awful nightmare. He had put his plan into action in his nightmare, but it all went terribly wrong. He had found an instrument, a flute, to play on his first step of the plan. But Frodo didn?t know how to play, so in the end it sounded awful. Like a chicken playing the piano? just terrible. So, instead of Squirrel getting into his trap, all the other village animals attacked him to make the awful sound cease. Out of the corner of his eye, Frodo could see Squirrel in the background, laughing hysterically. He was even making imitations of what Frodo looked like. A monkey trying to climb a window instead of a vine, always slipping back down. A kangaroo in a boxing tournament against a gorilla, helplessly kicking but always getting disqualified.

Squirrel just kept laughing and laughing, with his laughter getting so over-the-top that it literally knocked him down. Squirrel?s mocking made Frodo burn with rage and embarrassment.

The gorilla from the police department was about to teach him a good lesson when, Frodo woke.

He was breathing heavily and could barely sit up, with his dream?s lessons sticking with him. But of course he knew that ridiculous dream scenario wouldn?t happen. Happyville was not like that, they were very generous, if that were to happen, they would probably congratulate them for his effort. He probably got that nightmare from the horror movie he had watched before getting to sleep. Frodo did try to think of the dream as a warning to have all the details of his plan accounted.

.....

That morning Frodo took a nice shower in the village?s clearest waterfall. It was nice since no other animals were there. It was refreshing when he came out since it was a hot day, so, the cool breeze was refreshing.

Frodo decided that he was going to focus on trying to find an instrument to play. The other steps to his plan were relatively simple. He started by asking the wolves from his pack for help, but he wasn't going to tell them what the help really was for because he was sure they were all going to just laugh at him all over again.

Cave by cave Frodo asked everyone. At his last cave stop, Mr. Roberto, the music teacher, had an old trumpet saved in his attic. Frodo committed to take classes three times a week to learn the trumpet. He had to make sure his plan worked, and his dream had taught him a lesson before things got real.

Frodo was a fast learner so after a week he had already mastered some skills. The plan could now be taken into action.

Traps were positioned and Frodo was ?armed.? He had his trumpet in his hand and he wasn't afraid to play it. He looked outside his cafe. The ?closed? sign was showing itself and all the lights were off. The city was as bright as the night of New York and as quiet as a mouse. Perfect.

He then played the only song he learned, ?Amazing Grace.? It sounded beautiful, a soothing lullaby, a peaceful melody, it was just marvelous.

Sadly for the listeners, but great for Frodo, the song lasted for less than a minute. The music faded away and replacing it was a whole new battle.

Suddenly, but not unexpectedly, the door broke down (there were no windows for Squirrel to shatter since he broke them before. He likes making big entrances) and a fluffy tail appeared in the corner of a wall. In the blink of an eye, Frodo was face to face, nose to nose with Squirrel. ?Do you want to go the easy way, or the hard way?? The hoarse voice was heard yet again. Squirrel?s knuckles were cracking, he was prepared for the battle that was about to come. ?Any way? we NEED you to stop attacking animals.? Frodo?s voice echoed through the cafe. There was a sure tone to Frodo?s voice. As they stared into each other ?s eyes, Frodo?s pupils said one thing: this is REAL. Squirrel?s eyes were mischievous with the same famous evil smile that was also haunted Frodo?s nightmare.

?Then I guess it's gonna have to be the hard way.? The hoarse voice combined with the awful smile made Frodo's spine feel like a tube with freezing water running through it, he shivered. But he stood up again. ?I guess so-? and with disgrace Frodo whispered, ?...Squirrel.?

Slowly but steadily they both started walking in circles eye to eye, trouble was on its way.

Frodo made the first move and jumped ahead. But Squirrel was faster.

KABAM! Frodo banged his head on the wall, he felt as if a tall red lump appeared on his head like in the cartoons. Squirrel laughed, an evil, high-pitched laugh. Frodo shook his head and then again looked at Squirrel.

This time Squirrel made his move.

He jumped towards Frodo. His leg leading in a striking position so that he would hit Frodo in the stomach. Frodo freaked out, put his hands in front of his stomach, as if catching a soccer ball.

PUM! Squirrel?s leg was caught in Frodo?s hand. Frodo opened his eyes slowly and saw Squirrel trying to free his leg. Squirrel started to cry out in a mix of surprise and rage. Something like this had never happened to him before. Frodo was just amazed. Squirrel looked like a little cub whose candy was taken away. It was hilarious!

Frodo laughed and laughed he couldn?t help it. He was about to fall when he remembered that Squirrel was in his hands.

Frodo picked him up like a baby and tied him in a nearby chair.?Now don?t get naughty, be a good boy or else you get a timeout.? Frodo mocked. He was really enjoying this moment. But immediately he felt as if he was lowering down to Squirrel?s level so he stopped.

?Look Squirrel, I really hated the way you treated the village I love. Why did you try to destroy us like that? Do you have no empathy in your heart? Everyone was scared to death.? Frodo kinda shouted, he wasn?t joking now, he was dead serious. The moment was even scary because of his uncertainty about what Squirrel might say in response. ?Me? Not empathetic... I mean-? Squirrel shouted back, ?you guys are all the ones that are not empathetic. Don?t you see that I have a problem? The stupid music kiiills me. Fine, not kill but irritates. Your music is like fingernails on a chalkboard!? Frodo was speechless. ?I figured that out already. But why didn?t you just say so before attacking almost every village and town? I mean, Taiden knows a bit about building. I could help him build some type of special headphones. It didn?t have to be this way...? This time Frodo was whispering, he just couldn?t believe that he was right and that music was truly the reason for the attacks.

Suddenly Squirrel was calm. His eyes wide open. ?Really, you would help me? No one has ever helped me before, actually, no one has even been close to me before.? Now he started to become a bit emotional. It was becoming clear that Squirrel attacked first because he didn?t know that there could have been another way. ?Of course I would help you if it were for the good of the population. But you have to promise to never attack anyone again.? There was a pause. This was THE moment. It was all so simple, and, in that moment, they both realized that ALL of THIS could have been avoided had they been able to find this solution sooner. They smiled at each other. ?Is it possible, to persuade the village to let me stay? This is the most beautiful village I have attacked. I would really like to stay. If your village would want me to help fix my mistakes anyways.? Frodo saw Squirrel and thought he looked like a little kid who wanted candy and was beginning to beg for it. His heart swelled with relief and joy. ?Of course you can stay, we will show the village our solution and I am sure they would let you.? Frodo's smile broadened and he started to unknot Squirrel?s rope.

Squirrel smiled, he was relieved that finally something good was happening. ?Look, I have a confession to make-? Squirrel looked at the floor, he didn?t know how to say it, ?- This is going to sound really crazy. I am actually not a bad animal. Each night I regret what i?ve done, how much animals I have hurt, I really feel awful. You probably won?t understand but the music is so harmful to me that it causes physical debilitating pain. I truly didn?t know what to do except stop music from all over the world. At the beginning I didn't think it would be that bad but now I see how much destruction I produced. I really feel relieved that there finally might be a chance of redemption.? Squirrel had a very melancholy voice, Frodo could tell he was telling the truth. ?Wow, that was pretty powerful. I understand, there are just some flaws we?re born with that are hard to get past.? Frodo smiled and looked at Squirrel, he was smiling back. ?Well anyway, I guess I am going to have to take you to

Takoa's house.He is the mayor. I would let you stay at my place but it?s pretty small, you would be happier at Takoa?s.? Frodo took Squirrel to Takoa?s right away. It was a 5 minute drive so they were there pretty quickly, Tok, Tok, Knock!

Slowly the door opened, creaking was heard. ?Hi Takoa! I am sorry for waking you up at midnight but I caught Squirrel and thought I could leave him here. But you can't take him to jail. He really has turned good.Can I come in to explain??

Frodo spoke as he held Squirrel behind his back. Takoa's eyes were wide open, he opened the door a little wider and invited Frodo in.

Frodo explained everything, how he caught Squirrel, how he knew it was the music, and on until the part where he explained the solution (custom noise-canceling headphones); including how Squirrel wanted to stay to fix his mistakes.

Takoa at first didn?t understand a bit. But then after a few minutes of re-thinking and listening, he understood completely. ?That was a lot of information. Thank you Frodo. Thank you for catching one of the greatest villains of all time, thank you for not giving up after the wolves from your pack laughed at you, thank you so much-? Frodo smiled and felt really happy and proud, but then Takoa looked at Squirrel, ?Squirrel I think it was really wrong what you did to those other villages. But I understand, somethings just drive us crazy, or make us frustrated or angry. But I need you to promise me you will never go whacko like that again.

You can stay at Happyville, we will get you a residence and an I.D card. I will have the best therapist help you-? Squirrel squirmed, ?even if you don?t want to. It?s not because you?re crazy or anything but I think you should learn how to control your feelings if music is played and you don?t have your headphones.? Squirrel then smiled, of course he understood and was really glad that someone really cared about him. ?Well I better get going, it?s pretty late. Bye Takoa, bye Squirrel. See you soon!? Frodo waved goodbye and immediately went home to bed.

That night Squirrel stayed at Takoa?s where he was treated better than he should have, considering all the terror he?d brought to Takoa?s village. Takoa and Squirrel talked all night, and, in the end, became really good friends. Squirrel slept at Takoa?s guest house. Of course, there was still a guard outside just in case Squirrel got a bit moody.

That morning, Takoa called an urgent council meeting.

With everyone at the village center, they began. They probably thought Squirrel had attacked someone or that Squirrel escaped from all of the police's hands because they didn?t have any words when they saw Squirrel in a suit next to Takoa waving at everyone and looking free. Some of the animals even told Takoa that Squirrel was right next to him in fear. Takoa just laughed and said ?I know, I?ll explain it in the meeting.... Good Afternoon Happyville.

I would like to inform you that Frodo caught Squirrel.? A round of applause answered his sentence, ?thank you. Frodo please come up here in the middle where everyone can see you.? Frodo waved and walked to the middle.

?Thank you, it was not easy, but I had a lot of grit which was key to coming up with what turned out to be a simple solution.? Another round of applause began but soon died away.

Then Takoa continued speaking. ?Yes, that was a great accomplishment, I think he deserves an award to show our gratitude,? again, another applause. Frodo bent down his head as Takoa took out a huge medal, ?This medal was the medal that was given to the founder of Happyville, and now it goes to Frodo!? The resulting applause was deafening. ?Although that is amazing, we really have to get to the point: Squirrel. Frodo had found that Squirrel has a little problem with music. We found a solution. These music-cancelling custom made headphones won?t allow music go into Squirrel?s ears but they allow words to get in in case we need to talk to him. We thought Taiden could help us build the headphones and anyone who is committed and wants to help, can. We found a solution to the problem that makes Squirrel a little mad. Squirrel and I had a little talk last night and he told me that he fell in love with Happyville.

He really wants to stay, fix his past mistakes, and I knew had to ask you guys about this huge question. Before you make your decision though, I want you guys to know that I trust Squirrel and I think you should too. We had a very deep talk and he has seriously changed because he knows that we care about him. He knows we care because of Frodo, his amazing persistence, and his ability to show Squirrel the light! So, please stand up if you think Squirrel should not stay.? Takoa's amazing speech seemed to really touch everyone. Most present were moved deeply. Deeply enough to forgive, right then and there, Squirrel for all his previous havoc.

Takoa's speech was so persuasive that out of some 100 animals, only 5 stood up. The decision had been made.

Then a jaguar stood up and yelled, ?If you trust Squirrel, then I trust him too.?

An elephant stood up and reiterated the feeling, ?When I yell ?Squirrel should?you yell ?stay in Happyville.? ?Squirrel should,? everyone instantly yelled back? ?STAY in Happyville,? including the 5 animals that didn?t want Squirrel to stay. Everyone, at this point, was persuaded and Squirrel was welcomed into the community.

Drinks, sodas, junk food and dessert- all the things you need for a perfect party. At Takoa?s mansion the party of the year was happening. Sadly, not Taiden nor Frodo were able to go. They had decided to start building the headphones right away. Squirrel couldn't attend the party either since there would be loud music and Frodo needed his head measurements.

Bam!! Sshhh! Ziip! Chuck, chuck, chuck, chuck!

Frodo and Squirrel cut the pieces and Taiden put them together.

Pieces of wire and blue and green paint (those were the colors Squirrel wanted) were all over the place.

Finally they were done. The most beautiful working headphones that have ever been created were finally ready. Squirrel had to leave the workshop, Frodo and Taiden were going to test the headphones. Testing it on Squirrel was there first idea, but what if the headphones didn?t work? They couldn?t risk it.

Squirrel was waiting outside for a minute but to him it felt like an hour, he was so happy, excited but scared too, what if the

headphones were a fail? He was walking back and forth extremely rapidly. He heard whispers. ?Why were they whispering? Did it not work?? thought Squirrel.

Taiden came out first, then Frodo, they both had disappointed faces. Squirrel?s heart skipped a beat.?So Frodo sung one of his best songs to me and sadly, I couldn't hear a single word.? Taiden?s voice was so melancholy that it took Squirrel a few minutes to realize what Taiden meant: the headphones worked! ?They work! They work! I can't believe it! Then let's go get the party started!? Squirrel was so happy, from ear to ear a huge smile stuck in between and it wouldn't get off.

They went to the party and had the time of their lives. Squirrel and Frodo were thrown in the air, crumbs of cake were all over the place and the drinks never stopped finishing. They danced through the night with everyone embracing the joy that came with realizing their biggest fear just became a special community member. ***** Frodo made a big difference that day. Everyone thought that only Taiden or Takoa could actually do something that impactful. After all, they were the strongest, and most influential in the whole village. That day Frodo changed that belief.

He showed and proved that even the most unexpected animal can make a huge difference. Frodo proved that anyone can do anything they want by not giving up and persevering. He also showed that everyone should be empathetic and understanding with everyone, including a villain. Frodo became a hero on that day because he had not only solved their Squirrel problem, but also proved to everyone that anything was possible.

About the HS Empathy Book Project The grade 5 Literacy Group students published and illustrated these empathy picture books as keep sake gifts for their High School buddies. The grade 5 Literacy Group students conducted several empathy interviews with their High School buddy. These interviews were designed to help the grade 5 students to understand key components of their buddy?s identity, which were captured in these picture books.

Prior to the interviews and picture book project, the grade 5 students investigated ?what makes a great story? by closely reading several award-winning picture books. They learned about plot, character development, author ?s craft, and literary devices. The grade 5 Literacy Group students even inquired about a literary device of their choosing, developed a lesson plan for their High School Senior, and then taught the concept through an interactive small group mini-lesson to that senior. Those literary devices made it into these picture books as our students know that, properly employed, they enhance a great story.

The grade 5 Literacy Group students should be commended for the energy and enthusiasm poured into these final products. Our hope is that our Nido High School Seniors appreciate the pieces of ?their identity?that our students crafted into their picture books.

About the Relationship Gabriela (aka Gaby) met Oliver for the first time in the high school classroom when they noticed they would work together to make this picture book possible. After a series of questions that she asked Oliver via email or face to face, Gaby was able to get to know Oliver a lot deeper than in the beginning. She learned how he?s a musician, he knows judo and he is a great listener. If he could he would like to make the world a lot more empathetic and in this picture book he starts by helping a villain. Even the smallest effort can make a big change. We hope Oliver can continue to strive in school, and in making the small efforts that lead to big changes in our world.