Once upon a time, in the kingdom of Sakanakamakia—which means “kingdom of the hairy cow” in Symbelite language—there lived a hairy cow named Nelson. Nelson was a quiet cow, the type of cow that enjoyed a good book by the fire. He wasn’t the type for adventure, but he did enjoy a nice vacation once in a while. Since Nelson was a hairy cow, he was considered sacred in the kingdom of Sakanakamakia, as its name implies. Now surprisingly, not many animals felt inclined to become friends with the sacred hairy cows. They thought them to be aloof and snooty. This was just one of the joys of being Nelson...
One day, while buying grapes at the market, Nelson ran into a particularly rebellious cockatrice named Ariana. A cockatrice is a two-legged dragon with a rooster’s head, a rare beast in Sakanakamakia. Ariana was extremely adventurous, and enjoyed anything and everything with the word “extreme” in it. Ariana did not care for the common hairy cow stereotype, so she and Nelson became fast friends. Every Tuesday, they met up and frolicked in the purple strawberry fields (Sakanakamakia was famous for its production of purple strawberries). Nelson and Ariana had a wonderful time each week.
Another Tuesday came and went. Nelson was starting to get bored of this routine. He desperately wanted to find something new to do with his friend. Suddenly, the greatest idea east of Saka falls hit Nelson in the head like a bowling coconut (bowling coconuts are large, heavy, perfectly round coconuts native to Sakanakamakia). Nelson’s idea was that he and Ariana would go on a journey to Nako Township to visit his dear old Grandmother Flowerface. He had had not seen her in years, and needed to make sure that she was OK. She also made
just about the best gingersnaps in all of the kingdom. Nelson hurried to share his idea with Ariana. She loved the idea, and they decided that they would leave in three days.
The three days whizzed by. In a flash, Nelson and Arianna were all packed and ready to go. This was not saying very much, as they only packed one thing each. Neither of them wore clothing normally, but both wore clothing to swim and they didn’t know if they would have to swim to get to their destination. Ariana had packed her watermelon patterned bikini and Nelson his Hawaiian swim trunks. All ready to go, they met at Pinecone Intersection in the center of town, to begin their quest for gingersnaps!
Nelson and Ariana first had to cross Scorched-Up Desert. Scorched-Up desert was the hottest and driest place in Sakanakamakia. They passed lots of tumbleweed and cacti. Nelson, being extremely hairy in every way, was practically burned alive. Ariana, having thinner feathers and scales, was still hot but had nothing on Nelson. About ten minutes into their desert trek, an orange lizard about the size of a canary popped out of a tumbleweed in front of them. “Hello, my name is Skipper! PREPARE TO BE PULVERIZED!!!” he hissed. Nelson and Ariana ran. They ran and ran and ran until they reached the other side of Scorched-Up desert, feeling hot and shaken but relieved to be in one piece (each). They were also relieved to see a cool, shady bank of trees ahead.
Nelson and Ariana found themselves in Forget-Me-Not Forest. The forest was covered with Forget-Me-Nots, from earthen floor to leafy treetop. As you can tell, the name was very fitting. Nelson felt relieved, for the forest was much shadier, and therefore cooler than the desert. Here they met a positively jittery red squirrel named Nutso. He kept asking the
travellers to stay for a cup of acorn tea. This was hard to refuse, as Nelson did enjoy its nutty aroma. However, they managed to pull themselves away from Nutso’s pleas, and continued on their quest.
They next passed into the Abandoned Harbors. Nelson and Ariana moved quickly, for this was an eerie place to get stuck at night. Years ago, the harbors had many docks that housed boats exporting purple strawberries and bowling coconuts from Sakanakamakia, and bustled with sailors, ship loaders and merchants. But it became abandoned after the Great Battle of 1562. Now, the harbors were dark, the docks were broken, no ships sailed in or out, and no one ever visited again. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, Ariana saw a small cupcake. She pointed this out to Nelson, and together they crept up to it very slowly. Assuming it was safe, Nelson took a BIG bite. Surprisingly, the cupcake bit him back. It then quickly turned into a large troll which immediately chased them all the way out of the Abandoned Harbors.
As they emerged from the Harbors, what came into view was a cozy little cottage shaped and colored like a large toadstool. When they knocked on the door, who was to open it but dear old grandmother Flowerface! There was much hugging and kissing which, involving two hairy cows and a cockatrice which is not the prettiest affair imaginable. However, they were thrilled to see Flowerface, and to have completed their odyssey. Over a cup of chamomile tea and the best gingersnaps in all the kingdom, they told Grandmother Flowerface all about their adventures in the Desert, the Forest and
the Harbors. Grandmother listened to their every word, and shared stories about her own trips through those places as a little hairy calf.
Nelson and Ariana stayed a week with Flowerface, and swam in the pond behind her house, which make them glad they brought their bathing suits. They helped Grandmother sweep her house, fix her roof, and collect wood for the winter. They also ate lots of gingersnaps, and kept Grandmother Flowerface baking, baking, and baking! As they prepared to leave, Nelson and Ariana thanked Grandmother Flowerface for everything, and promised to visit again soon.
The End