The Tale of Shelly & Snowy

Along time ago, in a beautiful forest, lived Shelly tortoise and Snowy squirrel.

- Ranjana Jaiswal

Shelly was quiet and calm, while Snowy was full of energy and mischief. She was truly a sight to behold—her small white teeth, fluffy tail, cute ears and soft, cloud-like fur made her look adorable. She was full of pride and would often boast, saying, “Look at me! Just look! Isn’t my coat the most beautiful in the whole forest? No one has fur like mine! No matter how much I jump, skip or roll in the mud, my coat never gets dirty. Just one good shake, and I’m clean again!”

Then, she would shake her body vigorously, and like magic, all the dirt would fly off. Every animal in the forest admired her.

“There is no one in the forest as beautiful as me!” she declared.

Shelly, on the other hand, would sigh in disappointment whenever she looked at Snowy. “I wish I had a beautiful coat like Snowy’s. Everyone would admire me, too, but...”

Shelly was nothing like Snowy. Her shell was dull, her legs were short, and her movements were slow and heavy because of the hard shell on her back. While the other children in the forest ran around playing games, she could never keep up.

In hide and seek, she was always found first. No one ever wanted her on their team. Even in cricket, they would get her out quickly.

“Shelly is out!” they would shout, teasing her endlessly.

One day, Shelly spoke to her only friend, Smarty Owl.

“Smarty! You are such a good friend to me. Please, will you stitch me some new clothes? Look at everyone else—they have such beautiful clothes, but I …”

Smarty smiled and said, “Nature has created everyone with care, Shelly. You are very special.”

But Shelly felt Smarty didn’t really understand how much people made fun of her.