Chapter 1: A Summer Day in the Forest Hideaway
In the deep forest, where the trees reach up to the heavens and the birds sing their joyful songs, a very hot day began.
The sun shone directly overhead, and everything around seemed to be scorching. The heat was so intense that even the leaves on the trees hung down, as if trying to escape the relentless sun.
In the forest lived a little squirrel named Vivi, who was just waking up to this hot day. She scampered down the branches straight to the local clearing, where she was supposed to meet her friends.
As she climbed down the trunk of the last tree, she was startled by the silence that enveloped the entire clearing. “Where is everyone?” she asked herself.
Every day is so much fun here; Fox Phoenix plays tricks with Bunny Brando, and the local crickets play music while the frogs Dada keep the rhythm.
“Ugh, it’s really hot today. Could it have spoiled today’s plans for a fun day with the animals? But where did everyone go? I’m really hot too,” Vivi sighed.
As she hopped back home, a nut fell on her head. “Ouch!” she exclaimed. But when she looked closer at what had hit her, she was delighted and decided to rest under the big walnut tree and have a little snack.
As she nibbled on the nut, she noticed something moving in the shade of a large oak tree. “What is that?” she said curiously. As she got closer and closer, the rustling sound grew louder.
When she was very close, she exclaimed, “Is that you, Hedgehog Speedy? Or am I just imagining things?”
Hedgehog Speedy was so startled by Vivi that he curled up into a little ball under a pile of dry leaves. “Why are you hiding here, Speedy?” Vivi asked.
“It’s cooler here, Vivi,” replied Speedy with a prickly smile. “The leaves and the shade from the tree protect me from the sun.”
“Oh, so that’s why you didn’t come to play at the clearing, right? Yes, it’s terribly hot today. How can you just stand here? I’m really hot too, but I love our days in the clearing when the whole forest plays and frolics together.”
“You know, Vivi, such hot days can be challenging for all the animals. That’s why it’s important for us to hide in the shade of the trees, which protect us from the sun. The animals in the forest know that under the thick leaves of the trees, in burrows, or under rocks is the best place to hide from the heat.”
“Yes, you’re right,” Vivi replied.
“Listen, Speedy, I have an idea. Let’s try to find all our forest friends and see where they are hiding.”
“Could you give me a bit of that nut to refresh myself, Vivi?” “Of course, here you go, but let’s go now!” And so Vivi and Speedy set off to find their friends. As they walked through the forest, they called out together, “Friends, where are you? It’s us, Vivi and Speedy!”
By the tall grass behind the tall fir tree, they suddenly saw the head of the wise old owl named Samuel peeking out, who was hiding in his hollow high up in the tree. “Samuel, what are you doing up there so high, for heaven’s sake!” Vivi shouted. “And why aren’t you at the clearing like every day?”
“Hello Vivi, hello Speedy! Here in this tree hollow, there’s always a bit of a breeze, and the walls of the hollow protect me from the heat,” explained Samuel, waving his wings. “The air circulates here and it’s pleasantly cool. I really wanted to come to the clearing to play today, but I couldn’t even open my wings, it’s so hot today.”
“Yes, I know,” replied Vivi, beginning to understand that all her friends were probably hiding somewhere in the forest from the scorching sun. “Come with us, it will be more fun, and we’ll find out where all our animal friends are hiding.”
“Alright,” answered Samuel, and so they set off on their journey as three friends: Vivi, Speedy, and Samuel. Samuel flew around the forest looking for other friends, while Speedy skewered apples on his spines to occasionally refresh Samuel and Vivi. As they moved through the forest, Samuel suddenly shouted:
“Vivi, Speedy! Listen, I think I see Lucy, well not her, but her tail,” he laughed! “Where?” cried Speedy and Vivi! “Come over here!” Vivi and Speedy ran over and indeed found Fox Lucy, who was hiding in a cool burrow in the ground, with only her tail sticking out. “Lucy, why did you hide in this burrow?” Vivi asked.
“The burrow is deep and the ground is cool,” answered Lucy. “Down here, it feels like a small, cozy house where the sun has no power.”
Vivi had already found many friends, but she still hadn’t found everyone. The animals were hiding in various places, and the group was slowly growing. But Vivi felt that some of her friends were already terribly exhausted from the heat and other friends might be even further away, perhaps at the edge of the forest or even in the city park. So she decided it would be best to go there alone.
She set off straight for Sparrow Viktor, who lived in the large park in the city. As she moved from the forest into the city park, Vivi felt the air getting warmer and warmer. The abundance of concrete and the scarcity of trees made the temperature unbearable. Vivi knew that her friend Sparrow Viktor could be in trouble. When she found Viktor, he was sitting in a small patch of shade under a bench, his beak open.
“Viktor, it must be terribly hot here,” said Vivi.
Chapter 2: Finding Friends
“Yes, Vivi, it is, but I’m trying to find every bit of shade I can. I make sure to stay hydrated and sometimes dip my feathers in a small fountain,” answered Viktor.
Vivi thought for a moment and decided to see how the other animals in the park were coping with this relentless heat. She walked along the concrete paths and soon found her next friend from the outskirts of town, Rabbit Zaza. Zaza was hiding under a thick bush, where there was a bit of shade.
“Hi, Zaza!” called Vivi. “What are you doing curled up under this bush? Are you hiding from the heat too?”
“Hi, Vivi,” replied Zaza. “It’s a bit cooler under the bush, and the ground here isn’t as hot. I’m trying to find some relief here.”
Vivi nodded and continued searching for other friends. A little while later, she found a small frog named Gabi, who was hiding under a large flower bed.
“Gabi, is it better and cooler under those flowers?” Vivi asked.
“Hi, Vivi,” said Gabi. “Yes, it’s more humid under the flowers, and sometimes a few drops of water fall from the sprinkler,” she laughed. “It helps me cool down a bit because it’s really hot today.”
Vivi was glad that all the animals had found ways to cope with the heat. But she knew that the city park was only a temporary solution. They needed something more permanent to help them survive the hot days.
As she returned to the forest, she thought about what they could do. On the way by the big linden tree, she met an old tortoise named Tom, who was hiding in the shade of a large rock.
“Tom, how are you dealing with this heat?” Vivi asked.
“Hi, Vivi,” answered Tom slowly and wisely. “I hide in the shade of big rocks and trees, and sometimes I cool off in the stream. But you know what would help all of us the most? More trees. Trees and their shade can save us from such heat.”
Vivi thought about it and realized that Tom was right. “You’re absolutely right, Tom. We don’t have enough trees, especially in the city,” said Vivi. “If we planted more trees, we would all have more shade and cool places for everyone. I’ll go tell all the animals right away!”
When all the animals were together, they started brainstorming how they could help their surroundings. In the city, Frog Gabi decided to create small puddles where birds and other animals could refresh themselves. In the forest, Samuel decided to distribute tree seeds, which the local pigs and squirrels would collect. Together, they would plant as many trees as possible to provide more shade and cool refuge in the forest.
Vivi would make “water carriers” from walnut shells. These shells would be filled with water by Beaver Mandy and Pandy. Fox Phoenix and Bear Bob would transport them. Every animal, both from the forest and the city, would contribute to help the trees grow faster and provide more shade.
Samuel decided to distribute tree seeds in the forest, which the local pigs and squirrels would collect. Together, they would plant as many trees as possible to provide more shade and cool refuge in the forest.
Vivi was excited that all the animals were working together to improve their environment. She realized that with enough trees and proper care, they could all survive even the hottest days.
At the end of the day, all the animals from the forest and the city gathered at the edge of the forest by a small stream, where the flowing water provided relief for everyone. Together, they planned how they would continue their work to improve the environment for themselves and future generations.
“Together, we can do a lot for our forest and park,” said Vivi. “More trees mean more shade, more homes for us, and a better environment for everyone.”
The animals smiled at each other and nodded. They knew their collective effort would make a difference, and with this knowledge, they all looked forward to a future where they would live in a cooler and more pleasant environment.
The Hottest Day in Vivi’s Forest