Rachel 11-8-07
Frank and Prickly
Prickly was a very ill tempered porcupine. He lived in an old, rotting, hollow log with a turtle named Frank. Frank had the complete opposite attitude from Prickly. Frank was the most optimistic turtle you could ever find. No one ever knew why Prickly and Frank lived together, but some think it is to keep each other in check, that is to say that Frank doesn't let Prickly get to grumpy, and Prickly won't let Frank be to optimistic.
One day, Prickly woke up and began his usual complaining. "Its always so dark in here." he said. "When I go to sleep, its dark. When I wake up, it's still dark! How am I supposed to find my way around this old log if I can't see?" "Oh it's not so bad Prickly!" piped up Frank, "At mid day, there's always a stream of light that comes through the bark. We have to be thankful for that, look at bats, they spend their whole lives in the dark. Maybe you could go outside every once in a while to get some sunlight and fresh air!" "I'm not a bat, I'm a porcupine." argued Prickly, "And it's cold out this time of year. And don't you go on about how polar bears have so much fun in the cold 'cause I'm not a polar bear either!" "Oh Prickly! You're so funny! But really, you should go out, the cold can be very bracing!" And so their morning went on like this, as always.
The next morning, Frank woke up to a bright sunshine hitting his shell. He blinked open his eyes and heaved a sigh of contentment. He turned around to see two black beady eyes surrounded by quills staring at him menacingly. "What did you do!?" Prickly spat at Frank. "Well I made a sun roof yesterday while you were out. Now in the morning there will be a beautiful sunshine to greet you when you wake up!" replied Frank. "It's too bright now!" complained Prickly "The dreaded sun woke me up early this morning! How do you expect me to sleep in if its so bright in this old log?" "Yesterday, you said it was too dark though. Besides, the early bird catches the worm!" said Frank. "I'm not a bird or a worm thank you very much!" And so their morning continued, much as it always did. Frank spent the rest of his day fixing the roof for Prickly.
The next morning Prickly and Frank woke up at the same time. "Good Morning!" said Frank. Prickly grunted. "Do you notice anything new?" asked Frank. "It's gray in here… Why isn't it too dark, or too bright?" asked Prickly in shock. "Well yesterday, while I was repairing the roof, I decided to do the whole log! Now it lets in just the right amount of light! Isn't it great Prick?" Prickly stared up at the roof of the log, and he could see it, but he didn't have to blink in the brightness. It was perfect. And for once Prickly didn't have anything to complain about. However, he didn't seem happy at all. He crawled to the back of the log, grumbled and was silent for two whole days.
Prickly woke up looked around him and gave a small smile, things were in a wreck again, it was dark on one side of the log, and the other half was way to light. The roof had caved in on one side and to top it off, there was mold growing on the floor. Frank came up to him, " I'm sorry! The roof must have caved in the night, do you want me to fix it?" he asked. "For now, I suppose it can stay, but it smells in here. I may not have the nose of a bloodhound, but I can tell you that this half of the log stinks worse than ever." Frank knew that he had the old Prickly back. And for once, they agreed, the log smelled terrible.