Danielle finds a new friend

This is a story of a little girl named Danielle.

Now Danielle is a three year old who lives with her mum and dad in a house with a little red door and a gate that creaks when you open it, and a pathway that is far too narrow for a big buggy to go through.

Everyday, Danielle looks forwards to walks with her Mummy. They talk, sing and see many interesting things along the way.

Yesterday they saw a bumble bee sitting happily on some lavender, growing rather unkempt in a house near Aaran's.

Danielle wondered what they would see on their walk today.

It seemed rather uneventful. The day was dreary and the clouds looked like they were about to pelt big blobs of rain on Danielle and her Mummy. So Mummy said, 'Alright then, time for home!'

Danielle was disappointed. She hadn't seen anything new!

All of a sudden, on the path near their house, Mummy spotted a little snail. He was brown and greyish and blended perfectly with the pavement. Mummy would surely have stepped on him if she hadn't been more careful.

Danielle had never seen a snail up close before. So she stooped to have a closer look. The snail seemed unperturbed by her peering gaze and continued his slow crawl over the uneven pavement.

Danielle was intrigued. Such a cute little snail. It would be nice if I could keep him, she thought. So she asked Mummy.

"Mummy, can I keep him?"

"You'd like to keep him? As a pet?" was her mummy's surprised answer.

"Yes, I'd like to keep him as a pet."

Mummy pondered for awhile, then shook her head.

"No, Danielle, the snail would prefer to be outdoors and be free. Then he can eat fresh green grass and crawl wherever he wants to. I think he would be happier outdoors, Cheeky."

Danielle's heart sank. But she knew Mummy knew best. She wanted the snail to have all the fresh grass he could eat too. And she wanted him to be happy.

Mummy saw the forlorn look on Danielle's face and said, "Perhaps you could give him a name? And whenever we go out for walks, we can call out to him. And who knows, maybe he'll visit us at our house one day?"

Danielle cheered at the thought.

"I shall call him Sidney. Sidney the snail."

Mummy smiled.

"Sidney, that IS a nice name, sweetheart."

"Yes, we shall look out for Sidney tomorrow, shan't we, Mummy?"

With that, Danielle took Mummy's hand and together they skipped home, their hearts bursting with joy that Danielle had made a new friend.

== The End ==