Week 4: The Sloth, The Toucan and The Activity Gym

Type of writing:

Short story inspired by The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.

How long did it take to write? 

Hour and a half.

Once there was a child called Kit. He was born during a Lockdown. This wasn’t what he had in mind. In utero, he had grown restless. Life was comfortable in the womb. He felt safe and protected. But like a Year 6 student, he had outgrown his surroundings. He was ready for big school.

When Kit did arrive, he was disappointed. He couldn’t see as far as he hoped. He didn’t travel far either. His life felt small and confined – just as in the womb. What was the point in coming out when he couldn’t be out out?  Yet, his mum and dad seemed pleased with him. Like an exam they were desperate to pass, they studied him day and night. His mum made a note of his feeds. Drew a table of nappy changes. His dad even downloaded an App.  Despite parenting being a constant test, they had no regrets over choosing the subject.

But Kit was bored. He dreamt of adventure. Of exploration. To uncover and discover the world around him. He didn’t envisage 4X4 walls: house, crib, bath, travel cot. Had he merely swapped one enclosure for another? Was it worth the push and pull, the screams and cries, the wipe down and weigh-in if it meant life was pretty much the same? Like the titular of The Truman Show, he had navigated his way out of confinement, only to hit a new wall. Would he ever be free?

The next morning, Kit thought the cycle of feed, sleep, poop would reoccur. He made his way down into the living room expecting to see the same Sleepyhead 3000, so boring that just looking at it sent him to sleep; the same rocking chair – what was he a grandad! And that same feature wall that was very now, but in a year would be very then. His cynicism faded though when he sensed something different in the corner of the room.

Instead of feeling the hard, smooth wood of the floor, he experienced something soft beneath his feet. A moment later and he was lying in the middle of a jungle with animals surrounding him. He knew it was animals because all his clothes had animals on. All the books his dad had read to him featured animals. All the pictures in his room were of animals too.  

So as he looked around him, he was pleased to see faces that weren’t just his mum and dad. There was a leopard, a toucan, a monkey and a sloth. Kit was excited about communicating with them. Their faces seemed more interesting than his mother and father’s. Also, the fact they were perched above seemed impressive. His parents couldn’t float above the ground; they were also too heavy to be picked up, so they couldn’t soar through the sky like him.

“Hello, Mr Leopard!” Kit said by moving his hand back and forth.

“Hello … erm … Mr Kit.” The leopard seemed nervous.

“Are you ok, Mr Leopard?”

“It’s just your top.” The leopard’s paws pointed at Kit’s vest that had a lion on with the slogan, ‘Just lion around.”

“I’m scared of lions,” conceded the leopard.

“I understand,” Kit replied by waving his leg. “But this is just a pun. You’re not scared of them are you.”

“No, I guess not.”

“Then there’s nothing to fear, is there?”

“You’re right.” The leopard’s face brightened. “Well, you’ve shown me that lions don’t have to be scary, Mr Kit. They can be fun too.”

“They can. Well, goodbye then Mr Leopard.”

Kit kicked his legs and made his way through the jungle clearing until he came across a toucan. Toucans are typically very sociable, normally hanging around in groups of twenty, like a stag or hen do. This toucan was on its own though.

“Are you ok, Mr Toucan?” Kit asked by waving his hand.

“I’m all alone,” the toucan sobbed.

“All alone?” Kit replied bemused.

“Yes, all the other toucans have gone off to breed.”

“Why didn’t you go too?” Kit questioned.

“Apparently, I’m not attractive. They say my bill’s too big.”

“It looks fine to me,” reassured Kit.

“Oh, I wish I could have a bill job like those Hollywood toucans, then I wouldn’t be all alone.”

“All alone? Who are you talking to now?”

“You.”

“So are you alone?”

“No, I guess not.”

“That’s right. You’ve got me and I’ve got you.”

The toucan smiled at this and said, “Thank you, Kit. You’ve made me feel so much better.”

“No worries. Well, goodbye then Mr Toucan.”

Kit kicked his legs and made his way through the jungle clearing until he came across a monkey. The monkey had a bunch of bananas with him. Kit was envious because all he ever got to eat was milk. All he ever got to drink was milk. Milk, milk, milk. There was no variety in his diet. It was so unfair, especially when he saw what his parents ate. It smelt delicious. Why couldn’t he have it.

“Hello, Mr Monkey.”

“Hi, Mr Kit,” returned the monkey.

“I see you’ve got a bunch of bananas there. My dad likes bananas. He always has one before running.”

“I just wish I had someone to share them with,” lamented the monkey. “The only company I’ve got is a leopard, a toucan and a sloth – and they don’t eat them.”

“Well, who are you talking to now?”

“You.”

“So you have other company then. And soon I’ll be old enough to share bananas with.”

The monkey smiled at this and said, “Thank you, Kit. You’ve made me feel so much better.”

Kit kicked his legs and made his way through the jungle clearing until he came across a sloth. Despite screaming even louder than the time the midwife pulled him into the world, the sloth did not wake up.

“Lazy sloth,” thought Kit. “Well at least I’ve got three more friends- other company that isn’t just my mum and dad.”

And on those words, his parents took him out of his jungle fantasia, bringing him close onto the sofa.

“Look he’s smiling,” his dad chimed.

“No, it’s just wind, silly,” scotched his mum.

It wasn’t wind. He really was smiling. Today, Kit’s world had got a bit bigger. Tomorrow, he would visit again. His adventures with Mr Leopard, Mr Toucan, Mr Monkey and Mr Sloth had only just begun. Life had suddenly become very exciting.