A Stranger In The Green Forest

By Simi Adigun

With a dangerous stranger still on the loose and rabbits still going missing in the Green Forest, nobody is safe. Tortoise continues his quest to uncover the identity of the outsider if only to help put Rabbit's mind at ease.

Having hatched a crafty plan to lure the unwanted guest into a trap, Tortoise must wait to see if his idea works.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pearl Stream Publishing
• Release date: Aug 27, 2022
• ISBN: 9781736332382

Simi Adigun

Dr. Simi Adigun is a Counselor, Life Coach, Professor of Christian Life Coaching Courses, and the Founder of Divine Purpose Counseling and Coaching. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, children, and her Maltese puppy. She is the author of the devotional book, 21 Destiny prayers, and the Children's book series, A Stranger in the Green Forest. When she is not writing, she enjoys spending time with her husband and children, reading books, and doing research on mystic experiences and how it impacts our world. She believes that through our inner imagination, we can all live outside of our known environment to create what we have been destined to become; watching as it manifests in our natural lives.

Book preview

1

The Trap

Foxfoofoo knew he had to get himself together before stepping out of the bushes. This was his opportunity to get into Tortoise’s house. He brushed the leaves from his outfit and stretched.

If I can get the map tonight and also find my way to Rabbit's house for supper, that would be perfect, he grinned. Talk about killing two birds with one stone.

Foxfoofoo snuck out of the bushes carefully, looking left and right to be sure that no one was watching. Slowly and carefully, he made his way towards Tortoise’s house, taking a good look at his surroundings. While walking the length of the house, he noticed that a window was open in the back. He pressed against the wall of the house and stopped to catch his breath as he drew closer to the window. He rubbed his paws together and stretched his neck to peek through the window. He knew he would not dare to go inside the house through the front door. That would be too risky, he thought, while he gripped the edge of the windowsill. He had seen Tortoise lock the door when he left.

Getting in through the window seems to be my only option. I don’t think anyone would notice me being here, he whispered to himself.

He did not know that Tortoise had left it open deliberately.

Foxfoofoo, blissfully unaware of Tortoise’s plans, climbed through the window and entered the kitchen. He looked around, tip-toeing from one side of the room to the other, observing his environment. He saw the pot on the stove with big plumes of steam rising from it.

Hmm, what do you know? The great soldier can cook, heh? he said, smirking. He looked inside the pot, eyeing the porridge sauce. Ha! … A pot of sauce? Is that the best he can do? Just sauce?! He stepped away from the pot and strolled out of the kitchen.

Hmm, Foxfoofoo mumbled and looked around. His face spread into a mischievous grin. This will be easy peasy for Foxfoofoo. No traps anywhere, no hooks, no militia. He shook his head. For a retired Grigri militia leader, he does not own much at all. Just a few chairs and a table, how disappointing! His ancestors had fought with the Tortoise Grigri Land for many years to get the map. Although the war between them had ended many years ago, he was aware of their history. He hissed as his gaze roamed the dining room. No treasures, no gold, no diamonds, nothing to show for his years of serving his tribe. He chewed on his lower lip.

"This is pathetic!" he said firmly.

He stopped suddenly and raised his eyebrows. Standing in front of Tortoise’s bedroom, fixated on the militia uniform on the bed, Foxfoofoo stepped into the bedroom.

Oh, well, this is a treasure, he said. I see he kept his medals. He stroked the crisp pressed uniform, feeling it crinkle under his paw. Then, more gently, he stroked the medals. They were in shipshape condition as the uniform and gleamed under the dim evening sunlight. Foxfoofoo raised his hand dismissively in the air. Of what use are all these honors if they only come with medals?

He sighed and sat down on the bed.

I have to stay focused. Where is the map to the Treasure Land? His eyes darted around the room nervously. I need to get out of here before he returns, and I must get to that robust Rabbit’s house as fast as I can. I am starving for delicious meat!

He threw open Tortoise’s closet doors and searched exhaustively for the map. He slammed the closet in frustration and sighed, falling onto his tail. From his seated position, he could spot some boxes under the bed. He reached for them and started ripping open the containers, rummaging through the items in desperation. He stopped abruptly and wiped the sweat from his fur.

He placed his hands under his chin as his thoughts drifted to the story his mother told him about a dwarf fox named Swalifloot, who won a precious gold box at the open championship race. To protect his prize, Swalifloot cut a hole in his mattress and hid the gold box inside. No one could find the box because he had sealed the hole back up and flipped the mattress upside down. Even on his deathbed, he refused to tell them where he hid the gold box. The storm that destroyed Swalifloot’s forest swept the mattress to the end of the river and finally exposed the gold box.

As he thought about the story, he walked closer to the bed and flipped the mattress over. He saw an old cloth rolled up under the mattress. He threw it on the floor and pulled out the straw mat under the mattress to see if anything was hidden there. He placed the bed back in position and sighed.

Where is this map? The elders said Tortoise the Warrior was given the map after the war. He rubbed his head and walked out of the bedroom. "Oh no! I forgot to put that cloth back," he said as he rushed back into the bedroom. He picked up the old cloth, but it slipped out of his paws. He quickly grasped it before it could hit the floor.

Why is this cloth so heavy? I don’t have time for this, he said. He lifted the mattress to place the cloth back under the bed when he noticed that something moved inside the cloth. He frowned and dropped the mattress back down, holding the old cloth firmly.

He placed the cloth on the bed and gently unwrapped it to reveal a piece of parchment, rolled up like a scroll. He untied the string on the scroll and gently pulled out a map.

He could not believe his eyes. Could this be the map of the Treasure Land? He had to be sure. He sat on the