This is a fictional, chronological report, which some people might call a story. It is about two Pangolins and was created by Lara Summerfield-China as part of her online school work during lockdown.
One day there was a little pangolin called Pearl. She was a cuddly pangolin with toffee coloured scales which looked like pine cones. Pangolin scales are made of keratin, the same hard material as human nails. Pearl had big sad eyes like a dolphin, arms and legs like a tortoise and a nose like Hugo the new puppy.
Pangolins can live in a variety of habitats, from forests to arid deserts. They dig a nice cuddly home in the ground. In Pearl’s bedroom she had a heart shaped light and some orange slippers. There were four slippers, one for each foot. Pangolins can be pink when they are little. When they grow up they turn into a nice brownish coffee colour.
Today Pearl was very sad because she didn’t have any friends to play with. Pearl was sitting outside on a bench when she suddenly saw a boy pangolin. She thought to herself, ‘He might be a wonderful friend, I am going to say hi.’
Pearl said, ‘Hi, what’s your name?.’
‘It’s Pani Pangolin, what’s yours?’ he said.
‘Pearl Pangolin,’ replied Pearl.
Pearl told Pani that they had to be careful because pangolins were in danger of becoming extinct. Hunters were everywhere and were trying to get pangolin scales to make into medicine. Pani said, ‘Don’t worry I have a big back garden we can play in there.’ So they went through the back gate into the garden. There they saw a long silver escalator. Pani explained that the escalator had always been there, but he had never been up it because he caught his toes in the steps.
Suddenly Pearl saw a horrid hunter. She had her name, ‘Helen’ written on a badge pinned to her grey jacket. Pearl felt very scared and whispered loudly ‘Run quickly and carefully up the escalator.’ The two pangolins ran up the escalator so quickly they didn’t fall over, or catch their toes.
Pearl and Pani did not know that this was a magic escalator. They were surprised and amazed to find that, at the top of the escalator, they were in Lara’s kitchen, behind a plant called Fred, that was slowly dying because of Maia the cat. Helen the horrid hunter had chased the pangolins up the escalator and followed them into the kitchen. Pearl and Pani both screamed for help. They were frightened because they knew horrid Helen the hunter wanted to take their scales out.
In the kitchen were Lara and her two sisters Erin and Ella.
Erin said to horrid Helen ‘Go away or we will stomp all over you.’
But horrid Helen shouted, ‘I want those pesky pangolins!.’ So, Lara, Erin and Ella stomped all over her until Helen was as flat as a carpet.
Pearl was excited and grateful because the three sisters had saved them from Helen the hunter. Erin told Ella to carefully roll up and tie the carpet using the thick, black hair band that she was wearing. When Helen the carpet was rolled up, the three sisters threw her down the escalator. Helen counted all the steps on the escalator as she hit them all on the way down.
To celebrate they decided to have a party. Lara said she would bring chocolate cake and balloons. Erin said she would bring chips. Ella said she would bring coca cola. Pani said he would bring grasshopper sandwiches. Finally Pearl said she would bring ant jelly and slug custard.
Pearl and Pani thanked the three sisters for saving them from Helen the hunter, who wanted to steal their scales. They said goodbye and taking their balloons with them, they slid down the escalator rails so their toes did not get caught in the steps.
When they got back to Pani’s garden they took Helen the carpet indoors where they laid her by the front door so everybody could step on her.
Pearl said to Pani, ‘ How nice it is to have found another three friends in Lara’s kitchen at the top of the escalator. Now I am a really happy pangolin.’
The End
Acknowledgements:
The Happy Pangolin was created and illustrated by Lara. Grandad helped with the technology, typing and did some editing. He and Lara worked together using Zoom and Adobe Spark Pages.