by Suzanne Purvis -
Mei Ling Kyndall had a nose for adventure. And today she couldn’t wait to use her smell-errific, super-sniffer at the most adventurous place of all—the gigantic, titanic store that has everything. Rows and aisles, departments and shelves, stocked and chocked full of adventure.
So when her daddy opened the car door, Mei Ling took a deep snuffly sniff. “Ooooooo, I smell adventure.” She closed her eyes, took another sniffly snuff and said, “Yes! My smell-errific nose tells me there’s a wild blossomy rainforest adventure filled with monkeys and parrots and more.”
But when Mei Ling jumped from the car onto the hard black pavement she said, “Ugh. Greasy, gasoliney, stinky car smells.” So she plugged her smell-errific nose with one hand and grabbed onto her daddy’s big hand with the other. “No time to waste. This is the most fabulous place. I must find my wild blossomy rainforest adventure filled with monkeys and parrots and more,” she said through her pinched-up nostrils.
She skidded through the sliding doors, un-pinched her smell-errific nose, and rose on her toes. “Ooooooooo. Can’t you just smell the adventures?”
But then her daddy pushed over a steely, cagey shopping cart.
Mei Ling frowned. “Riding in shopping carts is for babies. I’m all grown up and ready for adventure.” So she waved and set off, following her smell-errific nose.
Her daddy chased after her, close on her heels, pushing the steely, cagey shopping cart.
Mei Ling skipped and hopped around shoppers, around carts, and around a stack of watermelons toward a warm doughy scent—the bakery department. She rose on her toes, gave a big salute and said, “I’m Mei Ling and I’m ready for my baking adventure.”
She wrapped an apron around her middle, donned her chef’s hat, and stirred up an adventure. Flouring her hands, Chef Mei Ling kneaded the dough. She shaped rolls and braided bread. She squirted and squeezed icing to decorate two birthday cakes, three dozen cupcakes, and a coconut cream pie. DING. DING. DING. When the oven timer went off, she taste-tested the peanut butter cookies. Yum.
Then her daddy pointed to the steely, cagey shopping cart.
Mei Ling waved and said, “We haven’t found the wild blossomy rainforest adventure filled with monkeys and parrots and more.” So she set off, following her smell-errific nose.
Her daddy chased after her, close on her heels, pushing the steely, cagey shopping cart.
She skipped and hopped around shoppers, around carts, and around a stack of shampoo toward a springy, bouncy, flip floppy smell—the sporting goods department. She rose on her toes, climbed onto a trampoline and said, “I’m Mei Ling and I’m ready for my acrobatic adventure.”
She wiggled into her purple sequined leotard and bounced into an adventure. Acrobat Mei Ling twisted and twirled, perfecting her double somersault with a half twist. She flipped end over end over end to thunderous applause. BOING. BOING. BOING. She pointed her toes and soared almost to the ceiling.
Then her daddy pointed to the steely, cagey shopping cart.
Mei Ling waved and said, “We haven’t found the wild blossomy rainforest adventure filled with monkeys and parrots and more.” So she set off, following her smell-errific nose...
