by Guy Belleranti -
Packrat jumped out of bed. "Yippee! Today is treasure hunt day!"
He munched a fast breakfast then dug through his nest. First he found his favorite hat. He plopped it on his head. Then he found his favorite sunglasses. He stuck them on his snout.
"Lovely treasures here I come!" Packrat sang.
He scampered past spiny cacti, but he didn’t see any treasures.
He scurried past thorny shrubs, but still saw no treasures.
Hmm. How about in the shade under that mesquite tree?
Packrat squinted nearsightedly through his sunglasses into the shadows. "Ooo, a cool-looking bumpy rock," he squeaked. "It'll be my perfect treasure."
But it was kind of big, maybe even too big.
Packrat slid his front paws under the rock and…the rock giggled. "Hee-hee, ha-ha, that tickles," it said."
Packrat blinked. "Tortoise! I didn't know you were a rock."
"I'm not," Tortoise said, giggling again.
"Oh." Packrat frowned. "Too bad because you would've made a perfect treasure."
"Maybe you can find a perfect treasure if you keep searching," Tortoise suggested. "I'll be happy to help. I've never hunted for treasure before"
"Let's go!"
So go they did. But not fast because Tortoise had only one speed. SLOW.
They passed several big boulders and tall saguaro cacti with arms but saw nothing that looked like a treasure.
Soon they came to a small hole in the ground. “Eureka!” Packrat cried. “We’ll widen the hole and find my treasure hidden inside!”
But before he and Tortoise could start digging Tarantula's hairy, scowling face peeked out of the hole. "What's with the racket? Can't a spider get some sleep around here?"
Packrat sighed. "Oh, dear me, it's you, Tarantula. Why couldn't you have been a treasure?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean I'm on a treasure hunt and even though Tortoise is helping I still can't find any treasure."
"Maybe you need more eyes? I have eight of 'em. Let me come along and we'll be sure to find treasure. And I'll get to stretch and exercise my eight legs at the same time."
"Let's go!"
So go they did. But not fast because Tarantula and Tortoise had only one speed. The same speed. SLOW...
