Alligator Hunting

Today, I don't have anything new to say, so I decided to share with you a children's story that I wrote for a class a couple of years ago. I'm sorry there are no illustrations. Maybe I will illustrate it myself one day, but I doubt I will ever try to publish it.

Ooo, maybe I'll take special orders. If you like the story, I'll print it out and draw pictures on it for you, so that way every copy will be original. Haha. It's worth offering?

Anyway, here it is. I hope you like it! 

Alligator Hunting

By Jillian Torassa

It was a sunny day.

It only worked on a sunny day.

The alligators didn’t like the rain much.

Warren P. Vandoren III peeked out the window at the sky.

“No school and no clouds,” he whispered.

Today was the day.

He tip-toed to his closet and quietly packed his backpack.

Flashlight? Check.

Poncho? Check.

Box of crayons? Check.

String and paper clip? Check check.

Now all he needed was to sneak down to the kitchen and pack a peanut butter and honey sandwich, no crust.

“I’m going to go play with Kitcat!” he told his mom before he escaped out the door.

He hid his backpack so she wouldn’t worry.

Alligator hunting was a dangerous business.

Kitcat lived next door, and she was the one who first told Warren about the alligators.

“They live in the storm drains, and they only come out when it’s sunny,” she told him one day as they followed a stream of water racing down the sidewalk into the drain.

“But they won’t come out unless you promise to feed them a peanut butter and honey sandwich, no crust.”

Warren knew the alligators didn’t come out unless it was sunny and unless they had a peanut butter and honey sandwich, no crust, but…

He still avoided stepping directly on top of the storm drains. Just in case.

Kitcat was sitting on her porch, backpack ready.

“Did you bring the sandwich?”

“Yup.”

Kitcat grinned. “Then let’s go find some alligators!”

Warren yippy-ed, but his stomach hurt a little. He would never tell Kitcat, but he was secretly afraid of alligators. Just a little.

They held hands and walked to Cinderella Park.

Cinderella Park had the best storm drain in town, and Kitcat said that was where the alligator headquarters was.

Big Man Boss Gator made sure no one came in or out, unless there was a peanut butter and honey sandwich, no crust, involved.

Kitcat knelt over the drain, dangling the sandwich.

“Yoohoo! Mr. Boss Gator?” she sang out.

A low rumbly noise came from inside the drain.

“We have a peanut butter and honey sandwich, no crust!” she said.

Warren heard the sound of scratching claws. The alligators were in there. And they were going to come out.

Then they started coming out one by one. Alligators. The size of moms.

Warren trembled a little. But Kitcat did the talking.

“We want you to take us on an adventure,” she told the biggest gator, who was Big Man Boss Gator himself.

The gator tilted his head.

“Do you have a flashlight?” he asked in an alligatory voice.

Warren quickly opened his backpack. He took out the flashlight, and showed it to Big Man Boss Gator.

“What about a poncho? And a box of crayons?”

Warren took those out too.

“Very well,” Mr. Boss Gator grumbled, “but do you have the most important thing of all?”

“What is the most important thing of all?” Kitcat asked bravely.

“A paperclip tied to a string,” Big Man Boss Gator said.

Warren grabbed the string and paperclip from the bottom of his backpack as fast as he could, and tied them together.

“Good,” Mr. Boss Gator said. He sat low on his four legs.

Kitcat climbed on first. Warren was scared, but he took Kitcat’s hand, and climbed on behind her.

“How did you know we would need all that stuff?” she asked him.

Warren shrugged. “They just seemed like things an explorer and alligator hunter would need.”

Kitcat turned around and smiled. “Good thinking.”

“Are you ready?” Big Man Boss Gator called over his shoulder.

“Ready,” said Kitcat.

“Ready,” said Warren.

“Then let’s go,” said Big Man Boss Gator.

And in they went.

First they entered a dark tunnel.

“Flashlight on!” Mr. Boss Gator instructed.

Warren turned on his flashlight, and looked around.

The walls were covered in sparkly jewels and green slime.

“Gator slime always attacks humans, unless it is exposed to light,” Big Man Boss Gator explained.

Warren was glad he had brought his flashlight.

“Now put on your poncho,” Mr. Boss Gator said.

Warren and Kitcat both crammed into the poncho, just in time to go under a giant waterfall.

Warren was glad he had brought his poncho. He had a feeling he wouldn’t want to have wet clothes in this alligator lair.

“Now I must leave you,” Big Man Boss Gator announced. “But if you draw anything on this wall, it will come to life in this room. Have a fun adventure, and remember: choose wisely what you imagine.”

Then, he was gone.

Warren pulled out his box of crayons. “What should we draw first?”

“I’m hungry,” Kitcat said. “Let’s draw ice cream.”

Warren took out a brown, pink, and green crayon.

Kitcat drew strawberry ice cream, Warren drew mint chocolate chip.

And sure enough, ice cream cones started popping out of the ground, like spring flowers.

“Cool,” Kitcat breathed.

After eating lots of ice cream, Warren and Kitcat were very sticky.

“Let’s draw a bubble bath,” Warren suggested.

They each drew a bubble bath. Warren’s had blue bubbles, Kitcat’s had pink.

And just like that, two bubble baths fell out of the ceiling, and Warren and Kitcat washed away the ice cream.

Warren was sleepy, and his tummy hurt a little from so much ice cream, so he drew himself a bed.

“Goodnight, Kitcat.”

“Have a good nap, Warren.”

But Kitcat wanted to draw some more.

She picked up the crayon box and started thinking.

She peeked over her shoulder to make sure Warren was really asleep.

Then she drew a flamingo.

Then a gazelle.

Then a hippo.

Then a tiger.

Warren woke up when he heard a low growl.

There was a tiger starring him in the face.

“What did you do, Kitcat?” he whispered. He didn’t want to provoke the tiger.

“I just wanted to see if it would work.” Kitcat whispered back. Warren could tell she was finally scared.

He looked at the tiger, He looked at the hippo. Then he looked at the gazelle.  

“Put this on.” Warren threw the poncho at Kitcat. The tiger’s tail twitched.

Warren reached into his pocket for the string and paper clip.

“When I say three, grab my hand, and hold on tight,” he said.

“One.”

The tiger’s ears flattened.

“Two.”

The tiger growled.

“Three!”

The tiger pounced, but not before Kitcat had grabbed Warren’s hand and Warren had lassoed the gazelle tightly around the neck.

The gazelle ran for the waterfall, the string holding the paperclip, Warren holding the string, and Kitcat holding Warren.

The tiger ran after them, but they escaped just in time.

The gazelle and tiger both disappeared as soon as they touched the water, and Warren and Kitcat rolled safely onto the ground on the other side.

 “I told you to be careful, didn’t I?” Big Man Boss Gator shook his head.

Warren was dripping wet, since he had let Kitcat where the poncho. He shivered. His teeth chattered. His shoes started to squeak whenever he moved.

“Mmm…mmm…Mr. Boss Gator?” he asked. His voice shook a little. Big Man Boss Gator was a very big gator. And his shoes were wet and squeaky.

“Yes, Warren?”

“I’m cold.”

Big Man Boss Gator dropped to the floor. “Then it is time for you to go home.”

Warren and Kitcat climbed onto Big Man Boss Gator’s back. He brought them back through the sparkly and slimy tunnel, up to the mouth of the storm drain, and into the sunlight.

There were clouds on the horizon.

“Alligators don’t like the rain much,” he said.

Warren and Kitcat nodded.

Big Man Boss Gator turned and went back into the storm drain.

Kitcat turned to Warren. “I’ve had enough adventure for one day,” she said.

Warren couldn’t have agreed more.

She grabbed his hand, and they started off toward home, where Warren knew his mom would have a peanut butter and honey sandwich, with crust, waiting just for him.

Silly alligators. The crust was the best part.