THE GOOD SHARK

There was once a beach plagued by sharks in a land very far away, where no one could go swimming. The few daring humans who did go swimming were eaten by the sharks in a matter of minutes. Naturally, the beach had been closed to the public because it was so dangerous.

However, a brave swimmer, an animal-lover called Alberto, had a plan to fill the beach back up with swimmers who could splash around in the water, safe in the knowledge they wouldn’t be eaten by sharks.

One day, Alberto took a motor boat and set off for a rocky crag near the beach, where he put up his base camp to put his plan into action. The first thing he did was establish contact with the sharks, and observe their behaviour. That was how he was able to discover a shark in the group who stood out for his calm nature and apparent lack of aggression. Alberto named him “Freddy”.

Short stories - the good shark

Alberto stayed at his base camp to learn about the sharks, and above all, to interpret their language. Once he began to understand what they were saying, he began to communicate with the quietest shark called Freddy.

In the beginning, Alberto didn’t really understand him very well, but gradually he began to interpret Freddy’s gestures and movements. Over time he learned lots of things, such as the fact that Freddy didn’t like eating humans and that he usually ate only the diving flippers sometimes worn by reckless swimmers when his group went hunting. Continue reading…

THE LITTLE SHEPHERD AND HIS SHEEP

Short Story written by: Mila

There was once a little shepherd boy called Nino, who lived in a little village at the foot of a mountain, with green meadows and a plentiful river. But it wasn’t just the beautiful nature that made the village a charming place, it was also the kindness of its one hundred inhabitants.

The little shepherd boy was always with his flock of sheep, his dog and his little donkey. Every day before the sun came up, Nino the little shepherd boy was already ready to milk the sheep and goats in his flock and then go out onto the meadows with them.

Although he was a little older now, Nino the little shepherd boy still spent all day outside, returning just before it grew dark as tired as his flock. Being a shepherd was indeed a very selfless job, for you needed to be strong and fit to spend all day every day walking through the fields. And there was the milking to be done too, so that people could have milk and cheese.

Short stories - the little shepherd and his sheep

Whenever there was too much milk from milking the sheep and goats, the little shepherd boy would usually share it out among the villagers. Continue reading…

SPRINGTIME AND THE FLOWERS

Today was a beautiful spring day and two school friends, Laura and Sarah, decided to go out into the countryside. As usual for this time of year, there were lots of flowers and the trees were blossoming.

So after school, the two friends went to play in the fields beside the school, for the sun shone so gloriously that the fields looked even lovelier than usual and the meadows were like an ocean of deep green.

Laura said to her friend: “Sarah, I’m going to pick a bunch of really big flowers for my mum.” And Sarah replied: “Great idea, Laura, I’ll do one for my mum too.”

The two girls were excited about making a bunch of flowers from the field to take home to their mothers. In fact, Laura went on to say: “We have to make a really pretty and big bunch of flowers. We’ll pick flowers of different colours, like yellow, red, white, and we’ll make a bunch that shows off the colours of spring.”

Short stories - Springtime and the flowers

As she was making her bunch, Sarah thought of her class teacher – how well she taught and all the times she had helped Laura and Sarah when they found something difficult. So she stopped and thought for a moment and then said: “Laura, shall we also do a bunch of flowers for Mrs. Cooper?” “Great idea!” answered Laura.

So the two friends made the bunch of flowers for their teacher and when Continue reading…

THE LAME CROCODILE

There was once a very brave crocodile who had lived with Ahmed and Maya since he was very small. His name was Limpy, and we shall tell you why.

The story of our friend the crocodile begins at the river bank of the Nile, which was no ordinary river… It was a dangerous river, not just because of its wild waters, but also because there lived some fierce and very dangerous crocodiles.

For a very long time, no one had gone near the spot despite its great beauty, for the wicked crocodiles prowled its banks. That was why they put up warning signs telling people about the savage crocodiles.

One day, Ahmed and Maya were taking a walk along a path near the Nile. It was a very pleasant stroll, for the sun had come up and the birds were trilling merrily.

Short stories - The lame crocodile

Suddenly they heard shouts – it sounded like shouts for help and it was coming from the riverbank of the Nile…

Ahmed didn’t hesitate for a second and ran to see what was happening, for he knew that crocodiles lay in wait at the banks of the river and it was a very perilous place.

When Ahmed reached the river bank, panting and out of breath from the speed at which he had run, he found himself face to face with two huge crocodiles trying to attack a little crocodile that had turned up at this part of the river and was completely confused at finding himself cornered by the wild beasts.

“Don’t worry, little one, come here, grab my hand! Swim, swim!” called Ahmed to the little crocodile.

“Please help me, they’ve injured my leg!” answered the little crocodile.

At last he managed to grab Ahmed’s hand, who pulled with all his might to heave the little crocodile out of the river where the two wild crocs were lurking. “Come on, my brave little croc, I’ve got you. Let’s get out of here,” said Ahmed with a wink.

The poor little crocodile was trembling in fear at what had happened, and said Continue reading…