Find out if these three friends survived the meteorite hit the Earth ......
By Oliver Teo
Long before time had a name, there were three friends, Woolly Rhino, Dodo and Great Auk. Almost wherever they appeared, there would be a ruckus.
Everyday were such sounds: ''Thonk! Thunk! Thenk!', 'Ouch!' Each of them hammering away in a small cave. Their work was considered done for the day if they managed to fill a small pail which was about the size of a watermelon. Each gem was about the size of a Washington apple.
Woolly Rhino was 2.5m long and 2m tall and his body was covered with long brown wool. Great Auk was an emperor penguin with a yellowish beak and Dodo was a brownish flightless pigeon. They were both half the height of Woolly Rhino. Given their world was oxygen-loaded, their sizes were naturally way larger than usual.
In winter, they built an igloo and outlined it with the gems they had mined for 14 full moons. It was an unbreakable cosy home. Woolly Rhino did the most work while Dodo and Great Auk handled the snow brick supply.
Woolly Rhino patiently designed the igloo. He wanted the igloo to be as cozy and secure as it could be for his two friends.
Inside the igloo there were two oval beds lined with mammoth's wool. These were for Dodo and Great Auk to sleep comfortably whenever they felt like it. He also made another spot for himself nearest to the igloo's entrance because he wanted to be the guard of the igloo.
Dodo's growling stomach made Great Auk and him went out to search for food. Before leaving, Great Auk asked Woolly Rhino, "What would you like to eat? Branches, branches or branches?" Woolly Rhino replied, "Branches with some snow topping, please."
Off Dodo and Great Auk went and stopped by the half-frozen lake of Calaco-Jack which was just around the corner from their igloo. Great Auk had a quick dip there and found his favourite fish.
Dodo went around munching on branches and did not forget to collect some for Woolly Rhino.
After satisfying their hunger, they headed home. While strolling back they heard some strange rumbling sounds from afar. "Was it Dodo's stomach still growling?" wondered Great Auk.
Dodo rubbed his belly to make sure if the sound came from him. At that time, the rumbling sound became so loud that the ground shook.
They ran as fast as their gigantic feet could carry them back to the igloo.
The wind blew very strongly and the sky turned red. As they ran they stumbled and rolled over one another because there was an earthquake as well.
When Woolly Rhino saw them, he shouted, "Hurry! Get in here!"
The gems on the igloo looked like pink glitters with the red sky shining on them.
With all the strong shakings many icebergs broke. Waves began to splash, higher and higher. Mountain side began to break off and some parts fell hard into the ocean.
Miraculously, the igloo was still standing although there were some cracks here and there.
Dodo and Great Auk were terrified. They huddled together in a corner of the igloo and were shaking like rabbits.
Woolly Rhino was trying hard to peep through some cracks in the igloo to see what was going on outside. But the shaking made that impossible.
That whole time was very noisy, shaky and suspenseful.
Suddenly, a gem above Dodo dislodged and hit Great Auk's head. That part of the igloo began to crack wider.
They were even more afraid. Great Auk looked up and managed to see something like a ball of fire shooting from the sky.
It was actually a meteor and it was heading in their direction!
"Take cover! Meteor" screamed Dodo at the top of his lungs.
With Woolly Rhino's quick thinking, he grabbed Dodo and Great Auk and covered them with his large body.
Then there was a loud explosion followed by total silence. They thought they were dead.
Great Auk started to wriggle and whispered, "Is everyone alright?"
Woolly Rhino too began to move carefully so as not to crush his friends underneath him.
Dodo slowly crawled out.
The igloo was still there. It didn't collapse but just had cracks here and there and a hole where that one gem came off.
The gems which lined the igloo held the building together firmly because Woolly Rhino put in a lot of effort to make a really sturdy home for them.
When everything was quiet once again, these three friends slowly came out of the igloo.
Dodo and Great Auk saw that there were more gems on the side and top of the igloo.
"I placed more gems so that our igloo will be stronger and safe for us to live in," explained Woolly Rhino.
"Thank you for helping us build a safe home. Because of you we are all saved from the meteor."
The meteor landed on the half frozen sea of Calaco-Jack and made a very huge crater. All Great Auk's favorite fish vanished.
Then there was the rumbling sound again. All three of them froze!
"Relax! It's just my hungry belly calling out for branches with snow topping," announced Wooly Rhino.
They burst into laughter and hugged each other tightly.
They continued to care for one another day after day.
That's what a true and steadfast friend will do!
(Oliver Teo is 8 years old. He attended our CreatifWrite Workshop in September, 2o21)