The Hipporilla

 

By Katelyn P.

 

 

     Twelve-year-old Maddie Starn swung across the highest vine in the jungle.  She jumped over the logs and under the spider webs, to her and her brother, Alex’s tree lab. Maddie was the bravest and smartest girl in the jungle, no doubt!  She even had the ability to take any writing utensil and draw in mid air!  Everything she makes becomes three dimensional, and that’s exactly how she, Mom, Dad, and Alex survived living in the fierce heart of the jungle.  This girl loved, craved, NEEDED adventure, and that’s just what she got!

     Maddie climbed the steep ladder to the top, and crawled into the tree lab.  Here she would test her and Dad’s findings, like rocks and bugs.  Unfortunately, Mrs. Starn hated it! She hated everything about the ENTIRE JUNGLE! Mrs. Starn was always one to fear the worst.  To prove it, she has never left the house since they moved; it was that bad for her!

     The good thing was Dad loved everything about the jungle!  He’s a scientist.  Although he and Mom bickered over differences between them, Mom was always first to cave in, so nothing ever changed.

     Alex is exactly like Dad.  They go on exploration hikes, fishing, build forts and swings, and all sorts of things.  Sometimes, Maddie would even tag along.

     Maddie looked around her once good lab in disgust.  Sloppy goo fell in clumps all around her, everything in its path ruined.  She sighed and drew up a vacuum to use.  After ten messy minutes, Maddie had cleaned up just enough so there was still some to test.  She grabbed a test tube and carefully began to work…

 

     Finally, at 4:07, Maddie had her tracking system working in perfect order.  She jumped from the lab and followed the beeps.  It lead her deep into the jungle where moss covered trees and vines lined the ground.

     “Mads…Mads…Dinner!”  Dad yelled from the porch.

     “Come here! There’s something weird!”  Maddie replied.  Dad came running through the forest over to Maddie.

     “What’s wrong?”

     “There was this sticky goo in the lab.  I’ve been taking it apart and now I’m tracking it.”

     “Dinner can wait for this!” said Dad.  The two continued down the path until it ended at a river.

     “It stops here.  It must be living in the river!” Maddie squealed.  Suddenly, the water bubbled up.  A huge creature arose from the water, his left leg half missing.  It whimpered loudly, as goo squirted from his half torn leg.

   

 

 “You go back home for dinner, I’m going to run some tests and skip dinner.  You can come back tomorrow,” Dad said.  Maddie bent down, petting this creature on the head.

     “You will be okay, and I promise to come back in the morning,” Maddie said to the creature.  She stood up and walked back home.

 

     The next day passed quickly, Maddie was playing in the water while Dad was running numerous tests.  Maddie drew a blanket and pillow for the creature that they had now named Hipporilla, since he appeared to be a mix between a hippopotamus and a gorilla.  That night, they all fell asleep early, all cozy in their covers.  But, not for long!  Hipporilla suddenly yelped.  The entire family ran out in the pouring rain, across the vines and to the river, where a powerful cheetah family was attacking Hipporilla.  Dad picked up a rock and threw it at the mother cheetah.  She growled, and then ran over toward him.  Maddie quickly found a marker and drew a gate around the cheetah to contain her.  The cheetah glared, and then growled to catch the father cheetah’s attention.  Alex took a log and hurled it on to the father cheetah’s paw, crushing the bone.  He then wobbled away, leaving only the two young male cheetahs still pouncing on Hipporilla.  The rain poured down even harder as the thunder quickly rolled in.  Maddie wiped the rain away from her face, and then crept over to join the fight.  Cautiously, but quickly, Maddie drew a brick wall around the poor creature, whose tail was now snapped off like his half missing leg.  Luckily, the next thunder shook the forest, sending the young ones scampering away into the night.  Mom let the mother cheetah go free to chase after her sons.  She then walked over to hug Maddie tight.  This had been her first time out of the house in eight years!  What a night for her to venture out!  Everyone kissed Hipporilla leaving him in his new brick house then went back home to bed…

 

     The next week everything was completely back to normal at the Starn house.  Maddie drew a new brick house for Hipporilla in between the river and the house, so she could keep a closer eye on him.  Mother stopped worrying so much and learned to enjoy there house in the jungle.  She even spent more time outside with her family.  Hipporilla was happy in his new house and was never attacked by anything ever again.

 

 

 

 

THE END