Down by the Stream 

by Lara (year 13)

Little Fox is playing in the stream, splashing in the water - scaring away the fish. Otter enters, upset. Mummy Fox is looking onward. 

Otter: Hey! What are you doing here? You’re scaring off the fish! 

Mummy Fox: What’s going on here? 

Little Fox: I was just playing in the stream. 

Otter: You may think you were ‘just playing’, but you scared the fish away with all your splashing. I don’t mind you playing somewhere else, but-. 

Mummy Fox: Well, I think Little Fox should be allowed to play in the stream. Those fish don’t affect me, why should I care? 

Little Fox: Hang on! Mummy, just because something doesn’t directly affect us doesn’t mean we shouldn’t care about it. We all live in the forest. We should be trying to help each other. 

Mummy Fox: Okay, well why do you actually need those fish? 

Otter: I’m an otter. We only eat fish. I have two pups, so I need the fish to feed my babies. 

Mummy Fox: Sorry, I had no idea. I’ll take Little Fox to play away from here. That way you can fish, and he can still have fun. 

Otter: Sounds like a great compromise! 

Little Fox: It’s important to listen to why others think differently to us, to ensure we have valid reasons to disagree.