Jessica's Adventure

She walked around the tree, trying to see if there were any new leaves. And then a little defiantly, "You know, I am almost as old as you now" looking up towards the tree. The old oak tree almost squeaked of laughter - "almost as old as me?!" he repeated. "Well, you might be old enough to go the seashore but to reach my age (now stretching proudly) you still have some years to go!". Jessica shrugged her shoulders, smiling. "You know what I am going to do at the sea?" she asked. The oak tree wrinkled his eyebrows, thinking hard. After a while it said "no Jessica, I don’t know". Jessica put her hands on her hips, trying to look like an adult, and said "well old oak tree, even if you are very old there are some things you don’t know". The oak tree just smiled at her, thinking to itself - youth, how defiant and proud they all are - so many hopes they have! Then it put its thick branches at its stem, looking like Jessica, and said "well then old Jessica, you better run - or else the sea will not be there anymore when you finally come, you cannot stay and spend valuable time speaking to a good-for-nothing-old-oak-tree!". Jessica looked at the tree, then quickly put her arms around its thick stem, leaning against it and feeling its still cold wood and said, "you know I didn’t mean it like that oak tree, you know that I so much like to speak to you". The oak tree touched her head with one of its branches, its leaves caressing her blond hair "you know Jessica - you are always welcome here. There is never a time when you cannot come. I will always listen to you". Then thinking a bit it said "but if you can manage, please come just after I fell asleep - I so much enjoy falling asleep. So if you come and wake me up I could fall asleep twice". Jessica looked up at the tree smiling affectionately - "you are just like me old oak tree". Then she rightened herself up and hurriedly picked up her knapsack. "But now I must really go to the sea. Otherwise I will miss the birds wakening up and the fish jumping and the shells on the beach before the tide comes and…". "All right, all right, the oak tree said, hurry up then, but don’t get back to late! I will be waiting for you before sunset". Jessica made a start towards the light, which meant the end of the very large garden and then turned around again. "Thank you old oak tree for waiting. I will come and say good night to you!". Then she started running again - towards the a bright new day at the sea, where the smell of salt was hanging in the air and the birds shrieked of happiness in their freedom. A new adventure!

The youngest seagull saw her first. He screamed to the others "there she is - there she is - finally!". They had all heard that she was coming today and were awaiting her impatiently. As Jessica entered the beach, panting from the running, they all grouped up and started flying towards her, welcoming her. She saw them coming and was a bit afraid at first at the sight of so many birds coming at her. The she saw the little seagull laughing as he came closer, waving at her with his right wing. She waved back, now knowing they were all friends.