Torte's Dessert Find

Torte the Tortoise was digging around by some cacti, nibbling on a prickly pear. It was sweet and sour, and he suddenly felt very energetic.

“I’m going on a scavenger hunt,” he told some ants. “I wonder what I’ll find!”

Torte ambled along, following the ant trail around a tall Saguaro. It looked like a cartoon cactus with its big arms, which cast a comforting shadow over Torte’s hot shell.

When he got around the back of the huge plant, he saw something shiny poking out of the sand. Torte kicked it with his foot, and a strange rectangle emerged, sprinkled in dust. It was long and silver, and full of holes. Torte put his big mouth on it to see what it was. HMMMMM, a long low note came out.

Torte jumped!

Torte hummed into it again. This time, he blew a bit longer, and the sound was more steady. HMMMMMMM.

Torte felt another jolt of energy. “Wow…” He thought. “I made that sound!”

Soon Torte felt that he wasn’t alone, and he looked up to see pointy white ears.

“Hello Foxy,” Torte said to the Fennec Fox.  “I just found this. Want to try it too?”

The fox seemed shy, but crept up to the strange thing. He sniffed and pawed at it and finally put his mouth on it like Torte had done.

HMMMMM….Foxy Jumped straight up into the air. He made a funny sound, and when Torte looked up again, there were two foxes sitting across from him.

Foxy looked at Torte with such a pleading look that the tortoise knew instantly what he wanted.

“Ok, I’ll play it again,” said Torte.

Torte took another deep breath, and blew into the rectangle again. HMMMMM. Soon he was tired, and went into his shell for a nap.

The foxes curled up in the shade and closed their eyes.

Then, when everyone was asleep, the ants gathered their army, and carried the rectangle away.