Autumn Treasure
written by: Nina Taylor
‘I’m bored’ said the Mouse as he looked out of the door.
‘The rain’s stopped today, not like the days before.
Can we go and play outside in the sun?
I’m sure we could have lots of fun.’
‘Yes’ said the lady, ‘we’ll go the woods
But you’ll have to wrap up in scarves and hoods
It’s autumn you see and a chill wind might blow.
But that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t go.
The woods are so pretty this time of year.
Come, Little Mouse, let’s tuck in that ear.’
So off they all trooped all cosy and snug
With eyes peeping out Mouse looked like a bug.
The trees were so pretty, all orange and red
And Dog spied a squirrel way up ahead.
They wanted to chase him but the lady said no.
‘This is his home and he’ll know where to go.
He’ll scoot up a tree in a blink of an eye
Climbing so high, nearly up to the sky.
And he’s working so hard to build a winter nest
So we should leave him alone. That would be best.’
So they scampered around and with leaves they did play
It really was a wonderful day.
They jumped in the leaf piles with such glee
And Mouse went so deep he could barely see.
He scrambled out with help from the cat
And then dived back in to grab his hat.
They kicked the leaves way up in the air
And some even landed in Old Lady’s hair.
They chased around all over the place.
‘Goodness me’ said the lady, ‘are you having a race?’
Suddenly Mouse stopped and stared at the ground
‘Look everyone. Some treasure I’ve found.’
Thinking of jewels and gold they might share
The others ran over to where Mouse did stare.
‘Aaah’ said the lady. ‘It’s conkers you’ve found
Autumn treasure we call them, all shiny and round.
When I was a child we had such fun with these
Collecting pocketsful from under the trees.
We’d roll them like marbles and tie them with string
And make them all shiny with a duster-like thing.
Then we’d carry them safely back to our house
To keep spiders away. Did you know that, Mouse?
We’d line them up in front of the door
And even put some in our underwear drawer!
But spiders still came and made their home inside
When the cold weather came and they wanted to hide.
But I still have the conkers I collected each year
And now Mouse has found some more right here.
Shall we take some home and dot them around?
And leave the rest safely here on the ground.’
So they filled their pockets and trotted back to the house
Autumn treasure for Dog, Cat and Mouse.
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:
My dad used to keep conkers everywhere to keep spiders away he said. Not sure if it actually worked!!
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