Olly Otter Was Satisfied After All

Olly Otter Was Satisfied After All
*written by Luchie as adapted from “The Tortoise That Wanted to Fly”
and inspired by my student “Anne” This story is also for her.


Once upon a time, three otters were born in the spring in an underground nursery of leaves and soft grass. Tommy Otter, Bobby Otter and Olly Otter were tiny and about 4 inches long. They were born blind and had soft fuzzy fur.

Tommy Otter was cuddled with his Mother in the warm den as he nursed her milk. He was happy and satisfied.

Bobby Otter was cuddled with his Mother in the warm den as he nursed her milk. He was happy and satisfied.

Olly Otter was also cuddled with her Mother in the warm den as she nursed her milk. She was unhappy and not satisfied.

When the tree otters turned two months, Mother Otter announced that it was time for their first swimming lesson. So they ventured out of their snug tunnel onto a river bank.

Mother Otter gently nudged Tommy Otter with her nose into the water. SPLASHED! She pushed and pulled Tommy for him to swim. In a few days he learned how to swim and he dived and chased small fishes. He was happy and satisfied with his new skill.

Mother Otter gently nudged Bobby Otter with her nose into the water. SPLASHED! She pushed and pulled Bobby for him to swim. In a few days he learned how to swim and he dived and chased medium –sized fishes. He was happy and satisfied with his new skill.

Mother Otter gently nudged Olly Otter with her nose into the water. SPLASHED! She pushed and pulled Olly for her to swim. In a few days she learned how to swim and she dived and chased big fishes. She was unhappy and not satisfied at all.

WHOOSH! The three otters, after four months, slide down a muddy hill into the river and zoomed along underwater and run back back the hill to slide again. They enjoyed playing tag and all sorts of other games. But as usual, Olly Otter was unhappy and was not satisfied.

ONE DAY Olly Otter noticed a pelican flying overhead. It looked very graceful and flying looked so easy that she decided she would learn how to fly too.

The pelican came to rest on a rock near the river and so Olly saw her opportunity. She said “Oh pretty pelican you fly so well. Please teach me how to fly.”

The pelican was surprised. “What? Teach you how to fly? You have no wings or feathers.”

Again Olly Otter pleaded “Oh please pelican dear. I am sure I can learn”.

Olly Otter pleaded non stop that finally pelican agreed to teach her how to fly.

She asked Olly Otter to climb on her back and she spread her wings and flew high in the sky. She then asked Olly Otter who was on her back to let go off her and flap her legs to fly.

Olly Otter flapped her legs as hard as she could but she fell like a stone towards the ground. Luckily she fell into a bush.

She was bruised and badly shaken.

She then said “I don’t want to fly anymore! I better swim and dive with my brothers. That would be more satisfying.”

More stories coming up...

Dear Kyllenne and Darrielle
More stories coming up for you.
Love you,
Grand Mom Luchie

Penny Parrot

Penny Parrot *an original story by Luchie


Penny Parrot was feeling a little low, a little lonely. She had no urge to fly and sing and just stayed on the branch of the tree in her home in the tropical forest.

At chorus practice time with her fellow parrots that are all her cousins, she just dragged herself along. When everyone else sang, “Mummy Daddy I love you”, she squeaked “pa, pa, pa.”

“Stop that!” Everyone shouted. “Why can’t you sing Mummy Daddy like the rest of us?”

“Nobody likes me,” said Penny.

“Everybody hates me.”

When it was snack time everybody else cracked open nuts and seeds using their strong short beaks. Penny couldn’t be bothered. She wasn’t hungry, she couldn’t crack open any nuts around, she didn’t care. She flew over another tree away from her cousins and friends and sang sad songs.

Powerful and sharp claws appeared in the sky up above the tree. It was the Fierce Freddy Falcon.

When penny parrot saw Fierce Freddy Falcon, she flew away fast.

“Nobody likes me,” said Fierce Freddy Falcon. “Everybody hates me.”

Penny flew to the other end of the forest. On a branch of a young tree, she saw Whoophi Woodpecker pecking a hole to find insects to eat.

“Go ahead!” said the woodpecker. “Laugh at me if I can’t find insects here. I don’t care!”

“Everything’s so utterly rotten,” Whoophi added.

“I’ve been feeling a little low too.” said Penny.

“Everything’s seem to be closing on me,” said Whoophi. “I can’t peck holes real big, as if I have no strong sharp beak at all.”

Feeling sadder because of Whoopi’s tales, she decided to be alone and flew to the farthest end of the forest where brightly coloured flowering plants abound. She landed on a short tree nearby.

She stuck her head to a tiny branch of the tree and saw a pupa moving and a tiny voice came from it. “I can scarcely breath I feel as if I’m going to jump out of my skin,”

“I feel a little lonely,” said Penny.

She was looking away from the pupa when she said that. When she looked back there was her empty skin split right down and back and Betty Butterfly was out of it.

She looked altogether different. She waved her colourful wings, flew among the flowers and chirped merrily.

“How did she do that?” said Penny. “I wonder if I can do it.”

“Oh Penny Parrot, there’s no need for you to change your feathers. Your wings are so lovely and colourful.”

With joy hearing Betty Butterfly’s compliment, Penny sang, “Mummy Daddy I love you”.

“Is it a happy song or a sad song? “ said Betty Butterfly.

“Sad,” said Penny.

“That’s funny,” said Betty Butterfly. "The sound looks happy.”

Penny went back home to the tropical forest. She noticed that she could fly and sing with ease. She thought of Betty Butterfly and she began to laugh. She was laughing and singing, laughing and singing all the way home.

When she got home her Mother said, “You look as if you’ve been having a good day.”

“Actually, it hasn’t been bad,” said Penny Parrot, “Not bad at all.”

The Three Nestlings

*original story by Luchie


Once upon a time there was a place called Birds Kingdom. It was a place where all kinds of birds can be found.

Birds are warm-blooded animals with two legs. They are special animals as they are the only animals that have feathers. Some of their feathers are short and fluffy and others are long and strong. Many of them are very colorful.

Birds lay eggs and build nests to keep their eggs and chicks safe and warm. The parents feed the chicks until they are old enough to find their own food.

The elders in the Birds Kingdom advised their nestlings not to go near an eagle as this bird eats birds and animals.

One day, three nestlings went out to seek their own food.

The first nestling was a kingfisher that had brightly colored feathers. She flew to her direction near the river and sat very still on a tree, the bald eagle that saw her flying came nearer.

“Little kingfisher, little kingfisher,
Let me bring you to a great river
Where fishes abound in number.”


“Oh no! No! You got sharp strong beak and claws
You might scratch me and I will be eaten raw.”


“You like fish to eat right?
Come and join me, be bright.”

As she was already hungry, the kingfisher followed the eagle to the great river. She saw a fish and she instantly dived into the water, caught it and ate. Suddenly, the eagle with his sharp beak pecked the kingfisher and ate it alive.

The second nestling was a pelican that had long beak and sagging pouch. He flew and landed clumsily on a riverbank.

The bald eagle that saw him landed in the riverbank came nearer and said:

“Little pelican, little pelican dear,
Let me bring you to a great river
Where fishes abound in number.”

“Oh no! No! You got sharp strong beak and claws
You might scratch me and I will be eaten raw.”

“You like fish to eat right?”
Come and join me, be bright.”

As the pelican was already hungry, she followed the eagle to the great river. She moved quickly in water and fastly caught a fish with her special beak. Suddenly, the eagle with his sharp beak pecked the pelican and ate it alive.

The third nestling was an ostrich that could not fly. She could just run very fast on her strong powerful legs. She walked near the grassland.

The eagle who saw her approaching the grassland flew nearer and said:

“Little ostrich little ostrich dear,
Let me bring you to a great river
Where fishes abound in number.”

“Oh no! No! You got strong beak and claws
You might scratch me and I will be eaten raw.”

“You like to eat fish right?
Come and join me, be bright.”

The ostrich told herself, “This eagle is insulting me. Why he didn’t know I couldn’t fly? I better be bright and wise.”

So the ostrich run very fast to the opposite direction away from the tricky eagle and reached safely her home in the Birds Kingdom.

The bald eagle never sees the ostrich and any of her friends from then on.