The Adventures of Arnold the Aardvark

A children's book originally written about thirty years ago for my son Richard

ARNOLD THE AARDVARK

 

One day, in the thickest, darkest, most far away jungle in the whole world, something quite wonderful was about to happen.  All the animals had heard the news and had gathered together in the clearing next to Mr and Mrs Aardvark’s small, neat and cosy burrow beneath the banana tree.

 

It was very hot and sticky, but the animals all waited patiently.  For hours they waited, or at least it seemed like hours.  Just as some of the younger animals were beginning to worry about their tea, a strange noise could be heard from somewhere deep within the burrow.

 

Suddenly, old Mr Aardvark poked his head out of the ground.  He took a deep breath, blinked several times in the bright sunlight and said in a tired old voice `He’s here, Arnold has arrived.’

 

All that day, and the next, Arnold slept safely.  He looked like a tiny pink plasticine blob in the small, neat and cosy burrow beneath the banana tree.  Outside, all the animals sang and danced and drank and ate to celebrate the new arrival.

 

The next day, just as the party was about to end, Arnold stretched, yawned and slowly opened his eyes.  Mrs Aardvark smiled down at him lovingly.  Long hot sticky jungle days past and Arnold grew longer, pinker and stronger.  As Arnold grew, the burrow beneath the banana tree seemed to get smaller and smaller.

 

Old Mr Aardvark was unable to get comfortable at night with his tail and his bottom sticking out of the burrow.  And so, he said “We will have to find somewhere else to live.  Somewhere bigger and better than our banana burrow”.

 

The very next day, with all their bits and their bobs balanced on old Mr Aardvark’s back and safely wrapped in giant jungle leaves they set off to look for a bigger and better burrow.  On the way, Arnold wanted to have some fun.  He asked if they could play hide and seek.  He said he was good at hiding.

 

But old Mr Aardvark thought that it was too dangerous.  Even he didn’t know the way back to the banana burrow, or where they would end up, and Arnold could get lost.  They walked all morning, only stopping for a slice of ant pie before setting off again to search for their new home.

 

Suddenly, without any warning old Mr Aardvark stopped in his tracks, sniffing the air with his sensitive nose.  The smile on his old wrinkled face turned to a frown.  There was a noise in the distance getting louder and louder. Louder even than an angry lion or jungle thunder.

 

`Perhaps we could play hide and seek after all,’ said old Mr Aardvark with a wink to his wife.  Arnold was told to go and hide in the safest place that he could find and the longer the game went on, the more fun they would all have.

 

Arnold did as he was told, running off into the thick jungle and carrying a large jar of live ants his mother gave him in case he should get hungry waiting to be found.

 

Arnold was excited as he crawled into a hole beneath the tangled roots of a prickly bush and waited to be found.  His hiding place was comfortable and very warm, and soon he fell asleep.

 

All of a sudden, he was woken by a terrible noise.  It sounded as though the whole world was rushing past his hiding place, he was very scared.

 

Much later, when the terrible noise was just a memory Arnold grew bored and decided to leave his hiding place and find his mother and father.

 

He wriggled out of the prickly bush and looked around.  `I must be dreaming’ he thought.  He seemed to be in a different place.  The thick jungle seemed to have been flattened.  Only the biggest and the oldest jungle trees were left standing as before.

 

It was very quiet and still, in the strange flat place where he stood all alone.  Where were all the birds, the animals and the flowers that he loved, and where were his parents?

 

Arnold sat and cried.  He cried all that day and all that night.  He cried until he had no more tears and could only sob.  He was still sobbing when he thought he heard a noise.  He tried to hide, but there was nowhere that he could find.

 

`Don’t cry Arnold’ said a friendly voice.  `Who said that?’ asked Arnold from his not so very good hiding place.  `I did’ said Clive the chameleon with a flick of his tongue.  `I’ve been here all the time, hiding just like you.’  `Did you see what happened?’ asked Arnold.  Clive explained that one moment he was sunning himself on a leaf, and the next he was falling through the air as the jungle seemed to explode before his eyes.

 

Clive said that strange creatures had been running everywhere chasing after their jungle friends, catching them and putting them in strong boxes.  `Did they catch my mother and father?’  sobbed Arnold.  Clive nodded very sadly.  Arnold sniffed away a tear and bravely said, `I’m going to rescue my mother and father, even if it takes forever.  I will find them and bring them back home.’

 

The two friends shared the jar of ants that Arnold’s mother had given him the day before and made a plan.  Before they waved goodbye, Clive taught Arnold a trick that only he and his family were able to do.

 

On his way, Arnold stopped every few steps and practised changing colour, the way that Clive had shown him.

 

Arnold walked for days, until he came to the edge of his jungle home.  Here he stopped, and poked his nose through the last jungle leaves and sniffed.  There was danger in the air.

 

In the distance, Arnold saw the strange creatures that Clive had told him about.  They were all busy, piling and packing and loading and stacking the strong boxes onto a big ship which bobbed up and down on the sea.

 

Arnold had a plan.  He decided to rest until it got dark and then creep on board the ship and rescue his parents.  Before making himself comfortable, he filled his jar with live ants in case, he, or his mother or father, were hungry when they were together again.

 

Arnold was very tired and he fell into a deep sleep.  When he woke up, it wasn’t dark at all, the way he planned, but hot and bright and sticky, a typical jungle day.

 

He ran through the clearing to the edge of the sea, to where the big ship had been.  But he was too late.  All that remained was a few boxes and a terrible mess that the strange creatures had left behind.

 

Arnold sat down and gazed out to sea.  He was very sad.  After an hour, he decided to look around and try to find something that would remind him of his parents.  He was sure that he would never see them again now.

 

He searched everywhere, lifting this, moving that, peering into boxes and bottles but not finding anything.  Just as he was about to give up, he got his nose stuck in a jar.  He tried to wriggle free, but couldn’t.  He tried banging the jar on the ground but that didn’t work.  He tried running backwards and forwards very quickly, but that didn’t work either.  He bumped into a large box which had been left behind.  As he struggled, his tail got caught in a rope which was tied to the box.  Now he was stuck both ends.

 

Arnold gave his biggest pull, and before he knew what was happening, his nose came free from the jar and he was dragged upside down by his tail and into the air.

 

Higher and higher he went.  After a struggle he managed to climb into the box and get his breath back before daring to look out.   He could see for miles.  Behind him was the jungle and in front and below was the clear blue sea.  In the distance, he could just see the ship with his mother and father on board.

 

Arnold learnt to steer the balloon by pulling on one of the ropes.  He was soon heading in the right direction.  When the balloon was close enough, Arnold pushed a long rope with a big hook, over the side.  His plan worked.  The hook caught hold and the balloon was pulled along behind the ship.  Arnold managed to climb down the rope and onto the ship without being seen.

 

Once aboard, he hid among the boxes which were piled high, one on top of the other.  Arnold could hear frightened jungle noises all around him.  Sniffing and scratching and squawking and squeaking, and he could smell his jungle friends inside.

 

He tried to open some of them, but each one was locked.  Arnold began to feel rather poorly, his tummy ached and he turned a nasty green colour.  His friend Clive would have been very proud of him.  Despite feeling very sea sick and very green Arnold tried to open another box.  He gave a mighty push, but pushed too hard, one of the boxes toppled over with a loud crash.  One of the strange creatures heard the noise and came running and shouting to where Arnold was hiding.  The strange creature looked down at Arnold and laughed, `Well look what I’ve found, a green Aardvark’.

 

Arnold tried desperately hard to change his colour and disappear the way that Clive had taught him, but couldn’t.  The strange creature bent over and tried to pick Arnold up, but as he bend further, Arnold ran between his legs and tipped his breakfast of live ants down the strange creature’s trousers.

 

The strange creature began to itch and scratch and shout and scream, jumping up and down.  He jumped about so much that his knife and keys fell out of his pocket.  Arnold picked up the keys and unlocked all the boxes, setting his friends free.  Mr and Mrs Aardvark crawled out of the last one and gave Arnold a big hug.

 

`Quickly,’ said Arnold, `climb into the balloon’.  All the animals did as they were told.  When the balloon was full, they crawled and hopped and jumped and squeezed into the tiny life boat.  Arnold was the last one to leave the ship and join his parents.  When everyone was safe, he cut the rope and the balloon drifted away from the ship laving the strange creatures still hopping and scratching about on the deck.

 

Arnold steered the balloon towards his jungle home.  By the time the jungle could be seen again in the distance, he was happy and pink again, fast asleep and dreaming of all the adventures he would have in the future.

 

Author's Note

this was illustrated by me but am struggling to post them....

Reviews

[barleygirl]

I am very impressed! I would love to see your illustrating talent, but I understand, becuz I cannot add anything to my text like images or music clips. This story is very captivating! I get hints of Watership Down of bunny-tale fame. I most admire the way your adventure is conveyed with so much physicality, it's almost like a cartoon in one's mind, going along with dynamic fervor. Another thing I admire is the pacing, which is a peppy clip, but not sacrificing an abundance of imagery. This is a killer story, but I hope it wouldn't give any kids a fright at the beginning when the jungle is zapped. Your talents stretch to points unknown & I keep discovering more! (((NUGS))) Fondly, Margie

[Neville]

Bless ya Margie, your visiting this particular post of mine is so very much appreciated.... All Good Things, Neville

[angel]

Nice, and illustrations too? I wrote a story,A VERY BEATLES CHRISTMAS, to make into a kid's book, but have to have an artist friend illustrate it. AVBC,by the way, is available on this site, in case you'd like to read it.
We have a kid's TV show here about an aardvark, BTW.so if Arnold does have other adventures, maybe the producers would be interested in a screenplay.The show is put on by PBS, and it's called "ARTHUR", after the title character, the aardvark, Arthur.

[Neville]

damn.... and I thought Arnold was unique.... thanks for visiting and the tips much appreciated my friend..... N

[lightsong]

I could see how You absolutely took Your boy's imagination far, so so far... starting with (in the thickest, darkest, most far away jungle in the whole world, something quite wonderful was about to happen), it's not easy to write for children, You need to keep it simple, yet keep them captive and You need a unique humorous sense, being humorous but steady, like it's the normal thing to be, (if that makes a sense I'm trying to find the good word to describe it but I can't) and this I have no fear about it with You, You made me laugh many times while reading it, "Old Mr Aardvark was unable to get comfortable at night with his tail and his bottom sticking out of the burrow" LOL this but an example.

great children write, the least to say my friend, simple, amazing and surely set the imagination free, my only thing might be that I felt the events rushed a little bit after the waking of little Arnold, "only my feeling nothing more, it might be wrong" but I tell You, it lessens nothing of how great this piece is, I had real joy reading it, Thank You sincerely dear Neville, my only wish now is to see the illustrations soon!.

[lightsong]

forgot to say that I agree, we are for sure (strange creatures).

[Neville]

Thank you so much my friend for the glowing and inspirational review... you really are most kind and do feel free to always make suggestions.. tis what its all about..... Neville x

[sette]

so endearing and i can just visualize you telling the story to your son and how he appreciates it words and pictures and most of all the effort of a father's love for his son is manifested

[Neville]

He might not want to be reminded.. it was a long time ago... cheers tho and true...... Neville

[Chris Shaw]

I can just imagine you reading this story to your son, and the gasps that came when Arnold's nose was stuck in the glass jar and then his tail got caught in the rope as well. And like all good children's stories, a happy ending for bedtime. Children can't go to sleep on a sad ending. A lovely story Neville and I bet those illustrations were great. Children do love the illustrations as much as the story. It helps them with their development. Well writ


Chris

[Neville]

Bless ya Chris.. sorry for the delay in my response... have been busy and am now packing for the off tomorrow.... Good Afternoon.... N

[Chris Shaw]

Have a lovely holiday Neville. We also have some river time next week. Take care my friend x

[Neville]

Thanks Chris, have fun... N