Here's a little teaser:
Evolution
Revolution, Book 3:
Simple
Lessons
By
Charlotte Bennardo
Chapter 1
Over The
Hill
Jack the squirrel looked at the
picture his human friend, Collin, held up. Rolling anything round he understood. He used rolling to move the nuts
closer to his tree and rocks to stop construction machine wheels. Wagons he
understood. Collin built one for him.
But Collin wasn’t showing him anything
new. Jack hopped closer to Collin, his tail flicking expectantly, his black
eyes wide with curiosity.
“I don’t understand what he’s trying
to show me,” said Jack.
Rat wiggled his few whiskers. “Too bad
we don’t have Bird.”
“Rat,” said Jack, “Bird can only
repeat human words she knows. She can’t ask Collin why.”
“Not yet,” said Rat, going over to a
small table with a soft cloth in a heap, perfect for a sleep. “Wake me when you
learn whatever Collin teaches you.” He closed his eyes.
“No sleeping, Rat! Now that
you’re here, you’re going to learn too, so I don’t have to be the only one
teaching the others.”
Rat grumbled and mumbled a bit, but
moved closer.
“Jack,” said Collin, bringing the
squirrel’s attention back to the picture. Collin propped the picture against
the wall and dragged a long shallow plastic box closer.
Jack stepped over, sniffing it. Dirt.
Then he looked back at Collin, waiting.
Collin leaned over the box. Using
his hands, he scooped some dirt onto the table. Slowly a pile rose. Collin
smoothed it into a hill, then patted it firmly down, like beaver did with mud
on his dam.
Jack looked at him.
“Inclined plane,” said Collin.
Jack looked at the
hill.
“Inclined plane,” repeated Collin.
Jack blinked. And stood there.
Collin pulled out a new wagon, exactly
like one that Jack stole.
Is this Rat’s wagon?
Making a little finger man,
Collin pulled the wagon up the hill with a string harness.
Up,
thought Jack. I know what up is. I want
to learn something new.
Getting bored, Jack checked his fur
for fluffiness. And bugs.
Collin put the wagon back at the
bottom of the hill and held up the harness for Jack. Jack leapt over to the
wagon and stepped into the harness. Collin put a chunk of banana, covered in
creamy nut mud, at the end of the table.
No nut chunks? chattered Jack, disappointed. Collin always used nut mud with chunks. He
refused to eat.
Collin held it out to Jack.
Jack ignored him.
Looking at the banana, Collin
smiled. “Sorry, Jack, no more chunky peanut butter left. It’s this or nothing.”
Jack heard the soft tone in
Collin’s voice, but he was still annoyed. It was his favorite treat. But not
today. No nuts!
“Are you going to eat that tasty
bit, or can I have it?” asked Rat, hungrily eyeing the banana.
Jack twittered. Better something than
nothing. “I’ll share,” he offered grudgingly. Dragging the wagon, Jack went
around the hill toward the snack. When he came to a stick lying in his way, he
stepped over. Jack stopped when the wagon refused to roll forward, and looked
back. He waited for Collin to move the stick.
“Easy, Jack,” said Collin as he picked
up both Jack and wagon, and set them on the base of the hill he made over the
other end of the stick. “Up, Jack, up,” said Collin, giving the wagon a gentle
push. Understanding the up motion of Collin’s hand, Jack pulled- and he and
the wagon went over the hill, over the stick. Jack turned around, forgetting
the banana. The wagon went over the
hill which was over the stick...
Find out how Jack's story started with Evolution Revolution: Book 1, Simple Machines, continues with Evolution Revolution: Book 2, Simple Plans, and winds up (for now...) with Simple Lessons.
Please leave a review or mark it as To Read on Goodreads, maybe share the love by reading it with a kid, recommend it to someone. Jack wants to meet more good people!
Now it's back to writing, revising, and querying. Poolside. But it won't all be chill; I have words to chop, characters to pester, and agents to email.
As Jack would say, it's back to whuck!
Char
