Coco and the News No One Heard

The story

Coco came racing down the hill so fast that her ears flapped in every direction.

"Oh my, oh my, oh my!" she cried. "Just wait until you hear what I saw!"

By the great oak tree, Brom was sitting on a rock. He was practising his loudest roar.

"Brom!" said Coco. "I have something to tell you!"

"Not now," said Brom. "I am nearly ready to do my loudest roar ever."

He took a deep breath.

"BRRROOOAAAR!"

All the leaves on the tree rustled.

Coco waited until he had finished.

"So, I saw something incredible by the river," she began.

But Brom was already taking another huge breath.

Coco walked on.

In the flower meadow, Flup was busy with a long red cape. He jumped from a tree stump and landed nose-first in the grass.

"Flup!" Coco called. "I have big news!"

"Later!" said Flup. "First, I have to learn how to fly."

"But you cannot fly at all."

"Exactly. That is why I have to practise."

Flup climbed back onto the tree stump.

Coco sighed and walked on.

By the sandy hill, Mop and Mier were both digging a tunnel.

"I saw something!" said Coco. "Something no one has ever seen before!"

"Just a moment!" came a voice from inside the tunnel.

"Nearly finished!" called the other.

A great cloud of sand flew into the air.

Coco was right in the middle of it.

Only her eyes were still visible.

"Oh my," she muttered.

Coco shook the sand from her fur and slowly walked home.

At first, her news had felt like a big, happy balloon in her tummy. But now the balloon was getting smaller and smaller.

Perhaps her news was not so special after all.

Perhaps no one needed to know.

On the way, Coco heard a soft sound.

"Peep."

She stopped.

"Peep."

The sound came from underneath a fern leaf.

Coco carefully lifted the leaf. A tiny bird was sitting there. It looked sadly at the ground.

"Hello," said Coco. "Was that you?"

The little bird nodded.

"I have lost my family," it whispered. "But everyone keeps walking straight past me."

Coco looked around. She really wanted to go home. She wanted to curl up under her blanket and not talk to anyone.

Then she sat down beside the little bird.

"I am listening," said Coco.

The little bird explained that it had been flying above the river with its family. A strong gust of wind had come, and suddenly it was all alone.

"They have red feathers on their tails," said the little bird. "And my mother always sings three short peeps."

Coco's eyes grew wide.

"Three short peeps?"

The little bird nodded.

"Peep, peep, peep."

Coco jumped to her feet.

"Oh my! That is my news!"

She raced to the river with the little bird. There, on a low branch above the water, sat four birds with red tail feathers.

Coco had seen them earlier that morning. One bird kept flying back and forth, calling:

"Peep, peep, peep!"

"Mama!" cried the little bird.

The whole bird family flew towards it. They fluttered, chirped and pressed their little beaks together.

A moment later, Brom, Flup, Mop and Mier came running.

"We were looking for you," said Brom.

"So what was your big news?" asked Flup.

Coco looked at the little bird, now safe among its family.

"That was it," she said.

"Why did you not tell us?" asked Mop.

Coco shrugged.

"I tried. But no one was listening."

Everything went very quiet.

Brom looked down at his paws. Flup folded up his cape. Mop and Mier sat down beside each other.

"Sorry, Coco," said Brom. "Would you like to tell us again?"

Coco smiled.

"Yes," she said. "But first I want to hear how the little bird lost its family."

Everyone sat down in the grass.

The little bird began to tell its story.

And this time, everyone listened.

Really listened.

Even when the story fell quiet for a moment.

Because sometimes you only hear the most important news when you stop talking yourself.