The Acorn Who Rolled to the Sea

High up on a little hill stood a big oak tree. The tree was old and had thick branches. On one of its branches sat a small acorn. Her name was Eken. One morning, when the wind whispered in the leaves, Eken slipped from her branch. Plop. She landed softly in the grass. She lay still for a moment. And then she began to roll.

Roll, roll, roll, down the hill. Eken rolled slowly through the grass. The sun warmed her little cap. A bumblebee buzzed past. 'Where are you going?' asked the bumblebee. 'I don't know,' said Eken, and she laughed. 'I'm just rolling.' The bumblebee smiled and flew on.

A little further down, she met a snail. The snail looked at Eken with big eyes. 'You roll fast,' said the snail slowly. 'I like to be slow.' Eken stopped for a moment. 'I like to roll,' she said. Then she rolled on. The snail waved goodbye.

Suddenly the grass turned wet. Eken rolled into a little brook. Splash! The water was cold and clear. 'Oh,' said Eken, surprised. She floated on the surface like a tiny boat. The brook bubbled and burbled. It carried her gently along. Eken smiled. Now she was a sailor.

The brook burbled over smooth stones. Click, clack, click. The stones were round and shiny with water. Eken bumped lightly over one, two, three stones. It tickled a little in her tummy. A tiny fish swam past and peeked up at her. The fish had silver scales. 'Hello,' said Eken. The fish waved with its tail and swam deeper into the water.

Soon the brook grew wider. On one side stretched a meadow. There stood a cow. The cow chewed grass and blinked slowly. Moo, said the cow softly. Eken waved as best she could. The cow blinked again. That was all. Eken floated on, and the cow kept on chewing.

Ahead of Eken stood a wooden bridge. It was old and warm from the sun. She floated under it. It grew dark for a little moment. Shhh, said the water beneath the bridge. Then the sun came back, bright and yellow. Eken blinked. Now she was on the other side. How exciting, she thought.