The big fluffy belly was rumbling with hunger. Sylvia woke up from her winter slumber because of the noise and half asleep went around her home investigating; only to discover it was her own belly calling to be fed. So, off she went to the Large Store of Nuts, as she liked to call her pantry, to discover that it was totally empty. Sylvia frantically searched through the cupboards, jars and fridge but found absolutely nothing. She was shocked to be faced with this mini crisis in the middle of winter but quickly decided that everything looked better with a cup of tea. So she brewed some raspberry tea with a teaspoon of honey. This made her a bit more comfortable and calmed her stomach filling it with the warm fragrant liquid.
Sipping her tea and pondering what to do, she searched all the corners of her mind for a solution and finally came up with an idea. Three years earlier, the summer was very long and she had surplus supplies so she decided to store them away in case she needed them in the future. The shrewd squirrel stored them in various locations because there were quite a lot of nuts and seeds, and she didn't have space for them in her pantry. The trouble was Sylvia had to put them away in various locations so in order not to forget where they were, she drew a map. It was time to bring up the map.
'But where did I put it?' wondered Sylvia scratching her head. The squirrel searched through the cupboards and drawers and found the map in no time (creating a bit of havoc in the process).
Silvia's stomach was beginning to rumble again so there was no time to lose. She put on a warm scarf, grabbed the map and ran out of the house. Skipping, hopping and jumping through the thin layer of snow, she visited the first location on the map situated closest to her den. To her dismay she discovered that hidden under the leaves beechnuts had rotten away. Not discouraged, she continued on her way and went to a second place marked on the map, only to find that the big store of hazelnuts that she had in an old ash tree had been robbed! Somebody had broken in and took all her supplies.
'Thieves!' she shrieked enraged.
Angry and worried that she might not find any food that day, she ran to the third location and she discovered that the little acorns had already turned into young oaks. She took a minute to admire young saplings proudly standing in the snow, then smiling she comforted herself saying:
'That's a great investment for the future! Let's call it my early retirement plan!' she laughed at her own joke and hurried to the next food store suggested by the map.
'At last!' applauded Sylvia on finding a huge treasure of chestnuts. This discovery made up for all the effort. The little squirrel with a voracious appetite sat down and ate and ate and ate, until her belly was full and happy. Well, maybe she overdid it a little, because she could barely stand up or walk afterwards. No way could she run to her den in this state, so she sat down and rested. Once her little body settled, she proceeded to carry all the supplies back to her home, a few at a time. It was clear she needed more food to keep her going until the end of winter and she couldn't risk them being stolen!
When all the chestnuts were carefully stashed away in her pantry, Sylvia sighed smiling: 'Sweet!'
Then, inhaling the nutty smell she added with a smirk: 'and safe and sound from any thieving thieves!'
She could finally relax now in her living room, feeling somewhat sleepy because of the huge meal and tired with the frantic activity of the day. Shortly, the squirrel would fall again into a warm slumber dreaming of swimming in giant acorns. For now, she brewed a pot of linden flower tea sweetened with honey, and sat down to enjoy it thinking to herself: 'There's no problem which cannot be resolved over a warm cup of tea.'
