CLARA Chapter 6 A Lesson About Sniffing

Clara rested for a little while beneath the tree listening to the sparrows sing and then went on her way, the first adventure seeking pig in the whole wide world. She was having a marvelous day.

Clara romped through the tall grass oinking and oinking little piggy notes that sounded almost like a song, stopping here and there to smell the pretty flowers. It was a beautiful day to go seeking adventure and Clara was having a very good time.

She had never seen so many beautiful flowers before. Clara was just as happy as a little pig could be but now she had wandered so far she could not see the barnyard anymore and she was still some distance from the duck pond.

Clara was just about to sniff a clump of purple asters when a very tiny voice, right next to Clara said, "Hey, pig, what do you think you are doing? You almost sniffed me up your snout, you silly pig. Hey, watch out!"

"Oh, my,” Clara exclaimed, stepping back, surprised to hear such an angry, tiny voice. She look all around her and not seeing anyone,  she said "I am so sorry," to someone, though no one was there that she was aware of and then looking cross-eyed at the end of her nose, she finally saw who had been speaking to her. There sat a tiny ladybug, no bigger than the end of your pinky finger.

"Well. Hello there", Clara said as pleasantly as could be. "I do apologize. I really didn't see you. You see I'm taking a walk, a very lovely walk and I'm having such a wonderful time. I’m on a great adventure. I’m the first adventure seeking pig in the world. Would you like to join me?"

"Hello yourself and I think not, but apology accepted", and the ladybug flew to a flower nearby.

"Thank you", said Clara. "I guess I'll be on my way then. I didn't mean to upset you or frighten you. I’m on an adventure, my very first adventure ever.  I'm going to the duck pond.  I've never been to the duck pond before but Mrs. Duck told me it is a very lovely place.  I’m going to see the duck pond for the very first time in my life," and Clara danced a little piggy jig.

"That's nice", the ladybug said much more pleasantly. "Enjoy your walk and watch where you are sniffing next time. Be careful, little pig. If you try sniffing the hornet or the bee you will surely get a very painful lesson about sniffing. Both hornet and bee can have quite nasty dispositions and I think would not take so kindly to a sniffing pig, even a little pig like you."

"Oh, Clara said, a bit dismayed. “I am so sorry, really I am. I will, I surely will be very careful about sniffing." Clara hurried away in the direction of the pond, or at least she hoped she was still going in the right direction.

“Oh how marvelous it is to seek adventure,” Clara said, to no one in particular. “This is the very best day of my life. I had breakfast with Red Hen and her chicks. I have never gone out for breakfast before. Oh it was wonderful. I had a great race with Peter the pony. I didn't win but I don’t care. It was a wonderful race. Someday I will do that again and maybe if I practice rea…lly hard I can win. Peter sure can run really, really fast and we had fun eating apples. Apples are good. And I saw Karla’s baby calf and heard the sparrows song and I have learned about sniffing flowers from Ladybug.

Oh what a marvelous day. I shall have to seek adventure more often,” Clara thought to herself as she continued toward the pond. Clara breathed deeply. She loved the fragrance of the meadow grass and the beautiful flowers. She loved romping through the meadow in the sunshine and seeing all those things she had never seen before. “It is wonderful being the first adventure seeking pig in the whole wide world,” Clara said, “oh what a marvelous day.”