The Little Explorer(3UN_JEE) The Little Explorer
Act I: The Beginning of a Little Explorer
Seraphina tried to sleep but she just couldn’t shut her eyes. She decided to step out of her room to get a glass of milk when she realized that one of the maids was still in the kitchen, industriously cleaning dishes.
“Lady Berrycloth, you shouldn’t be awake at this time, you should be back in bed!” the maid exclaimed.
Before Serphina could speak, her grandfather walked into the kitchen with his tired, blue eyes. He walked in with his dim candle and yawned.”
Seri, why are you awake at this time?” he inquired. “Go back to sleep,” he obstinately demanded.
“But grandfather, I just can’t sleep. I have so many reasons to be so excited and I just can’t close my eyes!” she giggled.
Seraphina finally agreed to go back to sleep when her grandfather offered to tell her a bedtime story. She laid in bed with excitement in her eyes as she awaited for her grandfather to tell a story.
“It all began when I saw a phosphorescent light out my window that just pulled me like a magnet. I just couldn’t help but put on my shoes and go towards it. I was still in my pajamas and began to walk. But before I knew it, the sun was already rising. I kept walking and that’s when I saw that the mystifying light was king Oliver’s most sacred sword, just sitting on the grass behind a bush. That very sword is under my bed, still safe and sound with me.”
“Wow, you still have it?” Seri squealed.
“I indeed do, do you think you can finally go to sleep now?” grandfather asked.
Seraphina nodded and went to sleep with a placid expression on her face. Grandfather sighed as he knew that he was getting old with the wrinkles on his hands and that he didn’t have much time left. He didn’t want to leave his granddaughter behind and wanted to stay. Nevertheless, he knew that death was inexorable and left the room.
In the morning, Seri woke up with excitement to start the day. The maids dressed her and put her in the comfiest slippers. However, they looked gloomy today as if something was lacerated in their hearts. She put it aside and went into the living room where everyone was. They also looked distressed with a sorrowful look on their faces. Seri went to her mother and finally asked,
“Mommy, what’s wrong?”
“Seri,” she said with tears in her eyes. “Your grandfather is no longer with us. He has joined the angels up in the clouds.”
Seraphina didn’t understand since she was only six. She thought that he went on another adventure.
“So, when will he come back?” she questioned, confused.
“He isn’t coming back! He’s gone, Seri, get that in your head!” her older brother Elwood shrieked.
The room was muffled as Seraphina finally understood what they meant. Her grandfather passed away in his sleep last night after putting her to bed. The rest of the day in the Berrycloth household was very quiet.
Eight years later, Seraphina’s fourteenth birthday was coming. She looked forward to it and finally thought that it would be a good time to ask her father if she could go on an adventure. She wanted to be an explorer like her grandfather but her father always tried to dissuade her. Every time she asked, she would normally go to bed feeling upset that her request was always denied, feeling vain in her hope that things might change. However, she decided that today would be different. She had planned to tell him with the pretext that she wanted to go on a stroll but really, she wanted to explore the forest near her village. She was filled with excitement and went into her father’s study. Seri knocked on the door and heard her father say,
“Come in Seri.”
Seri opened the old doorknob and came inside.
“How did you know it was my father?” she inquired.
“You always come into my study, asking me to do things that will waste your time,” he responded.
“Oh. Well I wanted to as-”
“No, it’s probably something stupid from that brain of yours,” he interrupted.
“But father, it’s my fourteenth soon and I really just want to take a walk. I haven’t been outside of this house in so long,” Seri pleaded imploringly.
Her father sighed and looked down at the wooden floor.
“Fine, you can take a walk but only after lunch and you must come back before supper.”
Seri squealed and thanked her father while she ran out the room.
After lunch, she packed her small backpack that she had always wanted to use. She packed her coat, a few coins, and her lucky hairpin knowing that she would never know when it might come in handy. She ran out the door and forgot to say goodbye to the servants because she just couldn’t wait any longer.
When she went outside, she did many marvelous things. She ran in the field, picked flowers, and petted many animals like rabbits. She also saw a big bison but thought that it might be dangerous so she decided not to go near it. She continued to explore until she encountered a strange creature. She didn’t know what it was because she never saw this creature in the books before or ever heard about it. They had soft purple fur and wide ears. It looked like a rabbit but didn’t seem like a normal rabbit. She decided to chase after it because she wanted to see where it would go. The purple rabbit-like creature jumped down a medium-sized hole in the ground. Seri tried to look down but it just seemed like an endless abyss with no stop. As she tried to look deeper into the hole, she felt a force push her and fell in. Seri wasn’t exactly someone who had an intrepid spirit so she screamed the entire way down. When she finally reached the ground and fell, it was a whole new world.

Act II: Lost In Lunaria
Seri fell to the ground but it wasn’t painful. She fell on soft grass which actually smelled pretty good. She took a moment to sit there, trying to understand what had just happened. Out of nowhere, another one of the strange rabbit-like creatures appeared but it was a minty-green color. It started to sniff Seri’s hair causing her to quickly recede backward. Then Seri jumped back into reality and realized that she was in an unfamiliar place. She stood up and began to look around. There was a lot of grass and many strange creatures she had never seen before. There were more rabbit-like creatures with different colors. However, one of the creatures looked slightly different. It had a purple flower on its head and seemed to be leading the others. The creature caught Seri staring and approached her. The creature began to scrutinize Seri, carefully examining her.
“Who are you and why are you here?” the creature spoke.
Seri was shocked that the creature was talking but kept her composure.
“My name is Sera-” Seraphina paused. “My name is Seri. Could you please tell me where I am and who you are?”
“I’m the leader of all of these ear-melons, you can call me Jello. You’re in Lunaria Meadows, just a few meters away from WindWater Village!” Jello answered.
Seri wondered what ear-melons were but just assumed that they were the strange rabbit-like creatures. She was puzzled and didn’t really understand.
“What is.. WindWater Village? I think I am lost, I fell from the sky,” Seri murmured.
“Oh my! Well, WindWater Village is one of the most populated villages in Lunaria. Do you want me to lead you there?” Jello offered.
“Yes please,” Seri accepted.
Jello began to hop and motioned Seri to follow her.
At WindWater Village, everything there was fascinating to Seri. The houses were made of the finest wood and there were merchants coming in and out of the village. There were food stands, clothing stores, and people like her who looked slightly different from her. They had ears on their heads with vibrant hair colors. Some of them had strange skin colors like violet or magenta. She ignored them and continued to follow Jello. Jello then entered a building made of marble and there stood a man inside. He had a crown on their head which meant that they probably ruled this place. He turned around and began to speak.
“Who is this girl?” He lifted his eyebrow while facing Jello.
“She is an outlander, she claims that she fell from the sky and she has nowhere to go,” Jello replied.
The man grinned for a moment and then shook Seri’s hand.
“Welcome to Lunaria’s WindWater Village where every breeze carries a soothing privilege! I am Oreo, the mayor of WindWater Village and many others.”
Seri thanked the man and ignored the awful rhyme he said. After Seri introduced herself, Mayor Oreo called up one of his guards. A guard with fox ears came up and kneeled before him.
“Sign this girl up to stay in one of the inns for free,” he requested.
The guard left immediately and ran out the building. Mayor Oreo dismissed Jello and Seraphina and they went their separate ways. While Seri explored the village, she saw that a lot of people were running and shutting their doors. Some closed their curtains, shopkeepers locked their doors, stand owners put away their goods, and many fled. Seri was confused until the guard ran to her.
“Ma’am, you need to hurry and get indoors. Please follow me, it is dangerous out here!” he shouted as he ran.
Seri quickly ran after him and entered the inn that the guard led her to. The innkeeper began to speak.
“I can’t believe that it’s already happening.. What we all dreaded is coming true––Ravenous Racoon is back, and he’s going to collect even more taxes from us!”
Seri was confused. Who was Ravenous Racoon and why did everyone fear him so much?
“May I ask sir, who is Ravenous Racoon and why is everyone so afraid?” she asked.
“He is a ruthless tax collector. He intermittently comes to our village every month and raises the taxes every time. He even harrasses mayor Oreo and all of the citizens. If we fail to pay, he destroys our shops and sometimes even-” the innkeeper hesitated. He quickly closed the curtains and locked the door. “He puts some of us in prison or even gets rid of us.”
Seri was shocked and felt bad. Suddenly, there was a pounding on the door. Then a loud voice yelled,
“Hey Butterscotch, it’s time to pay your taxes!”
Act III: The Affable Girl Who Traveled Far and Wide
The innkeeper inhaled and exhaled to calm down. He then quickly opened the door and handed Ravenous Racoon an envelope full of cash. He then finally left and the innkeeper slammed the door immediately after he stepped out the door. Seri then knew what they said that he was a ruthless tax collector. Seri didn’t like it when people she knew would get hurt. Seri then opened the door and walked outside. She went toward Ravenous Racoon and slapped him on the shoulder. Ravenous Racoon turned around with an angry look on his face.
“How dare you slap me? Do you know who I am?” Ravenous Racoon screamed as he went into karen mode.
“Yes, you are the infamous Ravenous Racoon and I think you should stop harassing others,” she screamed back.
A few other citizens overheard the yelling and began to slowly come outside to see what the commotion was about. They saw Seri standing up to the Ravenous Racoon and saw how brave she was. They all decided to join her and began to riot against the Ravenous Racoon. The Ravenous Racoon was overwhelmed by everything and ran out of the town where the citizens chased him. Everyone was grateful to Seri and all praised her for standing up to the Ravenous Racoon who had been harassing them for decades. Nobody thought that the indomitable Ravenous Racoon was defeatable. Everyone in WindWater Village heard about Seri’s brave actions and they all thought that she was one remarkable girl. Nevertheless, Seri’s adventure wasn’t over from this. She continued going on many adventures like slaying dragons and restoring world peace. Okay, maybe she didn’t do that but she definitely saved a lot of people in Lunaria. She went to different towns and regions in Lunaria and helped them free from the Ravenous Racoon and the greedy government’s oppression. She became quite popular throughout Lunaria and gained a good reputation. She was titled as “The Affable Girl Who Traveled Far and Wide.” She had a great life in Lunaria and stayed there for a long time.
Many years later, Seraphina was all grown up and now a lady. She began to miss her
family. Her brother, her mother, the servants, and even her father who was rude to her most of the time. She decided that it was time to go back home. She went back to Lunaria Meadows where she met Jello and the other ear-melons. The ear-melons were all grown up now as well. She looked up at the sky but there wasn’t a portal anymore.
“Oh! Young Seri, you have grown up a lot now. I almost didn’t recognize you, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen you. I heard many stories about you and you gained quite a great reputation.” Jello exclaimed.
“Yes, But I think it is time for me to return home now. It’s been many years and I miss my family. But where is the portal?” Seri questioned.
“Oh, it is over there, it moved. It is now at the grand oak tree. A lot of the ear-melons like to go through it to explore your world. They have been inspired by you, most of them used to be afraid back then,” Jello answered.
Seri chuckled and thanked Jello. She waved goodbye to her friends that she made on her journey. They were all going to miss her but she promised that she would keep them updated through communication with the ear-melons. She entered the portal and headed home. She remembered the path to her home and began to walk. Seri stopped when she fell over something. It was her travel backpack from years ago, it was still there! Seri picked it up and put it on her shoulders. It felt as if she was fourteen years old again, pretending to be a traveler.
Finally, Seri reached her home. She knocked on the door and a servant answered it. The servant screamed.
“Lady Berrycloth is back! Everyone, inform Mrs. Berrycloth!”
The servants went pale when they looked at her. Seri was surprised that they all recognized her. The servant brought her inside when her mother came running.
“Seri, is that really you? Where were you all this time, we thought that you were taken or killed by bandits!” she cried.
Seri also began to cry with her mother until she saw her older brother.
“Elwood! I missed you.”
“I thought you were gone, where were you?” Elwood began to sob.
Seri explained how she went on numerous adventures and traveled all over Lunaria. They didn’t understand most of what she said but they were just glad to see her. It was then when Seri saw a little boy who looked around six years old.
“Who’s that little boy?” she inquired.
“This is my son, your nephew,” Elwood announced.
“Wow! But, where’s father?” Seri looked around.
They all looked at each other.
“He’s gone,” mother responded.
Seri was upset but she put it aside and tried to make an effort to keep positive throughout the day. Everyone in the Berrycloth household was happy that she was back. The servants loved her positive energy, her brother and mother were glad she was safe, her father probably was thinking the same up in the clouds, and Bennett, her nephew, loved her stories that she told. Seraphina told Bennett all kinds of adventures she had embarked on and the perils she had faced. That’s when Bennett shouted,
“Auntie, I want to be an explorer too, just like you!”

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