After a long rainy night, the sun was out and shining bright. The animals of Zuru forest were beaming with joy as they splashed around in puddles with their friends. Charlie the chipmunk, who always loved to have fun with his friends wanted to do something as well. He went to meet his friends. Bella the bluebird and Henry the hedgehog were playing on the top of tall trees. Charlie looked at them with excitement as Henry jumped from one branch to the next and Bella soared high in the sky.
“Come, Charlie, join us. It is so much fun up there!” Bella giggled.
Charlie looked at the tree and suddenly fear took over.
“The tree is so tall. I will fall,” he said nervously.
“Silly, you won’t fall. Look at us!” Henry waved from the highest branch.
Poor little Charlie couldn’t muster the courage to climb the tree. Charlie stayed safely on the ground. He watched them with wide eyes, wishing he could join in the fun. He sat against the tree wishing he could have fun as well. That day as Charlie walked back home, he looked really upset.
“Look at you. What happened?” Mama Chipmunk asked.
“I wanted to play with my friends in the trees but I was too scared,” He mumbled.
“Oh dear, why are you afraid to climb a tree?” Mama asked.
“The tree is so tall. I am afraid I will fall,” Charlie huffed.
“If you fall, you get up again. You have to try, try and try again to learn something new,” Mama Chipmunk patted on his back.
Although Charlie was scared, he felt a little determined.
“Whenever you feel scared, sing this song:
When you fall, don’t feel sad,
Get up, get up, don’t stay mad.
Brush off the dirt, wipe away the pain,
Try, try, try again!”, Mama Chipmunk sang.
Charlie couldn’t wait to climb the tree the next day.
The next day, Charlie went to meet Bella and Henry.
“Charlie, the forest looks awesome from up here. Join us!” Henry called out.
Charlie looked at the tree and once again felt the fear. However, he was here to face his fear.
Bella and Henry climbed down to help Charlie with his first climb.
“You can do it, Charlie,” they clapped as they showed him how to climb a tree.
Charlie’s heart raced with every step.
“I don’t know, guys. It’s really high,” he said, gulping.
“We’ll be right here with you,” Bella assured him. “You can do it!”
Charlie took a deep breath and kept climbing. He moved slowly, making sure each paw had a good grip before moving higher. Halfway up, he looked down and felt dizzy. “Whoa, it’s high,” he said, clinging to the trunk. Suddenly, his paw missed the next branch and he came tumbling down.
“WOAAAAH,” he screamed.
There was a loud thud as Charlie landed on the pile of leaves. He was afraid to climb again but then he remembered the song:
“When you fall, don’t feel sad,
Get up, get up, don’t stay mad.
Brush off the dirt, wipe away the pain,
Try, try, try again!,” Charlie sang as he started to climb once again.
Finally, he reached the top with his friends. “I made it!” he said in disbelief.
“Look at the view, Charlie,” Bella said, spreading her wings.
Charlie looked around and gasped. He could see the entire forest from up there.
“Wow, it’s beautiful,” he said, his fear going away.
From that day on, Charlie loved climbing trees. He discovered so many new things from up high and had lots of fun with his friends. He learned that conquering his fear of heights led to amazing adventures.
Charlie the chipmunk was now known as Charlie the Courageous Chipmunk.