Author: Lily Jiang
My stomach growled. The winter had brought a severe cold, and all of the plants had vanished, depriving us of any food. Mama, Papa, and my baby sister, Sophie, were hopping in front of me, leaving small footprints in the snow. We were scavenging for any signs of food. I could hear Sophie whining to Mama and Papa about her hunger and her petty troubles.
“Daisy, stay close to us! There’s word that a lot of foxes are roaming around here lately.” Papa called from ahead.
I swiftly hopped to catch up with them. Sophie gleefully chatted away to me, prattling on and on about her thoughts and troubles. As we hopped forward, I spotted a small wildflower near a few bushes in the distance.
“Look! It’s a wildflower!” I exclaimed in glee. Sophie gasped. “A wildflower?!” She squealed before bounding towards it. “Sophie, stay close!” Mama and Papa cried. But before we could catch up, she had already reached the wildflower.
“Can I have it? Can I have it?” Sophie queried with puppy eyes. Mama sighed. “Yes, you may.” Sophie rejoiced as she gobbled it.
Sneakily, a fox with rusty red fur emerged from the bushes, first sticking only its head out, with its mischievous eyes gleaming, and then pouncing on Sophie.
At first we could only stare in horror. But after coming to our senses, we shot from the scene immediately, barely scrambling away.
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Ever since Sophie was gone, things were never the same. She shined a light that we didn’t know existed on our lives, always making us laugh, and cheering us up. We are always in danger of predators, and having Sophie gone only made me more aware and cautious.
The Megaphone 