Chapter 2

One day, she decided to pay a visit to her grandparent’s! As usual, she was alone. So after breakfast, she put on something warm as the air was quite chilly, she left a written message for her family telling them where she was going.

Approaching the forest, something made her turned round to have a look at her house. Not knowing why she did that, she shook her head, smiled to herself and in her mind said,

‘Stop it silly girl! You’re not going anywhere far! Its just grand-dad’s place’.

And she continued her journey.

Coming to a spot where there was a small clearing, she started sniffing! There was something in the air but she could not make out what it was! A squirrel came down from a tree and Lessie asked,

‘Do you smell anything squirrel?’

But all it did was to run up a tree and disappeared among the leaves – which was strange because normally all animals would stop and ‘chat’ with her.

The smell, or rather scent, became stronger. It was a nice smelling scent – almost like the scent of fresh green apple which she loves so much!!!

She looked around and tried to trace where it was coming from! Soon a buzzing sound came to her ears. It was a soft continuous sound which did not really hurt! Bees? She could not see any.

Again, trying to trace the source of the smell, she turned east which was not where she was supposed to be heading as her grand-parent’s house was due north.

She realized that the buzzing and the smell seemed to come from the same source!!!

Lessie decided to continue eastward and find out more about this mysterious smell and sound. The more she thought of it, the more she realized that the smell is almost that of green apples and apple-pies which she so dearly loved …….and the more curious she became!

Soon she came to a big tree which was exactly in her path! Strange, she thought! She knew this forest like the back of her hands and there was no tree along this path before. She stopped and looked up the tree! The thick leaves seemed to hide the sun ray from reaching the ground.

Looking down again, she shrugged her shoulders and decided to continue looking for the source.

She walked round the tree and stopped dead in her tracks! She could not believe what she saw!!!