If you saw that my dad was a pineapple, you’ll understand the concept of comparing humans to fruits or vegetables. This time, my mom is the one in question, and I think she can be compared to the dragonfruit (also known as the pitaya). You can do some research into it, but it’s a fruit that has, well, you’ll find out. First is the skin, and unlike the pineapple, dragonfruit skin isn’t thick or hard; rather, it’s quite soft. However, it is still very uncomfortable to eat, as there are structures growing on the outside that look like leaves but are in reality quite rubbery. I tried chewing it once, and I sure would not recommend it to you. This is like my mom; she isn’t completely as strict as my dad, but she can be deceiving and unpredictable. Next is the flesh, and very similarly to the pineapple, the flesh is soft and sweet, because my mom cares about me and wants me to be better in the future. There is a kind of dragonfruit that has red flesh and juice, and is very liable to stain your clothes and skin (and change the colour of your pee and poo). When eating these, you need to be very careful how you eat to not spray juice, like how trying to argue with my mom is like walking through a minefield; she can be surprising during these times and give a point that you didn’t expect. Best if you just listen, like with the dragonfruit with red flesh; you should just swallow the slice whole. The third reason I have chosen the dragonfruit is because its outlook is quite similar to the pineapple, because my mom and dad have essentially the same ideals as each other. That’s actually a good thing, though, because even if your conversations with them are quite literally the same, it means fewer morals to remember if both parents say the same things. Dragonfruit are confusing and unexpected, with different features to deal with. However, your parents probably wouldn’t have bad intentions, so some less tasty ones like bitter melon might be less likely. You can try these comparisons yourself if you want to. Oh, and remember to try to get some dragonfruit at the supermarket! Thank you for being here!
Aiming High
Hello there. I think that I’m going to stay anonymous for now, but I can tell you that I’m planning to be a mountain climber when I grow up, which is why I’m here, getting ready for my first bouldering lesson. Now, before you start thinking “Hey, you should know something!” as far as mountains and me go, I’m not really into rock climbing. Yet. I have seen a documentary about a person who free solo-ed a cliff, and I have hiked at least a few times, though none were very steep. Now, if you’ll excuse me for a second, I’ll meet you at my first route. Hi! Just met up with my coach, and now I’m going on my first route! I put both hands on the starting hold, and then hoisted myself onto the wall. I found the right holds, and with my coach’s help, I made it to the top. Then my coach told me to jump off the wall. I gave him a look of disbelief. He just grinned, and I sighed, took a breath and jumped, hitting the mattress intact. My coach said that I was doing great, and I was ready for a harder route. I tried it, and I was doing fine until the middle, where two holds were far apart. I moved my feet, put my hands on the hold and hauled myself up to the top. It might be worth mentioning that I’m not very athletic. But nonetheless, I mustered the strength that I needed to get on the hold and complete the route. My coach said that I needed to practice that route more, and that’s what I did for the next bit. After going up and down some times, my coach set me a challenge: I had to climb the wall sideways, using any holds I wanted without falling off. I started and quickly realized that it was essential to know which holds are “good” and which are “bad.” Here’s an explanation: You could only step on the flat parts of the large round rocks, otherwise you would more than definitely slip off. You also needed to keep distance between your arms and legs, because if they were too close, then your elbows would collide with your knees, but if your limbs are too far apart, then you end up stretching, and that hurts! I kept falling at this point where I had to stretch my leg to get to the next hold, but I kept slipping in the process. I asked my coach for some advice, and he told me to “jump.” I gave him my look again, and he demonstrated. I had to release one foot while I land the other. I tried it, and it worked! I made it halfway across the wall when the lesson ended. Want to know what I learned next lesson? I do too!
Summon the Mammal
With the ability to summon any mammal, I was safe. So, my adventure started in the Mystic Woods. That was a warm, breezy day when the soil opened in a fold and I fell in. When I landed on some concrete, the unnatural purple color told me straightaway where I was—Professor Haunter’s course. He traps his victims and puts them, well, basically in a death course. Anyway, the room’s only light in this room was a ghostly mauve. Do I have to get through this room? I summoned my long-eared jerboa, a nocturnal mammal with excellent navigation skills. It would be able to sense the way to the next part. As it hopped, I followed the hollow sound as it hopped toward the exit. After a few crashes, I was at the next course. A large lake with piranhas (an amount that can only be described as a lot) stood before me. They took no notice for now, but they would smell me if I went in the water. I thought for a while and swapped my long-eared jerboa for my jaguar, a mammal that frequently swam in rivers (in the Amazon), and was used to swimming with those fish. I hopped on my jaguar and it went in reluctantly, with me trying not to touch the water. It had been quite a while since my jaguar had been utilized, so in the middle, my jaguar stopped for a break. (Well, it is a big lake, so I don’t blame it.) To my surprise, it ate a piranha while resting. Then my jaguar kept swimming, closer and closer to the edge, and finally reached it. I was at the next part. I took one look at it and knew that it was even more treacherous and I wondered how I was going to get there… Er… I’m on a ledge fifteen centimeters from the surface of a deep salty sea. If you’re alone now, you’re dead. So I swapped my jaguar for my dusky dolphin, a small water-dwelling mammal. I choose small over powerful, it was three feet wide and… er… very long. Oh well, never mind that! The dusky has little activity. So I told it to go full speed ahead. It bolted off with me clinging on its dorsal fin. Soon, a dark blue-purple glow came from below. My dolphin knew that a lot of box jellyfish were coming. It sped ahead like a torpedo knowingly. Finally, after what seemed like a million years, I had successfully made it to the next course. This was the final part since I could see the light of the exit. Just then, Professor Haunter came into sight in his purple-black starship. He chuckles, “Oh, you? You’ll never get out THIS time.” “Really?” I shouted reluctantly, retrieving my dusky dolphin (he couldn’t see my dusky dolphin or my hand with my summoning tool as it was at the wrong angle). But he was already gone. In his place are sixteen angry, hissing king cobras. To fend them off, my banded mongoose had to take action. Banded mongoose regularly eat snakes, so my banded mongoose chased the sixteen, slick, sneaky snakes with ease and fought them, catching them with its little paws, then ripping its flesh with its teeth. I tried to help, but I didn’t catch any. After quite a long time, all the king cobras were dead, and I was through to the exit. Once I was back in the Mystic Woods, I retrieved my banded mongoose and went home. If Professor Haunter won’t learn, he’ll never get me. With the help of over five thousand mammals, nothing can stop me from going on in my distinct adventure.
