OLIVER’S QUEST FOR OLIVE HIS FRIENDS
By: Kristofer Swedberg
Once upon a time, there lived a Brown pelican named Oliver. Oliver was a young and well liked pelican that liked to glide above the surf along the southern coast with his friends. Every morning Oliver and his friends would meet by the dock closest to the nearest town and go on a flying adventure.
Then, one day Oliver was the only one to show up at the spot. Something felt different but he couldn’t figure out what.
While Oliver was searching for his friends, he came across a sign on the dock that said “CAUTION: MAY BE CONTAMINATED WITH PESTICIDE”. This worried Oliver so he began to extend his search to other habitats near and far in search of his friends.
After a long journey, Oliver arrived at the Congo Basin where he comes in contact with a Mountain gorilla named Gary.“Have you seen my friends?” Oliver asked.“Friends? I’ve been looking for my friends too! I haven’t seen them since my forest was cut down to make an area for cattle ranching!” Said Gary. “Okay Gary come with me, we can find them together” So Oliver and Gary began a journey together to find each other’s friends. Their next stop was the wetlands.
Once they reached their destination, it didn’t seem to be their destination at all. Nothing was even wet. Luckily they found a Spotted Frog named Josh to get some information. “Have you seen our friends?” said Oliver. “No I haven’t! I was looking for my friends too! The Wetlands have been drained and people are starting to build houses on where they used to be! Can I come with you to find my friends?” said Josh.“Yeah sure we can all find our friends together. Maybe they are at the lake!” Replied Oliver. So the three of them went off to the lake in search for their friends.
As they approached the lake, they began to smell an awful smell. “This smells like my poop” said Gary. And indeed, Gary was right, it was the smell of the poop. A sewage pipe along the bank was filling the lake. Just as the three friends were about to leave, Josh noticed a catfish crying outside of the lake. “Hi I’m Suz, I can’t find my friends. They all disappeared after that point source started filling the lake with that awful sewage. Can I come with you guys?” “Of course you can Suz, we are looking for our friends too!” replied Josh.
Just as Josh told Suz she could come along, a helicopter landed next to the four friends and a woman stepped out. “No need to be afraid! I am with the Wildlife Conservation Society and I’m here to help! Come with me and I will bring you to your friends!” The four friends grew trust with the woman and boarded the helicopter.
After the four friends awoke from a much-needed sleep, they noticed that the helicopter was taking them to a beautiful place where no human had even touched. The woman dropped them off and the friends thanked her. In a matter of minutes, the friends of each individual species began to appear and they all threw a party to celebrate their preserved habitats and start to a safer life.