HOW RAFI & ROSITA CAME TO MARTINHAL
Once upon a time, there was a little fox that lived in the countryside, in the national park near a little town called Sagres in Portugal.
That fox was called Rafi and he was very friendly and playful.
One hot summer’s day, Rafi went to the lagoon,
where all the animals went to bathe and play. To his delight, he bumped into his best friend Rosita there.
While they splashed in the lagoon, they heard some birds talking about a beautiful beach with golden sand, crystal water and five magnificent islands that seemed to be only one.
This made Rafi very curious and there was nothing else
he talked about on the way home.
Rosita couldn’t care less.
When Rafi arrived home he could bear it no longer. “Mom… Dad! Have you ever heard of a beautiful beach with golden sand, crystal water and five magnificent islands that seem to be only one?” he asked.
Father Fox and Mother Fox looked at each other as if they weren’t sure whether to tell him or not. Finally Father Fox told Rafi, “That beach you are talking about …
… is not far from here.
“Not long ago there were only animals there but then humans found its beauty and built Hotel Martinhal there so that other humans from all over the world could come and enjoy this magnificent place,” said Dad.
“I really want to go there! I could even stay at that … Rotel you were talking about,” said Rafi with excitement. “Hotel,” corrected Dad, “And it’s not a good idea to go there. The humans won’t let you stay at the hotel unless you are human!
“Besides it can be very dangerous, you never know what humans can do to you!” said Father Fox. “All right Dad!” said Rafi, visibly disappointed.
But Rafi’s curiosity and strong will got the better of him.
So the next day, he met up with Rosita and they went looking for the famous Hotel Martinhal. They walked and walked until, from far away, they spotted a beach.
As
they got closer they saw the golden sand, crystal water
and, at last, the five magnificent islands that seem to be
only one.
“We found it!” screamed Rafi, he couldn’t contain his excitement. “This
is so beautiful! I told you it was real!” he said.
“Yes you did Rafi!” said Rosita. “Let’s take a closer look…” They kept walking towards the beach but then they saw Hotel Martinhal. They quickly realized that they would have to cross the hotel grounds to get to the beach.
“I had never seen a hotel before but it’s almost like a forest,” said Rafi.
“It has lots of plants and dens for the humans.” Rosita exclaimed.
“These dens are huge! And a lot prettier than ours!” chipped in Rafi. Suddenly a little human voice shouted, “Foxes!”
Rafi and Rosita dived immediately into a gap between some lavender bushes. “Now what do we do?” whispered Rosita. “Let’s stay hidden. He might just go away,” said Rafi nervously, remembering his father’s words.
However, they began to notice the wonderful smell emanating from the lavender bushes. “Humans like nice smelling shrubs too,” said Rafi. “Maybe they’re not so different from us after all,” whispered Rosita, trying her best not to speak too loud.
“Wait! Don´t run away!” … their conversation was interrupted by the same little voice they had heard before. “You don’t have to be afraid, I’m just a little boy and I would like you to come and play and dance with me,” said the boy.
Rafi and Rosita exchanged a hesitant look and realizing that they had been discovered, they came out of their hiding spot. “Hmm, I don’t know. Maybe we should go back home,” stuttered Rafi. “But I LOVE dancing!” shrieked Rosita.
“I’m going to take you to a wonderful place called the Kids Club,” the boy said. “Are there any big humans there?” asked Rafi, visibly concerned. “Adults? Yes, there are some. Mom and Dad call them “staff” but I know their real names. They are very nice, they won’t hurt you and they play and dance with us!”
And off the three friends went to the Kids Club. When they arrived at the Kids Club the Foxes were astonished.
“So many colors!” said Rafi.
“So many children!” said Rosita. “So many games!” continued Rafi. “So many toys!” finished Rosita. They were both fascinated with all the children and even the big humans there.
They all danced and played until they were exhausted. In the end, Rafi and Rosita were invited to come to Martinhal every day to dance with the children. And so they have, every single day ever since!
Story
