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Lily is a girl with astonishing bright blue eyes and strawberry blonde hair that glistens like the sun streaming through the trees. She lives in a rainforest dancing with colour and sound. From bright pink flowers bursting with pollen to peculiar green vines curling and twirling up the trees. From bobbing bees humming in the breeze to the talkative parrots squawking overhead. But her favourite part was definitely the lily pads. She would play all day from dawn to dusk - trying to make boats out of them and attempting (very badly by the way) to even surf on them!
Although she loved the rainforest, and everything in it, Lily wanted more, more than the rainforest. She wanted to explore the world: trek across scorching desert sands; climb the highest mountain peaks and navigate treacherous waters. Unfortunately, Rose, her sister, did not agree. “WHAT! YOU WANT TO SEE THE WORLD?” she exclaimed. “You’re not strong enough! Brave enough! Or clever enough!”. Lily’s eyes filled with tears, and she wondered whether Rose could be right.
The next day, Rose and Lily went for a walk until suddenly they both heard an animal in pain. Lily sprang into action trying to find the animal, but Rose grabbed her wrist and whispered “you can't go over there, it could be dangerous!”. Lily shook her away, desperate to get to the animal’s aid. She discovered a wild cat, trapped in a poacher’s net, thrashing and tumbling around. Lily took a deep breath, crept towards the animal and quick as a lightning bolt flung the net away! Lily realised just how brave she is!
Lily’s favourite food is a dragon fruit, which was very rarely found in the rainforest. Later that day, to her amazement, they came across an astonishingly tall tree with emerald green moss and vines that twisted and turned up the trunk. At the very top were the most enticing looking fruit the sisters had ever seen. Lily clambered up the ladder of vines, using all her power and might, until she reached the very top. She couldn’t believe how strong she was!
On their way home, Rose suddenly stopped, looked around and to her surprise realised she didn’t recognise anything at all! “We’re lost!” she cried out. “Don’t be afraid”, Lily reassured her, “I’ll get us home”. And with that, she turned back the way they’d come, taking Rose with her, until they came to the cascading waterfall, crashing down into the river that would lead the way home. Looks like she was very clever after all!
Back at home, lying on a lilypad under the stars, she thought to herself “what a day I've had, I bravely saved a dangerous wild cat, used my strength to bring us delicious food and cleverly found our way home”. Lily had come to learn just how brave, strong and clever she is, that she had always believed in herself, that her heart is true and it will always belong to the rainforest.
