Forever After Lands Short Story Collection: (Fourteen short stories per volume for young readers with a related activity linked to each story for young adventurers to )
Estimated Publication: Feb 2026
Age Range 3 to 7 years
Harmony Pond & the Dark Pond Dinosaur
The afternoon is sunny and bright, but the water in the usually clear Harmony Pond is looking murky and dark as PADDLER (Duck), HONKER COOT (Coot), THISTLE (Goldfinch) and NIBBLES (Water Vole) stand by the edge of the pond, shake their heads then sigh. Not too far away from their current position, they spot a stranger, SPIKES (Great Crested Newt), and they start to discuss the stranger who has shown up at their pond that afternoon.
Paddler (Duck): What do you think he is? Do you think he’s a dragon?
Thistle (Goldfinch): If you ask me, he looks like a dinosaur.
Nibbles (Water Vole): Hmmm… he might not be. Sometimes, people think I’m a rat but I’m really a water vole.
Honker Coot (Coot): Well, he’s too big to be my dinner, so I don’ t care what he is as long as he stays out of my way.
Paddler (Duck): Maybe he’s the one that made our pond ill. Maybe he’s a dark pond dinosaur.
Thistle (Goldfinch): He might be. Our pond does look very ill right now and he did show up at about the same time.
Paddler (Duck): We should bring him some gifts, so that he won’t eat us and he might make our pond better.
Nibbles (Water Vole): Okay, let’s give him some gifts just in case.
Seconds later Honker Coot, Thistle and Paddler nod and then the four inclusive of Nibbles start to search for some gifts in and around the pond to give to Spikes. Once the four find or decide upon the gifts they wish to offer, they place their gifts on the ground close to Spike’s position, (a duck feather, some seeds, some pond weeds and some soggy twigs) and then scurry away and hide behind a big leaf which they poke their heads around for the next few seconds as they wait for Spikes to accept their gifts. However, suddenly CROAKY (Frog) arrives then leaps towards their position.
Croaky (Frog): What’s going on Paddler? I tried to collect some water drop notes to make a song from the pond’s waterdrops just now and the water drops I caught wouldn’t make a sound.
Paddler (Duck): The pond’s ill Croaky … and there’s a dinosaur beside our pond.
Croaky (Frog): Where?
Paddler (Duck): Over there.
Paddler (Duck) points at Spikes.
Croaky (Frog): Oh, that’s not a dinosaur that’s Spikes. He’s a newt.
Thistle (Goldfinch): Do you know him?
Croaky (Frog): Yes Thistle, he’s like my distant cousin somehow, but we don’t get along that well. (whispers) He eats all our spawn and sometimes, even our tadpoles.
Just a second or two later Croaky walks towards Spikes and greets him.
Croaky (Frog): How are you doing Cousin Spikes? Long time no croaks. (points towards others) These are my friends Honker Coot, Thistle, Nibbles and Paddler. We all live in this pond.
Upon their faces there are nervous expressions as Honker Coot, Thistle, Nibbles and Paddler wave at Spikes.
Spikes (Great Crested Newt grins and waves) Hi. (sighs) I’m okay, Croaky, but I’m very hungry. The pond I live in was sealed off yesterday because the humans want to build some new houses there, so I’m homeless right now.
Paddler (Duck loud whisper): He can’t live here Croaky; he made our pond ill.
Spikes (Great Crested Newt): Excuse me, I did no such thing, but I did see a human pour some dark, thick liquid into the pond earlier today, so maybe that’s what made your pond ill.
Honker Coot (Coot): Can we fix it?
Spikes (Great Crested Newt): We can try. First, we’d have to flush out the dark water then put in some fresh water from the stream to fill the up pond again.
Croaky (Frog): Hmm… that might be tricky.
Thistle (Goldfinch): Maybe, if we birds that drink from the pond or swim in it, flock together and then flap our wings through the water together, we can create a wave to flush the dark water out?
Croaky (Frog): I think that might work Thistle.
Thistle (Goldfinch flies up into air): But we’ll need some more wings. I’ll go and get some help.
During the next few seconds Thistle flies off into air
Paddler (Duck): We should try to wake up the pond fairy too Crystalina Harmony, Croaky, she might be able to help us.
Croaky (Frog): Great idea Paddler, I’ll do that now.
A second or two later Croaky releases a deep croak before he dives into the pond and heads towards the bottom of it.
Once Croaky reaches the bottom of the pond, he wakes up Crystalina Harmony who then starts to emerge from the waterbed as she wakes up and Thistle returns seconds later with Redbeak (Moorhen), Queen Swannie (Swan), Wise Wings (Owl), Twittery (Sparrow) and Warbler (Wren). Seconds later the Crystalina Harmony rises up and heads towards the pond’s surface and as she swims upwards and spirals through the pond water, some flashes of blue crystal light can be seen as she purifies the pond’s drops of water and swims through it with her healing crystal waterdrops that flow through every inch of the pond.
Croaky (Frog): Thank you very much Crystalina.
Crystalina (Pond Fairy): You’re welcome Croaky. We have to protect our pond together. So, anytime you need my help, you just let me know.
Croaky (Frog) nods.
Upon Crystalina’s face there is a smile as she twirls up into the air and flash sparks of blue crystal light surround her then seconds later, she dives back into the pond.
Before Redbeak, Queen Swannie, Wise Wings, Twittery and Warbler leave, Paddler invites everyone to dinner since the seeds, pond weeds and soggy twigs are still lying beside the pond and Honker Coot, Thistle, Croaky and Spikes join the feast and as they sit and eat by the pond, Croaky collects some waterdrop notes from the pond. The sun begins to set on the pond and Croaky plays the song notes that he’s found on his ukulele and sings the song 'When We Live Together in Harmony' and everyone around the pond starts to sing and join in as the sun sets.
Written by Jill Thrussell May 2024 @ All Rights Reserved
Activity: The Pond Dinosaur Hunt
Originally this story was written for particular reason and didn't fit into my other collections, but I decided to make it into a short story collection this week.