The Adventures of Shannon and Ally
By Kate Everson
Copyright 2011 By Kate Everson
Smashwords Edition
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Chapter One: Shannon and Ally in Canada
Shannon and Ally are sisters. They live in the city of Ottawa in Canada.
One day, Shannon woke up and looked outside. There was snow on the ground. She ran to her sister’s room and said, “Wake up, Ally! Let’s go play in the snow!”
Ally looked out the window and saw all the white snow. She said, “Yippee!”
The girls ran into their parent’s room and said, “Wake up, Mommy! Wake up, Daddy! Look outside! Look at all the snow!”
Mommy and Daddy were sleepy. They did not want to get up and look out the window. They did not want to go play in the snow.
Daddy said, “I have to shovel the snow!”
Mommy said, “I have to get out the mittens and the boots and the winter coats!”
Soon the whole family got up and put on their mittens and their boots and their warm clothes and went outside. The snow was deep in the back yard. Shannon and Ally rolled big snow balls and Daddy piled them on top of each other. They made a snowman!
Then they found a carrot for its nose and a stick for its mouth, two stones for its eyes and a red hat. It was a very funny snowman!
Shannon and Ally loved winter! It was so much fun!
They found a sled and went sliding down the hills. They made snowballs and threw them up in the air. Ally got a shovel and helped Daddy shovel out the cars in the driveway.
Shannon got a pair of skis and slid down the back step.Winter was such a fun time for the children. They did not mind living in Canada in winter.
But when the snow melted and spring came to Canada it was fun too. The weather was warm and they could go for a walk in the sunshine and not get cold. They could take their wagon along the path and go to the park. Shannon and Ally liked the park.
Shannon liked to climb up to the top of the slide, and Ally liked to slide down. They liked to play on all the toys in the park. They liked to pretend they had a restaurant and Shannon was the cook and Ally was the waitress. When Grandma Kate came they made her a grilled cheese sandwich out of sand and gave her a chocolate milk shake out of sticks. Grandma Kate said she liked it very much!
When summer came, it was even more fun. Shannon and Ally went to the cottage and went swimming.
Shannon liked to sit on the rocks and pretend she was a mermaid.
Ally liked to play in the sand and get all sandy. Her feet were sandy and her hands were sandy and her clothes were sandy. It was so much fun in the summer!
When fall came, the girls had fun too. Then it was cool and they went to school. Mommy made them a lunch and walked them to the school down their street. They liked school and all the friends they made. They liked their teachers too. School was fun!
Ally was just learning the letters of the alphabet. She could say ABC all the way to Z. She could count numbers all the way to 100. She could even write her own name.
Shannon was good at reading stories in her books at home. All the teachers said she was doing very well in school. She also liked to paint.
When they came home, they could play in the back yard. Or sometimes they painted pictures or played games on the computer. Both girls liked to draw beautiful pictures.
Shannon and Ally were very happy to be sisters and live in Canada.
Chapter Two: Shannon and Ally Like to Play
Shannon and Ally like to play.
“What shall we do today?” asked Shannon.
“I want to play all day,” said Ally.
And so they did. They played in the back yard. They played in the park. They played on the swing and on the slide. When it was time to come in for dinner, they did not want to come in. They wanted to play and play and play.
Mommy said, “Come in Shannon and Ally. Come in and have dinner.”
But Shannon and Ally just kept playing.
When it was time to go to bed, Shannon and Ally did not want to come in.
Daddy said, “Come in Shannon and Ally. Come in and go to bed.”
But Shannon and Ally kept playing.
Ally went on the swing and went back and forth, back and forth. Then they blew bubbles. Big bubbles, little bubbles, all kinds of bubbles. Shannon ran around and around and around. Ally ran around after her. Soon they were so tired they could not play any more. So they had a nap on the grass and when they woke up, guess what they did!
They played!
The next day, Shannon and Ally were so tired. They could not play any more.
All they wanted to do was sleep.
Shannon lay down in the big bed and went to sleep. Ally lay down beside her and went to sleep too. They slept and slept and slept. Mommy and Daddy tried to wake them up. “Wake up, Shannon,” Mommy said. “Wake up, Ally,” Daddy said.
But Shannon and Ally just slept and slept and slept.
Shannon had a dream. She dreamed she was riding a pony. It was a beautiful pony named Sprinkles. She rode the pony all over the field. It was so much fun!
Ally had a dream too. Ally dreamed she was a dancer. She danced and danced and danced. She was a beautiful dancer.
Shannon and Ally did not want to wake up. They liked having dreams.
Soon it was time to have dinner. But Shannon and Ally did not want to have dinner. They just wanted to sleep.
Shannon and Ally dreamed they were at the cottage. They dreamed they were swimming out in the water like mermaids. Shannon had a tail like a fish. Ally had big fish eyes. They swam all over the lake and met other fish. They said, “Hello, fish,” and the fish said, “Hello to you!”
When they talked they blew bubbles up, up, up to the top of the water. Mommy and Daddy were looking for them and they saw the bubbles.
And then Shannon and Ally woke up and jumped on the bed. They were so happy to be at home and not in the water like fish.
It was much more fun being little girls than being fish!
Shannon and Ally were very happy.
But that night when Shannon went to sleep she dreamed again about riding a pony called Sprinkles. “I want to ride a pony,” she told Daddy.
So Mommy and Daddy bought her some riding clothes and took her to the barn where she could ride a big pony. It was a very friendly pony and it’s name was Sprinkles. Shannon rode up and down and all around. It was even better than in her dream!
Ally was too little to ride a pony this year, but Mommy said maybe next year when she is bigger. Ally had fun going to a friend’s birthday party. They played and played all day. When they were hungry, they all ate Pizza!
“I like birthday parties,” said Ally.
The sisters had two birthdays close together. Ally’s birthday was in May and Shannon’s birthday was in August. They were both getting ready to go to school in September. Shannon could already read many words. Ally could write her own name. They were very smart sisters.
Shannon and Ally went to Disney World this year. They had so much fun on the rides. They even got to meet a princess!
But the best things to do were right here at home!
Chapter Three: Shannon and Ally like Animals
Shannon and Ally like all kinds of animals.
“What kind of animals do you like, Shannon?” asked Grandma Kate.
Shannon said, “I like horses and I like ducks.”
“What kind of animals do you like, Ally?” asked Grandma Kate.
Ally said, “I like big animals and small animals.”
So that day they went to the farm to see all kinds of animals. Mommy and Daddy took them to a big barn. Inside the barn there were cows. There were black and white cows. There were brown cows. There were little cows and big cows.
“What are the little cows called, Ally?” asked Grandma Kate.
Ally said, “They are calves!”
And Shannon and Ally found a small calf in the barn and petted its nose. The calf liked that very much. They saw many animals at the farm. They saw horses and ducks. That made Shannon very happy. She liked horses and ducks.They saw sheep with wool over their eyes. The sheep went Ba-a-a-a-a! They saw goats with tiny horns. The goats liked to eat from Ally’s hand. Outside the barn they saw big animals and small animals. And they got to play in the park.
“Do all animals live on the farm?” Ally asked.
“No,” said Mommy. “Some animals live in a big park.”
“Let’s go to that big park!” said Shannon.
“I want to see the animals that don’t live on a farm.”
So Mommy and Daddy and Shannon and Ally and Grandma Kate got in the car and drove to a big park in Quebec. There were lots of trees in the park. As soon as they drove into the park, they saw animals. These were very big animals.
“Oh look!” said Daddy. “Look at the big elk!”
The elk came right up to the car and put his nose in the window. Shannon and Ally were in the front seat. They gave the big elk a carrot. He ate it right up. Then they drove further into the park. There were more big animals. There were some deer and some bears and even a wolf!
“This is a great park!” said Shannon.
They gave away most of their carrots to the elk and the deer. But they did not give anything to the bears or the wolf!
“They look like they would eat me!” said Ally.
Daddy said, “Stay in the car!”
But Grandma Kate wanted to get closer to the bears. She wanted to take a picture with her camera. So she got out of the car. And so did Daddy! The bears did not eat her. They did not eat Daddy either. But a Park ranger came and told them to get back in the car! So they did.They drove to a place where it was safe to get out of the car. There were small deer there. They were fawns with spots on their back. Shannon and Ally fed the fawns with carrots. The fawns liked it very much! They would not bite like a bear! So everybody was very happy. They went to a restaurant and had lunch.
And that was a very nice day at Parc Omega.
The next day Shannon asked if animals only live on a farm or in a park.
Daddy said, “No Shannon. Some animals live in the wild. They live in the woods.”
“What kind of animals?” asked Ally.
Daddy said “All kinds of animals live in the wild. Big animals. Small animals.”
“I want to see animals that don’t live on a farm or in a park,” Shannon said.
So the next day they all got in the car and went to the cottage. Along the way, Daddy stopped the car. They got out and walked through the trees in the woods.
Suddenly, Daddy said, “Look!”
And they all looked where Daddy was pointing. It was a snake!
“Here is a wild animal,” Daddy said. “It doesn’t live on a farm or in a park. It lives in the woods.”
Shannon and Ally were a little afraid of the snake. But Daddy picked it up and showed it to them.
“See,” he said. “Even wild animals are nice.”
So Shannon and Ally touched the snake. It felt very soft. Then they all drove to the cottage by the lake. There in the lake were three ducks with green heads.
“Look!” said Mommy. “There are more wild animals! They don’t live in a barn or in a park. They just live on a lake.”
And Shannon and Ally were very happy.
But Shannon said, “I want to see my favourite animal. I want to see my pony.”
So they drove to a barn where there were riding horses and ponies. Shannon’s favourite pony was there. Its name was Sprinkles.
And Shannon got on its back and rode all around the yard.
But Ally said, “I want to see my favourite animal too.”
Ally liked dogs and cats. So they went to Grandma Kate’s house and saw a big furry cat named Dahlia. Dahlia liked to sleep most of the time. Sometimes she slept on the bed. Sometimes she slept on the chair. Sometimes she slept on the couch or on the rug. Sometimes she slept all curled up in a ball. Other times she slept on her back!
“Dahlia is a very pretty cat!” said Ally.
And Dahlia purred and purred.
Chapter Four: Shannon and Ally at the Cabin
Shannon and Ally were excited about going to the cabin in Renfrew. They wanted to go out on the lake in a boat and see the loons. They wanted to walk in the woods. And they wanted to have a big bonfire.
“I love it at the cabin,” smiled Shannon.
“I love it SO much!” said Ally.
So Shannon got in the car with Mommy. Ally got in another car with Daddy and Grandma Kate. They drove all the way from Ottawa until they got to the cabin.
“Wahoo!” yelled Shannon.
“Yippee!” shouted Ally.
They raced down to the lake and put on their life jackets. Daddy put the small motor on the boat and took Shannon and Ally and Grandma Kate for a ride around the lake.
“Oh look!” shouted Grandma Kate. “There are the loons!”
And there they were. Two beautiful loons swimming in the lake. When they tried to get close to the loons, the loons swam away or they would dive under the water and come up far away.
“Don’t get too close,” said Grandma Kate. “You’ll scare them away!”
The loons were swimming all around the lake. Sometimes they caught fish.
Daddy said, “I wish I could catch fish like that!”
And Shannon laughed. “Me too!” she said.
Then the loons made their wonderful loon call. It sounded like magic!
The lake was very pretty in the sunshine. The blue sky and the white clouds danced on top of the water. It was like a day for fairies!
After their boat ride, Shannon and Ally went for a walk in the woods. Daddy said they should be quiet so they would not scare away the animals.
“Shhhhhh….!” he said.
“OKAY!” yelled Ally.
And everybody laughed.
As she walked down the road through the woods, suddenly they heard a loud noise. It was the sound of a big bird. “Screeech!”
“What is THAT?” asked Shannon.
Grandma Kate said, “Let’s go find out!”
So Shannon and Ally and Grandma Kate walked further into the woods towards the sound. It was getting louder and louder. Suddenly, they saw the bird.
“It’s a grouse!” said Grandma Kate. “It’s trying to lead us away from its nest.”
The grouse kept calling out, and walking further into the woods.
The grouse was trying to protect its babies.
“Let’s leave it alone,” said Grandma Kate. So they walked up the road a little further.
They saw a lot of trees. All kinds of trees. Pine trees. Cedar trees. And maple trees.
Some of the trees had been chewed down near the lake. Daddy said a beaver had chewed the trees for something to eat. It also made a beaver house out in the water.
“I wonder what a tree tastes like,” said Shannon.
“Like a tree!” laughed Ally.
Shannon pretended she was a beaver and tried to chew a tree. It did not taste good!
“Ha ha!” laughed Ally. “You are not a very good beaver!”
Shannon looked at the tree where the beaver had chewed. She said, “The beaver must have very strong teeth!”
Then Shannon and Ally walked and walked and walked down the road until they got very tired. Daddy said, “I will be right back,” and he walked away.
Where did Daddy go? Mommy said, “Don’t worry. He will come back.”
But they were all getting tired. So they turned around. Then Daddy came back and said, “Follow me!” And so they went down to the lake and there was the boat to take them back to the cabin! What a nice surprise!
Ally jumped in the boat and grabbed her small paddle. She was going to paddle all by herself!
“I can take you all home in the boat!” she shouted.
She paddled and paddled and paddled. She paddled past the beaver house. She paddled past the pine trees. She paddled past the grouse. She paddled past the loons. She paddled so far, she paddled them all around the lake!
“What a good paddler you are!” smiled Daddy.
And she paddled all the way back to the cabin.
“That was so much fun!” said Ally.
When they got back to the cabin, it was getting late. So Daddy made a bonfire by the lake and they all danced around the fire. The bonfire was very bright.
“I love a bonfire!” said Shannon. “I can dance like an Indian, just like we did at Sparks camp.”
So she and Ally danced around the campfire singing, “We are the Indians! We are the Indians!”
Even Grandma Kate danced around the fire, singing, “We are the Indians!”
Shannon said she wanted to go to the island to see if the Indian tipi was still there. So she put on her big boots and walked with Grandma Kate through the long grass and over the logs to the little island. There it was! The Indian tipi was still standing. It was made of long tree poles leaning together.
Shannon stood inside the tipi and crossed her arms in front of her. Grandma Kate said, “Well, Shannon, you do look like an Indian right now!”
Shannon began to sing her song again and danced all around the tipi.
Shannon said, “Take a picture of me inside the tipi, standing like an Indian.” So Grandma Kate took her picture and here it is!
After that, Shannon and Ally went inside the cabin for lunch. It was Daddy’s birthday so they had sandwiches and a big birthday cake.
“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you,” they sang. “Happy birthday, dear Daddy, happy birthday to you!”
They all laughed and sang and had a lot of fun.
That night they got in their sleeping bags and tried to sleep. But something kept waking them up. It was a little noise. It went, “Buzzz mmmmMMMMMmmmm.”
It was not one, not two, but many mosquitoes in the cabin! Oh no! How could they sleep with mosquitoes in the cabin? They tried to smash them but the mosquitoes were too fast. They flew all over the cabin. They landed on the bed! They landed on their clothes. They even landed on their nose!
Shannon and Ally crawled under their blankets and finally got to sleep. They were very, very tired. It was a long day at the cabin, but it was so much fun.
And tomorrow they could do it all again!
Chapter Five: Shannon and Ally Learn to Swim
Shannon and Ally are not ducks. They are not geese. And they are not loons. But they do like to swim.
“I love to swim!” said Shannon.
“Me too!” said Ally.
Shannon and Ally are taking lessons to learn how to swim. Sometimes they take lessons in a pool in the city. Sometimes they take lessons at the cottage in a big lake. Some day they will be able to swim just like the loons on the lake.
“Oh look!” said Ally. “That big loon looks just like you, Shannon!”
Shannon said, “No, I am NOT a loon. You are a silly loon!”
Ally said she could make the sound of a loon. She opened her mouth and went alaala la la la laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.
Ally put her head back and laughed like a loon.
“Ha ha ha ha aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa” she laughed.
Shannon laughed too.
Then they went to the pool to learn how to swim like loons.
First Shannon got in the water and swam all the way to the other end on her back. She was very good at floating on the water. She did not even sink!
“Look Mommy,” Shannon said. “Look Daddy. I can swim on my back!”
She swam on her back and she swam on her front. She went under the water just like a loon. But loons don’t wear goggles.
“Why don’t loons wear goggles?” asked Shannon. “Don’t they get water in their eyes when they go under water?”
“I have never seen a loon wearing goggles,” said Daddy, very seriously.
“Well, maybe they wear them when nobody is looking,” said Shannon.
And she went back to swimming up and down the pool. Shannon was a very good swimmer.
Ally was just learning how to swim like a loon. She did not like going under the water. She just wanted to stay on top.
“Loons dive under the water,” said Daddy. “Jump in the water and go under like a loon.”
But Ally did not want to jump. She did not want to go under the water.
“What if I get water in my eyes?” she asked.
“That’s why you wear goggles,” said Daddy. “The water will not go in your eyes.”
“But what if the water goes up my nose?” Ally asked. “How can I breathe with water in my nose? I might drown!”
Daddy said, “Hold your breath when you jump in the water and it won’t go up your nose. You won’t drown. And I will be right here to catch you!”
Ally said, “I am afraid.”
Daddy said, “That’s okay. Jump anyway.”
So Ally jumped in the water. And Daddy caught her. And water did not get in her eyes and it did not go up her nose. She was very happy.
“See!” Daddy said. “Now you can swim like a loon!”
And Ally laughed and laughed and laughed. Only now, she laughed like a loon!
After they got out of the pool, Shannon and Ally went to play in the park. There were swings and toys and animals. Shannon and Ally went to pet the llama and the alpaca. They were very hairy. The man looking after the animals gave them some food to feed the llama and the alpaca. The animals did not even bite! They took the food right out of their hands.
“I like the llama,” said Shannon.
“I like the alpaca,” said Ally. “It’s smaller, just like me.”
Shannon and Ally like animals, especially ones that don’t bite.
When they go to the cabin they sometimes see animals and snakes and birds and insects. Shannon does not like mosquitoes. They buzz and buzz and then they bite! But some insects are pretty and they do not bite.
When they went to the cabin, a dragonfly landed right on Daddy’s hand. Shannon and Ally got to look at it up close. It had pretty wings!
“I like dragonflies!” said Shannon.
“I love dragonflies!” said Ally.
Shannon and Ally went for a boat ride on the lake and saw a beaver dam and two loons swimming. They were not afraid to go out in the boat because they wore life jackets. If they fell in, the life jackets would hold them up.
“The water won’t go up my nose!” said Ally.
“Mine either!” said Shannon.
“And anyway, I can swim like a loon,” said Shannon.
And she tipped back her head and laughed and laughed and laughed. She sounded just like a loon!
And some day, if you go to that lake, you might find two loons. And you can ask somebody, “Is that Shannon and Ally swimming on the lake?”
And they might even say yes!
Chapter Six: Shannon and Ally Meet the Monster
Shannon and Ally had never met a Monster.
Shannon said, “I do NOT want to meet a Monster!”
Ally said, “I do NOT want to meet a Monster!”
But the Monster said, “I WANT TO MEET SHANNON AND ALLY!”
One day, Shannon and Ally were walking in the sand. They saw a BIG MONSTER digging in the sand. It was a SAND MONSTER!
“Oh, NO!” cried Shannon.
“Oh, NO, NO!” cried Ally.
But the Monster kept digging and digging in the sand. It did not look up. It did not see Shannon and Ally. It was making a nest. It wanted to lay eggs and make more Monsters.
MORE MONSTERS! Oh NO!
Then Daddy came to see the Monster. He told Shannon and Ally this was a friendly Monster.
“This is a very nice Monster,” he said.
“It will not bite you …. unless you come too close!”
Shannon said, “I WON’T come too close!”
Ally said, “I WON’T come too close!”
But they wanted to come just a little bit closer. So they went one more baby step closer to the Monster. The Monster did not move.
Then they went two steps closer to the Monster. The Monster still did not move.
Then they went three steps closer to the Monster. And the Monster moved its head!
The Monster looked at Shannon and Ally. Its eyes blinked at them. It blinked once at Shannon and once at Ally. Then its big back feet dug a little deeper in the sand.
“Will it bite me?” asked Shannon.
“Will it bite ME?” asked Ally.
But Daddy said, “Only if you come too close.”
So Shannon and Ally went away from the Monster. They did not want to be bitten by the Monster. They walked to the pond and looked for frogs. Suddenly, something moved in the pond. There was a head sticking out of the water! Was this another monster? Would it try to bite them too?
“What is this, Daddy?” asked Shannon.
“What IS this, Daddy?” asked Ally.
Daddy said, “That is just a turtle.”
“Will it bite me?” asked Shannon.
“Will it bite ME?” asked Ally.
“Only if you come too close,” said Daddy.
But Shannon and Ally wanted to get closer. They walked up to the pond and looked at the turtle.
Suddenly, it dove under the water and swam away.
“Where did it go? asked Shannon.
“Where did it GO?” asked Ally.
Daddy said, “It went for a swim under the water.”
Then Daddy told them the truth about the Monster in the sand.
“That’s a turtle too,” he laughed. “It’s a big Snapping Turtle!”
And they all laughed. The Monster in the Sand was just another turtle.
So Shannon and Ally walked away very happy. They did not get bitten by a Monster. They did not get bitten by a turtle. They saw two turtles and that was fun.
Then on the way home they saw something move in the grass.
What was it? Was this one a Monster? Would it bite them?
NO!
It was just Grandma Kate’s cat!
* The End *