The Little Monitor Lizard

The Little Monitor Lizard - Author : Aysel Banu YAVUZAL

In a magical forest where tall trees whispered secrets, lived a little monitor lizard named Lito. He was small for a monitor lizard, about the length of a child's forearm, with warm olivegreen scales and soft yellow belly stripes. His big round amber eyes sparkled with curiosity. He carried a tiny woven leaf satchel in bright green slung across his back, always ready for adventure. 1

One sunny morning, Lito met a hornbill named Hora. She had glossy black feathers with white wing tips and a bright orange curved beak. Her vivid yellow eye ring and slim red legs made her look cheerful. Lito gave her a tiny blue bead necklace, and from that day on, they were best friends. Hora loved to fly above the forest, while Lito explored the ground. 2

The magical forest was full of wonders. Butterflies danced in the sunlight, and flowers bloomed in every color. Lito and Hora spent their days playing hide-and-seek among the ferns. Hora would soar high, her sharp eyes spotting the best hiding spots. Lito would scurry through the underbrush, his long curling tail with pale spots swishing behind him. They made a great team. 3

One day, while chasing a shimmering dragonfly, they stumbled upon something strange. Behind a curtain of vines, they found a narrow path they had never seen before. The path led downward, toward the sound of rushing water. 'Do you hear that?' asked Lito, his amber eyes wide. 'It sounds like a river!' said Hora, flapping her wings excitedly. 'Let's follow it!' 4

The path twisted and turned until they reached a clearing. There, beside a sparkling river, stood an ancient temple garden. Broken stone pillars were covered in moss, and wildflowers grew between cracked statues. The air smelled sweet and old. 'Wow!' whispered Lito. 'It's like a secret world!' Hora perched on a vine and tilted her head. 'But how do we get inside?' she asked. 5

They soon saw the problem. The temple garden was surrounded by a thick wall of thorny bushes and fallen stones. The only entrance was blocked by a huge pile of rubble. 'Oh no,' said Lito. 'We can't get through that.' Hora flew up to get a better look. 'Wait!' she called. 'There's a small gap near the top, but it's too high for you to reach.' 6

Lito studied the rubble. 'If I dig away the bottom, maybe the pile will shift,' he said. 'But I need to know exactly where to dig.' Hora nodded. 'I'll guide you from above!' She flew up and hovered over the pile. 'Dig to the left!' she called. 'Now a little more to the right!' Lito dug with his strong claws, his tail swishing with effort. 7

The work was hard. The sun was hot, and the stones were heavy. Lito's tiny claws scraped and scraped. 'I'm tired,' he panted. 'Don't give up!' Hora cheered. 'You're almost there!' She flew down and used her beak to pull away small twigs. 'Teamwork!' she squawked. Lito smiled and kept digging. Together, they made a little progress. 8

Suddenly, a big stone rolled away, and a cloud of dust puffed up. Lito sneezed. 'Look!' cried Hora. 'The gap is bigger now!' But it was still too small for Lito to squeeze through. 'We need to clear more,' said Lito. 'But how?' Hora looked around. 'I see a loose vine up there,' she said. 'If we pull it, maybe more stones will fall.' 9

Hora flew up and grabbed the vine with her beak. She pulled with all her might. Lito pushed from below. 'One, two, three, pull!' they shouted together. With a rumble, the pile shifted, and a small opening appeared. 'We did it!' cheered Lito. 'You did it!' said Hora. 'Your strong digging made it happen.' They looked at the opening. It was just big enough for Lito to crawl through. 10

Lito wriggled through the opening and into the temple garden. Hora flew over the wall and landed beside him. 'We made it!' she sang. The garden was even more beautiful inside. A stone path led to a pond filled with lotus flowers. Old statues of smiling gods stood among the trees. 'It's magical,' whispered Lito. 'And we found it together,' said Hora. 11

They explored the garden side by side. Hora flew up to check the path ahead, her sharp eyes spotting hidden steps and safe bridges. Lito used his strong body to push aside small branches and clear the way. 'This way!' Hora called. 'There's a bridge over the pond!' Lito followed, his leaf satchel bouncing. They made a perfect team. 12

At the heart of the garden, they found a beautiful pavilion with a carved stone roof. Inside, a small stone bowl held fresh water. 'We can rest here,' said Lito. They drank and sat together, watching the sunbeams dance on the water. 'We couldn't have done this alone,' said Hora. 'You're right,' said Lito. 'Helping each other makes hard things easy.' 13

From that day on, Lito and Hora visited the temple garden often. They played hide-and-seek among the statues and napped in the cool shade. Other animals came to see the garden too. 'How did you get in?' they asked. 'We worked together,' said Lito. 'And we never gave up.' Hora nodded, her blue bead necklace shining in the sun.