Deep in the woods, in a big den, there lived a family of badgers. Father badger, mother badger, and their two lively, beautiful children. They were two badger boys. Their names were Monty and Biscuit. They were both very good. They helped their parents with everything. They helped them build complicated dens and look for food all over the forest. Their parents were very proud of them. But Monty and Biscuit were also full of energy and constantly came up with all sorts of ideas. They liked to play chase and hide and seek and were good friends with other animals. They were brave boys who weren’t afraid of anything. But one day something happened that scared them after all.
It was a beautiful sunny afternoon and Monty and Biscuit had already finished all their chores. And so they decided to run around the forest, find the squirrels, and play some sort of a game with them. They crisscrossed the forest. They called for their friends, but they couldn’t find them. They kept on going further and deeper into the forest.
After some time, Monty suddenly cried out: “Biscuit, did you hear that?” “No, I didn’t hear anything,” Biscuit looked at him in confusion. Monty pointed to his mouth with his paw, gesturing that Biscuit should stay silent and listen. For a few seconds, nothing happened, but then they both heard it. “Help, please someone help us! Please!” they heard from somewhere in the distance.
Right away, the badger boys realized that it was their friends, the squirrels. Not hesitating for a moment, they sprinted after their voices. They leapt over blueberry plants, pulled apart a bush, and then they saw it. The squirrels had fallen into a huge hole which someone had dug in the forest. It was the poachers who had done it, in hopes that some animal would get caught in it. But now two squirrels had fallen in and they couldn’t get out. The badgers ran over to them quickly, wondering how to pull the squirrels out. The hole was deep and there was nothing to grab onto on its sides.
Until Biscuit had an idea: “Monty, let’s find a long branch, you’ll tie yourself to one end with a piece of strong grass, and I will lower you toward the squirrels. You’ll give them your hand and they will climb over you and up the branch.” They both started looking for the longest branch and firmest grass, which they braided into a rope. Monty tied his leg to the branch, but when it was time for him to be lowered into the hole, he was suddenly scared. He stood above the hole, looking down at the trapped squirrels, and he was frozen to the spot.
“Biscuit, I’m scared,” he looked sadly at his brother. “Monty, I trust you. I know that the hole is deep, but I also know that you can do it. Don’t let it get you down. Fear is normal, but through fear, we get courage,” Biscuit tried to reassure Monty.
And so Monty found his resolve. He looked down into the hole, took a deep breath, and slowly let himself be lowered down towards the bottom of the hole. He helped his friends the squirrels climb up and then they all helped pull out Monty. Together, they filled in the hole so that no one would fall in it ever again and headed home.
Later that evening, when the badger boys told the story to their parents, they couldn’t believe their ears. The boys were proud of themselves. Since then, Monty’s never forgotten that fear is normal and that he doesn’t have to be ashamed of it. And he also knew that through fear is how courage arrives.
