JACLYN SPIEZIA
Staff Scallywag
Hal Scallion cannot believe that his first semester at SUNY Fredonia is almost over. What better way to end the semester, Hal thought, than to enjoy the warm weather and go for a hike. Some of his friends warned him not to take the journey because he’s a wee bit smaller than everyone else in the Allium family, but Hal was determined to have his first slice of an off-campus experience.
Before he could even take his first steps onto Temple Street, a strong gust of wind picked him up and away he flew. Boy, it was windier than he had anticipated, but nothing could deter Hal. He landed near a grocery store called “Fredmart.”
“What is this place?” he asked.
He walked inside and saw tons of food families imprisoned on shelves.
“Oh my! Maybe I shouldn’t be here,” Hal thought. Then he heard a voice, “Hey, Hal!”
Hal looked up and around and there he saw his cousin, Simmy Garlic.
“We all thought you had moved to a kitchen suite! What happened?” he asked her.
“I guess I’m a little bit too smelly, and my owner couldn’t stop sneezing and brought me here instead,” she said.
Hal hopped up to her shelf.
“Here, I can help you,” he said as he bit into the bag she was tied up in, releasing her. “Why, thank you, Hal,” she said, “I’m surprised to see you off campus!”
“It’s my first time! I’m headed to a park a little ways from here. Want to join me?”
“Of course I do,” Simmy
said.
Together Hal and Simmy quickly rolled down off the shelves, and Hal lead Simmy out of Fredmart.
Now, however, large water pellets were falling from the sky. “Rain,” Simmy whispered. She told Hal that the best way to get through rain was to tuck and roll. The cement was cold, and Hal decided he really did not like the rain.
Him and Simmy rolled up to the police station, and the rain started to lighten up. Suddenly out from the door came a person with a large dog, and Simmy and Hal stopped. “Oh no!” Simmy screamed, and Hal covered her mouth. ‘Shhh!’ Stiff as cucumbers, Hal and Simmy stayed as the dog trotted past them. “Phew!” Hal let out a sigh of relief.
“Look, Hal, I can see the park!” Simmy nudged him. Sure enough, there it was, the beautiful town park he had only ever heard about. As they walked over, the sun started to come out! Then once again they came to a stop by a large street, where cars whizzed right by them. “How do we cross?” Simmy asked. Hal looked up at the colors of the stoplight. When the light turned red, Hal grabbed Simmy’s hand and they ran across to the other side.
“We’re here!” Hal screamed.
Just as he stepped foot on the grass, he saw all his friends and family from back on campus.
“How’d you all get here?” he asked them.
“We were worried letting you go off by yourself and realized we should have all gone together!” one of his friends said.
“Simmy?” Hal’s cousin Cal Onion ran up to Simmy and hugged her.
“I was trapped in Fredmart, and I wouldn’t have gotten out if it weren’t for Hal!” Simmy exclaimed. Everyone was overjoyed.
Hal spent the rest of his day in the park and enjoyed the calming walk back to campus safely.
“What a great way to end the semester,” Hal thought.