THE STORY OF LITTLE SUZY Little Suzy's rage softened for a while seeing her second to the last
hile seeing her second to the last contestant to finish it. At least she
By: Elishah Rael F. Masongsong
It was a typical sunny day in the forest where every
animal is busy with their usual businesses- Mommy
birds fixing their nests, buzzing bees sucking on
pollens, snakes hissing in tree trunks, worms enjoying
their grovel, fishes swimming in the river. Everyone is
doing his or her own business happily, except the
upset Little Suzy.
"What's with the very sullen face, darling?" asked
Mama Snail.
Little Suzy turned to her.
"They've beaten me again. Mama why are we like
this? Why are we so slow?” asked Little Suzy with lips
quivering and is about to cry; she was so upset that
she cannot control her anger. She did not won again-
for the nth time- in their Speed race.
"What did they tell you this time?" Mama snail said,
sighing. "Didn't I tell you not to listen to what your
other playmates say?" Mama snail came to her and
brushed her soft and smooth head to Little Suzy. "You
are a snail and you have an amazing shell. So what if
you are slow? Do you know how proud I am every
time I see you out there doing your best to keep up
with those other little ones when you race?" Mama
snail continued gently, with so much adore in her
eyes.
Nevertheless, despite all Mama Snail's comforting
words, Little Suzy seemed to be deaf. “But Mama I
can't even reach half the way on the race! You only
said that because you are my Mama! Don't you see
how much they laugh when each one of them finished
the race, but I did not even reach half of it? They call
me “Heavy Little Suzy” and “Slow Suzy" and this
shell? This is such a burden to me! This is the reason
why I don't win! I wish I didn't have them."
"Oh good heavens!" Mama Snail exclaimed. "You
hate being a snail just because you can't win a race? I
was- I can't---" Mama Snail said shocked, catching
her breath and about to cry. She can be the sweetest
and gentlest Mama in the entire snail world but she
can also be the most dramatic one. "I can't believe
you hate our kind! I want you to take back what you
said before I banned you from doing that race again!"
Mama Snail said, sounding serious and angry. She
looks pained and disappointed.
Mama hurt, but not after she heard someone in her
head saying that what she's saying is true. "No! I will
not take it back Mama! It is true! This shell is a
burden! I wish I wasn't born a snail! I wish I could be
someone else! I hate this shell!" Little Suzy cried
emphasizing each word angrily and then walked
away, crying.
Mama snail was in shock that she could not utter a
word. She was stunned with her daughter's words.
Meanwhile, Little Suzy roam around the forest slowly,
about half an inch at a time. The long walk is causing
more anger to her. She cannot crawl faster she
thought, how stupid of her to join a Speed race
considering it is a "Speed" race. The contestants must
have speed. However, I really want to race, she said
to herself after. She badly wants to prove those who
always insult her that she isn't slow, that she can win
the race, one day. And all their laughs will turn to
cheers and her nickname would not be Slow Suzy but
rather Speedy Suzy. This thought had cheered her up
a bit, imagining she have won a race while seeing
those mean animals gasping on her victory.
However, her thoughts were cut shortly when
someone bumped her shell.
"Ouch" said Little Suzy.
"Ouch" Sally the salamander repeated, mimicking her
voice while making a face, laughing. She is the mean
little salamander who was always the first on their
Speedy Race.
Little Suzy glared at her. Wishing for a frog to come
across. Sandy might be high and mighty for creatures
like her who cannot fight back but truth is, she feels
so much afraid of frogs, she just denies it.
"Oh she's glaring at you Sally," said Cathy, a very
mean centipede always coming second and the only
one who can put up with the stinky attitude of Sally. "I
bet she can't even come closer to us with a distance
this short, for she's too heavy," she continued and
laughed. Sally laughed with her and eventually glared
at her left side where Teri was, an innocent looking
turtle who was just forced to be friends with Sally by
her turtle parents. She noticed Sally's "laugh-or-
you're-dead" look so she forced a giggle and
pretended to laugh with them with a scared face.
Unlike her friends who topped the race, she is the
can finish it, Little Suzy thought.
"So what is a good-for-nothing creature doing here?"
Sally asked, smirking arrogantly at Little Suzy.
"None of your business Sally." Suzy replied resuming
her crawl but Sally and her friends could not seem to
notice that she is not in the mood to hear her insults;
actually, she was never in the mood when she sees
her because she knows that she will only slap her
with mean words.
"Ready for the race on Friday? Do you want to bet
who would come last again?" Sally continued teasing
her.
Little Suzy didn't replied, suppressing her anger and
tears, thinking why do snails apart from having heavy
shells and being slow are too sensitive and fragile
also?
"Don't worry Suzy, we'll walk a little slower for you so
that you won't feel so lonely behind us" Cathy said
and then laughed so hard.
"Maybe we should go. I think my Mom's calling me."
Teri said, feeling pity over Suzy trying to divert the
subject.
"Oh! Go ahead Teri! We don’t actually care and
besides we're enjoying a little chitchat with Slow Suzy
here." Sally replied, not taking away her look on her.
"But Sally---" Teri replied with a trembling voice. Sally
then turned to her with piercing eyes and that's the
time where she realized that she did something
wrong. No one dares to contradict Sally.
"Did you just go against me? Huh little Teri?"
Teri did not replied and bowed her head. She is so
afraid with Sally she is starting to tremble. She does
not even know where this fright is coming from,
because she is much bigger than Sally is, but she just
cannot resist fighting those scary eyes of her.
Although she did not want to leave Teri with her mean
friends, Little Suzy has to or she will endure another
punch of insult from Sandy and Cathy. She has to
take advantage of their distraction.
She tried to grovel back faster but she just cannot do
it. Her shell is too heavy. I wish this shell would
disappear. She said to herself, she crawled and
crawled until she reached the riverside after a very
long while. She wants to be alone and maybe in here,
no one will disturb her.
The water is clear that she saw her reflection on it.
She saw her large shell in the reflection and she
suddenly wanted to cry again. It is the very reason
why she is slow, she thought. Perhaps when it is gone
she will be able to win the race and no one will insult
her again. Only that her Mama will get angry. She
suddenly remembered the row she had with her
Mama earlier. It made her very guilty, knowing that
she have hurt her, but she just really want to prove
herself so much. She wants to prove those mean girls
that she is not good for nothing. That she will not
remain at the back. That she can win also.
"Hello," a sweet voice from somewhere said.
Little Suzy turned her head around and saw that no
animal nor insect was there except her.
"Right here, little girl," the sweet voice said again. It
came from her side. She turned to it and she saw a
flower smiling at her waving its leaves.
"Oh hi there flower," Little Suzy replied.
"You sound off," the little flower said in a little and
gentle voice. "What's the matter?"
However, Little Suzy made no reply. She does not
want to talk about it or she will cry again. She just
remain on staring at her reflection in the water.
"I saw you," the little flower said.
"What?" Suzy glanced at her with confusion.
"You want your shell removed don't you?"
"How did you know?" Suzy replied, still confused.
"I saw how you look at it with disgust," the flower said
confidently "Why do you hate it? It seems pretty to
me."
Little Suzy suddenly became irritated at her and said,
"Yeah, you said that because you're not the one who
carry it. You are not the one who is insulted and
labeled as slow. You are not the one who never
finished a race. You're just a flower who blooms your
fragrance and gave bees your nectar and nothing
more."
The flower was shocked but turned to her and smiled
sweetly. "Tsk, tsk tsk," the flower began, "You are full
of hatred to yourself. That is bad. You know what they
say when you are too full of hate? Your heart
becomes heavy. Perhaps, that is the reason why you
cannot even finish a race and why you are too slow. It
is because it's not just your shell who’s heavy, even
your heart. It’s packed with negativity. "
"How do you know that?" Little Suzy asked. “You're
just a flower. You're just a decoration and a source of
fragrance."
"But I'm a happy decoration and source of fragrance,"
the flower replied. "Because I love myself now for
what I am, and that's our difference. You can't love
you for who you are."
Little Suzy stood still and turned her gaze on the
water. She made no reply.
"You know how you can win over those insults?" the
flower asked.
Little Suzy looked at her again and stared at her for a
moment.
"How?" she asked.
"Be happy. That's when you'll win."
"That’s it? How can you be happy when they throw a
bunch of insults to you? Besides, I can't win a race by
just being happy," Little Suzy replied.
"But do you really want to win the race or you just
want to get even with them?" the flower then asked.
"You know I think you doesn't actually want to win the
race because you love racing, you just want to prove
yourself to the people around you. There's a big
difference between them you see."
Little Suzy turned her back to the flower. She doesn't
want to listen anymore to the flower's nonsensical
words, she thought.
"You don't know anything, you're a flower." Little Suzy
said, starting to crawl away.
"I don't need to be a snail to know that you're a snail
who can't love yourself. It's visible from here, your
hatred to yourself," the flower said in a serious but
sweet voice.
Little Suzy halted and turned to her, "Why do you care
so much about me, loving myself?"
The flower looked away sadly. “I was once like you,
you know, and the fairies punished me.”
Little Suzy was shocked. “You're a belladonna?"
The flower looked at her. "How did you know that?"
"My Mama Snail told me. You are cursed. You didn't
want the bees to keep on sucking on your fragrance
and nectar before. That is what my Mama told me,
and you said you wish to have them removed. The
fairies heard you. They turned you to a poisonous
flower so that no one can ever touch you again, but it
doesn't seem to be a curse, you got what you wanted,
no bees are sucking on your pollen now. You are free.
"
"You're such an innocent snail. Yes, I got what I
wanted no bees ever have their attention on me. No
one actually does. Everyone knew that I am
dangerous that is why no one wants to be my friend
anymore. At first, I thought that the fairies did a good
job on taking my fragrance and nectar into poison but
time passed and it's starting to get lonely. No one
ever wants to talk to me again. They're scared of me."
The flower said teary-eyed.
"But isn't that what you wanted?"
"No, of course it isn't. You know I just really want to
stand out before. I wanted to be the most fragrant
flower in the forest. That time, I thought the bees are
exhausting all my fragrance and nectar so I want
them to stay away from me. Not realizing that that is
actually my purpose in here. That is the reason why I
am alive, to help the bees and be a beautiful
decoration."
"That's very sad,” Little Suzy replied feeling pity on
the flower.
“That’s why I don't want you to make the same
mistake. You ought to love yourself. Find your
treasure within,” the flower said.
"But how can I do that? This shell is the reason why I
cannot win the race. I cannot ever win it while I still
have this,” Little Suzy replied.
"You won't realize its importance if you failed to see
how and why it is important," the flower said
meaningfully.
"What?" Little Suzy asked confused.
"Soon, you'll see. Go ahead, explore and you'll find
out."
Although confused, the snail followed her advice.
Along the way, she saw Sally and Cathy again picking
at Teri.
"Stop it Sally," said Little Suzy. She didn't want a fight
and she didn't know what she's doing also. She just
felt the urge that she has to save Teri.
"Oh, look who's here." Sally replied. "What are you
doing here Slow Suzy? You're tired of dreaming that
you can win the race so now you're meddling with
other people's business."
"Look, I don't want a fight," said Little Suzy in a very
calm way. "Just stop it please. She's your friend
right?"
"You do know that no one dares to disagree with me
regardless if she's my friend or not. Besides, she's
really not my friend. It's just that she's too gullible and
she followed every command I say. It's good to have
a slave, you know." Sally said smirking at poor little
Teri.
"You're just using me?" Teri asked with disbelief in
her eyes. That’s when she realized that she should
not have listen to her parents about Sally. She will
never again befriend her, she thought.
"Of course, who wants to be friends with you anyway?
You're slow just like Suzy and big and you look
stupid," Sally said and laughed along with Cathy.
"You are so mean Sally. She treated you as a friend."
Little Suzy told her. She cannot believe that
salamanders could be this evil or maybe just Sally.
"Oh shut up slow girl. Tell that when you can win
against me already."
But just when Suzy is about to reply, a large shadow
towered over the four of them.
It's a frog. A huge one.
Sally suddenly lost her arrogance and looked at the
frog with wide and scared eyes.
"RUN CATHY! LET'S GO!" Sally shouted.
The frog turned at her and looked as if Sally and
Cathy are so perfect for snack.
On her side, Teri whispered. "Hide."
Little Suzy looked at her confused. "What? Where?
How can we supposed to hide? I cannot crawl fast.
The frog might've eaten me before I even reach a
place to hide!" she exclaimed.
"Silly! You have a perfect hiding place in you don't
you know that? Get in your shell! That way she won't
notice us."
She saw how Teri hid her body in her shell. Little
Suzy followed what she said and hide herself in her
shell. The frog was about to eat scared Sally and
Cathy and she cannot just hide there, she said. She
have to save them. Even when they are mean, she
didn't want them to die. But how? She asked herself,
she think and think until she notice some slimy fluid in
front of her. Her mucus! She thought.
She peeked outside her shell and caught a glimpse of
the large back of the frog. She thought of a plan. She
just did not know if it’d work.
Little by little, she crawled quietly and of course,
slowly to the direction of the frog. She crawl on the
way to its back that caused the frog to turn to another
direction just when it was about to eat scared Sally
and Cathy. She crawl all the way to its head and
covered its eyes with her mucus making the frog's
vision wet and blurry. She then crawled back down
but the frog suddenly jumped away causing her to
lose her balance, but she managed to stick with the
frog because of her sticky mucus.
The frog might have noticed that she's sticking to her
back so it jumped higher, shaking her away from its
body. She felt dizzy but she managed to crawled back
again to its head. She then slammed her hard shell
into its head in full force causing it to lose
consciousness.
Just when the frog is about to collapse she made her
way back down to the ground.
There on one side, stood Sally and Cathy who looked
all shocked and gasping. They didn't believe that the
one they called good-for-nothing slow Suzy is the one
who will save them.
They suddenly felt ashamed and guilty and lowered
their gazes.
Little Suzy then turned her gaze to Teri who seems
still scared and unaware of what have happened. She
seemed to be satisfied now. Even though she was
expecting those who are always insulting her to gasp
at her achievement in race, as she wanted them to,
she thought that their reaction a while ago after she
saved them was far much better. It is enough for her
to prove that what they were saying isn't true. She is
not a good-for-nothing snail and she managed not to
be just at the back.
She smiled to herself and thought that what the flower
said was true. You can never realize the importance
of something if you cannot see how important it is.
This shell and sticky slime that she thought was a
burden just saved them from being eaten by a huge
frog.
Aside from that, she knew that even before Sally and
Cathy could ask for an apology, -which she thinks
impossible for them to do-, she has accepted it
already. She knew in her heart that she forgave them
already. She did not knew how but perhaps because
she knows that it is a waste of time to get affected
with their meanness.
Speaking of apology, someone needs to hear an
apologetic message from her.
She asked Teri to get out of her shell already because
the frog is already gone. Teri asked where did it went
but then Little Suzy, who doesn’t want to brag about
what happened, just shrugged to her question and tag
Teri along with her to go back to their homes.
Teri lived near the riverside so they have to part ways
for Little Suzy’s tree trunk is located on the other side
of the forest.
“Uhm,” Teri began, quite shy to talk because she
never really had a conversation with Little Suzy aside
from those insulting moments that Sally lead.
“So, yeah, our tree trunk’s over there, so I think I’ll
have to leave now. See you along Teri, I really wish
you have your friendship fixed with Sally and Cathy.
Perhaps they’ll be a bit kinder now.” Little Suzy said
with a smile. Although she’s shy also to talk to her,
she thinks Teri is kind.
“Well, I don’t know. After I figured out that they never
really treated me as a friend despite everything I did
for them, I really don’t know if there’s a friendship to
be fixed if in the very beginning I was just the only one
who treated them as my friends, you know.” Teri said
bitterly, she really was hurt.
“Well, yeah, I think you’re right. But still, there are a lot
of animals here that can be your friend you see.”
Teri looked at her as if she said something crazy.
“Who may that be right? Sally told me that I’m-“
“Kind and giving and awesome.” Little Suzy
interrupted even before Teri finished her sentence.
“And me, I want to be your friend.”
That statement shocked Teri. Someone wants to be
her friend. She wants to cry but she choose to give
Little Suzy a smile. She suddenly forgot all the insults
that Sally has said to her earlier. “Thanks, Suzy.” She
muttered, almost crying.
Little Suzy giggled and said to her, “Don’t let her
words came in to your head. You are more than what
she says you are. She doesn’t know the real you.
Besides, what she thinks of you doesn’t matter, what
matters is, the people who loves you for you who you
are. She almost made it, Sally, she made me hate
myself but a friend made me realize that I ought to
love myself, and the best thing to win over those
insults is to be happy because you know what their
saying is not true.” Little Suzy smiled, remembering
her belladonna flower friend.
Teri smiled at her too and nodded. She just found a
very kind and smart friend. A real friend finally, she
thought. She don’t know but she thinks that maybe it’s
good that she discovered that Sally and Cathy
actually didn’t treat her as a friend because someone
better came, way better than them.
After that touching conversation she had with Teri,
Little Suzy went home to their tree trunk. She found
her Mama Snail there fixing their food. She then came
to her as quickly as she could and hugged her
mother. “I’m really sorry Mama. I love you and I love
being a snail.” Little Suzy said crying.
Mama Snail was shocked but she smiled, touched
with her daughter’s words. “It’s okay darling. I’m glad
that you realized everything now.”
“Well someone helped me though,” Little Suzy said.
Then she told her Mama everything that happened
after they had an argument. After having heard
everything, it almost made Mama Snail fainted with
worry especially in her daughter’s encounter with the
frog.
“But isn’t it dangerous? The flower?” Mama Snail
asked feeling terrified of the flower’s poison.
“Of course not Mama,” Little Suzy uttered, “She was
actually the nicest flower I’ve ever met. Besides, she
helped me realize how wrong I was, with her words.
She is beautiful, nice and kind. She is such an
amazing flower despite her being poisonous.”
Mama Snail nodded and smiled, feeling assured. She
was so proud of her daughter’s words. She just didn’t
saw the inner beauty in her, but the beauty of other
creatures also despite their flaws. She was never
been this happy before.
Friday came and another Speed Race will happen.
“Hey Suzy aren’t we going to the race?” Teri asked
Little Suzy who is turning to the direction of the
riverside. “This is the way towards my home, where
are we really going?” Teri asked again, stopping Suzy
from their slow crawl.
“We do not need to come to that race you know and if
you’re thinking I’m scared being the last again, no, I’m
not. I just realized that maybe that race is just not
really for me.” Little Suzy told her with a smile.
“Then, where are we going?” Teri asked confused.
“Well, if we cannot be good in racing in the land,
maybe there’s another place where we can excel in
racing.” Little Suzy said feeling excited “Come on;
let’s head to the riverside.”
Teri shrugged; still unaware of what Little Suzy
wanted to do.
They arrived at the riverside and greeted the
Belladonna flower. “Oh, hello there, are you both
going to swim?”
Teri, shocked, turned to Little Suzy with questioning
eyes.
“Well, yeah, although there was no “we” because
clearly I’m a terrestrial snail and not an aquatic one,
so the water might still be dangerous for me. Teri will,
though.” Little Suzy replied to the flower.
“What?” Teri exclaimed but eventually realized what
Little Suzy is trying to say. “I can swim, yes, but what
about you?”
“Well can you help me carry myself to the water with
that large leaf over there?” Little Suzy asked her
pertaining to a large leaf which she is going to ride on
while they’re in the water.
After a while, they went to the water with Little Suzy
riding on a large leaf and Teri swimming on her legs
in the water.
“That’s a nice game you have there, little ones,” the
flower told them.
“We’re on a game? I thought we will just swim and
have fun?” Teri asked Suzy.
“Yeah we’ll have fun of course, but old habits die hard
you know. Friday was always a race day for us ever
since we we’re so little. So, I figured out that if we
can’t excel on the land, maybe in here- in a place
where we’re both used to, although I can’t swim and
be deep down in the water, I’m used to humid places,-
we’ll find the way to success. So, are you ready for
the Speed race, the water edition?” Little Suzy asked
her smiling.
“Well, never not ready. See you there at the large
tree,” Teri replied with a grin.
“Very well then, I’ll be glad to facilitate,” the flower,
said beginning the race, “on my count, ready, get set,”
“GO!”
Then, Little Suzy and Teri race their way on the water
happily.