Savino Brusco
AP English Period 3
February 8, 2015
Gardner Writing Exercise 27

The Adventures of a Honey Badger

For a very long time the honey badger was just a very ordinary animal. It was not until one badger, Melvin, decided it was time for a change that the honey badger came to be.
Melvin was a modest fellow; he lived in a nest he built himself from lumber and clay with his beloved wife, Betsy, and his two children. This particular year it was especially tough for Melvin to forage honey from the hives. The bees had grown stronger and the painful stings kept Melvin from obtaining honey. Melvin began to become depressed, longing for sweet, sweet tender honey. Growing hungrier and hungrier as the days rolled on Melvin began to have difficulty finding food and fending off his family from the vicious venomous snakes.
One night Melvin woke in the mist of the night by a terrifying sliver of snakes all around his nest. As they did every night the snakes tried to break into the nest. Melvin held his dear family close in his arms and prayed as hard as he could to the great Gods of Olympus, in hope of living to see another day.
The next day, the snakes moved on, without breaking into Melvin’s threshold. It was only a matter of time before the walls of his nimble house would give in to the strength of the snakes. Melvin decided, for the sake of his family’s survival, that he had to speak to Zues, the Great God of the Animal Kingdom, to urge him to restore balance to living things.
After a brief goodbye and a quick kiss on the check from Betsy Melvin ventured to Greece. After 12 days of trekking through sands and swimming through waves Melvin finally arrived in the distant lands of Greece. Melvin marched right into the Olympus Palace and demanded to speak with Zeus immediately. After explaining his circumstances to the gentle God perched in his thrown Melvin bowed and begged for mercy. Sympathetic to Melvin’s fearful life Zeus granted Melvin justice and announced that he and all his future decedents will be known as “honey badgers” and will be much more equipped than any ordinary badger. Melvin left in sorrow feeling cheated being given nothing but encouraging words. Expecting Zeus to use his lighting powers to extinguish the snakes and award Melvin barrels of honey for his bravery in travelling to Olympus, but to his dismay Melvin was to return home empty handed.
On his way home it was late at night, Melvin decided to sneak by a beehive, hoping to steal some honey, figuring the bees would be asleep. Melvin could not return home completely empty handed, he had to take the risk; he knew he and his family would starve if he didn’t. Melvin approached the hive slowly, seeing the honey he became excited. In a sudden flash the bees spotted Melvin and swarmed at him. As the bees surrounded Melvin, he braced himself for the greatest of all pains. However to Melvin’s surprise his skin became instantly impermeable to the bees stings. Melvin pranced right up the hive, took a few generous scoops of honey and headed home, completely invincible to the stings of the bees.
Upon his return home Melvin’s family was overjoyed to see Melvin home alive and with food. That night the family feasted on the honey Melvin returned home with. Happy and full, the family retired for the night.
Hours later Melvin awoke as he had before to the rustle of snakes outside his nest. In an instant the snakes broke through. Moving quickly to protect his sons, Melvin was too late as one large snake took a critical bite into both of his children. In an instant later another snake bit Melvin and everything went white.
Melvin began to see images figuring this was the end. However, in a matter of minutes Melvin returned to life and awakened to see his sons courageously stacking and defeating the snakes. In response to their great success Melvin claimed, “Thank the Lord Zues we are honey badgers”.