Anna Banana

Anna Banana is a Banana Slug. She is just like a snail, but she doesn’t have a heavy shell to carry around. Anna Banana started out life as a clear egg that was deposited by her mother on a cabbage leaf in a human’s garden. Picture 2 Each of Anna Banana’s brothers and sisters started out the same way. As their eggs grew, so did their little slimy bodies. At just the right time, the baby slugs hatched and used their sticky slime to attach themselves to the plant leaf for food as they grew. Anna Banana was a golden yellow banana slug. Anna Banana had black spots all over her little sticky, slimy body. Anna Banana’s brothers were mostly greenish-brown and her sisters were golden yellow, black and even white. All of the slug children had spots on their bodies. The slug babies grew to a length of six inches with the girl slugs being slightly larger than the boy slugs. Anna Banana, her brothers and sisters were easy to keep track of. Each slug child had a muscle in their tails that would push them along the ground. As the slugs moved, they left a trail of sticky slime. Mother slug could recognize the slime trail of each of her children and always knew where her children had gone. Mother slug would always warn her children to be careful when they ventured out into the world around them. Mother slug taught her little slugs how to curl up their bodies to make them look bigger and thicker in appearance and that may stop a predator from eating them. Many dangers existed from humans, animals and birds. Mother slug would say, if you don’t watch out, you may be salted by the humans or eaten by the birds and other animals. Mother slug created fear in her children; that is all except Anna Banana. She was curious about the things out there that she could neither see nor understand without experiencing it first. Anna Banana knew to watch out for humans, salamanders, garter snakes, raccoons, foxes, porcupines, crows, ducks, beetles and moles. Anna Banana wasn’t worried and decided to take the risk to see the world around her. Her sister asked, “Where are you going Anna?” Anna Banana replied, “I am going to find somewhere.” One morning, Anna Banana quietly left her cozy home in the vegetable garden and ventured off to learn more about the world around her. Picture 3 Anna Banana knew that it was a scary world, but she wanted to see it all. Anna Banana quietly slid her slimy body out of her garden while it was still dark enough to not be seen by those birds and animals that would want to eat her. As Anna Banana crept along, she tried to stay in the fallen leaves and dead plant debris that covered the ground. That way Anna Banana had food to eat along the way to somewhere. Anna Banana continued to slowly creep along a pathway, but soon she came across a road that was nothing like the path she was on. Anna Banana tried to slide across the road, but the surface was too dry. Anna Banana used the water stored in her body and created more slime so that she could slide across the dry surface. Anna Banana knew that if she ran out of slime, her body would dry out on the road and she would die from dehydration. Exploring was worth the risk and Anna Banana started to cross the roadway. She made it almost to the white center line of the road when she realized that she couldn’t go any further. She was out of slime. Anna Banana said to herself that she should have listened to her mother and stayed in her comfy garden home. Little Anna Banana laid on the road and her slimy body began to dry out. When Anna Banana thought all was lost, a crow flew out to Anna Banana and picked her up in his mouth. Picture 4 She had no more slime to make her taste bad, so she did what her mother had taught her to do. Anna Banana pulled her tail up close to her tentacles and fattened up her body. Anna Banana’s body became so fat that the crow had to let her go. Anna Banana fell onto a pile of leaves and quietly crawled inside the pile to rest and have something to eat. One of Anna Banana’s favorite foods was rotting leaves. After eating, Anna Banana looked out of her safe leaf home and she saw the crow flying all around the pile looking for his dinner. Anna Banana was to be the Crow’s dinner that night. Anna Banana decided to spend the night in her leafy home and avoid becoming the Crow’s dinner. The following morning, Anna Banana peeked out of the leafy pile and didn’t see the crow. She crept out of the leaf pile and started on her journey to somewhere. Anna Banana slid her sticky, slimy body along the pathway until she reached a small creek filled with water. Anna Banana wasn’t much larger than a big earth worm and when she slid into the water to swim to the other side, a trout swam up and grabbed Anna Banana and tried to swallow her in his mouth. Picture 5 Anna Banana increased her slime and fattened her body making swallowing her difficult. Soon the fish spit Anna Banana out of his mouth, saying, “Yuck! That breakfast taste terrible. What kind of worm are you?” Anna Banana replied, “Mr. Fish, I am not a worm; I am a banana slug and I taste horrible so don’t try to eat me.” The fish swam away hungry and Anna Banana floated to the other side of the creek. Little Anna Banana slowly crept up the side of the hill until she was on top of the creek once again. Anna Banana decided that she needed to rest. She found a dirt pile and crept inside to hide from the bird predators. Anna Banana fell asleep and thought she was safe. Anna Banana dreamed about her vegetable garden home and how good a vegetable leaf would taste right now. Anna Banana woke up quickly when she felt something take a bite out of her foot. Anna Banana looked back and saw that she had gone to sleep in a mole hole. The mole was hungry and was going to eat her for his breakfast. Anna Banana asked the mole to please let her go. She wasn’t hurting him and she was sorry for sleeping in his home without permission. The mole asked, “If I let you go, what will you do for me?” Anna Banana replied, “Tell me what you would like and I will get it for you.” The mole said, “I want a banana slug just like you so I can have dinner tonight.” Anna Banana replied, If you let me go, I will come back tonight and let you eat me for your dinner.” The mole said, “Your suggestion is fair and I will let you go with a promise that I can eat you tonight.” Anna Banana replied, “Thank you” to the mole and quickly left on her journey to somewhere.