How The Sloth Became So Slow
Maggie Horvath

          Once there was a sloth who lived in Guatemala.  Her name was Silva.  Guatemala is a place where it rains almost every day.  That’s a lot, Best Beloved.  One day Silva was just about to pounce on Maka , the rainbow macaw, when her mom, Alikeetoe, said ,“COME HERE RIGHT THIS MINUTE!”  angrily.

        ”What mom?” Silva answered.

        “Did you do this to your brother, Nano?”             

        “No, Mom,” Silva replied.  Her brother had a scratch on his hand , Best Beloved.

        “ If you did you, you will race Folda at 3:00 this afternoon.  Folda was a tree snake, Best Beloved.

        That afternoon Silva came to the race.  Silva went as fast as she could go. Well, Best Beloved, Silva won a great win all because Folda stopped to let Maka ,the macaw, pass.

        That night Silva kept raving on.  “Look at me! I’m the best shade of green.  Look at me I’m the fastest!” That is called to brag ,Best Beloved. Aliekeeto got so tired of it that she said , “You will race Maka, the rainbow macaw, up the great pine tree at  4:00 this afternoon!”

        On your mark, get set, go!  Silva started at 100 miles per hour.  That’s really, really  fast, Best Beloved. Halfway up the sloth ,Silva, got  stuck in sap.  Then her color became  light brown, then darker and darker her color  grew.  As she came down the tree, she got repetively stuck in the sap. Silva got slower and slower. Then she almost came to a stop.

        Maka had won, Best Beloved!  Silva thought if she hung upside down, she would get fast again, but it didn’t work.  Sloths still do this today to get their speed back, Best Beloved, but they are still very, very slow and very, very brown!