November 2025 – Short Story
Moosh
by Shyla
Once upon a time, there was a snail named Moosh. Moosh was always hungry. Moosh ate all day and ate whatever he saw.
One day, when Moosh was looking for a nice green leaf to eat, he saw an avocado tree. Moosh then saw a glowing avocado at the tippy top of the tree. Moosh was curious, so he climbed up the tree. You see, Moosh was even slower than most snails, and the tree was about triple the height of a normal avocado tree.
It took Moosh three nights and four days to reach the top of the avocado tree! Moosh took breaks and slept on the avocados.
When Moosh finally reached the glowing purple and blue avocado, he was starving. Moosh immediately took a bite of the avocado then, woosh. Moosh was falling down a portal with avocados floating around him! Finally, Moosh landed. He opened his eyes. Moosh was in a place with bright glowing mushrooms. Moosh didn’t stop to think. He went to a bright purple mushroom and took a bite. He spit it out. Moosh went to a bright orange mushroom. He took a bite. He spit it out. Moosh took a bite of a blue mushroom. He took a bite. He spit it out. Moosh was about to eat a red mushroom when a toad stopped him.
“Hey, what are you doing eating mushrooms?” asked the toad. “You could go to jail for that! They’re endangered!”
Moosh stopped. He stared. Then he went to eat a glowing succulent.
“Snail! Stop!” the toad cried. “You can’t just eat plants! I’ll take you to the finest restaurant in town, if you could just stop! My name is Richard. I’m the president of the Lush Land Plant Sanctuary. Where do you come from?”
Moosh looked to the portal he came from.
“Ah, the land where our precious tall avocado tree comes from,” said Richard. “Well, welcome to Lush Land, snail! What’s your name?”
Moosh stared.
“Uh, okay, lets just get food. Follow me!” Richard started skipping along the path. After five steps Richard turned around. Moosh was very slow. Richard called a taxi and they drove to Lush Food Yay.
“Here’s Lush Food Yay. Yes, it is not a good name, but it has the best food in town. Now, one question.” Richard and Moosh sat down in a seat. “What’s it like on Earth? I mean, obviously Lush Land is better.”
Moosh was writing something on the menu. It read: ‘How do I go earth’ in sloppy handwriting.
“How do I go earth,” Richard read to himself. “Oh! Well we have to go where you came from. I’ll call a taxi.” Richard called a taxi. They went back to where they started.
“Well, we’re here. I certainly won’t forget you snail. Hey, I never caught your name. What is — HEY DON’T EAT THE PURPLE CACTUS! THERE’S ONLY ONE LEFT!”
Moosh already took a bite. He spit it out. Nothing in Lush Land tasted good to Moosh.
Richard sighed. “Sorry we didn’t eat at Lush Land Yay. I thought you maybe — Hey you’re not going to say goodbye? You’re just going to —”
Moosh already teleported through the portal. Richard sighed. “What a weird earthling!”
When Moosh teleported he, fell right on top of the purple glowing avocado. Moosh looked at the avocado. He took a bite. He got teleported again.
“Oh, hey snail. Why are you ba —”
Moosh teleported back. This time Moosh didn’t land on the purple avocado. He landed on the floor right below the avocado. Moosh decided he didn’t like that tree. The avocados, mushrooms, succulents, and cacti weren’t yummy.
Moosh didn’t go on the avocado tree ever again. But he always wondered: What did the talking toad taste like?
Snail House Literary 