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Max groaned. He carefully opened his eyes and looked around. They were beside a lake. Oh, this must be when we visit the Swan! Max thought excitedly. He gently woke up his friends.“Wow, I have never been out of the aquarium. This is absolutely stunning!” Finley exclaimed. “Is this where we meet the Swan?” Scar asked curiously.“Yeah, I think so. Swans live in lakes,” Cact answered.“Okay everyone, listen up. When we visit the Swan, we will have to talk formally. No slang words. We have to show our courtesy” Max explained.“Well how do we do that?” Daisy asked.Before Max could answer Daisy’s question, he felt a rumble. He was pretty sure his friends felt it as well. How strange, Max thought. Rumbles usually came after they met the animal, not at the very beginning. Max started to become dizzy. Very, very dizzy. Everything around him was spinning, spinning, spinning…’’

Thud! Max and his animal friends landed in a place that looked like a temple. Max saw swan cupids with arrows and the other swans were playing harps. As Max looked over his shoulder, he saw swans making fun of Finely for being the “clownfish” in Max’s group. Finley tried his best not to show it, but Max could see the fury under his eyes. Finley attempted to shout at the swans making fun of him, but closed his mouth instead. With the accompaniment of Finley's heavy breathing, Max said, “Forget about them, just focus on what you are doing. My dad always said that it’s harder for someone to walk away than to fight.”Finley nodded and felt reassured after Max’s comfort. Suddenly there was a sharp and blinding light in front of Max. He immediately covered his eyes with his hands. After a while, Max peeked through a small gap through his hands. He was absolutely shocked. In front of him, stood the most elegant and graceful swan Max has ever seen. “Hello, I have been expecting a visit today. You can call me Eve”, said the Swan in a soft tone. Eve was subtle, majestic, and dignified. It was just a swan named Eve that could solve problems, but to Max, she appeared to be like nobility.“H-Hello Miss Eve. Um, I’m Max, and these are my animal friends: Scar the lion, Daisy the chicken, Cact the cuckoo, and Finley the clownfish”.“And I expect that you, Max, have come so that you can complete today’s challenge?”“Yes miss”“Yes, very well indeed. No need to explain the problems to me once more, I have already noted them down during your journey. Scar, you have shown your ability to not be aggressive in the chicken coup. You resist your urge to attack the chickens. Therefore, I will definitely have a meeting with God and tell him to give lions more animals to hunt and more vegetation in the savannah”“Thank you, your Majesty,” replied Scar, bowing down to show his respect.“And Daisy, you have shown your ability to stay quiet while you were visiting the jungle. Chickens and hens shall be rewarded with bigger space in the coup. Cact, you learned to share things with others when Finley gave you the four packs of seaweed. The value sharing is not easy to learn and therefore cuckoos should not have their trees chopped down” Daisy and Cact thanked the Swan many times. “Finley, you showed your ability to control your temper even when others were teasing you. Willpower is not something easy to learn in such as short amount of time, so I definitely shall ask God to insert a new filter into the Aquarium”“Last but not  least, Max, you would like to go home, don’t you?” Max nodded. “Well, how can I put ths, Max, you ARE already home, just breathe deeply and close your eyes” the Swan calmly said. 

Max looked confused, as he did not understand how that would help him get home. But he decided to listen to the Swan. “Hey guys, I have had an amazing journey with you all, I have learned so much from all of you, and I wouldn't be here right now if it wasn't for you guys. I don’t know if we will meet again, but just promise me that you teach the new skill that you learnt to all of your friends. I believe that we can make this world a better place by doing so. ”“Yes, of course, Max, don’t worry” Scar said“We’ll definitely miss you” Daisy add“You HAVE to come visit us later on” Cact emphasized“We won’t let you down, Max,” Finley replied. 

Max laughed and carefully shut his eyes. He concentrated on his breathing. 

Max started to become dizzy. Very, very dizzy. Everything around him was spinning, spinning, spinning…

Where do you think Max will be in the end? Thank you so much for staying tuned to all of the Carnival of Animals episodes. Have a great day!

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