Whimsy the Squirrel and the Tech Tree Tumble

When tech stocks crash and forest traders panic, Whimsy the Squirrel learns that wise investing means more than chasing the fastest tree. With help from Judge Talon, she discovers that balance and patience grow the strongest nest.

By Ross Boulton

(c) 2025

In the heart of the forest, where cool rivers flow,

And sunlit leaves shimmer with golden-glow,

The creatures all counted their nuts and their beans,

Investing in dreams through their leafy machines.

Whimsy the Squirrel, with bright button eyes,

Had saved up her acorns for winters and skies.

“I’ll grow them in stocks!” she declared with a squeak,

“In trees that sell tech—it’s returns that I seek!”

Each day in the clearing, the traders would chatter,

While scrolls full of numbers grew redder and fatter.

The Tech Tree stood proud, its branches sky-high,

Its bark buzzed with data, leaves reaching the sky.

Some critters preferred where the honeybees stashed,

Like the Goldbranch, where pollen and patience were cashed.

“A boring old tree,” Whimsy once said,“

It grows far too slowly to get me ahead!”

But then came a SNAP! And a RATTLE! And CRACK!

The forest fell silent—then traders stepped back.

A scroll flew from Eagle with thunderous flair:

“No chips to the Tiger! They’re not going there!”

(“That striped one out east—we’re not sending them there!”)

The creatures all gasped as the murmurs took flight—

The Chipmunk Mines shuttered before the next night.

Nvidia the Gopher and A.M.D. Mole

Saw prices fall deep in their data-rich hole.

“Eagle!” they cried, “He’s tightening trade!

The Tech Tree is trembling from tariffs he made!

”Sure enough, Eagle swooped in with a shout:“

No more magic leaves flying out or about!”

Tao the Silent, with eyes like the dusk,

Watched from the shadows—expression hushed and brusque.

He gave no reply, but he nodded his head,

And gold leaves took root where the tech ones had bled.

The clearing went wild—oh, what a scene!

Bee-Bee the Bee buzzed straight to her queen.

“I’m selling my wax and my sweet honey too!

These charts are all melting—what else can I do?”

Frog flopped and he flipped, croaking,

“SELL what you’ve got!”He dove in the pond, thinking gold would stay hot.

But Whimsy just stared, her paws on her head—“

My nuts!” she cried out, “They’re shrinking instead!”

She scurried to Goldbranch, where Judge Talon sat,

Who peered from her perch and adjusted her hat.

“Dear Whimsy,” she hooted, “this happens, you know—

The markets may tumble, but steady seeds grow.”

“Don’t chase every whisper or flutter or scare.

Not all that glitters keeps glittering there.

Some trees grow fast, others grow true—

The wisest invest not in one, but a few.”

Judge Talon then winked with a flap of her wing:

“In patience and balance, the forest birds sing.”

So Whimsy sat still, though her whiskers did twitch,

She opened her ledger and thought without glitch.

She split up her stash into hives and in logs—

In honey, in shade, even shares with the frogs.

The Tech Tree still shivered, but Whimsy stood steady,

Her nest wasn't full—but her mind was now ready.

🌱 Moral of the Tale:

When markets grow shaky and traders all shout,

It’s wisdom—not panic—that wins the payout.

Plant different seeds, and don’t dig in despair—

The forest grows best when you’re thoughtful and fair.