John and Mary are on a treasure hunt!
“Wake up!” Mary shouted. John opened his eyes. The room was filled with sunlight, the smell of pancakes and… well, the scream older sister. “Get up, sleepyhead! We have a long day ahead of us,” she yelled, grabbed her backpack and ran to the front door. John slowly got up, got dressed and followed Mary. She was standing in the hallway with a big plastic bag in one hand and a pair of gloves in the other. John looked at her, puzzled. “What’s all that for?” – he asked. “We’re going to look for treasure,” she replied, took his hand and they both ran out the door.
As they were talking towards the forest, Mary pointed at something shiny on the side of the road. “Look! There’s something,” she shouted. When they got closer, John realised they were looking at a plastic bottle. “Ha! Let’s take it!” – she said, put on her gloves, picked up the bottle and put it into her plastic bag. John was confused. “Wait, Mary. You said that we were going on a treasure hunt, but this is just trash,” he said. “We are never going to get rich if we pick up things like this.”
Mary smiled. “John, this is exactly what we are looking for!” John didn’t understand. “Unfortunately, some people just throw trash on the ground like this and don’t think about it. But if a poor squirrel or some deer eats this, they could get really sick! We’re all going to live in a much better, richer world, if we just pick it up. Less trash in nature means happier trees, plants and animals!” John started laughing. “Well, why didn’t you say so right-away, Mary? Let’s do this!”
They walked just a couple of steps before John saw another bottle. It was made of glass and it was broken. He quickly approached it and tried to pick it up. “Wait, John, you forgot your gloves!” Mary shouted at him. But it was too late, John accidentally cut himself. “Ouch!” – he yelled and looked at his hand. His finger turned red and a little drop of blood appeared on the tip of his index finger. “Oh, John. We should go back and take a look at it!” Mary said. “Just don’t touch it, so it doesn’t get dirty.”
Once they got back to their house, they went to the bathroom and turned on the faucet. John put his index finger under the warm water and washed away the blood. “Remember to use soap! You don’t want any germs staying on your hands.” Mary advised and started searching through their first aid kit. John was washing his hand thoroughly, when Mary turned off the water and handed him a band-aid. “Put this on your finger, so nothing gets to it. If some dirt got to the wound, it could slow down the healing!” – she explained. John dried his hands, carefully placed the band-aid on his finger and smiled. “I’ll remember to put on gloves next time.” Mary smiled back at him and handed him a pair of garden gloves. “Good. Now, come on, John! We have some real treasures to find!” She laughed and they both ran out the door.
When to see a doctor?
If the bleeding doesn’t stop after ten minutes.
If the cut is deep.
If the cut starts swelling.
