Parental discretion is advised (warning – may not be suitable for some younger children)
All of the situations or events depicted, as well as names and places are based on actual events.
Bedtime story characters were created by Daisy and Brandon Malan during various bedtime story telling experiences.
This book is dedicated to
· My Granddaughter Daisy for being an inspiration
· My Grandson Brandon for loving my stories
· My Grandsons Jared and his brother Landon – who are still too young today to understand this book
· To my wife Kerry for being my pillar
Table of Contents
FOREWARD
CHAPTER 1 . . . . . . . . . . Bobby Gets Lost in the Woods
CHAPTER 2 . . . . . . . . . . The Next Night
CHAPTER 3 . . . . . . . . . . Benny Bear and the Coconut
CHAPTER 4 . . . . . . . . . .Willie Worms Winter
CHAPTER 5 . . . . . . . . . . The Adventures of Samantha Skunk
CHAPTER 6 . . . . . . . . . . Sssssammy the Snake Finds A Job
CHAPTER 7 . . . . . . . . . . In Conclusion
Bedtime Stories
Bobby Gets Lost in the Woods . . . . . . . . . .Chapter 1 & 2
Benny Bear and the Coconut . . . . . . . . . . Chapter 3
Willie Worms Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chapter 4
The Adventures of Samantha Skunk. . . .Chapter 5
Sssssammy the Snake Finds a Job . . . . . Chapter 6
Foreward . . .
The Story Teller is the story of a man who has a passion for telling a good story. Over the years, he has put together many tales all of which have come from the deep recesses of his mind. At the request of his Grandchildren he decided to put them to pen, so they would not be lost forever in the cobwebs of his own memory.
Unlike most bedtime story books, The Story Teller takes it to the next level. The author has pulled together some of his favorite stories and assembled them into one novel. This story is designed to be read chapter by chapter with convenient breaks at the end of each. Your children will anticipate the continuation of the story and look forward to hearing the adventures over and over again.
Like many of the classic fairytales we all grew up with, The Story Teller will scare you and make you laugh at the same time. It will also teach valuable lessons to your children, lessons too quickly forgotten by the children of today. Read this book to your kids and after each session take a moment to speak with them about what they have learned. They will be more than eager to share with you their intellectual and spiritual growth. Don’t pass up on this available quality time you have with your kids. Far too soon the day will come when they are off on their own, reading bedtime stories to their own offspring. Keep the traditions going from generation to generation.
Please visit the author’s website www.richardstevenhunter.com to view latest releases as well as other interesting hyperlinks.
The author decided to post The Story Teller on the internet, to be available to everyone, at no charge. This is his gift to you and your kids. Please feel free to share this story with all of your friends. Your comments are welcome at www.richardstevenhunter.com
This book was made available, one chapter at a time. Additional chapters were added each month with the last installment being completed on Saturday, September 19th, 2009. It is the authors wish that you will find enjoyment from the anticipation of waiting for what is yet to come.
Words are clamor-filled shells.There's many a story in the
miniature of single words Gaston Bachelard quote
Chapter One 
While resting there upon that rock, Bobby noticed a place only ten feet in front of him, where he could possibly settle in for the night. It looked like a small cave of some sort. He contemplated his options. Sleeping in the woods, at night, all alone, was the option he feared the most. Just as he stood up he heard that sound again. That sound of a snapping twig, but this time it was a lot closer. Bobby ran as fast as he could for that cave, ice cold tears streaming down his face; adrenalin was pulsating through his body. To his dismay, Bobby discovered that this wasn’t really a cave, but more like a dent, a really big dent in the side of a huge rock.
Working quickly Bobby gathered some fallen branches and dragged them in towards the opening of his make-shift hideout. His plan was to camouflage the boulder so whatever was out there would stay out there. It took only a minute or two to finish the job. Done! Fear was now controlling every muscle and every thought. His mind was spinning those scary thoughts into realities, realities within the unlimited boundaries of his childish imagination.
As Bobby sat quietly, with hands clasped together, he remembered what they taught him in his Sunday School classes. If you pray real hard, He will answer you. So Bobby prayed to Jesus while shivering, all alone, in the dark. He was banking on spiritual intervention. He was desperate. He whispered;
“Please Jesus in heaven...Don’t let anything happen to me. Help me not to be so afraid. Help my Dad find me and please don’t make Mom be mad at me for getting lost. I know she didn’t want Dad and me to go camping this weekend. She said she had a feeling that something bad was going to happen. I promise to always listen to Mom, especially when she says she has those feelings. If you save me tonight I promise to clean my room, be a good boy and never tell lies. Please, please help me Jesus. Amen.”
Just as Bobby softly spoke his Amen, a sudden noise from outside of his makeshift shelter was heard loud and clear. Bobby quickly held his hands over his mouth to try and muffle the whimpers of his panic. It wasn’t the twig breaking noise far off in the woods. It was the rummaging sound of a wild beast tearing through the brush, looking for its next meal. “If it was Dad, definitely he would be calling out my name,” Bobby realized. No, this was something far bigger than Dad and from the sounds of the heavy breathing and snorting, it was far meaner as well. Bobby held his breath as the beast hunted nearer and nearer. Bobby was trapped. There was nowhere to run, and even if he could run, his tiny legs were no match for the huge wild creatures of the night time forest.
All of a sudden the snorting stopped. A brief moment passed and Bobby started having flashing thoughts of the monsterous thing out there wandering off somewhere, anywhere, giving him a short window of opportunity for a dash for freedom and maybe, if Jesus heard his prayer, to the safety of his fathers arms. But it was not to be, the moment quickly passed and the silence was broken by the heavy sniffing sound at the base of Bobby’s shelter. It was snorting now faster and faster at the tree branches that stood between survival and death. It picked up Bobby’s scent and was becoming more and more enraged. It was drawing in the scent of fear; the scent of food; the scent of Bobby. With a deep growl, the jaws of this mad animal started ripping away at the makeshift barrier. Bobby had no choice but to try and run. As soon as he saw the night time moonlight flowing onto his face, he inhaled deeply and dashed as quickly as he could, not from planning or forethought, but instead out of the instinct to survive. One hundred percent adrenalin was driving his body to do things he never thought possible.
That tree limb, that once was his shelter, now became his nemesis. Bobby got no more than two or three steps before his left foot got tangled on that branch, causing him to fall head first, into a rock. He was stunned and dazed. Everything seemed to start moving in slow motion. His freefall momentum caused him to land hard onto his back. Looking up he saw what was waiting for him. He could feel the warmth from its breathe, spit splashing onto Bobby's face.The fear was now gone. It was a matter of giving in. Bobby was ready to surrender to his fate. Even though his body was giving up, his brain was telling his mouth to scream and his legs to kick; and kick and scream he did. He could see the cold redness of the eyes of death that were now upon ….
“Grampy, what was it? Was it a Dragon, or a mean wild dog, or maybe a man eating warewolf,” Brandon begged with eagerness. “Oh Brandon, keep quiet and let Grampy finish his story,” Daisy barked at her younger brother. Grampy chuckled at the sight of the dual sets of wide open eyes adorned by his grandkids. “Maybe we should finish this story tomorrow. It’s getting rather late and everyone else has already gone to their tents,” Grampy whispered. Brandon replied with a disappointed “Oh Man,” while his sister took his hand and led him off to their tent, where their mom and dad were fast asleep. “Now don’t go wondering off into the woods you guys,” Grampy advised as he watched the two open the tents zipper. Brandon turned back and with a satisfying tone promised, “Don’t worry Grampy, we won’t.”
Once he was sure that the children were both safely tucked in for the night, Grampy savored the quite and still of the night. He sat there alone transfixed on the remnants of the fire as the wood morphed into ambers and the ambers magically changed into ghostly sparks that peacefully floated off into the night. He would occasionally glance upward, hypnotized by the brilliance of the Milky Way, as it stretched out in contrast to the blackness of the night sky. With a long, slow, deep sigh, the smell and taste of the camp fire warmly massaged all of Grampy’s senses. This was Grampy’s bliss. This was his magic. This was a wonderful way to end a perfect day. He thanked God for his blessings.
Grampy loved telling a good story, especially when the Grandkids would impatiently anticipate their next bedtime, their next story, their next adventure into their own imaginations. Coming up with a new adventure, night after night after night was a daunting task, but Grampy was up to the challenge. He would always try to come up with a unique story that would totally catch the kids off guard. Grampy loved the unexpected. If the kids were looking for something scary, Grampy would try to make them laugh and when they expected a comedy, they would end up with an eerie chill throughout their tiny little bodies, as they huddled under their blankets, secretly wanting more.
To make things even more interesting, Grampy loved to get the young ones involved with coming up with the basic story line. He taught them that the foundation of any good story would include Who, What, When, Where and Why. The “Who” would be the main character. The “What” covered the events. The “When” was obviously the time frame, either day or night and of course the season or time of year. The “Where” was a fun one, the grandkids always came up with interesting locations such as a basement, a cave, the mall or maybe even a far off planet somewhere on the other side of the galaxy. “Why” was challenging most of the time, so Grampy usually tried to help out with some suggestions of his own.
Tonight Brandon and Daisy made their selections; “Who” would be a little boy named Bobby. “What” was his getting lost. “When” would be during a weekend camping trip with his dad. “Where” ended up being somewhere in the woods. “Why” was because the main character didn’t listen to his parents. Grampy always tried to include some sort of moral lesson that would stick in their young eager minds. At the end of each story, when the tales resolution came to pass, Grampy would ask, “Okay guys, what did we learn from this story?” A great debate would always follow between Brandon and Daisy over the moral of the story and the hidden meaning behind it. Every single time, the two of them would eventually come to an agreement as to which lesson was the most valuable. Grampy would just sit back, enjoying the youthful debate. Grampy also looked forward to the day when his other grandsons Jared and Landon would be old enough to share in these adventures with their cousins.
As the fire started fading more and more, Grampy contemplated adding more wood so he could savor the moment a little longer. Just then he heard a sound coming from deep within the woods. It was almost fifty yards away as far as he could tell. Grampy spun around into the direction of the noise and waited. His thoughts started rushing into all sorts of dark places. Monsters, beasts, wild animals or maybe even crazed mountain people, all had their brief moments at the forefront of his concern. Then he laughed to himself out loud. He realized that he had been telling far too many scary stories and maybe moving forward he should focus more on comedy. Not hearing the sound anymore, Grampy settled back down once again, trying to decide if he should stay up a little longer or head for his tent and turn in for the night. Once again the snapping sound of a twig could be heard and this time it was much closer. Too close!
Grampy never moved so fast in his life. As the echo of the sound was still fresh, Grampy was opening the zipper to his tent, diving in and securing the door flap behind him. It couldn’t have been more than thirty seconds from the time that second twig snapped to the time that Grampy was zipped up in his sleeping bag, in his tent with the lights out. He was snuggled in as tightly as he could next to Grammy. Only his eyes peeked out from his sleeping bag into the vast blackness that surrounded him. His eyes were as wide open as Brandon’s were just a half hour earlier. Must have been a deer or maybe even a rabbit he convinced himself as he laid back, a little more relaxed, trying not to disturb Grammy. “Maybe I should wake her up, just to let her know that I was tucked in safe and sound,” he contemplated. “And that way, I could give her a good night kiss,” he tried to justify. Then he realized that he was just being silly. There was nothing out their, in the woods, except for deer, rabbits, squirrels and maybe a skunk or two.
If you don't know the trees you may be lost in the forest,
but if you don't know the stories you may be lost in life. Siberian Elder quote
Chapter Two
Chapter Two
Their laughter must have carried across the early morning sky towards the other tents. Within moments Daisy and Brandon were climbing out of their domain and heading directly towards the fire, towards the warmth, towards the security of their loving Grammy and Grampy. Seeing kids scamper across the dewy lawn with sleepy eyes and uncontrollable yawns, Grammy and Grampy both opened their blankets inviting the children into their arms. Brandon crawled in with Grammy and Daisy snuggled in with her Grampy. As they cuddled in tightly, Grampy looked over at Grammy’s eyes and without words spoken they both knew that this was the moment when the magic was strongest. The magic of the bond between a child and their grandparents was a force to be reckoned with. Grammy and Grampy’s world will forever revolve around their grandkids.
After all four were completely transfixed on watching the flames flicker, it was Brandon who spoke first. “Grampy, will you finish the story now?” he begged. Before Grampy could answer Daisy asked, “Yeah, what was that thing anyways? Was it a man wolf?” she inquired. Brandon looked at his sister and educated her on the fact that if couldn’t have been a wolf. It had to be a bear because of the size of it. Then Brandon looked at Grampy and said “It was a bear, wasn’t it?” Daisy added, “Can you finish the story now before everyone gets up? Please Please Please? Brandon joined in and for the next 30 seconds Grampy and Grammy both smiled at each other while the two little ones sang their chorus of Please Please Please. Grampy laughed as he replied, “You will just have to wait until bedtime. After all, it is a bedtime story, not a breakfast around the campfire story.”The kids laughed and respected Grampy’s final decision. Amazed at their eagerness Grammy asked Daisy and Brandon what the story was about. Daisy and Brandon both told the story to their Grandmother with excitement in their tone and delivery. They were bringing up details that Grampy had forgotten about. Again, their detailed memories astounded him.
As the day came and passed, everyone enjoyed three square meals with various snacks in between. Swimming in the lake was followed by hikes in the woods. It was during the hike, when everyone was deep within the forest that Grampy yelled out’ “Bobby. Bobby, are you there?” Brandon and Daisy understood and immediately joined in. Their parents didn’t understand and kept asking, “What are you doing?” and “Who is Bobby?” Daisy explained and together everyone had a great laugh while calling for the lost boy, Bobby. Once the hike was over and lunch was consumed, it was nap time for Grammy and Grampy. The next hour and a half would be filled with blissful sleep beneath the soft sounds of chirping birds and of course, Grampy’s snoring. The late afternoon was filled with dinner preparations, gathering of more wood for the fire and a trip to the nearby market for some extra supplies.
After the sun went down, everyone sat around the fire, singing songs, roasting marshmallows and sharing in conversation. Brandon and Daisy were just sitting there eagerly waiting for the story of Bobby’s adventure in the woods to continue. Brandon would ask, “Is it time yet?” Grampy replied,“Nope!” Then Brandon would whimper, Oh man!” This was the sequence repeated over and over again. “Is it time yet?” “Nope!” “Oh man!” “Is it time yet?” “Nope!” “Oh man!” Then finally the moment arrived. “Is it time yet?” “Yupp!” Brandon didn’t expect to hear the answer he so longed for. Both of the grandkids couldn’t contain themselves any longer. They started running in all directions at the same time, getting blankets, flashlights, snacks and anything else they needed before they hunkered down for the show.
It was pitch black out; the night sky slightly illuminated by the countless stars. The moon had not yet risen so the environment was perfect for a spooky tale. Mom and Dad wanted to stay up and listen to the rest of the story. After all, they heard all about the first half of the adventure over and over through out the day. They too wanted to know what was going to happen to Bobby. So here they were, Mom and Dad tucked into one blanket, snuggled close to each other. Brandon was next to them and Daisy was beside her brother, both incased in their own security blanket. Grammy decided to go to bed and read a book. She wasn’t interested in listening to a story that would most likely cause her to have nightmares. Grampy sat in a chair on the opposite side of the fire so only his face could be seen. Only a part of his face was visible while the rest of it would be totally hidden behind the blazing inferno. His eyes wide open, they glowed through the flames as if seeing deep into their souls. Grampy asked, in a soft and deep voice, “Are you ready for the story to continue? Everyone started cheering. “Are you ready to be lead down a pathway of foolish decisions and the scary results they bring? Are you willing to experience the journey of poor Bobby and all that happened to him? Are you ready to feel the fear?” Grampy continued to prompt louder and louder. Everyone replied at the same time, in their own trembling voice. Grampy smiled as the sounds of gulps and gasps could be heard coming from those sitting on the other side of the fire. It was now time for the story to continue. Grampy started slowly speaking; informing; telling...
As you remember, Bobby was trapped in the woods and as he tried to escape, he tripped and fell beneath the creature that was hunting for him. As he fell, he hit his head on a rock causing him to come very close to passing out. Every thing felt like it was moving in slow motion. Eventually his pain subsided to a constant throbbing. The fear was now totally overpowered by Adrenaline. It was a matter of just giving in so it would be over quickly, even though his brain still told his mouth to scream and his legs to kick, and kick he did. He could see the cold redness of the eyes of death that were now upon him. The jaws were wide open with spit dripping off the tips of its massive fangs. Snarling and snorting was all Bobby heard as he thrashed upwards with both legs and arms, in one last attempt to try and fight off the beast. But he wasn’t making contact. “How could I miss?” he wondered as he continued his fight for survival. His legs and arms just seem to pass right through this thing; this beast that was trying to devour him.
Just then he saw the open jaws stretch even wider and with one quick motion, they came down fast and hard. Bobby could only cover his face with both arms folded, as if that would protect him. Waiting for the sensation of pain to overtake him, Bobby closed his eyes and called out for his Dad one more time. But the pain never came. The fear was still there, in abundance, but the anticipated final moment never came. Bobby was still alive. As he slowly opened his eyes, he noticed that the creature was still there, but unable to harm him. The beast continued to try and bite Bobby, but Bobby felt nothing. He didn’t hurt. He didn’t bleed. He didn’t die. Then Bobby realized that maybe he wouldn’t be eaten. Maybe the thing on top of him wasn’t from this natural world. Maybe the creature was a ghost; a ghost of a large Grizzly Bear who’s bark was definitely worse than its bite. Bobby was still very much afraid. He prayed, “Thank you Jesus!”
The Bear was obviously aggravated not only at Bobby for being on his turf, but also for not being able to do anything about it. Bobby then rationalized that it wasn’t the creature that knocked over the branches covering his hiding place. It was probably Bobby himself who knocked them over with one of his trembling legs. As Bobby stood up and slowly backed away, the Grizzly ghost followed, rearing up over ten feet into the air with its claws extended, ready to slash. Bobby turned and ran and ran and ran. He ran so fast he didn’t even take time to look behind him to see if his ghostly tormentor was still chasing him. Finally, after about twenty minutes of sprinting through the woods, zig-zagging between trees, he reached a clearing, next to a stream. Bobby took a moment to rest and sip on some cool water, looking behind him first, as he knelt down to the waters edge.
The drink was refreshing. As he sat there on a fallen tree limb, looking all around to insure he was alone, he thought once again about his Dad and how Mom was probably going to be really upset. Then he thought about the beast he just encountered. He had never seen a ghost before and was now contemplating it just being part of his wild imagination, playing tricks on him. Just as his heart was starting to settle down, he heard someone behind him say “Who”. Bobby spun around looking in all directions. “Who, who are you?” was whispered once again from somewhere behind the blackness of the night. It seemed to be coming from up in the trees. As Bobby looked up, and his eyes slowly adjusted, he could see the faint outline of a beautiful owl, standing there majestically with an appearance of authority. “Could it be the owl that spoke to me?” Bobby pondered. “Why not? If I could see a ghostly Grizzly Bear than why couldn’t I see a talking owl?” he concluded. Looking up Bobby asked, “Are you speaking to me?” Silence… No reply; nothing. Bobby laughed at himself while turning away. Then the owl said’ “Of course I was talking to you. Do you see anyone else around here?” Stunned, Bobby turned back and said, “You can talk. How is that possible?” The owl replied, “Who?” “You,” shouted Bobby. The owl laughed quietly. Bobby now had someone to talk to; someone to share his story with; someone who might be able to help him find his dad. Bobby didn't care if that old owl was real or not.
As Bobby sat there, telling the owl about his getting lost and that he and his dad were camping somewhere in the woods, the owl quietly sat contemplating, to see if he had any words of wisdom he could offer. Finally Bobby lowered his head and started crying, “I’m so scarred and I miss my dad. I want to go home.” The owl flew down and sat on the fallen tree, right next to Bobby. “Why are you scarred?” the owl inquired. Bobby explained about not liking the dark very much and how he ended up getting lost. Then he continued with telling the story of his plight with the nasty, ghostly Grizzly Bear. “That sounds all too exhausting,” replied the owl. “Can you help me find my dad?” begged Bobby. “Who?” the owl cooed. “I think I can do,” he reassured Bobby. Bobby, for the first time tonight, felt at ease and was able to stop his crying, wipe away his tears and with a crackling voice he said to the owl, “Th-th-thank you,” while wiping his runny nose with his shirts dirty sleeve.
The old owl explained to Bobby, “There is something you need to know about these woods. You see, a very very long time ago, a wicked human came into the woods with a long metal stick. When he pointed it at an animal, it exploded with a loud banging sound, and would cause the forest creature to drop, dead. Then the evil person would just walk away and find another forest creature to murder, for no reason at all. Birds, deer, wolves, skunks, fox, bears and yes even owls were not overlooked by his killing stick. Boom…Boom…Boom was all you could hear for miles and miles. It wasn’t too long before there wasn’t a living creature anywhere. The crazed human was the only living thing in the woods that night.” “How horrible,” Bobby sighed as he eagerly listened. “What happened?” Bobby questioned.
The owl continued, “Ever since that night, those forest animals that were slain wondered throughout the woods, angry about being taken away from their families. To this day they roam at night time, just as the moon rises in the night time sky, to try and find the man creature who did this to them. They can’t rest peacefully until they get their vengeance. And that is why the Grizzly bear was so angry at you. He thought you were the human that took him away from his world; his friends; his family.” Bobby was starting to understand and with curiosity asked, “Are you a ghost too Mr. Owl?” That old owl snapped back, “Who . . . yupp me too?” Bobby lowered his head and softly apologized for what the human beast did to all of the animals of the forest. “Is there anything I can do to help?” Bobby offered. The owl smiled and said, “Who . . . you? All you need to do is stay away from this forest. It isn’t a safe place for humans, especially a human child. Will you promise to never come into the woods with a metal stick of death. Promise never to boom boom boom the life out of the creatures that make the forest a beautiful place.” Bobby quickly shouted, “I promise. But I wish I could help now. I wish I could make the other ghosts walking around the forest not be scared of all humans. Some of us are nice and peaceful and would love nothing more than to sit and watch as the forest animals played. Are you sure there isn’t anything I can do?” Bobby continued to inquire.
The owl understood Bobby’s compassion and smiled as he said, “Well, maybe one day, you will find the human that did this heinous deed. If you do, bring him back to the woods, as the moon starts to rise in the evening sky. The spirits of the creatures that wonder the night will know what to do.” Bobby’s compassion touched the heart of that old owl, who now was more determined than ever to help Bobby find his way back home. “Follow me” the owl hooted as he slowly flew from branch to branch, limb to limb, tree to tree. Bobby slowly walked following the faint sound of the hooting “Who’s” coming from high above. Every now and then Bobby would stumble on a stump or log that lay across the path as he wasn’t really watching where he was going but instead, his eyes were affixed on the forest canopy that shielded him from the starry night sky. At one point Bobby asked loudly, “Can we rest for a few moments?” “My feet hurt and I am really tired,” he continued to whine.
The owl came down from the tree tops and sat beside Bobby as he rested in a bed of leaves that the winds had gathered, under a tall maple tree. As Bobby lay there, with that old owl standing by his feet, Bobby noticed various sets of eyes glowing from every direction; from all around. “Who’s there?” Bobby screamed as his body sat up, stiffening with fear. The owl came closer to Bobby and reassured, “Who … don’t worry. They are just the other ghosts of the animals slain that night. They are looking at you because they never saw a human animal before. They never even saw the one that took them away from their familys. But because I am with you, they know you are not the evil one. They will stay with us until we reach the edge of the forest; the place where your father is waiting for you to return.” This brought a smile to Bobby’s face. Then he realized that the owl said all of the ghost creatures were watching. His face grew pale as be stammered, “Is that gruesome Grizzly ghost watching too?” The owl hooted back, “Yes, he is with us too. And he is still very mad, but he will not come near you as long as I am here. He can not touch you so fear not. Close your eyes and rest a litte while longer. Soon, our journey will continue and before day break, we will arrive at our destination. Bobby was too nervous; he wanted to stay awake and ask some more questions. He feared that gastly Grizzly bear and was feeling somewhat vulnerable. But there was something soothing about that old owl and how he hooted over and over again, “Don’t worry. Trust me. Sleep. Sleep. Sleep. Who...”
Bobby’s eyes felt heavier and heavier. Soon he was sleeping deeper than ever before. He was floating high above the forest in his dreams, flying along side that old owl. In Bobby’s dream every time he tried to speak, every sentence began with the word “Who.” This made him smile. He felt so free. He didn’t have a care in the world. Then in the far off distance of his dream he could hear a sound. It was a horrible sound that sent a chill rushing through his body. It was a loud booming sound followed by the cries of the forest creatures below. The booming was getting closer and closer. Bobby’s dream was slowly turning into a nightmare. As he turned to his friend, the owl, to ask what was going on, the sound of the booming seemed to be coming from right below them. Then he heard a thud sound and as he turned his head to look, he saw that old owl tumbling and falling all the way to the ground. Bobby screamed, “Noooooo!”
“Bobby, Bobby wake up,” he heard as he slowly opened his eyes. “You’re having a bad dream,” he was reassured by a familiar voice. As Bobby sat up and looked around, what he saw sent him into a state of confusion that to this day he still doesn’t quiet understand. He wasn’t sleeping under that Maple tree with his friend the owl standing guard at his feet. He wasn’t soaring high above the forest watching his friend being shot by a crazed hunter. Instead he was in his tent, in his sleeping bag with his father reassuring him that he was simply having a bad dream. Sweat was pouring down his face and his entire body was soaking wet. “Must have been some scary dream,” his dad laughed. “Come on. Get up and clean yourself up. Breakfast will be ready in ten minutes,” he commanded as he left the tent, leaving the door flap open behind him.
Bobby was confused but in some ways relieved that it was all only a dream. As breakfast was consumed, his mind kept going back to the story his friend the owl told him. He wondered how dreaming of being chased by a Grizzly ghost could seem so real. He wanted to tell his dad about his nightmare, but decided not to. “Dad wouldn’t understand,” Bobby concluded. The rest of the day was spent doing camping stuff including fishing for lunch and practicing some of the survival skills he was taught as a boy scout. The day finished climaxed with the roasting of marshmallows by the camp fire, along with dad bragging about his past camping adventures. Then Dad started explaining about how he use to love hunting and it was within these very woods, a long long time ago, that he went on his very first hunting expedition. There were so many animals to choose from and he had a hard time deciding which ones to shoot. So he did the only thing a great hunter would do; he shot them all. Dad was actually laughing as he told Bobby this tale of horror, death and destruction.
Bobby was in shock and didn’t know what to say or do. All these ugly images started rushing through Bobby's head. Then, he said to his dad in a quiet voice, “Dad, can I ask you something?” His dad replied, “Sure son, you can always ask me anything.” Bobby continued, “Dad, when you went hunting, did you shoot a bear?” His dad replied boastfully, “Not only was it a bear, it was the greatest of all bears. I shot a Grizzy bear that stood over ten feet into the air.” “And Dad,” Bobby continued. “Yes son,” his father offered with pride. “Dad, did you shoot any owls?” Dad turned and looked deeply into Bobby’s eyes and barked, “Son, when I said I shot everything, I meant everything. And yes, I even got me one of those Great Grey owls. Stupid bird just sat there in the trees, saying Who, over and over again. Kinda creepy if ya know what I mean!"
Bobby sat quietly, for the longest time, pondering all that his father had said. He only had one more question for his dad. He needed to know one last thing. He waited for the right moment, then patiently asked, “Dad, can you do me a favor?” His dad replied “Sure son, anything. What is it?” Bobby requested with a soft tone of innocents, “Dad, can you and I go for a walk, tonight, after dinner, in the woods, just as the moon is about to rise over the nighttime sky?” Dad smiled as he said, “Sure son. That would be fun.” Bobby smiled too. His promise to that old owl would be fulfilled, soon. The ghosts of the forest night would be freed from their earthly bond. As Bobby sat there waiting for the evening and the walk with his dad, he pondered over and over to himself, "Mom is going to be really upset about this." The end…
“That was awesome!” Brandon screamed with youthful excitement. Daisy asked, “Grampy, so did Bobby really get lost in the woods or was it a dream?” “Grampy replied, “What do you think really happened?” “I think it was kind of like something you would see on the Twighlight Zone,” Dad laughed as he and mom got up and started herding their two kids towards their own tent. “Good night Grampy,” Brandon shouted as he came over and hugged his grandfather tightly. “Thanks for the great story Grampy,” Daisy smiled with satisfaction as she too offered her good night hugs and kisses. Once again Grampy sat their alone in front of a dying fire, savoring this quiet, alone time with his thoughts. Grampy was quiet pleased with the way the story evolved and will question Daisy and Brandon about the stories lessons during breakfast. “What was the moral of the story? What did they learn from Bobby’s experiences? These were the two questions he would have them discuss when they wake up early and cuddle in close with Grammy and Grampy, by the radiant heat of morning fire. Grampy closed his eyes and whispered a prayer of thanks to God for yet another perfect day, in paradise.
"Life itself is the most wonderful fairytale of all." Hans Christian Andersen quote
Chapter Three
"Life itself is the most wonderful fairytale of all." Hans Christian Andersen quote
Chapter Three
Just like every other morning, Brandon and Daisy woke up shortly after Grammy and Grampy got the fire going and were sitting by the fire drinking their first coffee of the day. As soon as the kids were up they headed straight for the warmth of their grandparents. Again Grammy and Grampy’s batteries were recharged with the love that these grandkids displayed. “Okay you two,” Grampy smiled warmly. “Let’s talk about the story of Bobby.” He continued. Brandon and Daisy started going a mile a minute covering every detail they could remember, highlighting their own favorite parts. It was all being recited, simultaneously in a rather chaotic manner. “Now hold on there you two,” Grampy chuckled. Grammy laughed along. She was loving every moment of the interaction. Grammy tested them by asking, “What do you think the moral of the story was?” and together the two kids agreed that they should never kill animals and that every living thing was part of God’s creation. The grandparents were both very proud. “What did you learn from Bobby’s experiences?” Grampy inquired. Brandon smiled, “I learned not to be afraid if a Grizzly bear is standing over me about to bite my head off.” Daisy laughed, “Your silly. I would still be very much afraid of a bear, especially if it was a ghost. I guess what I learned from Bobby’s adventure is that things aren’t always what they seem to be. I guess we just have to pray to God for the answers if we don’t know them.” Grammy and Grampy were stunned at Daisy’s insight. She continued with, “I think the Bear was all of the evil in the world and the owl was Jesus.
Eventually Bobby trusted in the owl and when he did, everything worked out. And finding out that his dad was part of the evil in the world, Bobby sacrificed his love for his father and brought peace and harmony to the forest. Of course the forest represents the world," Daisy added. Stunned, both Grammy and Grampy replied, “Of course.” Then Daisy added one more tidbit of information, "But it makes me sad when I think about what Bobby was going to do to his dad. I could never do that. I am not too sure if I really like the ending!" Grampy understood and reminded the two kids that things don't always turn out the way we plan. Grammy was glowing with pride as she pulled both Daisy and Brandon in closer, for one of her special, engulfing hugs.
Well, just like all of the previous days camping, this day was no exception, other that Daisy blowing away her grand parents with her depth and insight. Brandon was his usually goofy self dancing when no music could be heard, or playing spinning games that made all the older folks dizzy just watching. As the day wound down, the usual begging started regarding the bedtime story for that evening. Brandon again pleaded, “It is time yet?” Grampy replied,“Nope” Then Brandon would sigh,“Oh man!” Of course this sequence repeated over and over again. “It is time yet?” “Nope” “Oh man!” “It is time yet?” “Nope” “Oh man!” Then finally, like each evening before, the moment finally arrived. “It is time yet?” “Yupp!” The two of them immediatley started their nightly ritual of running around getting supplies ready for that night’s story. Brandon yelled for all to hear, “It’s time, it’s time.” Making sure everyone knew it.
As Brandon and Daisy settled in, Mom and Dad decided to join in as well. They enjoyed the story of Bobby and wanted to see what Grampy had up his sleeve for tonights performance. Grammy too was excited about staying up and joining in the fun. She actually made a pot of hot chocolate over the fire and as she handed out a mug to everyone Grampy asked the usual who, what, where, when and why. The Grizzly bear was still dancing around within their youthful minds so the ‘Who’ would be a bear. The ‘What’ was stumbling into a community of humans. The ‘When’ would be in the present. The ‘Where’ would be where a forest and city meet and the ‘Why’ would be trying to avoid getting captured by a mean old Forest Ranger. “Perfect,” Grampy said as he confirmed the facts. Mom and Dad even helped with some suggestions of their own. Just at the last moment Brandon begged, “Can we also use a coconut Grampy?”
This is the story of Benny Bear and the Coconut…
It was a beautiful autumn day when all the animals in the forest were busy getting ready for the coldness of the approaching winter. The ants were storing food in their pantries and the birds were flying south, searching for a warmer climate. Benny Bear was staying close to mom, trying to learn all he needed to know about being a bear, a lesson he wasn’t very good at. But that didn’t really matter to Benny Bear. His mom was a great mom. She would bring him food whenever he was hungry, and she was busier now, as they had to fatten up for the long winter sleep ahead.
Benny Bear hadn’t seen his dad since shortly after he was born, so mom had to do everything. All Benny Bear was interested in doing was chasing butterflies, eating honey and most of all, exploring the forest for strange new things. He made brand new discoveries each and every day. Today was no different. While Benny Bear played, mom was knee deep in the river, catching fish. She was really good at fishing. “Benny, get over here,” mom commanded, “It’s time for your fishing lesson”. Benny Bear was too busy running and playing. He didn’t hear her. She called for him a couple more times. “Benny, don’t make me come up there after you.” Mom growled. This time he heard her and ran down to the rivers edge. “I’m coming mom,” Benny Bear replied. He would have preferred playing instead of more schooling from mom.
Mom showed him how to sit in the water and just wait there with his mouth just above the water. As soon as you see a fish jump, just lean into it and snatch the fish in your jaws. It’s that easy. Mom demonstrated this to Benny over and over and over again. When Benny Bear tried fishing, he would just get a nose full of water, making him cough and sneeze and he didn’t like that, at all. Mom would give Benny a hug for trying his best and then drop a fresh fish at his feet. “You have to eat as much as you can before the winter hibernation starts!” mom explained. By time Benny Bear finished one fish, mom would give him another one. This went on day after day until neither of them could eat another bite.
The days were getting shorter, the weather was getting colder and all of the beautiful colored leaves have fallen from the trees. Both mom and Benny were starting to yawn as they entered their cave. Mom had prepared a nice warm bed for them to cuddle in. Once mom was settled, she called for Benny to join her. Benny Bear snuggled in tightly to his mom where it was nice and warm. As soon as mom put her big paws around Benny, he floated off into a deep, deep sleep. Mom also started falling asleep as soon as her son was safely tucked in and snoring. The long winter hibernation began. Benny would dream of butterflies and honey and the smells of the flowers that covered the hills.
Mom would dream of the day when Benny would become a adult bear, and be able to take care of himself. These dreams would occupy their thoughts for the next few months, while the winters cold and snow ravished the forest, just outside of their cave. Mom knew that in the spring time, Benny would have to survive on his own. She could no longer fish for him or protect him from the forest. He would have to live his own life. He would have to find a nice lady bear and raise a family of his own. Tears ran from her eyes as she slowly gave in to her slumber.
As Benny Bear twisted and turned in his sleep, he reached over to touch his mom as he slowly opened his sleepy eyes. He didn’t feel the softness of her fur so he reached even further but still, he couldn’t feel her warmth. As he opened his eyes, he looked all around the cave. Mom was nowhere to be seen. As Benny Bear stretched and yawned, he thought to himself that mom was probably outside looking for a fish or maybe some berries. He went running outside calling, “Mom, I’m awake. Mom’ where are you?” But she was nowhere to be seen. Benny Bear stopped and took a deep breath, taking in the smells of spring time and the warm air that filled the sky. “Mom, I’m hungry” he continued to cry as he ran here and there looking for her. But still, mom was nowhere to be found. Benny Bear didn’t know what to do, and he was starting to worry. The sun was setting and all of the scary noises that dance with the night were getting louder and louder. Benny Bear ran back to the cave and waited for his mom to show up. He waited and waited and waited some more. He didn’t leave that cave for over two days. The morning of the third day, Benny Bear was so hungry he had no choice but to go out there, all alone, and try to find something to eat. And also try to find mom.
Benny Bear went to the river and tried to remember everything his mom had taught him about fishing. Standing knee deep in the water, with his mouth positioned just right, Benny Bear waited for the fish to jump into his mouth. He waited and waited and waited some more. Benny didn’t realize that the fish weren’t running this time of the year. There would be no fished jumping for months and months. Eventually Benny Bear gave up and slowly walked back to the shore, shaking the frigid water from his thick winter coat. Benny Bear stared walking along the shoreline, feeling sorry for himself and crying out “Mom”, over and over and over again. Benny Bear was sad and scared and had no idea of what to do or where to go. He was on his own, and he didn’t like it. He didn’t like it at all.
Then all of a sudden, after walking for miles and miles, Benny Bear picked up a scent. A smell that intrigued him was teasing his nose. It seemed to say to him, “Follow Me.” Benny Bear followed, with his snout held up high in the air, taking in as much of the sweet odor as he could. It brought him to a strange place. The forest just seemed to stop. There were no more trees. It looked like it was an open field covered in tall swaying grass. On the other side of the field were strange looking caves, human caves, all lined up in a row. They all looked exactly the same. The smell was coming from somewhere between those human caves. He remembered his mom telling him about humans, but he forgot exactly what it was she said. Benny Bear thought to himself, “Was it that humans were dangerous or did mom say humans were friendly and loved to feed bears?” He was pretty sure that she said humans loved to feed the bears and were very friendly.
Benny Bear went running as fast as he could until he was right next to one of those human caves, looking down at a large round metal container with a lid on top of it. With one easy push, the container was on its side, causing the lid to loudly roll away. It was food, all kinds of wonderful tasting food. Benny Bear had found a garbage can and was now feasting on things he never knew existed. Benny Bear tasted banana peels, chicken bones, some left over meat loaf and for dessert, he worked on a peanut butter jar that had a little bit of yummy peanut butter stuck on the bottom. His tongue was just long enough to reach. Benny Bear was pleased with his find, but he was still hungry and needed some more. He walked around to the next cave and just as he thought, there was another one of those round metal containers with a lid.
Again as Benny Bear knocked over the trash can, all of the contents spilled out. But this can had nothing but cardboard, which didn’t taste nearly as good as a stinky piece of rotting meat or left over peanut butter. Then something caught his attention. There was an inviting smell coming from within the pile of rubbish and Benny Bear used his nose to dig his way deeper and deeper into the trash pile next to the can. He was intrigued and still very hungry so he dug desperately. He came across the occasional box of cereal, dotted with a few left over crumbs and he also found some grape stems, but there was something else in there. Something else delicious was begging to be discovered. Benny Bear ate the cereal crumbs and the grape stems while searching for the prize still within the trash heap, which was now spread out all over the ground. Then he found it. It was suddenly sitting there right in front of his eyes. It was a very odd looking thing. Very strange indeed. It was a round furry thing that seemed to be broken in two pieces. The inside of the two halves was lined with some sort of white stuff. This was where that wonderful smell was coming from. Benny Bear had found his prize. Cautiously, he took a bite and it tasted good; really, really good. Benny Bear had found a coconut that was half eaten. He had no idea of what it was. He thought that maybe it was some strange hairy animal with three eyes. But he didn’t care; it was the most wonderful thing he had ever tasted. Benny Bear just laid there on his back, holding and licking and taking bites of this amazing food. He ate all of the coconut pieces, shell and all.
Benny Bear was enjoying his coconut so much he didn’t hear the human come out of his cave. It was the “Clicking” sound of the old man loading his shotgun that grabbed Benny Bear’s attention. As Benny Bear looked over, he saw the old man standing there taking aim. Benny Bear had never seen a gun before and had no idea of how dangerous guns or humans were. Benny Bear wanted to thank him for the wonderful meal and since mom said that humans were friendly and loved to feed bears, Benny Bear got up and stared running towards the old man, wanting to give him a hug, a bear hug, and thank him face to face.
The old man, seeing the bear charging, became very much afraid. As he stepped back, he tripped over a garden hose and fell backwards, firing the shotgun into the air, as he landed flat on his back. The only thing he shot was the bedroom windows on the second floor of his house. The sound of the shot gun blast along with the shattering glass startled Benny Bear, causing him to trip over his own feet, landing right on top of the old man. Since Benny Bear was now face to face with the kind old man, he started saying “Thank you, thank you for such a wonder meal.” Then he asked, “Do you mind if I come back tomorrow for some more?” The old man didn’t speak bear and was very much afraid. All the old man saw and heard was a bear sitting on top of him, snarling and growling, with bits and pieces of coconut landing on his face, mixed in with bear spit. He had no idea that Benny Bear was thanking him for being such a kind human. The old man did the only thing he could do. He screamed for help. He screamed loudly.
Then Benny Bear looked up and saw all kinds of people running in his direction. There were red flashing lights everywhere. Benny Bear had never seen a police car before and seeing three of them screeching to a stop at the same time made him a little nervous. Benny Bear got up and ran all the way back to the forest, and disappeared within the trees. He learned a lot that day. He learned that humans have great food and would be more than happy to share. They would feed him, just like mom use to do. Thinking about mom made Benny Bear a little sad as he started to fall into a sleep for the night. He missed his mom. He missed her a lot.
The next day, when it was time to eat, Benny Bear decided to go back to his new friends, the humans, for another meal. As he approached the back of the human caves, he started picking up the smell of that wonderful food again. Benny had developed a love for coconuts and he let his nose lead him right to the mother load. This must be that strange three eyed animal’s home he thought as he approached a strange looking cave with bars on all sides. In the middle of this cave, he could see that there were three or four of these animals, and one was split in two. Benny Bear walked right up to them and started drinking the tasty fluid and eating the fluffy white stuff. It all tasted so wonderful. Benny Bear was really starting to like the Human animals. “They are so generous,” he thought to himself while continuing with his feast. Then, within a few moments Benny Bear heard a banging sound behind him, at the entrance to the strange cave. He tried to leave, but couldn’t. Something had blocked the door. He was trapped. The coconuts had fooled him. They tricked him into thinking that this box was their cave. Benny Bear tried to push his way out over and over again, but he was trapped. Those coconut creatures weren’t as friendly as the human animals. Benny Bear stared getting nervous and was wishing his mom was nearby to help.
The night before, the old man had told the authorities that he saw a bear eating a leftover coconut, and that was when the bear attacked him, knocking him to the ground. This gave the Ranger an idea. He had never heard of a bear eating coconuts before, but knew that once a bear found food it liked, it would keep coming back for more. The Ranger set a trap, using coconuts for bait. The trap worked.
Stuck in this strange cage with metal bars, Benny Bear heard a haunting sound, one that made him feel that something very bad was about to happen. Ca-ching ca-ching, was the sound the spurs made as the Ranger approached, swaying from side to side with each step. Ca-ching, ca-ching, all the way up to the side of the trap that housed Benny Bear. Benny Bear realized that this Human animal wasn’t so friendly. He could see how mean this Human animal was by the cold stare in his eyes and that awful ca-ching ca-ching sound he made when he walked. As the Ranger looked inside, seeing a beautiful young bear, he mumbled, “That will make a mighty fine rug for my game room. Lots of tender yummy meat too. We’ll set him free fifty miles up the road, but I can guarantee you, he will be back. They always come back.” Then leaning down so his face was right next to the bars, the Ranger added, “And when he returns, he’s mine, all mine!” While laughing loudly, the sinister sounding Ranger instructed the other humans to load the trap onto the back on his truck.
Now, Benny Bear didn’t speak human and had no way of knowing what that strange man was saying, but he did know one thing, it wasn’t good. Anything that makes a ca-ching ca-ching sound when it walks meant nothing but trouble. What ever the Ranger was saying sounded scary and Benny Bear was now very much afraid. It was all because of these strange round, hairy, coconut creatures. Benny Bear pushed himself into the far corner of the cage, trying to get as far away from these three eyed monsters as he could. The coconuts just sat there, staring at Benny Bear as the truck bounced its way down the country road. “Maybe his mom said, stay away from humans!” Maybe that was what she meant. “After all, if they were friendly and loved to feed the bears, why didn’t mom bring me to the humans caves before?” he thought as the truck continued its way down the windy dirt road. “Mom”, Benny Bear cried to himself over and over and over again.
Finally, the truck came to a stop. The cage was lowered onto the ground and Benny Bear could hear the Ranger approaching, ca-ching ca-ching, ca-ching ca-ching. Then with out warning, Benny Bear got bit on the backside by what he thought was the biggest mosquito he had ever felt. “Ouch” Benny Bear moaned. The Ranger just shot Benny Bear with a tranquilizer dart. Slowly Benny Bear started feeling dizzy, and sleepy until he could no longer stand up. Benny Bear was now taking a nap. The dart had put him into a deep deep sleep. While Benny Bear was snoring, the Ranger tagged him on his ear, so he would know when Benny returned to the town. The mean old Ranger was very interested in tracking this young cub, confident that he would make his way back to town. And once Benny Bear was caught a second time in town, the Ranger would be able to do the unthinkable, to Benny Bear. It was just a matter of time.
As Benny Bear slowly opened his eyes, and tried to stand up, he still felt a little dizzy and had a sore backside from that monster mosquito. Looking around, he saw the Ranger with a few of his human friends pointing and laughing at him. Benny Bear took a deep breath and ran as fast as he could to the trees, getting as far away as he could from those scary humans and those mean coconuts. As Benny Bear approached the tree line, he could hear the Ranger yelling something, and that caused him to run even faster. The Ranger was laughing while shouting “Come on back to town Bear. Don’t take too long. I think you would make a mighty fine rug!”
When Benny Bear reached the trees, he kept running until he came upon a river. He leaned over to take a drink and was startled at what he saw. In his reflection he noticed that he was wearing an ear ring. Then he realized that when that mosquito bit him and he fell asleep, the Ranger attached an ear ring to his left ear. At first Benny Bear didn’t like his ear ring. He didn’t like it at all. But as time passed, he started getting use to it. He now thought it actually looked cool. The best part was, It kind of tickled when Benny Bear ran and rolled in the fields. This would make him laugh loudly. He remembered how Mom use to tickle his ears the same way.
Benny Bear learned many lessons the day he met the Ranger. He learned that humans and bears don’t get along, even thought they live near each other. He learned to stay away from humans. If you hear a human, run, run as fast as you can. He also learned that there are some pretty mean mosquito’s in the forest and when they bite you, it really hurts and makes you feel sleepy. But his most important lesson was, never trust a coconut. Their three beady eyes and delicious smell will lead to nothing but trouble. Over time, he eventually learned how to hunt for berries and best of all, he learned how to fish. Benny Bear was now an adult bear.
So whenever you are walking in the woods, and you hear the sound of crying followed by laughing echoing throughout the forest, you will know that it is Benny Bear missing his mom and then getting his ear tickled as he plays within the fields, rolling around in the flowers, eating honey, chasing butterflies and most of all, avoiding coconuts.
“Grampy that was cool,” Brandon shared with enthusiasm. Daisy added, “I never did like coconuts and now I know why.” Grampy chuckled loudly along with Grammy, Mom and Dad. It was time once again for bed. Grampy asked Grammy to sit with him by the fire so she could share in God’s gift of a perfect starry night framed by a gorgeous full moon. Together they were being bathed in the warmth generated by the fires glowing embers. Mom and Dad took the kids to bed and within moments, Grampy was once again savoring his love for the quiet of the evening sky. And better yet, he was sharing this special time with the person he loved the most. “Praise God for all of our many Blessings,” he prayed quietly. Grammy listened, and replied, “Amen!”
Chapter Four
Just like most vacations, they seem to pass by way to quickly. This camping trip was no exception. "We were already at the halfway point," Grampy contemplated out loud while brewing the coffee. But he continued to do his morning ritual with a smile on his face. His heart was overflowing with the joy of seeing the kids and especially the grandkids. What pleased him the most was the glow upon Grammys face as she too savored each and every waking moment with the young ones. Sometimes it was hard to keep up with them, but the effort was well worth it.
Grampy knew that soon the day would be here when everyone would go their own way, heading back home, returning to the routines that filled most of the year. He knew that this would be a hard time for Grammy; tears will flow and prayers will be silently recited during the long drive back home. Grampy had a favorite biblical saying from the book of Proverbs, 22:6. It reads, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” He knew that these words will comfort Grammy, during her upcoming sadness. All of their kids and grandkids have grown up with a strong spiritual foundation and that is what is most important. Grampy thought long and hard about all of this, while pouring a cup of coffee for Grammy and delivering it to her in their tent. She was pleased with the room service, or as she preferred to call it, Tent Service.
As Grampy started pulling out the fixings for breakfast, everyone else slowly arose to the smell of fresh brewed coffee mixed in with the smoky aroma of fire. Today’s plan was to drive into the nearby town for some shopping and sightseeing. Grammy and Grampy wanted to buy a little something for each of the kids, just so they would have a tangible souvenir. Lunch was purchased at the local submarine sandwich place, which was a lot easier then cooking a meal back at the camp sight. Not to mention not having to do dishes, although with everyone pitching in, preparing a meal and cleaning up afterwards was a great and cherished time for family sharing.
By the time they made it back to the camp ground, Daisy and Brandon already had the concept of that nights bedtime story pulled together. The main character would be a worm named Willey, who lost his home as the winter freeze approached. “Where did these kids come up with this stuff?” Grampy laughed as his mind scrambled to assemble some sort of story with significant meaning and content. Grampy loves a challenge. Finally the moment arrived for everyone to assemble around the nighttime campfire. Even some of the kids from other nearby campsites were sitting in. “Word must be getting around,” Grampy pondered as he looked at his ever growing audience. Then the story began. Grampy started by looking slowly at each child, directly into their eyes. Their wide-eyed expressions almost made Grampy burst out into laughter. They all looked so serious; so focused; so frightened. The camp fire was radiating a pulsating glow upon Gramy's face, flickering with a mixture of nighttime shadows outlined with soft yellow highlights. The effects of the campfire light exaggertated Grampy's features which made the mood of the moment even more dramatic. Then Grampy suddenly spoke, "Willey Worms Winter," and then paused, for dramatic effect.
“Must be an earthquake!” Willey Worm yelled as he was shaken from his deep, sound sleep. All he could do was hold on to the walls of his cave and wait for the commotion to pass. His eyes were wide open with fear as he nervously waited and waited and waited. But the bouncing didn’t seem to be slowing down. “I better take a look,” he thought as he slowly etched his way to the door. As he peaked outside, the sight that greeted him was one of total chaos. All of the homes in his neighborhood were being pulled from their foundations. No longer was his home hanging there with all of the other apples. He looked around and saw hundreds of boxes, each filled to the top with apples from his tree and all of the other trees nearby. Quickly he ducked back into the security of his own apple, the place he called home and he coiled himself up as tightly as he could, waiting for the end to come. There was nothing else he could do. So he waited and waited and waited.
Suddenly he felt a large bang. His home rolled for a bit and then there was nothing. No bouncing, no shaking and no rolling around. Slowly he worked his way back to the door to take a look at what was going on. As he looked outside, what he saw brought tears to his eyes. Those boxes containing all of his neighbor’s homes were loaded up onto the back of many many trucks. As Willey Worm watched, everyone he knew was disappearing down the road. His entire neighborhood was fading over the horizon. Somehow, Willey Worms apple had fallen out of its box and now he was stranded there, on the road, looking at the world from this strange new perspective, and he didn’t like it. He didn’t like it at all.
As Willey Worm was looking around, he noticed a human man walking his way. Willey Worm quickly ducked back into his home and waited for the human man to pass. But as the man walked by, he noticed this nice new ripe apple sitting on the ground and decided to pick it up. Once again Willey Worms home was rolling and tumbling as it was carried off in the human mans pocket. “I’m not having a very good day,” Willey Worm cried as he held on waiting. He waited and waited and waited some more. It was a long time before the rolling and bouncing came to a stop, but finally it did. Once again Willey Worm slowly peeked out to see where he was. Once again, he found himself in a strange new place; a place he had trouble recognizing because it was dark and filled with strange shadows; shadows that Willey Worm didn’t like. He didn’t like them at all. But at least the rolling and bouncing had stopped.
What Willey Worm didn’t realize was he was now nestled deep within a picnic basket. The shadows he saw were the shadows of two glasses, a bottle of soda, some sandwiches and a big old piece of cake. Willey Worm had no way of knowing what was about to happed to his home. His apple was destined to be the appetizer for the man and the woman he called his wife. This couple were about to have a romantic picnic sitting under a Maple tree, next to the shore of the lake, as they watched the sun slowly set, cascading the sky with brilliant shades of red and orange and some yellow too.
By now Willey Worm was completely confused. He had never seen a picnic basket before and didn’t understand all of the things that were packed tightly with his apple. Just then, a beam of light suddenly entered the basket, as the female opened the lid to take a look at what her husband had prepared for dinner. Willey Worm ducked back into his cave as deeply as he could. When the female reached into the basket and picked up the apple, once again Willey Worm’s world was rolling and bouncing, causing him to coil up as tightly as he could. That was when the unthinkable happened. The scariest thing imaginable had just started and Willey Worm couldn’t do anything about it. Yupp, she started to eat his home. A loud “Crunching” sound echoed as she took away the entire front of Willey Worms home with one bite. His door and entryway were now completely gone. Coiled tightly, all Willey Worm could see was daylight radiating into his cave from the gaping hole that was now the front of his home. That horrible sound of juicy crunching was getting closer and closer as she was raising the apple to her mouth to take another bite. Willey Worm had to act fast. There was no time to think. There was no time to contemplate various options. There was simply no time left at all. Do or die. Now or never.
Without a second thought Willey Worm did the one thing he could do. He pressed the only muscle in his body against his tight coil causing him to fling through the air like an Olympic Diver springing off of the high board. Willey Worm was now flying through the air and as he looked back, he saw what was left of his home being totally devoured, right down to the core. Now he had to worry about landing. He had no wings to guide him and no arms to grab on with. The tree ahead was approaching quickly and so Willey Worm thought that he might just be able to grab on to the bark with his teeth. So Willey Worm opened his mouth really wide and waited. But the tree was too far. Willey Worm didn’t have enough momentum and was quickly loosing altitude. Now Willey Worm was heading straight down. Down, down, down, until he hit the ground. Luckily there was some soft grass to break his fall. Willey Worm dashed as quickly as a worm could under a small rock, to hide from the humans and to watch in wonder as they consumed his home, and everything else that was inside the basket. “This was a terrible day,” Willey Worm cried to himself over and over again, until he finally fell into a deep, deep sleep. He will sleep tonight and first thing tomorrow, he will search around for another home, another apple hanging from a tree; with hundreds of neighbors and as far away from the humans as possible. Willey Worm slept well. He was exhausted after all of the events of the day.
As Willey Worm slowly opened his eyes he suddenly remembered everything that happened to him yesterday. He sure missed his home. His apple was warm and cozy, not like this cold ground he was sleeping on. The wind was blowing and he was shivering from the cold. As he looked around, peeking out from under his rock, he was surprised to see a covering of white over everything, including his make shift shelter. The winter was arriving early this year and if Willey Worm was going to survive, he would need to find some food and shelter, now. Looking around for something to eat, all he saw was snow. Then as he looked up, the colors of the maple leaves still hanging from the tree seemed to be calling him name. “Willey Worm, come to me,” they whispered ever so softly. There were even some that were as bright and red as his apple, and this gave him the desire to start climbing. “If only I can reach those beautiful colors, I know I will be fine’” Willey Worm chanted as he worked his way up and up and up, closer and closer to his target, those yummy looking red leaves. Even the yellow and orange ones looked appetizing. Willey Worm was might hungry and awfully cold. This was his only chance for survival. He continued to climb and climb, closer and closer.
This Maple tree was over sixty feet tall and from a worm’s point of view, it was going to be a long climb. After a couple of hours had passed, Willey Worm was quiet please with the distance he had covered. But from a human’s point of view, this little worm had only climbed fifteen feet. He still had a long way to go before reaching the first of the limbs laden with those delicious looking leaves. Willey Worm was now drooling as he continued with his quest for food. During the next hour a strong wind started to blow off of the lake towards all of the trees, including the Maple Willey Worm was navigating. The cold was slowing him down, but he wouldn’t give up. Five hours had passed and Willey Worm was half way there. Inch by inch he worked his way higher and higher. The winds continued blowing causing most of the leaves to fall to the ground, way down below. Willey Worm had his eye on this one beautiful red leaf still hanging from the lowest limb. Inch by inch he continued to crawl as the storm grew stronger with each passing moment.
The day was finally surrendering to the chill of the night. Willey Worm was just about there. His red leaf was the only leaf left hanging from the entire tree. The air was so cold; the drool was now completely frozen, hanging from his lower lip and chin like mighty fangs. This slowed him down even more, but he was determined not to give up. Then it happened. Willey Worm reached his target. He was about to savor the succulent flavor of the beautiful red thing and surely it would be good. “Anything this bright and red must be chalked full of flavor and goodness,” Willey Worm anticipated as he reached out with his open jaw, ready to take the first bite. “Snap,” went his jaws, slamming closed upon nothing other than chilled air. Just as Willey Worm was about to take a bite, a gust of wind came up and dislodged the last remaining leaf from that old Maple tree. With tears in his eyes, falling off of his cheeks like little tiny ice cubes, Willey Worm gazed at his meal, as it slowly swaying all the way down to the ground below. Willey Worm did the only thing he could do. What other choice did he have?
Willey Worm turned and started inching his way down towards the ground, where his meal now sits, waiting. Inch by inch, he slowly worked his way back down, hour after hour after hour. Finally the night time frost was giving way to the rising sun. Willey Worm could actually feel the warmth of the sun bathing his body as it suddenly rose over the horizon. This gave him the energy to finish his quest for the elusive red maple leaf. The last couple of feet were finally behind him as Willey Worm made his way onto the frozen ground. He saw that red leaf just ahead of him and again was at the point of anticipation of what that lovely thing should taste like. This time he wasn’t going to give up his prize to the wind. This time he was prepared. Willey Worm climbed on top of that red maple leaf, and with open mouth he chomped down and took the biggest bite a little worm could manage.
Immediately Willey Worm turned his head and spit the mouthful of crumbled dried up leaf bits out. It tasted like nothing. No flavor at all. It was actually pretty nasty, not at all like his apple. Willey Worm missed the days when all he had to do when he was hungry was to turn his head and take a small bite out of the apple he lived in. “I guess everything red doesn’t have to taste great,” Willey Worm pouted. He was so cold and so hungry, he started looking around in all directions to see where he could find some food. Just then, he felt a vibration on the ground, one that sent a chill down the length of his body, and not a chill from the cold. This was a chill telling him that something bad was about to happen. Willey Worm instantly started burrowing into the snow, trying to get out of sight. He will search for food later. Right now, that gut feeling was telling him to hide. He almost made it completely out of sight, but he wasn’t quick enough. As Willey Worm was pulling his behind down into the snow, something grabbed onto him and plucked up, way up into the air. “Noooooo,” Willey Worm screamed as he saw the ground disappear beneath him. “This was going to be a terrible day,” Willey Worm realized while struggling for his freedom.
This time Willey Worm found himself sitting in a can on top of a pile of dirt. He was very much afraid and had no idea of what was happening to him. Then, as Willey Worm was sitting there on top of that pile of dirt, in the can, shaking and crying with fear, he heard a noise from behind him. As he spun around he was pleasantly surprised at what he saw. Right there behind him, popping his head out from deep within the dirt, there was another worm. “Who are you?” Willey Worm whimpered while still shaking with fear. “Howdy there, my name is Theodore, but you can call me Theo,” the stranger replied. “Ni ni nice to meet you,” Willey Worm said as he introduced himself. “My name is Willey. Where are we Theo?” Willey cried with fear. “Bob, get up here and meet Willie,” Theo barked downwards. “You have to excuse Bob,” Theo added. “He is rather shy and doesn’t like being out in the open,” Theo continued. “I can understand that!” Willey explained. “I am having such a bad day.”
Just then, Willie started to tell Theo all about his adventure. How his apple was eaten by a female human and how be barely escaped, in one piece. Then he continued telling the story of how he was so hungry and spent all day and all night, in the freezing cold climbing that big old Maple tree. Just as Willie Worm got to the part where the human boy picked him up and threw him into this old can, Bob peeked slowly out from his hole and said one word, “Fishing!” “Excuse me,” Willie Worm inquired with a puzzled look upon his face. “Fishing,” Bob repeated one more time before disappearing back down, out of sight.
As Theo pushed some fresh dirt towards Willie, he said, “Here, eat some lunch. You look famished.” Willie Worm didn’t understand. He wanted an apple to chew on, not a mouth full of dirty old dirt. “What’s the matter,” Theo inquired, looking confused as to why his new friend wasn’t eating. After all, that is what worms do; they eat, dig, crawl and eat some more. “Aren’t you hungry?” Theo asked. Willie Worm nodded his head up and down while sounds rumbled from deep with in his stomach. “I’m so hungry, I can’t think straight,” Willie Worm replied. Then take a mouth full of this here soil and savor the feast. This is the best dirt I’ve tasted in a long time,” Theo explained. “Dirt, yuch! I don’t eat dirt. I eat apples,” Willie Worm tried to say, but Theo inturpted, “Ahh, I get it, your one of those uptown worms who live in those penthouse apple homes with views in all directions for miles and miles. I’ve heard about your type but never thought I would live to see the day when I would get to meet one. Have you ever dug a hole in the ground? Have you ever actually seen dirt before? It’s obvious you have never tasted dirt. Go ahead, take a bite. Try it out, you might like it,” Theo continued to encourage. Slowly Willie Worm leaned down and stuck out his tongue and tasted the soil in front of him. He was surprised at how salty it was. It was actually pretty good so Willie Worm opened his mouth and took a big old mouthful. One bite after another Willie Worm ate until his little tummy was completely full. He pondered the time he wasted chasing that red Maple leaf. All day and night he climbed when instead he could have simply snacked on the ground beneath him. Just them Bob peeked out one more time and said ,“Fishing”, then took a bite of soil and headed back down into his shelter.
“Why does Bob keep saying that?” Willie Worm asked. Theo explained that Bob use to be considered the wisest worm in their community. He would be the worm everyone would go to for advise. He was respected by all. Then just as Bob and Theo were having a conversation about the meaning of live, they were both picked up by this human boy and thrown into this old can filled with dirt. Theo continued, “I think Bob must have been really traumatized by the experience because ever since then, all he would say is fishing.” “I wish I knew what a fishing was,” Theo added. “Me too,” said Willie Worm, “Me too.”
At that moment, the swaying of their can stopped. With a gentle thud, the can was placed down on the ground where Willie Worm and Theo could see all around them, in every direction. They were in the middle of the frozen lake and watched as the human boy slowly dug a hole, right through the ice, until the freezing water below was reached. “Oh oh, I got that bad feeling again,” Willie Worm yelled as he started digging, like Bob, heading as deep as he could. Theo wasn’t too far behind. Willie Worm had that feeling again that this wasn’t going to be a very good day. Not a good day at all.
As the three worms huddle together in the bottom of the can, Willie Worm cried,”I don’t like this. What’s going on?” But before anyone could answer, Bob was pulled up up and away. And as Bob was lifted completely out of the can, all Willie Worm and Theo could hear was Bob yelling, “Fishing!” That was the last they ever heard from Bob. Together, Willie Worm and Theo agreed that this can, even thought he dirt tasted really good, was probably not the best place for them to be. A plan of escape was discussed and put into action. Willie Worm would lean up against the side of the can as high as he could reach. Then Theo would climb on top of Willie and hopefully he would be able to reach the top edge of the can. Once there, Theo would reach down so Willie Worm could climb on top of Theo and together they would slip over the cans edge and make a run for freedom.
The plan worked. As they both fell to the frozen snow covered ice, they paused for a moment to insure that the human boy didn’t see them. The coast looked clear. The boy was just sitting there with a long stick in his hand. On the end of the stick was a string that went all the way down and into the hole in the ice, into the cold icy water. Both Theo and Willie Worm looked for Bob, but he was nowhere to be seen. “Maybe he escaped and has already made his way to the dirt on the shore or the lake,” Theo suggested. Willie Worm agreed that that was probably where he was and suggested that they too make a run for the edge of the lake, where the water ends and the yummy ground begins.
Together they slithered and slid and crawled and rolled and wiggled and charged without looking back, keeping only their target ahead of them as their focus. There was a strong wind blowing off of the lake towards the shore and this helped the two worms reach their goal in record time. As they finally reached the edge of the lake, they paused to take a breath and as they both rested and looked back towards the middle of the lake, they saw that human boy, running quickly in their direction with that old can in his hand. They knew they didn’t have a whole lot of time so they had to act quickly. Theo said that just a few yards away was a hidden entrance to his and Bob’s caves. It was just ahead, next to the roots of that old Maple Tree, the same tree that Willie Worm had climbed; the same tree that have those nasty tasting Red things. The same tree where the human boy had captured him.”Let’s get there quickly before that boy gets us again,” Theo urged as he started the rush for freedom. Willie Worm followed.
Just then a bird flew down and picked up Theo and flew off into the clear blue sky. Willie Worm didn’t think that it was fair that Theo got to get a ride from one of his bird friends with out inviting him. But Willie Worm had other problems to worry about. That human boy was closing in. Willie Worm wasn’t going to give up. He slithered and slid and crawled and rolled and wiggled and charged without looking back, keeping his eyes on the roots of that big old tree ahead. He found the entrance to Theo’s and Bobs cave and as he looked behind him, he saw that human boy reaching down. This time Willie Worm dove as fast as he could pulling his behind up tight and close. He was surprised by someone on the inside of the cave entrance grabbing on to him and pulling him downward. It was because of that little extra help that he was able to avoid being captured by that human boy once again. “Thank you thank you,’ Willie worm cried as he slowly opened his eyes to the darkness all around him. It took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust, but adjust they did. Standing before him saying, “You’re welcome” was the most beautiful lady worm Willie had even seen. “Hi, I mean Hello, I mean,” Willie started stammering. She cut him off by saying, “My name is Wanda. Wanda Worm. Who are you?” Willie introduced himself and explained about his being chased by that human boy. Wanda looked worried. “What’s wrong Wanda?” Willie Worm asked while slithering closer. “I hope that human boy didn’t get my brother. I’ve been looking for him all day,” she explained. Then she added, “I think Theo and you would get along really well.” “Theo, is your brothers name Theo?” Willie inquired. “Yes,” sobbed Wanda. “He has been out with a friend of his all day and I am starting to get worried.” She added.
Willie Worm was now right next to Wanda and looked her in the eyes and with a big smile said, “Don’t worry; I was just outside with Theo. He is hanging around with a friend of his who is giving him a ride. He should be home soon. It was Theo who showed me where the door to your cave was.” Relieved, Wanda gave Willie a worm-hug and invited him deeper into the caves where all of the other worms were; where it was warm and where everyone was surrounded by tasty, salty dirt. While Willie Worm rested and ate, he kept one eye on the passage that lead to the entrance; waiting to see his friend Theo enter into the chamber. He also thought about his apple and how much he missed his old home. Willie Worm, and the others waited a long long time. Wanda never gave up waiting for her brother Theo. Willie Worm patiently waited with her, telling her over and over and over again, "He should be along any time now!"
“So what happened to Theo and Bob, Grampy?” Brandon eagerly inquired with anticipation. “Why don’t you explain it to him Daisy?” Grampy suggested. Daisy explained, “Well, Bob, could have found a way to escape, if the boy dropped him. But he most likely was used as bait for the fishing line.” “Ewwww – yuck. That’s gross!” Brandon chuckled. He remembered fishing the other day and for the worms that were used as bait, their days came to a not-so-pleasant end. “What about Theo?” Brandon continued while anticipating an even more gruesome explanation.
“Brandon, what do birds do with worms?” Daisy asked in a rather mature sophisticated manner. “Ewwww-nasty! Poor Theo,” Brandon sympathized. Mom and Dad, and Grammy too, just sat back and laughed at the innocence of youth. Daisy immediately told Grampy that she was going to spend tomorrow morning drawing pictures of Bobby, the Owl and all of the other ghost creatures, Benny Bear, the Ranger and the old man, Willie Worm, Bob, Theo and Wanda. Grampy told her that he was looking forward to seeing how she envisioned the story characters and with that everyone hugged each other and exchanged good night kisses, before heading off to bed. Grampy waited until the fire completely died out before returning to his own tent for yet another evening of snoring away all of the nearby forest creatures. Grammy learned to wear earplugs. She would sleep soundly tonight.
Life itself is the most wonderful fairytale of all. —Hans Christian Andersen quote
Chapter Five
Today, like any other day, started with Grampy waking up before anyone else. While he prepared the morning coffee and savored the beauty of the dew laden blades of grass, sadness started to over take his emotions. There were only a couple of days left before it was back to the real world; back to the mundane; back to an existence without Brandon and Daisy. Grampy also pondered at how fast time flew by when the entire family was together. When they were apart, time seemed to tic-toc by, like slow dripping molasses.
Another amazing day lay before Grammy and Grampy; a day chalked full of adventure, laughter and exhausting hikes. With a swim in the lake followed by some fishing for supper, the events of the day were rounded off with the preparation for yet another tale from the weird recesses of the youthful minds. Throughout the day, it was agreed on that tonight’s story would be about a skunk and her family. One of the babies will be killed in an accident and the family would have to cope with their loss. A conceited Goose was thrown in, just for good measure. Grampy leaned over to Grammy and whispered in her ear, “A conceited Goose! Where do they come up with this stuff?” Grammy chuckled with anticipation, wondering for herself how the story would unfold.
The time finally arrived for the story to begin. The sun had set and the fire was stoked with a fresh batch of logs. The number of people sitting around, waiting, had grown. Just like the night before, kids from all around the camp ground waited for the Story Teller to start; kids, and their parent too. The audience was now a complete circle around the fire. Completely surrounded, Grampy would have to pace in circles and speak with a commanding voice, to insure that everyone could hear him, loud and clear. “Are you ready?” Grampy asked the crowd. Together they all yelled “Yes” while clapping their hands. Grampy slowly walked in circles, trying to make eye contact with each and every one of them. The crowd settled down; only the crackle of the camp fire could be heard. Then in a loud, confident voice Grampy announced, “The Adventures of Samantha Skunk.”
“What a beautiful day for our trip,” Samantha Skunk sung while herding her four kids in tight formation, as they made their way through the woods. She was taking them on an over night adventure, as part of their survival lessons; lessons that every skunk needs to learn before beginning a life of their own. Sidney Skunk, the father, stayed back at the den, just to keep an eye on things. There are all kinds of creatures in the woods that would think nothing of moving into the Skunk family den, if no one was there to chase them off. Sidney wasn’t afraid of anything, especially a trespasser.
Samantha was now at the back of the formation, allowing her off spring to lead the way along the path. In the lead was Stanley, as bold a skunk as there ever was. He was followed by Susan, a skunk who didn’t like to take orders, especially when they came from Stanley. She was just waiting for the perfect moment to take over the lead. She would show Stanley how a lead skunk leads. Susan was followed by shy Shelly, who was happy as a clam, just being with the family. She didn’t care who was in the lead, as long as it wasn’t her. Being in the middle gave her more time for smelling the flowers and checking out all of the really neat stuff that surrounded the entire group. In forth place was Stinker. His name came to mom and dad very easily. Every time a skunk gets alarmed, it is natural to release a squirt of their stink, to ward off any dangerous creatures, while they made their escape. All of the other kids learned this trick very early in life and now have it mastered. Stinker has a slight “release-control” problem; every time he sneezes, squirt. Every time he laughs, squirt. In the morning, the first thing he does when he wakes up, squirt. Mom and dad make sure that Stinker sleeps by the doorway to their den, so when he does have an accident, most of his essence escapes out into the night time sky instead on lingering in the recesses of their living quarters. Mom just thinks it is too cute, but dad isn’t so easily impressed.
As the forest started giving way to where the humans lived, mom told the kids to stop. They obeyed without question. Moving up to the lead position, mom turned and started telling them about humans and how they have the best food, but eating human food didn’t come without dangers. “Nothing in life comes easy,” she explained. She then taught them about garbage cans and how they are left out at night. She also talked about trying to avoid contact with humans all together. “But if you ever find yourself face to face with one” she explained, “Use your weapon!” Just then, Stinker let out a tiny squirt from all of the excitement. His sisters and brother laughed and teased, causing a few more Stinker accidents. Mom scolded the others while telling Stinker, “That’s right honey, you just use your weapon, just like that, if you should ever run into a human. Or any other mean animals,” she continued while glaring at the other three snickering kids. “Hey mom,” Stanley sneered, “Maybe you should have named him Toot!” Well this sent everyone into an uncontrolled fit of laughter, including Stinker. Laughing and tooting and laughing some more caused mom to join in on the fun. Together all four kids and mom fired off their weapon, then quickly made their way up the trail, leaving a black cloud of skunk essence behind. This time mom was leading the group. They were now entering human territory and the kids knew well enough to stay behind mom, and to remain quiet. They followed; mom led the way; together the adventure continued.
It wasn’t too long before the forest trees gave way to human back yards. The sun had set and the nighttime sky was providing the security that a skunk needed when visiting dangerous places. Mom gathered all of her kids into a tight circle and with a stern look, she commanded them on what was going to happen and how they were going to behave and with that, everyone knew their place. No questions needed to be asked. They all knew well enough that when mom spoke with that tone in her voice, and had that crazy look in her eyes, there was no fooling around. Even Dad knew better then to question the authority of Samantha when she had safety and survival on her mind.
Now just a few hundred feet up ahead was their target; an over flowing garbage can with no lid. Mom would lead them in stealth mode. Once at the target, each child would climb up and take something to eat and carry it back to the safety zone, under the trees that lined the property. Mom would stay at the base of the can and watch for danger. Once her last child was clear of any potential danger, and each of them had their spoils from the heap of garbage, Samantha jumped up and into the can to scrounge around for her own reward. Within seconds, a half eaten chicken leg was in her mouth as she scurried off to join the others. Within moments, all the food was devoured and eagerly, the kids wanted to go back for more. But before mom could remind them of the dangers, Stanley went running off, yelling back, “Don’t worry mom. I know what I’m doing!” Mom was speechless. She didn’t even have a chance to go over the plan once more. Before Samantha could react, Susan went running off after her brother. She wasn’t going to let him have first dibs at the spoils again. She was determined to reach that can before Stanley. “I’ll get him mom,” she cried back as she raced towards the can. Stanley was at least proceeding with caution. Susan, on the other hand, was blindly racing to the can. Passing her brother without looking back, she laughed, “Eat my dust!” and with that, she leaped up into the open can. Stanley was close behind her and together the two of them rummaged through the wonderful smells of rotting meats, blackened veggies and moldy breads.
Samantha yelled at Shelly and Stinker to stay right behind her as she went running off to retrieve her two disobedient kids. She was going to give them a piece of her mind once she had them back to the safety of the trees, on the edge of the property. Just as Samantha reached the can, and yelled up to Susan and Stanley to get down out of there, at once, a noise could be heard. This wasn’t a sound that mom wanted to hear. She knew what it was and she was frightened. She was almost ready to let her weapon go, but had to fight off the urge, in order to protect her kids. As Stanley and Susan made their way down the side of the can, recognizing that tone in mom’s voice, they knew something serious was going on.
“Shhhhh,” mom commanded as she lifted her head up high. Smelling the air, it was confirmed. The sound she heard wasn’t a false alarm. It was a human coming outside, walking around his home, towards the very spot where that garbage can was sitting. They couldn’t run back towards the trees without being seen. Their options were limited; either head towards the human, towards the safety zone or away from the human, and try to find somewhere else to hide until the coast was clear.
Mom instructed in a quiet voice, “Follow me and stay close. Don’t say a word!” The four kids obeyed. Mom led the group around the other side of the house, away from the direction of the human. She needed to find a place to hide and she needed to find it quickly. Through all of the fear and confusion, mom made a serious error in judgment. Since they couldn’t work their way towards the trees on the edge of the property, she turned in towards an open door. Inside the door was a bed and under the bed was nothing but blackness. It was the blackness that guided her, instinctively. Her search for survival led her directly into the den of where the humans lived. This wasn’t her plan but at least for now, they were safe. As soon as they reached the shelter of the blackness beneath the bed, the human came in the very same door, closing it tightly behind him. They were trapped. Shelly and Stinker had no idea of what was going on or the dire situation they were in. They just thought it was a part of the training mom was giving them. This was a good thing because the last thing they needed was for Stinker to accidently let out a squirt. That would blow their cover. That would be bad.
Huddled tightly, she said one more time, “Shhhh” and with that, they cowered, they hid, they feared. With a reassuring smile, mom told them in a soft whisper that this was where they would be spending the night. With mom looking more relaxed, the others felt secure enough to slowly fade off into a deep sleep. Once all the kids were sleeping. Mom allowed herself to follow, into the world of night time dreams. All was well, at least for now.
In the middle of the night, Stanley woke up and felt a little hunger working its way through his tummy. He knew that the garbage can was nearby and decided to go and try to find a way outside. He thought that he could find a snack and be back with his family before anyone realized he was gone. Susan woke as her brother was making his way out from underneath the bed. While watching her brother work his way out of the darkness that surrounded them, she realized that once again, her brother was trying to out smart her. She was going to prove to him, once and for all, that she was the smartest, fastest, and best looking of them all. With that said, she too slowly made her way out from the safely of the darkness. That was her mistake; a mistake that would send the world of the skunk family along an entirely new path, forever.
As Stanley was working his way around the parameter of the room, trying to find a way to the garbage can, he started scratching at the door that blocked his way to the outside; the very same door they entered hours earlier. The scratching sound woke up the human and as he sat up in his bed, in the shadowy darkness that filled the room, he saw an outline of a figure of what he thought was a big rat, scratching at the door. Jumping out of bed, screaming, “Rat Rat!” the human landed his feet onto the carpet that covered the floor. This was the very moment when Susan’s world went black. She had just made her way out from the darkness that protected her and her family; from the security that the space under the bed provided. She was focused on her brother and not allowing him to get the best of her. While she ran towards her brother’s side, with his fluffy tail as her focus, the full weight of the human foot came down upon her, stopping her in her tracks, forever. It was so quick, she didn’t even have a chance to scream; no sound at all could be heard, except for the air rushing from her tiny broken body. Stanley had no idea what was going on behind him as he continued scratching at the door; the door that stood between him and that treasure of discarded human food. He was focused on savoring a hearty midnight snack, not his surroundings. He forgot his lessons.
As the human stepped down and felt the unusual clump beneath his feet, he jumped as he let out a startled yell. Flipping on the lights and looking down at the same time, he saw what he had done. His screams changed from “Rat Rat” to “Skunk Skunk” sending Stanley dashing back underneath the bed, to the relative security of the shadowy darkness, leaving a trail of his scent behind to mesh with the scent already floating above his sister’s body. By now, the commotion had everybody awake. Samantha was calling out for Stanley and Susan, after realizing that they were the only ones missing. Stanley answered her call and cuddled in tightly but Susan was nowhere to be found. Shelly was confused, not sure what was going on and Stinker was doing the only thing he knew best; stinking up the place with his powerful essence. Mom looked around desperately calling “Susan, Susan,” over and over again.
Immediately after realizing that he had stepped on a baby skunk, the human swung open the doors and windows to his bedroom, trying to avoid breathing in the nasty fumes. Holding his nose he ran into another part of his house, screaming and yelling “Skunk” as loud as he could. Every human in that house was now awake, opening doors and windows, trying to fan the lingering odor outside. Mom ran out the patio door with her three kids, planting them safely under a tree near the edge of the property. She then returned to look for Susan. Stanley, Shelly and Stinker again recognized the tone in her voice and dared not disobey. It wasn’t more than three or four minutes before mom returned to that tree, walking slowly with her head hung low. Tears were rolling down her cheeks as she moaned with anguish. Stanley ran out to meet her, asking where Susan was, while trying to look around in all directions. “Surely she made it out another door and would be joining us soon,” he thought to himself. With her three children together, under that tree, she told them what she saw, lying on the bedroom floor, beside the bed. “Susan would never be back again,” Samantha whispered while holding on tightly to the others. Stanley gazed out into space, with a blank, dazed look upon his face. Shelly cried loudly while holding on to mom. Stinker, sat there quietly; shivering; sobbing; stammering Susan’s name; squirting.
It was a long quiet hike back home, but eventually they made it back to the den. Sidney was busy over the last day or so, cleaning up their home and doing some much needed general repairs. While taking out some trash, he noticed Samantha, making her way over the hill that surrounded their home. “She was home early,” he smiled while running out to greet them. “Samantha,” he shouted with joy and he approached his family. He didn’t even bother to look at the kids but instead gave his bride a warm embrace and lots of kisses. “What’s wrong?” he questions while noticing that her body was limp, with no warmth at all. That was when Samantha broke down and cried, flooding her face with uncontrollable tears. While holding on to her, Sidney realized something was terribly wrong. He scanned his off spring and that was when he noticed that Susan was missing. No words needed to be spoken. As he held on to Samantha, and holding our his arms for the other three kids, he embraced what was left of his family while letting out one loud scream, “Noooooooo!”
After a few days had passed, and Samantha was able to talk about what had happened, the pent up anger in Sidney was becoming too much to contain. Dad had a plan and he was going to act on it. He was going to seek revenge on that human; the human that took away is Susan. He developed a plan and was ready to put it into action. Samantha was so sad, she never went outside. She just lay around the den, without a care or concern. The kids had to go out and get their own food. They even brought back morsels for mom but she just didn’t feel like eating. Dad needed to do something to snap her out of it and so he decided to put his plan into action. He gave strict instructions to the kids to stay near the den and to look after mom. They all agreed. Stanley desperately wanted to go with his dad, but Sidney needed him to stay and look after things at home. “You’re the man of the house now Stanley. I need you to keep an eye on things while I am gone!” dad explained. Stanley understood.
Sydney spent the next day travelling to the edge of the forest, to the place where the trees end and the human backyards begin. He saw so many human houses and had no way of knowing which one was the one that took his Susan away. “It doesn’t matter!” he yelled. “I’ll just have to get them all,” he cried. “But there were so many of them,” he sighed. Sidney was going to need some help. Just then he heard a noise coming from a field just to the left of the human houses. He headed in that direction to see what was going on. “Maybe I can get some help from over here,” he pondered while making his way into the clearing. Before him he saw this beautiful pond and in the middle of the pond he saw a bunch of white ducks swimming in a circle. It looked like they were having some sort of meeting, but that wasn’t going to stop Sidney.
He needed to get in the middle of the group and present his case to them. Maybe he could plea to their leader. Just then he noticed a few more ducks flying in and landing amongst the group. They were instantly welcomed and joined in the festivities. Sidney thought to himself that all he needed to do was to fly in, pretend to be a duck and if they welcome him in, them he can speak to them about helping him seek revenge on the humans. The only problem was, Sidney didn’t know how to fly. He did see a great big oak tree with some of its limbs hanging over the middle of that pond. This was perfect. All Sidney had to do was climb the tree, make his way to the limb, right there over the middle of the pond, and jump in while quacking like a duck. Sidney slowly made his way up that old tree and inch by inch he crawled out onto that big old limb stretching out over the pond. Looking down Sidney could see directly below him the leader of those white ducks speaking to the entire clan. Every duck there was listening. The time was perfect and with a quick leap, Sidney jumped into the air, flapping his arms and legs, while screaming as loud as he could, “Quack Quack Quack!” All of the ducks just floated aside giving Sidney plenty of room. “Splash” was all Sidney heard before sinking directly to the bottom of the pond. He never thought about the fact the he didn’t know how to swim.
Bubbles escaped from his mouth as he let go of the last bit of air he had. Just then a huge beak reached down and grabbed onto Sidney’s arm, lifting him out of the water and dragging him to shore. It was the Boss duck. He had saved Sidney’s life. Sidney looked up and with an exhausted smile, he said, “Thank you. You are a brave and powerful duck!” “Duck, duck, you are calling me a duck!” Sidney’s savior shouted. “I am not a duck, thank you very much. I am a Goose, a Canadian Goose thank you very much” he continued. “Oh I am so very sorry!” Sidney explained. “I never actually seen a duck, or goose before,” Sidney continued. “My name is Drake,” the goose introduced. Stanley introduced himself and again thanked Drake for saving his life. Drake was confused about what exactly Sidney was doing, flying through the air, quacking like a duck and sinking like a rock. “Explain yourself,” Drake commanded. “You interrupted a very important social meeting,” he continued.
Sidney sat there next to the majestic goose and told the story of how a human killed his daughter Susan. He detailed how his wife Samantha was so depressed she was giving up on life. He also spoke of how the anger was getting the better of him and his quest was to destroy the humans. But when he reached the human homes, he saw that there was just so many of them. He needed to find help. That was when he had the idea of creating a gang of ducks. “Honk,” shouted Drake. “I told you before, I am not a duck. I am a goose!” he continued scolding. “I know I know. I was just telling you what was going through my mind,” Sidney justified. “No disrespect intended,” Sidney added. “None taken’” Drake confirmed. Then Drake asked, “So, you are wanting my clan to join you in seeking revenge on the entire human population for the loss of your daughter?” With tearful eyes, Sidney replied, “Yes!”
Drake started to understand Sidney’s pain. He wanted to help out, but explained, “There was really nothing that could be done. The humans are too strong. There are simply too many of them.” Then Drake put his wing around Sidney and explained about how every now and then, during certain times of the year, these humans take one of Drakes family or friends, and turns them into a roast dinner. Drake fully understood Sidney’s pain. Sidney was in shock. He and Drake both shared a common understanding. Humans could be dangerous and should be avoided, at all costs. Over the next few hours, Drake spoke to Sidney about all he knew of the humans and slowly Sidney grew to understand. His anger started to fade away, being replaced with mourning for the loss of his daughter. He learned that he needed to move on with his life and to get back to his family. He needed to focus on Samantha, and to try and teach her all that Drake had shared. As Drake and Sidney looked each other in the eye, they both had a mutual understanding. There will be no revenge on the humans. Life will have to go on and we must learn from these experiences. Sometimes the lessons are easy and other times they are hard; very hard. With that, Sidney thanked his new friend and slowly turned, making his way back towards the trees at the edge of the forest. Watching his new friend disappear over the hill, Drake turned and waddled his way back to the water, thinking to himself, “What was that nasty smell?”
Back home, Sidney found everything just as he left it. The kids were glad to see their dad and mom was still sad and withdrawn. That night, Sidney cuddled real close to Samantha once the kids were tucked in and whispered over and over again, “I love you.” He continued this until they both surrendered to a deep, deep sleep. Morning came all too fast. “Dad, Dad, get up,” Stanley barked over and over again with a strange tone of excitement in his voice. “What is it son?” Sidney asked while still trying to open his sleepy eyes. “You got to see this Dad,” Stanley laughed while running outside then back in again. Sidney followed, wondering what had his son all excited. Shelly and Stinker were all ready up and standing by the front door. As Sidney walked past his kids to the fresh air outside, his jaw dropped open at the sight that greeted him.
In front of his den, where the pathway leads up to the door, there were thousands of flowers, of every color, laid down like a beautiful carpet. On both sides of the clearing were thousands of creatures, of every kind, all bringing a single flower and gentle laying it down. Sidney ran back in and dragged Samantha outside so she could see this for herself. Standing there, looking out at the vastness of this floral display, Samantha said the first words she had spoken for days, “What is this? I don’t understand! It is so beautiful!” Then, Drake approached the den with the largest rose in his break. He laid it on the ground, at the feet of Samantha and then leaned in and whispered to both Sidney and Samantha, “We, all the creatures of the forest, are here today to let you know that we feel your loss. We feel your pain. Our hearts ache, just like yours. And we wanted to let you know that Susan will never be forgotten.”
With that, Samantha smiled and gave Drake a gentle kiss, thanking him for his thoughtfulness and consideration. Samantha hugged her kids and looked at Sidney and Drake and whispered a cheerful “Thank you.” Tears streamed down her face. As Drake started walking off, he turned and said, “Oh, by the way, all of these flowers came from the gardens of every human in the neighborhood.” Sidney smiled with a satisfied look upon his face. Stinker ran up to Drake and grabbed onto his leg and with all the love he could muster he looked up and said, “Thank you Mr. Duck.” Drake looked down sharply and was about to correct this child on the difference between a duck and a goose, but instead just smiled and pondered to himself as he continued waddling away, “What was that awful smell?” The skunk family eventually recovered from their loss. The kids grew up and raised families of their own. The Story of Susan was passed on from generation to generation and from creature to creature. The forest was forever united, by Susan’s story. And for the humans, no matter how hard they tried, they were never able to grow flowers in the neighborhood again. They just seemed to disappear without a trace; all of the animals remembered . . . the end.
Brandon broke out into laughter at the thought of Stinker grabbing on to the goose and letting a few stink bombs go. “That was sad Grampy,” Daisy realized. Grampy knew that of the two kids Daisy was a little more sensitive, and would have a greater understanding of the meaning behind the story. Brandon on the other hand, just wanted to laugh at the funny stuff. As the rest of the audience got up and started making there way back to their tents, Grammy and Grampy could hear all of the parents speaking with their kids about the lessons or morals of the story. Most stopped by to share a few moments with Grammy and Grampy. Within fifteen minutes, the fire ring was abandoned, with Grammy and Grampy being the last two attending the embers.
Grammy decided to stay up with Grampy and to share in the peace and quiet of the night. Looking up, falling starts were seen, wishes were made and prayers were answered. This was turning out to be one of the best vacations, ever. As the fire settled into ashes and the slight night time chill surrounded them, Grammy and Grampy made their way to their tent, where the warmth of their sleeping bags lay awaiting. “One more night. Only one more night,” Grammy whispered as she said her good nights. Grampy replied, “Only one more night, only one more story. Love you. Sleep tight.”
Sadly, the day finally came when the thoughts of all were surrounded around the fact that this was the last day; tomorrow, it would be back to the real world; the grinding reality of day to day life, without the grand kids nearby. Grampy was unusually quiet this day. He savored each and every moment, looking at, and taking in the image of what was his family. “Grampy, what are you doing?” Brandon would laugh as he was held tightly by Grampy; in almost a bear hug hold. Grampy whispered while inhaling deeply, “I am sucking in your youth and locking your smell into my memory, forever!” Brandon wasn’t quiet sure what Grampy meant, but he went along. Daisy stood impatiently repeating over and over again, “It’s my turn. Grampy, smell me too.” Grampy brought Daisy in closer; into his tight hug; into the moment of savoring. She was pleased and giggled the entire time.
Most of the day was spent getting things organized for the next morning’s exodus. There were clothes to pack, toys to organize and all kinds of other possessions strewn around the camp site that needed to be gathered. It only took a couple of hours and before they realized it, there was nothing else to pack up other than the camping gear, which would be done first thing in the morning. All day people kept stopping by with thanks for being allowed to sit in on the bedtime campfire stories. Actually, they were just fishing for information; information regarding if and when the next story would be told. “One more, tonight at sundown,” Grampy would offer while inviting all to join in. “Looks like it’s going to be a big crowd tonight’” Grammy boasted while preparing lunch. Daisy and Brandon picked up on her comment and for the rest of the day, all they could be heard saying was, “Looks like it’s going to be a big crowd tonight.” There tone of authority and pride was totally amusing to the entire family.
When Daisy and Brandon tried to get Grampy to help them pick out the Who, What, When, Where, and Why, Grampy suggested that they wait until story time, when the camp fire is blazing. That way, all of the other parents could see how these stories were created and maybe learn how to use the same technique, when they get back home, with their own kids. Daisy said, “Great idea.” Brandon complained, “Oh Man!”
Well, the time slowly arrived when the dinner dishes were done, the logs were stacked up high and the fire was blazing. People were coming out from everywhere and this time, they had supplies in hand, to share with everyone. Drinks, chips, cookies and even bags of popcorn were placed on the picnic table, just next to the fire pit. Everyone was getting settled in as the last of the days light slowly surrendered to the eerie glow of the star filled nighttime sky. As soon as Grampy stood up and positioned himself next to the fire, a hush overcame the crowd. People were eagerly waiting for the story to begin. Grampy welcomed everyone and told them that they were going to help in creating the storyline. The crowd burst out into laughter and applause as Grampy explained the Who, What, When, Where and Why concept. Immediately a girl no more than 8 or 9 years old stood up and yelled out, “Today my Daddy caught a snake near the lake. Could you tell a story about a Snake?” she pleaded. Grampy smiled and asked the little girl what her name was. She shouted out with pride, “Sam.” Grampy smiled and agreed that the story would be about a snake, named Sam. Then as if the flood gates were opened, all kinds of ides started flowing in from the audience. A father, who had recently been laid off suggested the “What” be about being out of work, struggling to feed the family. “Not the most entertaining idea,” Grampy thought to himself, but being a story teller who loves to teach a lesson, he thought that being unemployed, during hard times would teach a valuable lesson; a lesson worth including into the story; a lesson to remember.
Pretty soon, all of the pieces were in place; “Who” would be a snake named Sam or as Grampy preferred, Ssssammy; the “What” was being unemployed; the “When” was in the present; the “Where was in a small town in Arizona; and the “Why” was to try and feed his family. Grampy took his time putting all of the pieces together in his mind while getting a cold bottle of water to drink. Then as he turned around, hiding his body behind the blazing fire, so only his face could be seen through the flames, he started;
Ssssammy Ssssnake finds a Job…
It was a hot and dusty day, in the southwest; a day not unlike today. The sun rose high in the sky and seemed to bake everything it touched. The grasses were brown and breaking down into a fine dust with each blow of the wind. Tumble weeds danced across the streets of the small town of Bisby. The locals knew better then to stay out in the open, this time of day. They were at home, resting, waiting for the coolness of the late afternoon to arrive. The only activity that could be seen was Ssssammy Ssssnake, slowing making his way along the sidewalk, heading towards the center of town. It had been a tough summer for Ssssammy after loosing his job.
He had a great job, hunting for mice and other rodents in the vacant field next to his pit. As long as he got rid of the pests, the humans left him alone. Then one day, a bunch of trucks and tractors showed up and started digging where he worked. It became harder and harder to feed his family. It didn’t take very long before his one and only source of food for his family was replaced by homes; lots and lots of human homes. The rodents were gone; chased away by the human activity. Now Ssssammy had no other option. He had to find a job; a job that would enable him to feed his family; he was desperate.
Normally, Ssssammy Ssssnake would try to avoid humans all together, but desperate times meant desperate measures and all he could think of was hopefully, finding a nice low key job in town, making just enough to keep the food on the table, for his growing responsibilities, back home. Now Ssssammy Ssssnake was no ordinary snake. He was a beautiful King Snake who had reached the length of 5 feet and was still growing. His fluorescent green skin was majestic in every way, with markings that spoke out saying, “Respect Me!” Everyone who came across Ssssammy Ssssnake did indeed respect him, giving him a wide berth. But today, there were no humans to be seen. The streets of Bisby seemed abandoned and as far as Ssssammy Ssssnake was concerned, that was just fine.
Slowly slithering down the street, Ssssammy Ssssnake looked in each window of each shop looking for a “Help Wanted sign.He was desperate to see the words, “Apply Within”. But there was no such sign to be seen. Ssssammy Ssssnake slithered all the way down the main street, crossed over to the other side and was working his way back when he eventually came across a saloon with huge swinging gates in the entrance. From Sssssammys location, it was easy to see inside. No one was around; it seemed as deserted as the street; that is until he saw something move. There was something up there, on the bar, and so Ssssammy Ssssnake decided to investigate. Something deep down inside was telling him to go inside and check it out; Ssssammy Ssssnake obeyed that little voice within his head and within moments he was completely inside the saloon, slithering his way across the floor, under tables and around chairs. Soon he reached the bottom of that bar. Slowly he climbed up and up until his chin rested on the bars smooth serving service. And there it was; the thing that moved; the reason for his being there. It was a rat; and not just any rat. It was a huge black and white rat, just sitting there, helping himself to a plate of cheese. It was the largest rodent Ssssammy Ssssnake had ever seen; much bigger compared to those field mice he had been living on for so many years. Ssssammy Ssssnake immediately went into “Hunt” mode and focused on his target, slowly pulling the rest of his long heavy body up onto the surface. His plan was to attack from behind. The rat was too busy gulping his food to notice what was going on behind him. Ssssammy Ssssnake was getting closer and closer, moving only inches at a time, trying to avoid being seen by his lunch, his target, his focus; that large juicy delicious looking rat.
Just then, the rat heard a sound, looked up and saw Ssssammy. Without wasting a moment, the rat ran backwards, towards a cage sitting at the end of the bar. At the same time Ssssammy pounced, flying through the air with jaws wide open. As the rat dodged into the cage, slamming the door behind him, Ssssammy Ssssnake landed missing his prey by only inches. Immediately Ssssammy Ssssnake climbed on top of the cage curling his entitre boby around it at the same time. The rat was now trapped, in total darkness; Ssssammy Ssssnakes long body was preventing any light from entering the cage. Looking down, hissing, Ssssammy Ssssnake started singing, “Come out come out come out to play. My name is Ssssammy Ssssnake and you are my prey.” The rat looked up from within the safety of his dark enclosure and replied, “Beleive me my friend, I know exactly how you feel. But just so you know, I ain’t your next meal!” At that moment, Ssssammy Ssssnake just allowed his body to fall free from the cage, coiled up into a tight circle and with a tear in his eye he cried, “Oh Man!”
“What’s your name?” the fat rodent inquired. “Ssssammy, Ssssammy Ssssnake,” was immediately replied. “Nice to meet you Ssssammy. My name is Ronald, Ronald Rat. But you can call me RR – get it? RR, Ronald Rat or Radical Rodent,” Ronald laughed, thinking he was funny. “Now why on earth would you try to eat me? Can’t you see that I am nothing but skin and bones with maybe a few layers of fat containing high amounts of bad cholesterol? I am not a healthy diet kind of food source.” Ronald added. Ssssammy Ssssnake, in a weak voice started telling Ronald how hungry he was and that he needed to find a job somewhere, quickly, so he could feed his entire family. Ronald sat back, inside the cage, and listened to Ssssammy Ssssnakes sad, sad story. Ronald started to feel the tears well up within his own eyes before coming up with an idea. A plan; a concept that would work out for everyone concerned, if they played their cards right. He said, “Ssssammy, If I can solve your problem, and a problem I have been having myself at the same time, and if I assure you that you will have plenty of food to eat, will you promise to NOT TO EAT ME?” Ssssammy Ssssnake pondered. Ssssammy Ssssnake replied, “Ssssure. I promise.”
Ronald told Ssssammy Sssnake all about how he found a job at this bar, entertaining the customers while they sat back, drinking and eating and laughing and making all kinds of noise. The owner of the club was desperate to find some sort of entertainment for his customers, but couldn’t afford to pay anyone because times were lean. Then one day the owner came in and saw Ronald on top of the bar, eating some crumbs. The crumbs tasted so good, it caused Ronald to dance on his tip toes. He swirled in circles dancing and eating and dancing some more. The owner just sat there watching and laughing and thought to himself that if he could hire this rat to perform for his guest, all of his problems would be solved. He introduced himself to Ronald and offered him all the food he could eat, and a safe, warm place to sleep in exchange for 3 shows a day. Ronald agreed to the terms and had been working there ever since.
Ronald was very pleased with his arrangement and over the past year or so, had gained so much weight, he actually doubled in size. He was still putting on his 3 shows a day, but lately, the customers seem to be getting bored with his dancing. He needed to spice up his act and once he met Ssssammy Ssssnake, he got the idea of having Ssssammy join in on the show. “It will be thrilling! It will be stunning! It will be the best Saloon show, this side of Vegas,” Ronald assured. Ssssammy Ssssnake sat there listening, pondering; thinking only about one thing…food. Then Ronald said the one thing that cinched the deal. He said, “And I can promise you, you will get all the food you will ever need; enough food for you and for your family back home.” Once Ssssammy Ssssnake heard those terms, he agreed, slithered up to Ronald and with a flick of his tongue, sealed the deal. Ssssammy Ssssnake had found a job. He was employed; he was a star. Ronald was now free to leave the safety of the cage, cautiously.
The day slowly turned to evening and the regular customer started filling ever seat in the place. Ssssammy Ssssnake was coiled up tightly inside of Ronald’s cage and the cage was covered with a towel, just to keep him out of sight, that is until it was show time. As the patrons were eating and drinking and laughing up a storm, Ronald slowly walked across the bar, causing some to yell out, “Howdy Ronald” while some of the new guest, who had never seen the show before, jumped and screamed, “Rat Rat’” causing every one of the regulars to burst out into laughter. They enjoyed the looks on new visitor’s faces more then Ronald’s actual dance. But Ronald knew tonight would be different. He couldn’t wait to see the look on their faces when he introduces his new partner. But they would have to wait. Ronald wanted to build up the suspense. He stared his dance as crumbs were thrown his way, and like every other night, most of the customers simply turned away to continue their conversation, paying little or no mind to Ronald and his solitary tango.
It was now time to take his show into over drive. It was now the moment to introduce his new act; his new partner; his new Dance With The Serpent. Ronald, up on his tip toes, started spinning and spinning, slowly moving towards the cage, still sitting there under the cover. Then, as he came up along side, while continuing his spin, he grabbed onto the towel and with one quick flick of his hand (or paw), he flung the cover completely off of the cage, onto the floor behind the bar. Ssssammy Ssssnake knew that this was his signal that the show was on. People started screaming and jumping backwards, trying to give as much space as they could between where they sat at the bar and the slithering green snake, slowing inching his way out of the cages open gate. Ronald continued his spin, with one eye closed and one eye open, watching the surprised looks on the faces of those who once thought of his act as boring. “I’ll show you boring,” Ronald thought to himself as he savored the moment he had been waiting for.
Ssssammy Ssssnake was a natural to show business. He slithered into position, as planned and formed a circle with his body around the very spot where Ronald danced. People were crowding nearer now, applauding and cheering and ordering more food and spending more money. The saloon owner was not only surprised that Ronald now had a partner he was also very pleased with the sound of the cash register, ringing over and over again. To him, that was the sound of money; his money.
As Ronald continued to spin, Ssssammy Ssssnake slowly lifted his body up, until he was now looking down at him from the top. Ssssammy’s tongue continued to flicker faster and faster, keeping time with the music and with Ronald’s dance at the same time. His tongue was now landing with each flicker right on top of Ronald’s head. There was a hush in the crowd. The entire audience was stunned at what they were watching. The tempo of the music grew faster and faster; Ronald was spinning faster and faster; Ssssammy Ssssnakes toungue was darting faster and faster; the heart beats of everyone watching was beating faster and faster. The music was about to climax. Ronald was getting tired but he wasn’t going to stop until the song finished. Ssssammy continued his tasting as the tune playing finally reached the end. And just as the music came to a sudden stop, and as Ronald slammed on his brakes causing his spinning to cease, Ssssammy, for some reason or another, opened his mouth really wide and lifted Ronald completely off of the bar top, flipping him high up into the air. With a quick smooth action, Ssssammy Ssssnake, leaped up and caught the tumbling rat in his mouth and swallowed Ronald head first, completely, until just the tip of his tail could be seen making its way into Ssssammy Ssssnakes mouth.
Ronald never knew what hit him. Within that very moment he was gone; out of sight; digested. The audience, after a moment of shock and awe, where you could actually hear a pin drop, suddenly broke out into laughter and loud applause. Everyone in the saloon started yelling about that being the greatest show ever. This show was going to become the talk of the town. Business was going to be booming and it was all due to the natural instincts of Ssssammy Ssssnake and his appetite. Maybe he should have been more precise with Ronald letting him know exactly what snakes eat. “Surely Ronald didn’t think Ssssammy was going to be happy with cheese and bread crumbs,” Ssssammy pondered as the shape of a fat rat could be clearly seen making its way into his lower torso.
The barkeep was very happy with the results and quickly found another rat, lurking about in the kitchen, to use for the second show. There were enough rats around to keep Sssammy Ssssnake well fed and the customers well entertained for a long long time. Ronald was right, there was plenty of food to go around, for Ssssammy Ssssnake and his entire family. The bar owner would have a great show for his guest and pest control for his kitchen, all at the same time. This was truly a win win situation, for everyone concerned. Well, for almost everyone concerned. I guess you could say that it wasn’t the best scenario for Ronald and all of his cousins, living in the kitchen.
First thing the next morning, which happened to be a Monday, Ssssammy Ssssnake decided it was time to make his way back home to the family. He was excited about letting them know he had found a job and the salary was all the food they could handle. “This was a dream come true,” Ssssammy Ssssnake sung over and over again, as he made his way out the door, down the sidewalk towards his home, on the outskirts of town. About a hundred yards from the saloon, the sidewalk came to an end and all that stood between Ssssammy Ssssnake and his family was a wide intersection. There was a lot of traffic going back and forth. People were rushing like they normally do on Mondays, trying to get to work or where ever else they had to be. Ssssammy Ssssnake paid no attention, as he continued to sing about his good fortune; as he continued to make his way home; as he continued to cross the street.
Now, inside that bar, the very place where Ronald Rat became a Star, and where Ssssammy Ssssnake became a Super Star, there sits a plague. It is a place of honor for all to see. The tradition has now been established, that before you take your first sip or savor your first bite, a moment of reflection is requested, while you read these words that are not only etched on that plaque, but on the back of each and every menu as well. The words cry out;
Ode to Ssssammy Ssssnake
Now here is a ssstory of a ssssnake named Sssssammy
Who sssslithered around town wanting to work for pay
Sssseeking a job, sssso he can pay his own way
Not finding much sssuccess, on this hot and dusty day
“Whatsss that I ssssee,” Ssssammy said with delight
As he peered across the street at a sign, ssssquinting tight
A place, that might hire, it was worth a try
Ssssammy slithered on in, with a goal to apply
He got the job and started right away
The conditions were great with a generous pay
He would work each day, putting on a show
He would become famous, his name all would know
Now he wanted his family to join him on sight
He knew this was needed, he knew this was right
His dreams were answered, his family would get fat
As he was now being paid, everyday, in Fat Rat
So on his way home his sung from his soul
Ssssammy Ssssnake slithered on, focused on his goal
Not seeing the Chevy bearing down with great sssspeed
Ssssammy Ssssnake continued on forward, with desperation, with need
Now when all the sssslithering ssssnakes are a sssslithering by
A moment of reflection, with a tear in their eye
As they ponder the sssspot where Ssssammys spirit was a fire
Only to loose the final battle between ssssnake and radial tire.
The end . . .
Just then the entire group sitting wound the camp fire broke out into laughter. Brandon came running up to Grampy and gave him a big hug telling him that that was the best story ever. All of the parents were laughing and buzzing with energy as they circled around Grampy to give their impressions on the story. Every single person there was totally taken by surprise at the point where the snake ate the rat, and thought that that moment was one of the most entertaining. Then when Sammy got run over by the car, that unexpected twist sent their minds racing, reflecting on who Sammy was and how sad it was for his family, left behind.
Grammy joined Grampy in speaking with all of the campfire guest. None of them really wanted to leave. They were all having too much fun. Being the last night of camping, no one really wanted to go to bed, so as moms cuddled their younger children, the group sat around the fire, stoking the flames with the last of the logs, basking in great conversation about the morals of the story. They agreed that you can never make a deal with a snake, just like in real life. A snake is a snake and will always eat the rat. The greater moral being, always look both ways before crossing the street. Other discussions included everything from bedtime stories to the sadness of returning back home, to their real worlds, where everyone ate at tables and washed their hands before eating.
May your sleep be filled with dreams and may your dreams
be filled with stories David Jones quote
Chapter Seven
The last supper was followed by the last story, the last sleep and finally the last day. It was all happening way to fast. Breakfast was a somber time shared by everybody. Smiles camouflaged the reality that very soon, we would all be heading home, our own homes; far away from each other.
Grammy, wanting to break the ice that was engulfing the group, screamed out loud, “Nooooooooo over and over again!” while holding up her hands as if speaking with God.
Everyone froze while doing whatever they were doing. Daisy and Brandon were in the middle of enjoying a bowl of cereal and there parents were packing up the last of the tents and other camping gear. All of them, with jaws dropped, stood perfectly still, watching Grammy, and wondering if she lost the last of her sanity. Grampy understood the humor and couldn’t hold a straight face for very much longer. He broke out into laughter and watched as it spread through out the group, within moments. The kids realized that Grammy was making fun of the way she felt deep down inside. For the next five minutes, everyone was tied up and tangled in one of the tightest group hugs, ever.
It was secretly agreed that no one would talk about the separation that was about to take place. Instead, everyone would smile, make it known that they were looking forward to the next get together, and avoid the awkwardness of a sad goodbye.
Grampy, while packing up the last of his belongings started singing “Whistle Will You Work” and during the chorus, he would poorly attempt to whistling the tune. He never did know how to whistle very well. His song, was contagious. Everybody was now singing along, and whistling too. This made the final moments more manageable.
Now that the cars were loaded and the camp ground cleaned up, the time for the final goodbyes arrived. The grandkids and their parents hugged Grammy and Grampy, reinforced their love and with that, it was done. The mini van, with kids safely secured, slowly made its way to the end of the property, merging onto the two lane lazy road that heads towards the interstate, a dozen miles away. Grammy and Grampy followed, laughing at the faces that Brandon and Daisy were making through the rear window. It was very entertaining; one of those moments in time not soon forgotten.
Up ahead, just coming into site was where the interstate crossed the isolated dirt road. This is where the two cars would go their own way; north for the kids and south for Grammy and Grampy’s two day drive back to the Arizona dessert. To get onto the right side of the highway, the kids had to cross the overpass. At the top, they stopped and waited, watching as Grammy and Grampy approached. As the story teller and his bride made there way onto their side of the on ramp, they too paused. It was a good thing there was no traffic on this isolated stretch of road. For the next five minutes, both vehicles stopped, waited, watching each other. The grandkids and their folks pressed their faces against the windows, each gently holding up a hand as if silently waiving goodbye. Grammys eyes filled with tears as Grampy stepped out of his car, raised his hands to his mouth and with all the strength and love he could muster, gave a double blown kiss in the direction of that overpass; to the van; to the ones he loved.
As soon as the kisses were sent and received, without looking back he got into his car, closed the door behind him and immediately drove onto the highway; heading home. The kids too, continued their journey, back to the reality of day to day life. The most important lesson learned was that all good things, are to be enjoyed and savored, but let’s not forget, they too must come to an end. That is the cycle of life; Gods way.
The vacation was over ... the hugs complete ... the stories finished ... it was ...
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Always consider the Who, What, When, Where,
and Why when making plans RSHunter quote
The Story Teller
by RSHunter
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