Now that it was spring and the windows and screens had been washed, my roomie/slave opened up the balcony door and let the breeze blow in.
I sat patiently waiting until one day by friend Dickie Squirrel came along. We greeted each other warmly. After he had eaten and drank some water, he became very relaxed and talkative. He picked up his narrative telling me that went back many months to the fall of 2004, when Comfy and Cozy were still small. Since then he had two more children. Tricksy gave birth to twins again, a male and female, and named Nutter and Butter. He said he had a lot to tell me about all the squirrels, but decided to go back to 204, when Comfy and Cozy were mere nestlings, when the man named Jim and the lady named Chris lived in this very apartment now occupied by me and my roomie/slave. He said weather and roomie/slave permitting, he would try to bring me up to date.
So saying, I sat back and listened. The following is Dickie’s tale of a “Visit to Arnie:”
As time went by in the year 2004, the squirrels of Stony Ridge Creek Den settled down and prepared for the winter months. It was fall and the leaves were ablaze with color. Nuts and seeds were buried everywhere and Tommy took inventory of all his stashes. Pumpkinhead was now well established in the den and all of the critters were happy to see that Pouf and her “Pumpky” had become a couple and were planning on mating when the season began. Dickie had temporarily given up on interviews of new applicants for the den, because he was very unhappy with the quality of the squirrels who wanted to join his den. They were obviously nothing but trash scum, drifters, stupid and lazy and not to be trusted with the female squirrels of his den. The winter approaches swiftly and Dickie felt he would put off further interviews until spring, at which time, he would again visit the Chee-Crier and the process would start all over.
The baby girl-squirrels, especially little Cozy, nagged him constantly for a visit to see Uncle Arnie at the people’s house. Dickie paused. “You remember little Arnie, don’t you, Carrie Mae?”
“Yes, of course.” (See my blog of May 6, 2007, entitled “Dickie’s Tale: A Bad Nite for Sleeping - Parts 1 and 2.)
Dickie had dreaded this simply because he didn’t know if Arnie was alive. For all Dickie’s trips to the Condominium, he had never seen Arnie. He feared the worse and was afraid of upsetting his twins with such devastating news. However, he had postponed the visit for as long as he dared before winter set in. One day, he got Pouf to babysit and chased Tricksy to the apartment in the Condominium where the lady who fed the squirrels lived. He jumped on her screen door immediately while Tricksy made a racket.
“Tricksy,” Dickie said suddenly, did I ever make a whipping boy out of Arnie?”
“You, why, no. You always treated Arnie with great respect and love, as was due him. He was your brother.”
When the lady appeared she held her arms across her chest and waited until he saw her on his way down her screen door. “Well, hello! What can I do for you. A nut?” Dickie and Tricksy both stood on their haunches and pointed their forepaw at their chest in the squirrel begging posture. The lady threw some nuts out. But they ignored the nuts and continued to beg. The lady looked puzzled. She simply didn’t know what the squirrels wanted. She returned with a water bottle and filled their water bowl. Dickie ran inside the apartment. The lady made a racket, expressing surprise and alarm. Tricksy stood watching. Tricksy was one worried squirrel.
Dickie knew that once inside he had to move fast and search for Arnie. He cheed loudly. All of a sudden he heard an answering chee from inside the apartment. The lady began chasing him, holding her head, a look of horror on her face. Dickie literally flew inside to the master bedroom, and there in his small cage on the night stand table to the right of the bed, Arnie stood waiting. Dickie jumped on the table, nearly knocking over the lamp, and cheed loudly at Arnie. Arnie cheed back. The lady stopped in her tracks, backed off slightly and watched.
Arnie was jumping up and down excitedly. Dickie turned to the lady and held his forepaw out and curled toward Arnie’s cage. Dickie could easily have opened Arnie’s cage, but thought it best to see if the lady would open it and free Arnie. Dickie didn’t know the cage was unlocked and Arnie could open it and come and go at any time.
“Oh, my God, he’s got visitors. His friends came to see him. Okay, Dickie, I got a deal for you! I’ll take Arnie outside and let him out, if you promise to follow him and not jump around my apartment. If Arnie wants to go with you, he’s free to go.” Even if that breaks my heart, she thought.
Dickie jumped off the night stand table and watched. The lady opened Arnie’s cage. Both squirrels bounded toward the front door. When Arnie saw Tricksy, he jumped and cheed in joy. Tricksy came up to Arnie and kissed him on the mouth.
The lady was flabbergasted! “Did I just see those two squirrels kiss?”
The three squirrels stood and cheed for some time. The lady went inside her apartment and left the balcony door open. Once inside, she poured a glass of wine and sitting down on her couch, she leaned over to watch the squirrels. After a time, Arnie kissed Tricksy and cheed at Dickie. Then he came inside the apartment and jumped on his large cage in the entrance hall. The two squirrels started eating the nuts that the lady put out earlier. Each grabbed a nut and climbed on the rail to eat. “Never leave a nut uneaten. When they passed up the nuts earlier, I knew something ‘big and unusual’ was happening,” the lady affirmed. When the squirrels finished, they each took one last walnut for the road and left.
The squirrels discussed their visit when they got home. “See, Dickie, Arnie’s just fine. Never looked better. I know the others and especially the baby girl-squirrels will be delighted.”
“Tricksy, he’s bigger than before and his fur is as shiny as mine. His tail grew too. Now, I’m happy to bring the twins and the others to see him.”
Dickie suggested that perhaps he could bring Arnie to the group. It would be easier, but Arnie’s mommy would probably start crying, thinking that Arnie was not coming back. And Dickie was afraid that Arnie couldn’t make the necessary jumps. If he should fall and die, Dickie knew he could never forgive himself and the people (especially the lady) would be heartbroken. This idea was dismissed and it was decided that the squirrels would make the trip to Arnie.
However, there was a problem with the logistics of the expedition to see Arnie. The baby-girl squirrels had grown to the point where it would require the male squirrels to carry them. The squirrels would wait for a day when the winds were still. The squirrels would begin doing exercises with weights on their backs to prepare for jumps while carrying the baby girl-squirrels and the girl-squirrels were told they would have to do exercises also; they needed to learn to sit still when on the back of the carrier. No squirming, wiggling, giggling, gapping and pointing at sights along the way. Dickie felt that it would be in the best interests of the squirrels if he would lead the way, testing all the branches of the trees, etc., to be sure the branches would support the weights. He would also look out for trouble in the form of predators as well. Then Tommy should probably carry Comfy and Pumpky would carry Cozy. Tricksy and Pouf would follow and Crow would guard them from the rear. He felt Crow adored the baby girl-squirrels so much that this duty would be carried out with great honor by Crow and he would not goof off.
That left an empty nest, and if other squirrels in the area saw them leave, these squirrels might think that the family was abandoning their home, and feel free to move in. Dickie spoke to Tommy and Pumpky first. Dickie was shocked speechless when Tommy told him that under no circumstances would Tommy leave his stashes unguarded. Tommy was adamant that he was not going so he would stay within the boundaries of the den to warn other squirrels away. Dickie thought in the alternative that he would stay behind, but then Tommy said he definitely did not want to go on a trip to visit Arnie. “I’ve got to stay here, so others won’t think we evacuated and deserted this den and move in to replace us; or break into my stashes. Give him my love.”
Tricksy was furious with Tommy when she heard this news. “I’ll bite his ears off! she screamed. Arnie is his son and a hero and he cares more about his precious stashes and hoards of nuts. The old skinflint!”
Dickie was hushing Tricksy. “Don’t let the babies hear you. That’s their grampa, you know.”
Tricksy begrudgingly stopped complaining. “What will you do, Dickie.”
“Pumpky and I will carry the girls. Tricksy, you had better lead the way. Pouf will want to bring her teddy bear Snort and Crow will guard the rear. I’ll think of something to tell Arnie.”
“You mean to lie to Arnie, don’t you.”
“Well, yes, lie. I don’t want Arnie to know the truth about his father.”
It was a sight to behold. A line of squirrels came. People gawked at this procession of squirrels. Wherever possible, the baby girl-squirrels walked behind the carrier squirrel assigned to each of them. Dickie would stop from time to time when he heard giggles and remind the girls to behave. It was hard to scold such sweet little things when they were so happy and excited! It was their longest trip outside the confines of the den. They arrived at the condo on a bright morning in late fall. The trees were gold and crimson against the dark green of the evergreens and Tricksy or Dickie would call halts from time to time both to let the carriers get their breath after a jump and to let the girls-squirrels have a chance to take in the sights.
When Arnie saw them, he was overjoyed. The lady and the man both gawked at them with mouths open. Arnie bounded out of the balcony as soon as the lady opened the door. The girl-squirrels jumped and cheed and kissed Arnie. Tricksy and Pouf kissed Arnie. Pouf introduced Arnie to her teddy bear Snort. Pumpky and Dickie stood off to one side, arms folded across their chests. The man came out on the balcony with a big bag of nuts which he put in the squirrel dish. The squirrels were so excited that they didn’t back away.
“Be careful, Jim, don’t step on one of the babies. Aren’t they darling. I think I’ll call them Comfy and Cozy. Would you see what Pouf has in her mouth. It’s a teddy bear! Oh, my God! Now for sure, I’ve seen everything.”
All of a sudden, the balcony became rather quiet, although the babies still chattered excitedly. Arnie was looking up and down and around. He seemed to shrink in size and he hung his head. Then he started wringing his forepaws and crying. “Aargh, aargh, aargh.”
“My God, what’s wrong with Arnie all of a sudden, the man said. What do you think happened that caused the squirrels to go so quiet?”
“I don’t know. I can’t imagine.”
Suddenly, Arnie bounded up the gable to the roof. Dickie followed him quickly. Tricksy and Pouf cried, “Aargh.” The girl-squirrels stopped chattering and looked confused. No one touched the nuts. Pumpky reached out to Tricksy and Pouf, as if to console them. Pouf hugged her teddy bear and cried. “Aargh.”
Dickie returned, cheed and the squirrels prepared to leave. The baby girl-squirrels got on the back of their carrier, looking sad and confused. Tricksy and Pouf followed, then the small, skinny squirrel, Crow.
“Something’s very wrong and Arnie may have left us, dear,” the man stated.
“Oh, God, no. He’s got to come back. I don’t know what I’ll do without him.”
“You mean what we’ll do without him,” the man sadly stated. “Bye, guys. Take care of our Arnie. Your Arnie now, I guess. No more workouts on his jumps, no more raising the broom stick with Arnie. I had more fun than him when he made higher and higher jumps.”
“Bye.” The lady walked back into the condo trying to hide her tears.
Arnie never stopped running until he reached the tree that was home to the squirrels of Stony Ridge Creek Den. He ran toward a fairly big older squirrel who seemed to be studying his hind legs and the ground in front of him. The big squirrel turned when he heard Arnie’s approach. He stopped dead. His eyes widened. “Arnie, is that you?”
“Why didn’t you come to see me like the others. You’re my father. I was thrilled to death that you were coming because I missed you so much. What excuse did you use?”
“Now, son, you know I couldn’t leave the tree home alone, son. Somebody had to stay to protect it.”
“That’s a lie. Dickie or Pumpkinhead could have stayed to protect the den. You miserable liar. You’re just ashamed of me because I’m small and a runt. You’re afraid other squirrels would think that you were not a good breeder.”
Tommy put his head down and Arnie saw small tears course through his father’s fur and fall to the ground. “I love you son. I’ve always loved you all the more because you were so small and helpless. Runts happen. I wished it could have been me, not you. You’ll never understand how proud I was of you when you attacked that large Renegade Red Fox Squirrel to save little Comfy from being squirrel-napped. I saw how hurt you were and I knew you must die of such an injury. I would have had to be the one who put you out of your misery, but Dickie said we should take you to the people as a last chance to save your life. I threatened the man that I’d get revenge on them if you were further hurt. But, Dickie was right. When I heard you were well again, grown, and your fur was sleek and your tail sprightly, I was overjoyed. I didn’t come to see you because, because . . . because I was afraid I’d break down and cry in front of the others, and I was ashamed of myself for cursing the man and afraid he’d recognize me. I should have come. Don’t hate me too much. I’m sorry.”
Arnie was speechless with surprise. He went over to his father. Tommy embraced little Arnie and held him close. Both cried silently.
Dickie stood at the doorway with little Comfy at his side. He blocked her way, but she broke through and ran up to Arnie and climbed on both squirrels until they each held up an arm for her. All the squirrels were now gathered outside the entrance to the den, very quiet and overcome with emotion over the reunion of Tommy and his son, Arnie.
“It’s time for me to go home now. Thanks all of you for coming to see me. I love you all. I love you, daddy. Come around by yourself one day. I’ll stand by the balcony window and watch for you.”
“I’ll do that, son. I’ll do that.”
With that Dickie and Pumpky touched Arnie on the shoulder, Tricksy and Pouf kissed him. Arnie bent down and kissed Comfy and then Cozy. “Goodbye, thanks again, all of you. I love you, even Snort, the teddy bear.” Dickie led Arnie back to the people.
There was a general celebration between the lady and the man and their pet squirrel Arnie that night. The lady filled a shot glass half full of wine and put it in Arnie’s cage. He sucked it down greedily, smacking his lips after. This is a great life, you bet, Arnie thought. I get to have my cake and eat it too!
With that Dickie got up and yawned and stretched. “I’ll see you around soon, Carrie Mae.”
Well, that’s all for now folks. Leave a Comment here or you can e-mail me at Carriemaebr@aol.com.
Good bye and love.
Carrie Mae Bunny Rabbit.
