“Chatty,
get in here.” Mrs. Chipmunk’s tone was almost severe.
“What
is it Mom?”
“Something’s
wrong with you. You acted strange at breakfast. You wouldn’t even eat the
beautiful strawberries I saved for you.”
Chatty
stammered. “Well, er, I’m just tired from scrounging for nuts and berries for
the storeroom.
“You’re
not telling me the truth. I can feel it’s something more. What is it?”
Chatty
was at a loss for words. He didn’t want to worry her about Slink. But he had to
be honest. “Mom, I saw Slink yesterday.”
Mrs.
Chipmunk blanched. Slink was always their greatest worry.
“Did
he try to catch you?”
“I saw
him staring at me through some branches, and I took off into a rock pile.”
Mrs.
Chipmunk gave Chatty a warm hug and bowed their heads to ask God for protection
today.
###
The
fall winds howled through Farmer Shoestring’s orchard, as if calling the
animals to prepare for winter’s hibernation. Chatty nabbed as many grasshoppers
as he could, and stuffed the pouches of his cheeks with nearby beechnuts, all
the while keeping a lookout for Slink. Just as he turned to head back toward
his burrow on the other side of Farmer Shoestring’s Queen Anne cherry tree, he
heard a rustling amongst the branches.
He froze in his tracks as he caught sight of the dangerous weasel. “Oh,
Jesus, help me,” he prayed to himself.
Slink
crouched low, and was just about to pounce on the frightened chipmunk when
suddenly out of the corner of his eye he saw Chessie the cat, his much feared
enemy. Chessie arched her back and hissed at the weasel as she swished her
long, gray tail. Then she lunged at Slink. Slink bolted through the orchard,
past dense thickets and on toward the creek where he was safe from the dreaded
cat. But there would be another day, he reasoned, when he surely would have a
juicy chipmunk for lunch. His beady eyes narrowed and he snickered with glee as
he schemed on how he would make that day come, very soon.
To
be continued…
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The
Adventures of Chatty Chipmunk
Chatty
Chipmunk Meets Mrs. Gotrocks
A
Carnival Adventure with Chatty Chipmunk
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