Sanguine Tenacious Tidings

New To The Neighborhood

Saturday, March 26, 2016

Plot a takeover...of a company, a country, your neighbor's lawn, anything. Have some fun with it.

NEW TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD BY

Nibble jumped up. There was a furry nose pushing back the twigs at the opening of his nest. “Hey! stay out, I’m warning you I will bite.” He shuffled backward against the wall.

A lanky red squirrel was pushing her way into the burrow.

“I didn’t think you guys would eat a chippy!”

“Hold on now. Hold on. I just need to tell you some news.”

“What are you yammering at me for, I don’t pester your kind.”

The red squirrel tried to rise up to her full height. But, banged her head on the rock hanging from the ceiling just inside the door. “Ouch! You ought to have etched out a bigger hole.”

“what do you know about it you live high up in a tree nest with a bunch of other red flighty bushy tails.”

“Now, now, we’re getting off the subject.”

“I thought the subject is your not welcome in my den.”

“No! The subject is the local bird population and their control of the food market.”

“You mean the new feeder the humans put in the yard?”

“Yeah the feeder. Some of us, chippys and red squirrels are wondering how to get some of the seed for all of us.”

Nibble settled into the moss on the floor trying to cover the small pile of bird seed on the floor. “Yeah so?”

“Well we wondered if you have any idea how to get some of the seed for all of us?” Lanky red threw a knowing look at Chippy.

“Why would I help you reds get seed?”

“No. I mean for chippys and reds we could share.”

“The lady red squirrel was suggesting we share food?”

“The human put grease and disks on the pole. The grease is really gross it sticks under my toes. Anyway, we are holding a big meeting on the edge of the lawn and going to try to think of a way to raid the feeder. I ran across a limb lickity split and jumped for the roof yesterday. I ended up hanging from the edge and a big Blue Jay knocked me off then sat in a tree and laughed. I’m sick of the birds getting all the seed.” Suddenly she started backing out of the hole she came from. “Thanks for listening hope you make it to the meeting.”

Nibbles sighed, it was close to dark, so he decided to stop by the meeting. There was a crowd of chipmunks and red squirrels gathered at the feeder looking up at the unreachable seed.

“it can’t be done. It is too far from a tree to jump.” Shouted one red.

“Just look at that pole,” complained another squirrel.

Nibbles squinted down across the lawn. “I can do it. I need to take stripes with me. Come on stripes follow me.”

The two chipmunks ran fast across the lawn to the very bottom edge where the forest met the yard. A buck and a doe were munching thick green grass along the edge of the yard. Nibble ran up to the buck stood on his little hind feet to chatter a greeting. The buck put his head down close and the two chipmunks jumped up into his antlers clinging tight to the bony rack.

The deer lifted his head and both deer strolled up the edge of the yard to the bird feeder. Then Mr. Bucky dipped his head toward the feeder and the chipmunks jumped off right inside the feed container. They dived into the seed scattering millet and sunflower out onto the ground, in a rowdy manner.

The two deer, all the red squirrels and the gang of chipmunks dived into the seed. By morning when the birds showed up there was not a bit of munchies left. What they did not eat the rodents had stuffed in their cheeks and hid for another day.

“What happened to the bucket of seed I put in the feeder yesterday? Listen to the Blue Jays screech they are really angry.”

“Just refill it. How much can a couple Blue Jays eat in a day?”

The End