Welcome to the Advent Calendar Story Train, where you can read through 24 stories under this year’s theme, Lost.
A Squirrel’s Tale
‘Look at those delicious acorns,’ I said, my tail twitching with excitement.
Sorrel ran along the branch towards me. ‘Are you mad, Sammy?’ she chattered angrily. ‘There’s no cover on the ground. It’s not safe.’
‘I’m the fastest squirrel in the park, what’s to worry about?’
‘Dogs, foxes, hawks, take your pick.’ Sorrel’s claws groomed nervously through my fur.
‘Don’t be silly.’ I laughed and scurried down the tree. ‘I bet I can get the acorns back here before anyone notices. Come on.’
‘No, I’ll keep watch.’
‘Suit yourself.’ I flashed my tail at her. ‘I’ll just keep the juiciest acorns for myself.’
On the ground, I sat on my haunches and sniffed the air for danger. All I could smell were those tempting acorns amongst the damp leaf litter, and I raced towards them before another squirrel chanced across my bounty.
Gathering all the acorns I could carry, I left them at the base of the tree for Sorrel to collect and then moved back to pick up the rest. I couldn’t resist stopping for a taste. I turned the acorn between my paws and tested several spots, looking for a weakness in the hard shell. My mouth watered as my teeth sank through…
‘Fox!’
I dropped the acorn and frantically checked around for the fox, sniffing the air for its telltale musky scent.
‘Run!’ Sorrel screamed.
From the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of red bounding towards me. I dashed for the nearest tree with the fox closing in behind me.
Just as I dived up the tree trunk, I felt the tug of sharp teeth grasping my tail. Digging my claws into the bark of the tree, I climbed for my life.
The grip on my tail slipped, and finally I was free. I didn’t stop climbing until I was high in the branches.
Sorrel jumped through the trees to reach me, still chattering loudly as she stopped beside me and ran her claws through my fur.
‘I know I lost the bet.’
‘No, Sammy, your tail…’
As I flicked my tail, I felt a sharp, throbbing pain.
Catching it between my paws, I groomed my fur and tasted blood. Tears welled in my eyes. My beautiful bushy tail was a ragged mess.
I hadn’t just lost the bet – I could never call myself a squirrel again.
***
Sitting high in the branches, I surveyed the frosty ground below and looked for my next meal. From the corner of my eye, I glimpsed my crooked, bald tail and tried to ignore it.
“The price of stupidity and greed,” Sorrel was fond of telling me.
I saw my target family walking along the path.
‘Watch the magic at work, Sorrel.’
‘You’re such a show-off,’ she tutted, though she still climbed lower to watch me.
The family moved into range. I gave a quick check around for foxes and dogs before making my appearance.
The two children spotted me first.
‘Look, there’s Scruffy,’ the boy called as I scurried down to greet them.
I sat and clutched my paws in front of me, blinking big brown eyes and giving my tail a wiggle, just to remind them of my plight.
‘Poor Scruffy,’ the girl attempted to whisper. ‘Mum, give him food.’
‘Shh,’ her brother hissed. ‘You’ll scare him.’
‘Don’t argue, you two,’ the mum said, crouching low with her camera trained on me.
I never minded posing for her, so long as she paid for the privilege.
Finally, the mum stopped taking pictures long enough to dish out food to the children – they argued if they didn’t both get to feed me.
I let them walk closer while watching the food held temptingly in their hands; today it was a nut bar, my favourite.
They tossed the food on the ground next to me.
I snatched up the bar and scampered back up the tree, perching to eat my prize.
The family watched me from below, staying until I returned to claim the second offering.
When they were gone, Sorrel climbed down next to me, and we shared my reward.
‘Tastes good, doesn’t it?’
‘Yes, but it’s not natural taking handouts from humans,’ she said, licking her paws clean.
‘It’s not easy living with this.’ I flicked what remained of my tail in her face. ‘I’m just making the best of things. Look, here comes another family.’
‘Sammy…’
‘The name’s Scruffy,’ I told her. ‘At least while I’m working.’
‘Begging more like.’
‘If it’s good enough for the ducks…’ I threw over my shoulder before scooting down the tree in time to earn another snack.
A few minutes later, I handed my sister half the booty, and we sat munching together.
‘This winter will be so easy,’ I said.
‘But it might not last, Sammy. You still need to cache the acorns before they’re all gone, or you’ll starve.’
‘I’ll do it tomorrow.’ I pointed up to where the blue sky shone through the bare branches.
‘Right now, the sun is shining and there are plenty of humans eager to help an injured animal. I’m going to enjoy it while it lasts,’ I told her.
We moved through the park together, Sorrel sulking in silence.
‘I’ll teach you my technique.’ I scanned the area for likely victims. ‘There you go.’
I pointed to a lone man with a camera slung around his neck. ‘Those are the ones to target. They’ll do anything to get a good picture.’
Sorrel watched the man, twitching her tail nervously. Then she jumped in front of me. ‘Alright, this one’s mine.’
As she scurried down the tree trunk, I had to admit she looked graceful. The man with the camera took plenty of pictures before dishing out a reward.
‘You’re a natural,’ I told her. ‘But then again, you have been learning from a professional.’
She nipped me playfully and dashed away with her spoils. I gave chase, deciding that life without a tail wasn’t so bad after all.
The End
Thank you for reading today’s story. The next story will be available to read sometime on the 9th December, titled “Time Travel“. This link will be active tomorrow when the post goes live.
If you missed yesterday’s you can go and read it here.
***
Believe it or not, this is based on a true story – well sort of! We used to love going on family walks to Bushy Park in Surrey and one day met a squirrel just like Scruffy begging for food.
I loved to take pictures of the wildlife and even got the kids interested too.
I hope you’ve enjoyed the story and taking part in the Advent story train. Don’t forget to check the other stories through the rest of December.
Thank you to Ari for arranging the Advent story train again this year. I’ve enjoyed taking part every year she has run it. If you missed them, here are the links to my previous stories.
Suzanne Rogerson Fantasy Author 