The Squirrel with three legs

 The Squirrel with 3 legs

 

By David Binelli ©2022 DM Binelli. All Rights Reserved                    2447 words

  

High in an Ash tree not far from here, there lived a family of grey squirrels. There was Tom, an only squirrel, and his mum and dad.

Like all squirrels, they lived in a drey. A drey is a nest of twigs and leaves, all wrapped together with long strands of grass. Inside is lined with a thick layer of moss that helps keep the squirrels lovely and warm when they’re snuggled up together on those long cold winter nights.

They had lived in this drey all their lives. It had been built by their ancestors many years ago and there had been squirrels living in it for as long as any squirrel could remember…Although it was old, it kept out the wind and the rain and was a perfect home for any squirrel.

 One beautifully sunny day, Tom and his mum were outside on a branch. Tom was just playing and learning his way around the branches while his mum was clearing all the dead leaves out of the drey.

A few branches away, there was another squirrel going about his business. Tom could see he was old because his grey fur was long and had started to go white around the edges.

“Muuum…who’s that old squirrel over there?”

“Where? “ She said not really looking as she was busy clearing away all the old leaves and bits of twigs that had piled up outside the entrance to the drey.

Tom pointed towards the squirrel “Over there…look.”

Tom’s mum reluctantly stopped what she was doing and looked over towards the squirrel.

“Oh, that’s old Cyril….If you look closely you can see he only has three legs.”

Tom watched the old squirrel as he moved about the branches. You’d never know he only had three legs he thought, and just then he caught a glimpse of his damaged front right leg. It was missing right up to his shoulder.

“What happened to him?” he asked curiously.

“He never talks about it” She said sweeping the leaves away. “But I think he lost his leg when he had an argument with a very large and nasty rat down on the forest floor.”

Tom being a curious squirrel wanted to know more.

“What happened mum, why did he have a fight with a rat?”

“Now that’s enough dear,” said mum pushing the last of the leaves over the edge of the branch, “leave him be….let’s go inside and have something to eat, I’ve got some rosehips and your dad collected some acorns and hazelnuts yesterday.”

Now, if there’s one thing a young squirrel can’t say no to, it’s a meal of hazelnuts and acorns, so inside they went and nothing more was said of Cyril.

The following day was lovely and warm with hardly any wind. Tom was outside the drey, high in the Ash tree playing when he saw Cyril at the end of the branch.

Tom thought this would be a good chance to talk to him about his encounter with the horrible rat so he slowly inched his way along the bendy branch. Just as he reached Cyril, Tom said “Excuse me sir”….he always said sir or madam to older squirrels because Tom was a polite squirrel….that’s just how he’d been brought up….”Excuse me sir, but how did you lose your leg?”

“None of your business young squirrel….now out of my way” barked Cyril as he pushed past Tom, almost knocking him off the branch.

Tom was a little upset and went back to the drey to tell his mum.

“Ignore him Tom….he’s just a grumpy old squirrel”.

“I only asked him about his leg mum,” he said sheepishly.

“I know Tom but after his fight with the rat he hardly talks to any squirrel anymore…let him be”.

“Oh…ok mum, I suppose you’re right,” he said “I just wanted to know what happened.”

There was still plenty of play-time left before it got dark so off Tom went to play on the branches before it was time for dinner.

It didn’t take long for Tom to forget about Cyril as he was racing around and jumping all over the branches pretending to be his number-one hero, Super Squirrel with all his superpowers. That was his favourite game.

He loved nothing better than to act out a battle against his arch-enemy The Giant Evil Crow, with himself as Super Squirrel who could fly through the air with his magic tail. His weapon was a sword made from the wood of the giant Ash tree with acorns and hazelnuts used as bombs…. He could play that game all day and never get tired of it.

It had seemed as if only 5 minutes had passed when Tom’s mum shouted from the drey.

“Tom….time for dinner…come in now.”

The fight against evil would have to wait for another day…it was time to eat.

He put his sword and bombs in a little hole in the branch so they would be safe for another day and off he ran towards the drey.

That evening after a dinner of very large horse chestnuts, a few acorns and some very scrummy pine nuts, Tom’s dad said “I was talking to Brian, the wise old owl today and he said there’s a storm on its way….best snuggle down well tonight.”

Tom shivered.

“I don’t like storms,” he said timidly “They scare me.”

“Don’t worry” said mum reassuringly “It’ll be fine. We probably won’t even hear it over your dad’s snoring.” Tom’s dad looked at him and winked “Yeh, we’ll be fine….Now…time for bed.”

Tom snuggled down into his bed of lovely soft moss and leaves.

“Nite mum and dad,” he said trying to stifle a huge yawn and it wasn’t long before he had drifted off into a deep sleep.

Not long after they had all gone to sleep, the wind started to pick up. Slowly at first but it soon started to rage and howl through the trees.

Tom was woken by all the noise outside and could hear the storm with all its blustering, gusting, roaring noises and desperately tried to sleep by covering his head with his tail but it was no good….the hullabaloo was too much.

Then….suddenly there was an almighty “WHOOSH” and the whole drey shook. It happened again, only this time it was louder “WHOOSH….BANG”.

The drey was thrown from side to side and every squirrel inside felt they were being shaken to bits.

After a very savage gust of wind, a large hole appeared in one side. Then another blast of wind….and another… and another. The drey was shaken this way and that, turning everything completely upside down.

Tom was now clinging on to the twigs and leaves that made the drey and directly beneath him was the hole in its side. Suddenly the twig he was holding snapped and he fell….straight down, through the hole into the darkness of the night and the storm outside. He cried out as he fell.

 “Muuuuuum….heeeeeeeelp!”

“Tom….Tom.” Screamed mum and dad together….but it was too late…he’d gone.

 Down he fell, bouncing off the branches and the leaves until he hit the forest floor with an almighty THUMP.

He was badly shaken but he wasn’t hurt. He pulled himself up onto his feet and looked up at the drey. It was so dark and the rain was pouring down blown sideways by the wind, he couldn’t see anything except the huge tree trunks and bushes around him.

He called into the dark as loud and hard as he could.

 “Mum…..dad….”…… but nothing…..no answer….He called again. “Mum…dad…I’m down here.”….still no answer. All he could hear was the storm raging around him, shaking the leaves of the trees and bushes so hard they looked like they’d all fly off any second.

He was very frightened. He had never been down to the forest floor before.

He remembered Cyril, the old squirrel. He had lost his leg in a tangle with a rat when he was down here….that made him even more scared.

He didn’t know what to do….Should he stay put and not move? The trouble with that was, he was out in the open and there were some very nasty creatures out there that would love to have a small, furry squirrel for supper. Should he try and climb a tree? He was still only very young and hadn’t yet mastered the art of clinging on to the bark on the trunk of the tree…what if he was to fall?

In desperation he thought to himself, I’ll find somewhere to hide until the storm has blown over and the sun has come up. That way I’ll be able to see exactly where I am and mum and dad might be able to hear when I call out.

He was a very clever and resourceful squirrel for his age.

Slowly he started to move around in the dark. The leaves on the forest floor scrunched under his paw as he walked along. Although it was dark, the moonlight streamed through the leaves and branches high up on the trees as the clouds blew rapidly along in the sky.

In the shadows, he could just make out a hollow at the bottom of a tree trunk. He knew he had to find somewhere to shelter and this looked like as good a place as any to wait until the storm blew itself out or it got light…whichever came first.

Cautiously, he approached the hollow in the tree making sure no other little animal was sheltering there. The last thing he needed was to scare a rat….or worse…a fox.

Once he was certain it was empty, he wriggled and squirmed this way and that, until he managed to fit his entire body, including his big bushy tail into the small, dark space. Although it smelled damp and dirty and not very inviting at all, he squirmed around until he was as comfortable as any squirrel could be in a hollow at the bottom of a tree.

Once he had settled, he took a deep breath and tried to relax. It wasn’t long before his eyes became heavy and he started to feel extremely tired so he pulled his tail tightly over his head and tried to get some sleep.

He began to dream of playing on the branch outside his drey. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day when suddenly he awoke with a start….it was still dark and the storm was raging…..he could hear something walking towards him….what was it….he was really scared.

Slowly, shaking like a leaf, he peered out from behind his tail. The footsteps got closer and closer ….then….he heard a voice.

“Tom isn’t it?” said a voice from the dark….It was Cyril….the grumpy old squirrel from yesterday.

“What are you doing down here….it’s very dangerous on the forest floor….especially in the dark.”

Tom told him about the huge hole in the drey and how it had been shaken this way and that by the storm and how a GYNORMOUS gust of wind had turned the drey upside down and he’d fallen out. Now he was lost and frightened.

“Don’t worry little Tom” said Cyril in a reassuring whisper, “I come down here all the time to collect food and to try and find nuts that I buried ages ago.…although I don’t always find the buried ones…my memory’s not what it used to be.”

Tom…being an inquisitive squirrel had to ask.

“Is this where you had the fight with the rat?”

“Ah…you know about that,” said Cyril “yes…that’s why we have to get you back to your parents in the trees…come on….let’s go.”

With that, Cyril helped Tom drag himself out of the hollow…he had been so frightened he’d managed to get completely entangled in the bark and it felt as if he’d become part of the tree.

Finally free of the tree, Cyril whispered, “Follow me; we have to be as quiet as a mouse.” Because any squirrel knows mice are well known for being extremely quiet. He slowly went off ahead and without looking round said “All clear….come on, let’s go”. Tom followed trying to keep as close as he could without stepping on Cyril’s tail.

As they made their way along the forest floor, Tom could see the path was well-trodden, like it was used regularly. They then climbed up onto some small, well-hidden branches in the bushes and into the trees. It wasn’t long before Tom could see his beloved Ash tree in the speckled twilight. ..He could recognise that tree anywhere…he’d played on its branches often enough.

The Ash tree was still quite a way off. They didn’t want to go back down to the forest floor so they had to make their way across by swinging between the branches and leaves of the trees, Tom could see it was starting to get light now and the wind had all but stopped blowing. The forest was quiet again.

As they jumped from the end of a very long and spindly branch onto another, Tom could see they had finally reached his Ash tree and there in front of him only a few feet away was his drey….he was home.

 “There you are young’un….you’re home, safe and sound….I’m off to find some nuts to eat, I’m starvin’…. Good-bye young Tom.” Said Cyril. And with that, he scampered back along the branch.

“Bye Cyril….and thank you” Shouted Tom….but Cyril had already disappeared out of sight, jumping off the end of the branch and into the leaves.

Tom was so excited to be back home. He pushed his way into the drey and there were his parents….

“Tom, there you are…are you alright?”

After lots of hugs and kisses from his mum and dad….well, hugs from his dad and kisses from his mum, he spent the next 10 minutes excitedly telling them what had happened…how he had fallen out of the drey and how Cyril had helped him find his way home…..

“If it hadn’t been for Cyril, I’d never have got back home,” he said quietly.

“After all that excitement I think you need some breakfast young Tom…don’t you?” said his mum with a huge smile on her face.

As Tom was tucking into a horse chestnut (or conker to me and you), so large he could hardly get his paws around it, his mind got to thinking….it just goes to show you….you shouldn’t think bad things about squirrels until you get to know them….they might be grumpy because they’ve just had a bad day….and now he’d got to know Cyril, he really liked him…

Cyril the three-legged Squirrel.

 

The End