A Dream Come True

CHAPTER 8

George and Jennifer loved to visit Harry the Hermit, especially his dog Tippins. George and Jennifer would bake cookies and bring some fruit for Harry, because they LOVED to hear all his great stories.  One day when they were out visiting their friend, he told them this story.

"Once there was a little boy named Andrew, who loved rabbits and the rabbits loved him.  Whenever, he went into the woods, the rabbits would come out to meet him.  Andrew would sit down with his little friends and spend the afternoon talking to each one of them.  He just seemed to know when one of his little friends were hurting and feeling sad. Andrew was a good listener.

One Fall afternoon when Andrew was in the woods, the rabbits came hopping out to him all at the same time. They were scared rabbits all right!   The fur on their backs was standing straight up and they all were talking at the same time.  "Help, help, help,! It is the big red fox.  He is in the woods again.  You have got to help us.  Last winter we lost many of our dearest and closest friends, " explained the scared little rabbits.

"Good heavens, I don't know what to do fellers?" said Andrew.  "let me think about it."  So Andrew left the rabbits in tears while he went home to try and figure out what to do.

That night Andrew couldn't sleep.  He was very restless thinking about his little friends' problem. Winter was coming and Andrew knew that when it snows it would be easy to track rabbit prints and who knows how many would survive until the spring.  Andrew got on his knee and began to pray, "Dear Jesus, these little friends are yours.  Please help me to know how to care for them?"  He tossed and turned and tossed and turned, and finally he fell into a deep sleep.

It was in that deep sleep that he had a very unusual dream.  Could it be possible that God was speaking to him?  He saw this huge bunny cage up on four legs in his back yard.  It had many rooms in it.  A room for each of his little friends. Then he woke up!  What could this mean?

Andrew prayed and asked Jesus what his dream meant.  Then he got this idea, a RABBIT MOTEL  for the winter.  That's it. Andrew was so excited.  He called all the boy clubs and girl clubs in the area for a big meeting. After he told the children about the rabbit's blight and how scared they were, they all decided to help Andrew build the rabbit motel and to help care for them throughout the winter months.  By Spring the big red fox would be gone and they could run and play again.

Andrew was so happy. After the Rabbit Motel was built, Andrew went back into the woods.  He hardly entered the woods before all the bunnies came running out to meet him. "Are you going to help us?", they all asked excitedly. "I sure am little fellers.  You just follow me to your new home for the winter."  One by one all the little bunnies followed Andrew to the RABBIT MOTEL,  and there they were cared for during the cold hard snowy weather. In fact, every winter from then on,  all the little bunnies knew exactly where to head when they heard the big red fox was in the woods again.

That was a great story Harry.  Is it a true story?  

"Well, not exactly, George, you know how I loved to tell a good story." explained Harry. " Now, you children run along home, before your parents wonder where you have been." 

The children left for home.  You can imagine the story that was told at the dinner table that night! 

The smallest gift

Isaiah Higgins was a very wealthy man who had a very generous heart. He loved to buy gifts and give them away to the poor. One day there was a famine in the land and Isaiah was very troubled for the little children. They were getting very hungry and had very little to eat. 

Isaiah had heard that the famine was coming, so he was able with his wealth to store up bags of wheat. One day he had this creative idea, "Why don't I make loaves of bread  with all the wheat that I have stored". I will allow each family to have one loaf each day until the famine is over.

This was a very generous idea, but when the children came to collect their loaf of bread fights would break out.  They fought over, who had the largest loaf.  The children were very rude and ungrateful.  I think that they were just too hungry.

Every day, Isaiah noticed a little girl, Frances, who stood by and waited for all the older children to stop grabbing. After they left, then she would modestly go up to the basket and take the only remaining loaf, which was always the smallest. She would thank the kind gentleman and go home. The next day the children were just as rude. It broke Isaiah's heart to see the children so ungrateful, but Frances was a sweet little girl.

Faithfully every morning, Frances arrived and waited for the smallest loaf to take home. One night at dinner, when her mother cut into the loaf of bread, several silver coins dropped out. Her mother was frightened and said, "Frances,you have to take these coins back immediately.  It must be a mistake." Frances wrapped up the bread and headed back to see Isaiah and told him what had happened.  Isaiah was NOT surprised.  He explained to her, " I have been observing how patient and content you have been with the smallest loaf, so I decided to make a special loaf  just for you.  I put the silver coins in it  to help your family through the famine."  Frances didn't know what to say.  She graciously thank Isaiah and hurried home to tell her mother.

• Her mother was very grateful.  The coins made it possible not only to feed her own family , but she was able to share some food with her neighbors.  Frances experienced for herself that "The biggest is not always the best".

The Little BROWN Hen

This is a story I heard when I was a little girl about a little brown hen, who saved the life of Bobby Jacobs. Bobby Jacobs lived with his mom and dad in a small town outside a big city.  It was during the Great Depression, when many daddies were out of work and money was scarce. Bobby's daddy was also out of work and all their savings were running out.  His mother was a very thrifty woman.  In the summer, she canned all the vegetables in the garden and fruits in the orchards, so that in the winter they had beets, green beans, carrots, peaches, apple sauce and cherries to eat.

One morning Bobby woke up very sick.  His mommy and daddy didn't know what they were going to do.  His fever was getting higher and higher.  They had just enough gas to get to town to see a doctor. Old Dr. Smith took one look at Bobby and and knew exactly what was the matter. Bobby had contracted a disease that ONLY EGGS could cure.  The doctor told Bobby's mother that for the next six week he was to have a least ONE EGG a day  His parents were very grateful to know that there was a cure for his illness, but how were they going to buy the eggs or have enough money to pay the doctor? 

That night when they returned home, Bobby, his mom and dad got down on their knees and prayed for God to provide for them.  They needed ONE EGG a day for their son to recover. In the morning, Bobby's mother looked out the kitchen window . She noticed that a little brown hen was coming out of the bushes.  Quickly, she went out to see what it was doing in their yard.

In the bushes this little brown hen had built a nest and laid an egg.  "Lord Jesus," his mother exclaimed ,"You have answered our prayer and  here is today's provision!"  That night they prayed again and in the morning there was another egg.  This went on for the full six weeks.  Every morning after they had prayed, the little brown hen laid an  
egg.                                                  


Then one day when Bobby was feeling so much better, he noticed that the little brown hen was walking on the road.  She had laid her LAST egg for Bobby.  Bobby was well and the little brown hen was not needed any more. Bobby ran down the road to try to catch her and thank her for all the eggs, but she was gone. 

After my grandmother would tell me that story, I wanted her to tell it to me again and again.  She would ask me  "Where do you think the little brown hen came from and where did she go?" What do you think?

Operation Rescue

This story is about a thoughtful and kind little boy named Jack and his favorite friend Pal.  Jack and Pal had been friends ever since Pal was a puppy.  They did everything together.  They especially loved to go into the Green Forest to visit their friends the bunnies.  Every Spring there would be new baby bunnies and Jack and Pal wanted to meet them.  Whenever they would go into the Green Forest, the rabbits would come out to meet them.  Jack would sit down with his little friends and spend the afternoon talking to each of them.  He just seemed to know how to comfort them, when one was hurting or sad .


One afternoon  when Jack and Pal went to visit their friends in the woods, all the little bunnies came hopping out all at the same time.  What was the matter?  They looked so scared. Their little ears were all up straight and their noses were twitching. "Hey, little guys," said Jack, "What is all the fess about?"  They all started to talk at once. "Help, help, help!!!  It is the big red fox.  He is in the woods again.  We lost so many members of our families the last time he was here.  You have got to help us!" anxiously exclaimed the bunnies. 

"Good heavens, I don't now what to do fellers" said Jack fearfully.  "I will have to go home and pray about this.  I know that our Creator will know just the right thing to do for you."  Winter was coming on and this made the matter more urgent.                                                 


That night as Jack was getting ready for bed, he and Pal knelt down by his bedside and started to pray. "Dear Jesus, I don't know what to do.  Winter is coming and the bunnies are so afraid of the red fox. I need an idea?  Pal sniffed his nose under Jack's arm and cuddle closer with his two front paws in Jack's lap. He seemed to understand the urgency of Jack's prayer.


As he was crawling into bed, the Lord dropped the word ORPHANAGE  into his mind. " Was that the Lord giving him the idea? As he thought more about it, he began to picture in his mind the bunny orphanage in his back  yard for the winter months. He could build enough bunny hutches to house all the bunnies and to feed them through the cold months. Jack was so excited, he could not contain himself.  He ran into his father's bedroom to explain  his idea.  His father told him that he would think about it and to go back to bed.

In the morning at the breakfast table, you know what was on Jack's mind, the BUNNY ORPHANAGE, of course. Daddy agreed that he would help Jack to build several bunny hutches and suggested that he might make it a Boy's Club project with their fathers too.  That meant that all the boys in the club would not only help to build the hutches, but also help to care for the bunnies. It was an ideal Boy's Club activity, that they all could do together. But, they had to build fast with winter only a month away.


Soon, the bunny orphanage was complete and ready for the bunnies.  There were ten hutches built up on legs, to keep them safe from the foxes..  When Jack and Pal told the bunnies about their winter home, there wasn't one bunny missing.  They all gathered together and followed Jack and Pal to the bunny orphanage. In one afternoon they all were safe and secure in their new home.


Boy and girls...Always remember, when you have a big problem and don't know what to do, just ask the Lord Jesus how to help you.  He loves to answer your prayers, but you have to listen.  It might be just a word that the Lord drops into your mind that will be the answer for mommy and daddy to help you with.

The Happy Heart Family

Mr. and Mrs. Heart

Faith, Hope and Love

I would like to introduce you to the Heart family, who love each other very much.  They live in a peaceful garden among many beautiful, colorful flowers and butterflies that visit their garden in the Springtime.

Mr. and Mrs. Heart loved each other very much and were very proud of their three little girls, Faith, Hope and Love.   The three little girls loved their mommy and daddy and always wanted to

obey them. Every day their daddy would remind them how important it was to keep the garden safe by their obedience.


In the morning before daddy left for work he would remind his girls, " Faith, you will have faith as long as you obey me but when you don;t you will become fearful."  "Hope, as long as you obey me you will have hope, but when you don't you will begin to doubt."  "Love, oh please always obey me because if you don't I will lose you in unbelief and you will want to leave the Garden."


Daddy had only one very important RULE, and it was that the girls were never to let any one into the Garden without his permission. Their safety depended on their obedience. Faith, Hope and Love played happily in the Garden every day without any arguments.They knew how to share their toys and to speak kindly to each other


One morning Hope  was up before her sisters and went out into the Garden for a walk, when she heard a knock at the Garden gate. "Who is it," she asked.  "It is a friend of your father and I have a message for him."


"But I can't let you in." said Hope.  But then Doubt replied,"Little Hope, your father knows me, He just didn't tell you I was stopping by." Hope began to doubt. She thought it really couldn't hurt anything  He says he is a friend of her daddy's, so Hope opened the gate to the garden and let in Mr. Doubt.


When Faith saw what Hope had done she said,"Now look what you did Hope,  You have let doubt into the Garden.  Now what are we going to do?"

Hope was so sad . She hung her head in shame.  Mr. Doubt went over to the gate to let in his other two friends, Mr. Fear and Mr Unbelief.
Faith and Love raced over and quickly shut the gate. "Oh no you don't Mr. Doubt.  You have to leave right now. "  Daddy heard the girls shouting and immediately went to see what was the matter.

 When he saw that it was Mr. Doubt he didn't waste any time. He confronted Mr.Doubt face to face and he melted like ice in hot water.  He was NO MORE. 

Mr. Heart called his girls together to talk with them. "Faith and Love you did well not letting fear and unbelief into the Garden, but Hope, I am afraid I can't leave you alone without Faith and Love. ever again.We need you Hope in our family to be faithful and obedient because as you grow up your two sisters Faith and Love will need your strength."  Daddy hugged Hope as she humbly responded,"Yes, daddy I will never open the gate again without your permission."   Faith, Hope and Love grew to be very wise and together they kept Fear, Doubt and Unbelief out of the Garden all the days of their lives..

The Lazy Beaver

Bucky, the beaver was a lazy little fellow.  He wanted to play all day and sleep at night. When his friends were busy building their lodges for the coming winter, Bucky wanted nothing to do with it.His father had taught him how to build a lodge when he was younger, but now he thought he would have plenty of time to build a home before the cold weather  However, winter was very early that year and he had to build his dam very fast.


Because he was so late starting to build his lodge, he forgot what his father told him.  NEVER BUILD close to the shore line. But Bucky was in a hurry and didn't listen to his father's instructions. He thought that by building his lodge near the shore he wouldn't have to swim so far to construct his winter home. Bucky built his lodge twice as fast as all his friends and then waited for the cold weather.


Later on, when the cold winter winds began to blow, Bucky headed for his home.  One night, while he was sleeping, the temperature dropped below zero.  Ice began to form over Bucky's home. In the morning, when Bucky woke up and tried to get out of his house, both doors were frozen over with ice.  Bucky was trapped.  He had built his lodge too close to the shore and that is the first place where the pond freezes.

Meanwhile, a little boy, Johnny Achers was up early and heading down to the pond to ice skate.  His friend Philip was on his way to the pond too  When the two boys met, they noticed Bucky's lodge was too close to the shore.  Johnny said,"Hey, Phil, what is this beaver thinking about? Doesn't he know that it is very dangerous to build near the shore line?"  No sooner had Johnny spoken, when the boys heard crying.  "Do you hear crying, Johnny?" asked Phil


"I sure do Phil.  I think it is coming from inside that beaver lodge." Johnny bent down to look inside the door and sure enough, curled up in a ball was the little beaver, shivering with fright.There was no way of escape for Bucky. He had built his house too close to the shore and all the water under the lodge, as well as around it, was frozen.  Bucky was trapped unless the boys could break the ice and punch a hole for Bucky to swim away.

Johnny left to see if he could find a heavy piece of wood to smash the ice, while Phil stayed and talked to Bucky,  "We will get you out my friend.  Just be patient."  Johnny returned with just the right size piece of wood..  Within a few minutes the boys had smashed a large enough hole for Bucky to escape.  

Bucky quickly disappeared through the ice hole into the pond.They never saw him again.  I wonder where Bucky went? Perhaps he was taken in by another beaver family during the cold winter nights.  Whatever happened, one thing is for sure, Bucky NEVER BUILT HIS HOUSE  too close to shore ever again.

The boys put on their skates and started practicing for the hockey game that afternoon. When the guys arrived for the hockey game, Johnny and Phil couldn't wait to tell them about Bucky.

Johnny and Phil  practicing their ice hockey

The little girl and the pigeon

 I would like to tell you about a little girl with a kind heart.  One day, she was out walking out in the shady woods near hear home, when she noticed a pigeon's nest in a tree.  Peeping in, she saw one round, smooth, beautiful egg.  She wished very much to take it home and have it for her own.  But while she was thinking about it,  a pretty white pigeon came flying around her.  What a pleading look was in its eyes! They seemed to say" Little girl, won't you please leave my egg?  It is the only one that I have, and it will break my heart if my mate comes back to our tree home and finds it gone."

The little girl looked first at the egg and then at the sad-eyed pigeon.  Then she heard the little voice of conscience saying, "You must not destroy the happiness of the poor, little bird." So she left the egg in the cozy, little nest and went home, where her mother was waiting for her.


Not long after this, the little girl's brother became very sick.  No one seemed able to help him at all ,and every one thought he must surely die.  What a heavy heart the little girl had!  She could not play or think  of anything happy, while her only little brother lay dying.


One evening in springtime, as she was sitting by the open window in her little brother's room, a beautiful white pigeon flew  down and settled on the window sill.  Presently it seemed to say to her, "Dear, little girl, I am the pigeon whose egg you spared that day.  I come to tell you something I know will make you happy.  Last night while I was resting in the fir groves, I heard the angels whispering.  ' They said that God in heaven is looking down upon His world. He loves to see people being gentle and kind and loving. Because you were so kind and left me my one little egg, He will not let your only little brother die, but will spare him to you so that you and he might romp and play together once more'."


When it had spoken these words, the beautiful white pigeon flew away. Then the little girl turned and looked at her brother.  He was sleeping peacefully in his bed, for the first time in many days.  And there was a sweet smile upon his lips, as if the angels from heaven had been whispering their secrets to him.  From that time, he began to get better, and in a short time he was strong and rosy and romping merrily about with his little sister again.

Emma's problem

Remember me?  I  am Emma Marie and I have a BIG problem.  I hope you will be able to help me.  You see, a new girl named Shelby moved into my neighborhood and I am having the worst time being her friend.  She wants to be the boss of everything and I don't know what to do.  When we play games, she always has to be first and won't play if she loses.  I really don't  like to play with Shelby, but I have been thinking. Maybe she will change if I pray for her and ask the Lord to change her heart. But maybe, I need to pray for the Lord to change my heart.  All I know is that I don't like her very much. 


I think I am going to talk with my mother to see what she says.  She is busy right now putting my baby brother to bed, but she will be in later for me.  She always likes to talk with me about my problems and is very wise.  Daddy isn't home right now, but he is very wise too. But tonight, I have a girl problem.  Here she is now.


"Emma, have you bushed your teeth and and washed your face and hands?"  


"Yes, Momma, I am all ready, but I need to talk with you about Shelby."

"What is you're problem Emma?"

"It's Shelby momma. She isn't very nice and I don't like her.  Do I have to play with her?"


"No Emma. You don't have to play with her, but I don't think that your attitude is very nice either. We need to pray."

We sat together on my bed, and prayed for the Lord to change my  attitude towards Shelby.    My mother told me that "to have a friend,  you first need to be a friend". I sure have a lot to learn.
I guess I am going to have to be a friend.  Tomorrow is a new day and I have to start sometime.   Please pray for me.

How would you handle this problem?  What would your mother tell you to do?  Perhaps, you can help me.

Good night
Emma Marie

Yodel Learns His lesson

My name is Yodel .  I live with my mother and father in the jungles of Helbula. It is very hot and humid and it rains every day before supper.  In our back yard my father planted  a banana tree and  it was my job to pick the bananas . There was only one problem.  I LOVED bananas and I usually ate more then I picked.  My mother told me that if I ate too many bananas I would get a big belly ache.

My father's birthday was in a week and I wanted to buy him a new "monkey suit".  I thought, if I could pick all the bananas and take them to the marketplace, I could sell them and earn enough money to buy my daddy's present. Without asking or telling  my mother what I was going to do, I took a big grocery cart and started to fill it with bananas from our back yard. As soon as it was full, I started into town. My mind was so set on getting a present for my dad, that it never occurred to me that I was doing anything wrong.  I was very excited and in great anticipation of all the money that I was going to earn for my daddy's birthday present.


On the way to the market I met a lion, "Hey, Yodel where are you going with all those bananas ? I told him my story and asked him if he wanted to buy some bananas. the lion responded saying," You got to be kidding, Yodel. I am a lion and lions don't eat bananas."   I thought it wouldn't hurt to ask. He might know  someone who would buy bananas.
                                                  

I started into town again and on my way a met an giant turtle slowly strolling down the middle of the road. When he saw me he asked,"Hey, Yodel, where are you going with all the bananas?"  Again I told my story.  The turtle was very impressed that I wanted to do such a nice thing for my father, but, he too didn't eat bananas and went on his way.  I was beginning to wonder, who would buy my bananas?

What I didn't know was that my mother had gone, out into our back yard for some bananas for supper and when she saw all the bananas were picked, she thought someone had stolen them.  She called my father at work and he immediately left to come home. What happened next I never expected.


After the giant turtle was on his way, I continued to push the cart towards town.  Just before I was about to reach the marketplace, I saw my dad coming down the road.  "Oh no, "I thought to myself, "He is going to find out that I am going to buy him a birthday present. Where can I hid?"  Off to one side of the road there was a big ditch. As I quickly pulled my cart into the ditch, I tipped the cart over and half the load of bananas felled out.  I tried to picked up the bananas as fast as I could, but, when I looked up, standing over me was my dad.  I was terrified.  I knew I was in big trouble.  How was now I going to keep my secret about his birthday present?

"So you are the one who stole all our bananas in the back yard," his father sternly spoke.  "You pick up all the bananas immediately and head back home."


"But Dad, you don't understand.  I needed to sell the bananas." I said hopefully.  Daddy softened his tone to listen to my explanation. "It is like this daddy.  I wanted to buy you a  new monkey suit for your birthday.  I thought if I picked bananas and sold them in town, I would have the money for your present."  Daddy was very appreciative of my kind gesture to buy him a birthday present, but not this way.


"Yodel, I am very happy that you wanted to buy me a new monkey suit, but you don't have to steal to buy it. Stealing is always wrong.  Why didn't you ask your mother for help?" asked his daddy. 

On his way home, I had a lot to think about.  I realized that it was wrong to steal, even though it was for something good.  That night before I went to bed, daddy came into my room with a big surprise, "Yodel, your mother and I were talking and we both think that you have learned your lesson.  However, what you didn't know was we needed someone to pick the ripe bananas and to take them to the marketplace". Daddy slipped an envelop under my pillow, turned off my light and kissed me good night.

What do you think was in the envelop?

My name is Chipper the Chipmunk and I LOVE peanuts

My friend Johnny Williams loves to feed me peanuts.  I look forward to Johnny every summer when he visits his grandparents.  He always brings a big bag of peanuts and I eat every one of them. The only one that I will share my peanuts with is Caroline. We met while gathering our nuts last Fall. I want Johnny to meet Caroline. I think he will like her too. Maybe he will bring extra peanuts this summer.  I think Caroline is very special and I would like her to be my wife.  She has agreed to marry me and I am going to really surprise Johnny.

Johnny was excited to get to his grandparents.  School was out, his suit case packed and he was on his way.  When we arrived at his grandparents, he immediately went looking for Chipper.  He didn't know anything about Caroline.  But to his surprise, he could not find Chipper.  Chipper was no where to be seen. Every morning Johnny put out more and more peanuts, hoping to draw him, but day after day, no Chipper.  Johnny was getting very concerned about Chipper health.  What if a fox caught him this winter? Or he got sick and died? Johnny was very sad. 


His week's vacation was coming an end and he really missed his little friend Chipper.  He had trained Chipper since he was a little guy, who lived under his grandparents cabin.  But this summer, Chipper was not there. Johnny's vacation just wasn't the same. What was he going to do with all the extra bags of peanuts? On the morning that Johnny was leaving to go home, he tried to call for Chipper one more time.  To his surprise guess who showed up?  It was Chipper and guess who was with him?  Over the winter Chipper had created a family.  A little Chip was born and Chipper was so proud of his family. He brought out his family to meet Johnny. Johnny took all the peanuts and spread them out on the deck.  The little family quickly gather the nuts in their cheeks and scampered back under the cabin.  Johnny was so happy that Chipper had a family. Hopefully, by next summer Chippers family will have grown some more, and Johnny will  make sure that Chipper has enough peanuts for his family for the winter.

 

Nibbles Tells His Story

  My name is Nibbles and I live during the day, in the pocket of Hans the shoemaker. Boys and girls, do you remember the story of how I saved the day. I almost lost my two front teeth , tripping over my big feet running out the door with the two rubies in my mouth.


The Princess loves her beautiful new shoes, with the rubies that Hans had made for her wedding day.  The King and Queen were so impressed with Hans' workmanship that they invited Hans to bring his work shop into the palace to make shoes for all the servants.  Hans was very grateful for the invitation, but he told the King that he would go ONLY if I could come too. Arrangements were made for both of us and we soon found ourselves living the the King's palace.  However, what I didn't know was that the princess had a huge white cat, who wasn't very nice.  I knew right from the start that,, "that cat" didn't like me and if he had a chance, I would be his dinner!

Fortunately, there was a whole battalion of field mice in the place.  I first meet Lt.Squeaky, who told me about "that cat".  He said that I really had to be very careful because "that cat" was watching every move I made. When I moved to the palace, Hans bought a cage for me to sleep in at night.  The last thing at night before Hans went to bed, he would slip down the latch of the cage, tickle me under my chin and pat me on my head saying, " Good night little feller, I will see you in the morning."

One night after Hans had left for bed, I saw "that cat" slowly crawling, one paw in front of another toward my cage.  My little legs were shaking so hard.  Before I knew it, the cage door was open and that "that cat" teeth was ready to eat me.  It's teeth looked so sharp and his mouth was wide open.  Without thinking I just started to run and yelling at the top of my voice. help, help!

 It  happened that night that Lt.Squeaky was on duty and heard my cry for help.  He quickly blew the trumpet and rounded up the mice.  The mice battalion kept "the cat" distracted, chasing them around the work shop, knocking over paint cans, shoe buttons and leather strips onto the floor, while  Lt. Squeaky quickly cut a  mouse hole in the corner of the work shop.When it was finished, Lt. Squeaky signaled to the battalion to retreat, grabbed me and headed for the hole. Once inside , I felt like I could breath again.  "What ever happened, Nibbles," asked Lt Squeaky.  I told him that I didn't know how "that Cat" opened the cage door.  Lt. Squeaky knew. "Remember, Nibbles, when I told you how "that Cat "is always watching?  He had figured out how to lift the latch to get to you.." 

"How could I ever feel safe again"? I thought to myself, when Lt. Squeaky spoke up and said to me,"Your cage is not a safe place for you any more,but I have an idea for you. At night, you can come through the hole I made for your escape, and sleep with us. What do you think about that?"  It was more than kind of Lt. Squeaky to care about me.  From that night on, I spent my days with Hans in his pocket and at night with the mice.





Little Trash

Little Trash was a little kitten who lived in the alley behind the super market.  Nobody wanted her in their home because she was so dirty and smelly.  She never took a bath or cleaned herself like other little kittens did.   Poor little Trash, she lived a lonely, sad, and neglected life. Wasn't there anyone who would accept her just as she was?


One day, she decided to leave the ally to find herself a home. She traveled up and down Main Street, stopping at every door crying "Meow, Meow, I am so hungry"  All she ever heard was, "scat, scat go away you little dirty cat". Door after door would slam in her face.  Little Trash felt so rejected and unwanted. Many times she would think,  " Oh, how I long for someone to pick me up, cuddle me in their arms, and let me live in a warm cozy home." Hopelessly, little Trash,  headed back to the alley.  On her way back, a young girl noticed her walking on the sidewalk. She held out her hand and little Trash stopped and licked it. "Poor, little kitty,' said the little girl,"would you like to come home with me?


 Little Trash couldn't believe that somebody really was that kind and caring. The young girl picked her and carried her home.  When her mother saw little Trash, she said," April, that kitten smells terrible. You don't expect her to live in our home! You have to take her back to the alley"  April begged her mother, but the answer remained the same. "NO KITTEN".


When April knelt down to say her prayers that night, she asked the Lord to  help her  mommy change her mind about little Trash. She crawled into bed, thinking about the precious little kitten she had found. In the morning, she felt the Lord had answered her prayer. "If I  give little Trash a bath and make her smell clean, perhaps mommy would allow little Trash to live with me".


After April, finished her morning chores, she headed down to the alley behind the supermarket to find little Trash. The little kitty was hiding in a garbage can, eating her breakfast.  "Little Trash,' called April,'come out, come out, I want to take you home."  When little Trash heard April's voice she quickly jumped out of the garbage can . April picked her up and took her back to her house, where she had prepared a tub of warm water to wash little Trash.  The kitten was so scared and started to run away.  Little Trash wondered, "What is going on? I don't like water."  April explained to her that if she was going to live in her house she had to take a bath. She finally consented, but the most amazing thing happened. After her bathe the water was so filthy and dirty, in fact it was black as coal, but little Trash was white as snow.  April took a towel to buff her dry. Was this really little Trash?

 April took the kitten into the house to find her mother. She didn't want to tell her mother that it was little Trash, because she knew that her mother wouldn't let her keep the kitten. "Mom, where are you' she called, 'come and see a beautiful white kitten. Can I want  keep her, mommy?".  "Why, April" said mommy she is very beautiful.  You can keep her only if you promise to bathe her. "  Oh, I will mommy, ' responded April excitedly.  Holding little Trash in her arms, April hurried of upstairs to show her, her new bed right beside hers


That night when mommy came to tuck April into bed, she told her mommy how the Lord had given her the idea to give  little Trash.a bath.  Jesus knew all along that she was a beautiful white kitten that He had created.  All little Trash needed was someone to be kind and to care for her. April reached down to pat little Trash good night, when Little Trash jumped up onto her bed and snuggled close to her.  " I can't call you little Trash anymore.  You are too beautiful and silky.  I think I will call you Silky". So  Little Trash's name was changed to 'Silky 'and together April and Silky grew to be very close friends. Silky grew to love her baths once a week and she never was smelly, dirty, skinny, or lonely ever again. In fact, Silky even forgot that she was ever called little Trash.