Children’s stories – Baydreamer Writes ~ Lauren Scott, Author

Dear Family and Friends, this story is a bit long, so if you don’t have time to read it, I understand. But if you do, I hope you can appreciate Rusty’s dilemma and recognize the message conveyed. I won’t give away the ending. 🙂 Also, I’ve included an audio version for those of you who would rather listen.

Rusty can’t help but whine and dance around in circles! He knows what’s coming when Mom puts her ball cap on. Today is a crisp, March spring morning when she attaches the blue plaid leash to his matching blue collar. The sky is bright and clear, perfect for a walk around the neighborhood. When he sings (he likes to call it that) and dances, he can tell by the tone of her voice that sometimes she is happy. But there are times when she sounds kind of mad. Maybe he should try calming down. But seriously, what chocolate lab doesn’t get excited for a walk?

She opens the blue front door, and Rusty follows her outside. He lifts his leg on every bush he spots, his nose clueing him into enticing smells. Mom walks at just the right pace while he trots beside her. Occasionally, she jogs, and he picks up the pace, jogging, too. He thinks this is so much fun. The flapping of his long soft ears makes him happy.

Rusty is minding his own business when Sam, the gray squirrel, runs in the street right in front of him! Whenever he sees Sam, he barks up a storm that echoes and bounces from house to house! Sam skitters across the street then skitters back to where he came from, all the while snickering to irritate Rusty. And boy is Rusty irritated!

“Woof! Woof! Woof!” Rusty voices his annoyance and pulls on his leash. All he wants is a chance to catch Sam! And then he thinks…

What would I do if I caught Sam? I mean, I don’t want to hurt him. Yes, he annoys me, but I just want to play!

But once again, Sam gets away! He scurries up the nearest maple tree with the speed and confidence of a black bear, snickering all the way to the top! Sam is an expert at snickering!

How dare him!

“Oh, Rusty, you’ll never catch a squirrel, but it’s always good to try,” Mom says while she pats Rusty on his soft head.

Rusty forgets about Sam as he and his mom turn the corner, and that’s when he sees Tuck, the yellow Labrador, standing in his front yard. What puzzles Rusty is that every time he tries to say hello, Tuck turns the other way. He doesn’t like Rusty and Rusty doesn’t know why. Then he remembers Mom telling him that it’s always good to try. So, he tries again to say hello.

Tuck stands tall at the edge of his yard, close enough to offer a friendly sniff to Rusty. But when Rusty walks up to him, Tuck turns his big head and body around, heading for his mom who stands by the front door. Rusty’s ears fall back tightly against his head and his heart aches. This isn’t the first time he’s been taunted by Sam and ignored by Tuck. With his heavy and hopeless heart, he and his mom leave Tuck’s house and continue walking up the street that begins to incline. Lucy, the beautiful snow-white husky, lives at the top of the hill. Rusty’s had a crush on her for what seems like forever, but she doesn’t pay any attention to him either.

Lucy stands by the white fence that borders her yard, and sure enough, when she spots Rusty trotting up the hill, she runs to the porch and lies down on her bed so he can’t get close to her. She even holds an intimidating stare. Rusty notices this which causes his heart to ache more and his ears to fall back for a second time. He doesn’t know if his heart will ever warm up again. At this very moment, it feels as cold as his big brown nose. He and his mom walk past her house, making a U-turn to head back down the hill to their home.

I love my humans, Mom, Dad, and my sister and brother. But it’s lonely not having friends, and I wish I knew why they didn’t like me. If I had to, I would change my ways. I’m friendly. I don’t bark a lot, except at squirrels, sorry Sam! I don’t sniff where I’m not welcomed. Is it because my coat is the color of copper, and not a true chocolate, blonde, yellow, or shiny black? But why would others not want to be my friend just because of the color of my coat?

While Rusty ponders the cause of his friendlessness, unbeknownst to him, Sam and Tuck meet up with Lucy just outside her white fence.

“I don’t know about you boys, but I’m tired of being mean to Rusty. And just for the record, I find him kind of cute,” Lucy admitted.

“Oh, Lucy, don’t go letting your heart soften up now. Rusty’s different! We all know that, and different doesn’t bode well with our tight group!” Sam chimes in with conviction of an elephant.

“You know, Sam, I think Lucy makes a good point. Just because Rusty looks different doesn’t mean we can’t include him. I guess my eight-year-old heart is beginning to soften, too,” Tuck says as he observes Sam’s fluffy tail standing upright like a surfboard in the sand, his little whiskers moving at lightning speed.

It seems odd that a squirrel weighing no more than a pound can gain control over two dogs the size of Shetland ponies. But Sam’s personality is bigger than him and as powerful as a lion’s. Lucy and Tuck automatically followed Sam in every adventure they went on, but not anymore. Their hearts and souls are beginning to see the kinder sides. It’s been one whole month and Lucy can’t bear the pure sadness in Rusty’s soulful, amber eyes. And the more Tuck thinks on this issue, the more he considers Rusty the brother he never had. It would be fun to have another buddy to hang around with now and then.

“Sam, what if you or Lucy or I looked different that didn’t align with what Rusty thought was normal? How would you feel if he ignored you when he saw you on the street? Or even worse, what if he growled at you, scaring you out of your wits?”

“Hey, you’re sounding a bit philosophical, old man!” Sam replies.

“Who are you calling old man, Sam? I’m only 8!” Tuck retorts.

Lucy can’t stand this banter any longer, and contrary to what some believe, girls know best!

“Okay, boys, enough is enough! This neighborhood holds plenty of room for all of us, and that includes Rusty! I, for one, would feel devastated to be ignored like he has been because of our unkind behavior. I feel so ashamed, so my only hope is that he can forgive!” Lucy feels the lifting of a huge burden from her heart. Her body even feels lighter as though she can frolic on clouds, and her spirit as bright as the shining sun.

Lucy pokes the latch on the gate with her cold nose, then once it becomes unlatched, with a paw she pushes it open. She walks through and onto the street when Sam scurries up beside her, giving her a surrendering smile. After thinking this situation over and pondering Tuck and Lucy’s words, he agrees with their wisdom. Tuck sidles up beside Lucy on the opposite side, and together, the trio heads downhill to Rusty’s house.

The single-story ranch style home looks quiet from the street. But the trio hopes to find Rusty in the backyard, lying in the sun like he loves to do. Then it will be easy for them to get his attention.

After Rusty and his mom return home from their walk, he is ready for a nap. Exhaustion has taken over his body, not only from the walk and jog, but from the sadness weighing heavy on his heart. In the backyard, a patch of grass in the sunshine beckons him, so he lies down on his side, legs stretched out, and begins to soak up the sun’s warmth. It takes a lot of effort for him to ignore the gloomy thoughts, so he tries to dream of chasing squirrels. But then he hears a loud commotion in the front of the house!

Lucy, Sam, and Tuck yell in one giant burst of sound to rouse Rusty!

“Rusty! You annoying lab!”

“Hi, Rusty, come on out!”

“Hey, Buddy, we need to talk to you!”

Rusty slowly stands; his twelve-year-old legs don’t hurry anymore. Then to his surprise, he sees Lucy, Tuck, and Sam, yes even Sam, jumping up and down at the see-through gate. They speak simultaneously, hard to understand every word. But the word that stands out is FRIEND. And judging by their smiling jowls, and Sam’s happy, fluffy tail swinging from side to side, Rusty understands completely!

His mom hears the joyful barking, too, so she steps outside, and when she notices the trio giving kisses to Rusty through the gate, the sight warms her heart. Her senior pup has been sad for too long now. She opens the gate and joy flows through the air as the foursome hug and kiss in their own canine and squirrelly ways.

“We’re so sorry we were mean to you, Rusty. We never should’ve judged you because of your coat color. I actually think you’re quite handsome. So will you forgive us?” Lucy steps back a few inches, certain that she is blushing after baring her soul.

“Oh, will I ever!” Rusty cheerfully answers. “And Lucy, I actually think you’re beautiful!”

And so, the three canines and the one fuzzy gray squirrel trot and scamper down the street on this spring day – the best ever for Rusty! His heart feels happy again, and he realizes that Sam, Lucy, and Tuck accept him for who he is – they don’t expect him to change. This is the day he not only gains friends, but the day he becomes one.

Cora trots down the slippery slope. Her heart feels lonely, and her little legs feel wobbly. But it’s not like her to complain, so she scrambles on the muddy trail alone. She would love to meet some friendly critters to brighten her mood. Her body shivers and her tummy rumbles. She misses Ma and Pa so badly.

They wouldn’t leave me alone with the trees and the scary crunching of the leaves. Cora thinks to herself. And those sounds are scaring me! Owls screeching, the howling wind, and unnerving grunts and growls in the distance act like robbers, stealing her courage. Besides being afraid, I am very hungry.

Then those tummy rumbles turn into fluttering butterflies because her imagination runs wild. She senses her courage fly up into the darkening sky. The trees seem to grow taller as their twisted branches resemble long arms reaching out to grab her. “I have to stay strong like Ma and Pa taught me. My body may be small, but my strength can be just like theirs!” Cora says as she continues forward on the trail while the world around seems to close in on her.

She doesn’t understand how she became separated from Ma and Pa. One minute they were trotting down the trail together, but when she turned around to tell them that she saw a cool caterpillar, she noticed they were gone! Cora doesn’t think home is too far away but looking up at the surrounding trees makes her dizzy. And in every direction she turns her head, another trail winds its way to somewhere. Only she doesn’t know where!

“Wait, is that singing?” Cora says for all the animals in the forest to hear. She halts on the path and listens to the hopeful tune. Suddenly, she doesn’t feel afraid. “I hear happy hums, too!” She says with delight. “Maybe Ma and Pa are looking for me!”

Instead of following the trail, she paces back and forth, so excited to see her parent’s loving faces. “I think they’re coming around the bend, and when I see them, my heart will burst with joy!”

But as quickly as Cora’s fear disappears, she notices the big bush ahead shudder and the unsettling sight makes her heart skip a beat. She hopes it’s her ma and pa, and not a big, fat, furry bear claw! She feels stuck in her mucky tracks. Even if she motions them to move, her hooves won’t budge an inch. The excitement she felt before has turned into alarm because she doesn’t have a clear view of what lurks behind the shrubbery.

Cora would feel a little better if she could still hear the singing and humming, but the music stopped when she saw the big green bush shake. “Who goes there?” She asks with a spirited voice. “Show yourself! I am not afraid of you!” Cora thought her courage had left her for good, when it had been with her all along. She just had to give it freedom to shine.

With eyes wide open, Cora watches in wonder while her ma and pa sprint out from around that same shaking bush that made fear travel from the tips of her ears to the tip of her tail. Now she understands the panic her wild imagination caused.

Ma and Pa run up to their precious little girl, loving on her with kisses galore! “We’re so sorry, Sweetheart! Pa and I were talking about the upcoming Deer Dance on Saturday, and then we realized you continued on without us. We had lost you and started to panic!”

“It’s okay, Ma, I’m a big girl so I stayed strong the whole time. Well, maybe I did get a little scared, but I kept thinking of how you and Pa taught me to be brave. And I want to grow up to be brave just like my parents!”

“Oh, Cora, your Ma and I are so proud of your bravery! Come on, let’s go home now. I think we all deserve a feast of acorns and apples!” Pa says to his courageous daughter as he lovingly nudges her to lead the way. Cora and her ma and pa trot in the opposite direction on the path, heading to their haven, while her heart pounds rapidly out of celebration.

Her family is finally together again.

~ The End ~