Fluff and Gruff get A House

      It was evening and Fluff and Gruff just sat down for dinner. She was nibbling a carrot and he was gobbling a biscuit. In between gulps of root beer, Gruff noticed that Fluff was nibbling more slowly than usual. In fact, she stopped altogether, put her head down, and let a great big bunny tear fall onto her plate. It was so big that her carrot started to float away. Gruff's heart and mouth stopped immediately because he knew that Fluff must be very sad about something.

      "Fluff, what's wrong? Why are you so sad?"

      "Oh Gruff, I'm so happy about so many things. I like to laugh and sing songs with you. I like hopping through the forest and picking flowers. I even like to watch you search through garbage cans for great treasures. But..."

      "But what?" asked Gruff anxiously.

      "But this house is too small. We have to walk sideways to get from here to there. When we bend over to put on our shoes, our bottoms always bump into something. The tips of my poor little ears are bruised from bumping the ceiling, and I'm not even that tall. Oh Gruff, can we get a bigger house?"

      "Fluff, this house is just right for us. Moving is very hard, you know, and new houses are very expensive. And also..."

      Gruff stopped abruptly as he saw another bunny tear fall and washed that carrot right  off her plate and onto the floor.

      He knew what he had to do.

      Bright and early the next morning he got up, ate his breakfast, tidied up the house (which began to look smaller and smaller to him) and went out to find a new home for he and Fluff.

      He hummed as he walked along. It was a beautiful day and he felt sure he could find something. Gruff was a very determined raccoon. He realized that he knew nothing at all about finding a house, but the forest was full of helpful creatures. Surely somebody would help him find the perfect house.

      The first creature he saw was Winchester the beaver. He was sunning himself and chewing on some cattails.

       "Good morning Winchester. A very fine day to be sunning yourself and having a snack."

       "Yes it is Mr. Gruff. And good morning to you. Will you join me for a delicious cattail root. It's very tasty...and good for you."

       "Oh no thank you. I have a very important job to do today. I must find a new home for Fluff and I. But I will join you for some biscuits and root beer. Would you like some root beer?"

       "Why yes, thank you very much"  said Winchester as he handed Gruff his favorite beaver cup.

       "So where do you live Winchester? Do you find yourself comfortable in your home?"

      "I live over there in that handsome beaver dam. And  yes, I am quite comfortable. Plently of room to move our tails around. Would you care to see our house?"

      "Oh yes" said Gruff. "May I please? Perhaps Fluff would like to live in a dam like yours. We do need lots of room."

      "Very well, come along" said Winchester as he chewed his last bit of cattail and drank the last drop of root beer.

      Gruff followed him, but was surprised to see him jump into the water.

       "Hey!" said Gruff. "You're in the water!"

        "Oh yes" declared Winchester. "This is how we get to our house."

        Reluctantly, Gruff hopped in and swam with Winchester toward the huge mound of sticks in the middle of the pond. Winchester slapped his tail wackity splat and dove under the water. Gruff did the same,  but it didn't make nearly as much noise.

       He followed as Winchester swam deeper and deeper. In and up they went through the hole that was the front door of the beaver house. Gruff was now in Winchester's  kitchen, and not a minute too soon, for he had run out of breath.   

A fine home it was with it's big domed ceiling and room to run around in. Winchester proudly showed off the beautiful wood carvings that surrounded the walls, and had Gruff walk across the fine wooden floor. But Gruff knew that Fluff would never want to swim to her house, so he politely bid Winchester farewell, held his breath, and swam out the front door and back to the warm sunny shore.

        Gruff sat on the bank and munched on a biscuit while he dried off in the sun. While he was sitting there thinking his great raccoon thoughts, he felt a strange nudge on his bottom. Was it a small earthquake, or just something he ate? Again it rumbled and pushed under him and then just knocked him right over. Up popped the head of a little mole. He blinked and squinted, nervously rubbed his eyes, and chattered in his little voice.

        "Oh dear! Oh my! I am not in the right place. This will never do. Oh no! Never!"           

         "Hello!" said Gruff as he picked himself up.

         "Who's that? I say, who is that?"

         "It's me...Gruff the raccoon. Who are you my little friend?"

         "I am Coleman mole, and I must admit that I must have made a wrong turn. This looks nothing like where I should be. Oh dear."

         "Where are you trying to be?" said Gruff to the nervous little mole.

         "I need to be getting home. I've been away on a long trip, you see and I must  to tend to my little mole hole."

         "Oh, you have a house? Please tell me about it."

         "What can I tell you? It's my home and it's really quite cozy. Especially after a long trip. And I really must be getting along. Can you help me find my way Mr. Gruff?"

         "Why of course I can, if I knew where it was that you needed to be. I'm very good with directions  as long as I have directions."

          "Oh thank you so very much."

           "You can ride on my shoulders and tell me where to go. I am very fast and can get you to your home in no time at all."

           Then Coleman hopped onto Gruff's shoulders  and chattered directions, taking them hither an yon.         

           A short time later, after several more wrong turns, Coleman shouted "Stop Mr. Gruff! We are here."

          "We are where?" said Gruff.

          "Here! We are here."

          "Where is here?"

          "We are here at my house you silly raccoon."

          "Your house" exclaimed Gruff. "Why there's nothing here but a field. And those big rocks over there. Do you live in those rocks?"

           "Of course not. I live in this fine mole hole right under your nose. We moles live underground."

            Gruff looked down and saw a tiny opening in the grass that led to Coleman's home.

           "May  I come in and see?  I am looking for a new home for Fluff and I. Perhaps this will give me some ideas. You did say how much you like your home."

            "Oh I do like it very much. You will always be warm and dry and safe from all the dangerous creatures in the forest. We certainly do love our little mole house."

           And away scampered Coleman, right down Gruff's back and into the hole.

           "Come in" said a muffled little voice in the ground. "Follow me."

           Gruff thought to himself "what a tiny little front door he has. Can I fit in there?" Of course his curiosity and the urging of Coleman drove him on and headfirst he dove into the hole.

          Thunk went Gruff as he stopped suddenly.

         "Oh my! I seem to be stuck Coleman. I can't ,move at all."

          Gruff's little belly couldn't make it through the hole, no matter how much he wiggled and squirmed.

          Coleman scampered right up to Gruff's face and said "You are much too big to fit into a mole house. I am quite sorry. It would have been nice to have you for a neighbor." No sooner did he say that than did he scurry right away, leaving poor Gruff stuck in the hole.

           It did seem like a nice place from what he could see of it. But this would never do for Fluff. No, she would never want to live in a mole house.

          "Help! Oh Coleman, please help me get out of here.  Anybody please help me!"

          Gruff stayed stuck for quite some time. He thought "where is that silly mole? Did he get  lost again? In his own house? Hmph!"

          Suddenly Gruff felt a tug at his bottom end and  thought to himself "Hooray! I am rescued!"

          Pop went his little belly as he flew backwards from the hole.

         "What were you doing in that hole?" said a deep and thundering voice. " I know raccoons are curious, but I rather thought I'd find you in a garbage can." 

         Before him stood an enormous bear, grinning and looking rather cross-eyed at him.

         "Oh I do like garbage cans, but today I am looking for a house" said Gruff as he brushed himself off.

       "Well, I don't think you'll find one down there" declared the bear.

       "I will look anywhere to find just the right place for Fluff and I. And I really should be going now  if I am ever to find it. Thank you very much Mr. Bear for helping me get unstuck."

        "Perhaps a fine cave would work for you. We bears live in caves and find them very nice places to stay."

       "Wow!" said Gruff. "Maybe a cave would be a good place to live. May I see your cave?"

       "Of course you may. But first I must finish this snack I was enjoying before I

heard your cry for help. Would you care to join me?" said the bear as he reached up to a buzzing hive of bees.

       "Watch out!" said Gruff as he covered his head. "You're going to get stung by those bees. Bee stings hurt!"

      "Oh no" said the bear as his long tongue reached inside the hive like a snake.  "I only want the honey, and the bees are quite willing to let me take all I need."

       Gruff closed his eyes as he couldn't bear the thought of bee stings. But his curiosity forced him to peek, and all he could see was this huge creature lapping up honey and grunting with satisfaction.

        Gruff sighed, sat down, and wished he had a biscuit  and root beer. This house hunting business was hard work, and he was beginning to feel hungry and tired.

        The bear didn't talk at all while he ate, and Gruff didn't dare interrupt him, for he knew how grumpy bears can be when you bother them. Soon he finished, however, and Mr. Bear invited Gruff to his cave.

        The door to the bear's cave was much larger than the one to Coleman's house. It was so big that he and Fluff could walk in together. Probably  eleven raccoons and bunnies could enter this place together.

        "We spend a lot of time in here. Especially in the wintertime when we snooze for months on end" said the bear, who still had honey on his lips.

        "But Mr. Bear! It's so dark in here. Aren't you afraid?" said Gruff with a nervous crackle in his voice.

        "Ha ha! That's very funny little raccoon. What should a great big bear like myself be afraid of? Surely nothing! Especially those pesky little snakes that come in here to be warm."

        "SNAKES!" screamed Gruff as he looked down to see one slither right across his feet. Gruff was very brave, but snakes were one thing that scared the bejeepers out of him.

         Gruff bolted out of there like a rocket ship. He bid Mr. Bear farewell and thanked him for rescuing him, although he was far from the cave by the time the words came out.

         This would never do for Fluff. She was afraid even of spiders, much less snakes. Tired and discouraged, Gruff sat on a huge root sticking up from the ground. He thought about his day and all the different places the creatures of the forest lived.  Everything seemed to be too wet, or too small, or too scary, or too something. There must be a place just right for a raccoon and a bunny rabbit to live.

        Just then, wise old Plato the owl landed on a tree branch next to him.

        "What's wrong Gruff. You don't look very happy today?"

        "Oh Plato, I've been trying so very hard to find a new home for Fluff and I.

She is  sad because our house is so small and we have to walk sideways to get around. When we bend over to put our shoes on, our bottoms always hit something, and her poor little ears are bruised from bumping on the ceiling..and she's not even that tall."

         "Why Gruff, I saw you jump in the water today and get stuck in a hole. And just now I saw you running for your life. You have been looking very hard, but sometimes the answer is right under your nose. You just have to be patient." And with that, old Plato flapped his wings and took off.

         Hmph! The owl didn't seem so wise today. Gruff felt even more discouraged and began to pick himself up to give Fluff the bad news that they didn't have a new house yet. Just then he heard a sweet little bunny voice say...

         "Oh Gruff! It's beautiful! The perfect house. What a grand place for a raccoon and a bunny to live. A big beautiful tree with nice front door I can get into

and lots of room upstairs and downstairs."

         Gruff turned around in surprise to see where he was sitting. There behind him was the perfect place.  He turned back to Fluff who shed a huge bunny tear...this time because she was so happy.

         "Well actually Fluff I...."

         "Oh Gruff, let's go inside. I want to see this lovely view from our kitchen. Then I can make you a nice snack. You must be so tired and hungry from your big day. But you did it. You found the perfect house!" said Fluff as she took him by the hand.

         "But I..." and he stopped his sentence short as he caught a glimpse of the wise old owl. He winked at Gruff. Then Gruff puffed out his little chest and said

          "I just knew the right place was out there."   

The End