A Furry Fable–Conclusion

Why the Squirrel Has a Bushy Tail

by Blanche Day Manos

Wind tore at Squirrel. Rain blinded her. She had to blink fast to see anything at all, but she kept going, an inch at a time, down the tree toward the river. At last the roar of the river drowned out the sounds of the storm. She glimpsed the tip of ‘Possum’s tail above swirling dark water near the bank where the Yarrow bent double in the wind. A violent gust knocked Squirrel from her tree and blew her straight down toward the surging water. One grasping paw closed around the stubby stem of Yarrow.  She reached for ‘Possum with her other hand and clutched the part nearest to her–‘Possum’s wonderful, long, soggy tail. Squirrel hung on to her lifeline, the sturdy Yarrow, and to the panic-stricken ‘Possum. She clung like a determined little burr to both of them while rain and wind battered her, lightning hit the forest, and thunder echoed through the clouds.

At long last, the rain simmered down to a mere drizzle. The storm moved on to soak up another part of the earth, and the growling, angry river slowed to a mere grumble. Was Squirrel still clutching Opossum’s tail? Both her paws felt numb.

“It’s all right, Squirrel. You can let go now,” said the feeble-voiced ‘Possum. She crawled out of the river beside Squirrel. They both lay on the muddy bank, exhausted and relieved and more than a little astonished that they were still alive.

“You saved my life, Squirrel,” ‘Possum whispered. “Thank you.”

Squirrel had no energy left to answer. She just lifted one paw to show she had heard.

Just as the sun peered between a crack in some left-over clouds, Squirrel felt her old energy begin to seep back. She sat up. “Are you going to be able to go home, ‘Possum?” she asked.

‘Possum groaned and struggled to her feet. “I’ll be fine, thanks to you. I’m sorry I’ve been so mean to you, Squirrel. Do you forgive me?”

Gladness warmed Squirrel from the tip of her nose all the way back to her tail.  All she could think of to say was, “Sure do.”

“We’ve been looking for you,” said Rabbit as he hopped into the clearing. “We are counting animals to be sure all survived the storm.”

Raccoon waddled toward them. “We  found everyone but you two. We were worried about you,” he said.

“I almost drowned,” said ‘Possum, “but Squirrel saved my life. She is a hero.”

Raccoon gasped and stared at Squirrel.

Rabbit rubbed his eyes with his front paws. At last, he gulped, “Your–your tail.”

Squirrel’s heart plummeted. Were they going to start that again? She didn’t think she could bear any more ribbing. She put her paw back to rub her stubby appendage. What was going on? Her hind end felt different. It felt furry and long. She twisted into an S and looked behind her. Was ‘Possum’s tail stuck onto her now?  Gone was her pitiful little stub. In its place was a lovely, long, shiny tail that was even more beautiful than ‘Possum’s.

“And ‘Possum, what happened to you?” Raccoon cried, running behind ‘Possum and staring.

No longer did a magnificent plume bring up the rear of ‘Possum. Her long and gorgeous bragging point had disappeared. In its place was a skinny, bare tail. It had no fur on it at all.

‘Possum looked behind her. Without saying another word, she slunk off into the forest.

“Why is ‘Possum’s tail bare?” asked Rabbit. “And why are you wearing her tail?”

Squirrel’s brain felt as swirly as the river. She shook her head. “I don’t know,” she said. “I hung onto it to keep her from drowning. The little Yarrow plant kept us both from being swept away because I clung to it too.”

“The stubby little Yarrow?” asked Raccoon.

“It isn’t stubby any more,” declared Rabbit. “Look!”

“It’s long and lacy,” choked Squirrel. “Oh, this is too much. I think I’m going to faint.”

Rabbit giggled. “It still looks like Squirrel’s tail–her  new tail, that is.”

Rabbit was right. The Yarrow no longer had short stems. It grew tall and proud, with gracefully waving fronds. Amazingly, they did resemble Squirrel’s brand-new luxurious tail.

Everyone grew still as they tried to adjust to these miraculous changes. At last Raccoon said, “I guess this is your reward for bravery, Squirrel. And the Yarrow plant’s reward is to be beautiful and graceful, like your tail.”

Squirrel tried out her new tail. She flicked it. She whisked up the oak and sailed into the cottonwood. “Whee!” she yelled. “My new tail is wonderful.”

Raccoon and Rabbit looked at each other. Above them, Squirrel jumped and soared and yelled.

Raccoon shook his head. “She was never this noisy with her old tail.”

Rabbit nodded. “I have a feeling that life has changed. It may never be the same.”

Squirrel scurried down the oak tree and bounced around her friends, snapping her tail back and forth and reaching around to give it a pat.

“No,” she squealed. “Life will never be the same. From now on, it’ll be better! A lot better.”

So, that’s the way things were at the beginning and now you know the reason things changed. Squirrel gained a new confidence along with her lovely tail. She also gained a new personality. She chattered and scolded and was quite a bit noisier. However, she did keep her basic characteristics of kindness and generosity. It’s just that sometimes a person had to look close to find those virtues.

And ‘Possum? Well, along with her tail, she changed too. Mostly, she comes to the river only at night since the fateful day she lost her tail and nearly lost her life. Her personality, sad to say, hasn’t  improved much. She still has her beady eyes and insincere grin. But then, a ‘Possum is a ‘Possum and a Squirrel is a Squirrel and the rest of us just have to admire them for what they are. It seems that things worked out for the best and in these changing times, we can always hope for that wonderful outcome.

– The Furry, Fabulous End –