WILLY BEAVER AND THE MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE

By

Jennifer Watts

  

     Willy Beaver was busy repairing his lodge in the pond. 

 

     “I’m sorry,” called Chucky.  “I had to swim to get away from Bobcat.  I was so scared that I ran smack into your lodge.”

 

     “It’s okay,” yelled Willy.  “I’ve had to run from Bobcat too.  Just try not to tear my lodge up again.”

 

     “Sure thing,” said Chucky.  “Hey, what’s that shiny thing caught at the top of your dam?”

 

     Willy Beaver slapped the last bit of mud on his lodge.  Then he dove into the pond and came up next to the shiny object.

 

     “Hey!  It’s a bottle with a message inside!” exclaimed Willy.  He took the bottle in his mouth and swam over to Chucky. 

 

     “It might be a treasure map!  Hurry, open it!” said Chucky.

 

     Willy tried to twist the bottle cap off with his paws, but it wouldn’t budge.  “I can see some writing on the paper inside, but I can’t read it.  I don’t see very well,” said Willy. 

 

     “I have very good eyes,” said Chucky.  “Hmmm…..let’s see.  It says: WILL YOU BE MY FRIEND?  Shucks, I hoped it was a treasure map.”

 

     “Me too,” said Willy.  “But someone out there needs a friend.  I know what that’s like.  I was very lonely until you became my friend.”

 

     “I’m glad we’re friends, Willy.  Look, there’s a raccoon up the creek.  Maybe he sent the message.”

 

     The two friends scampered up the creek bank to where the raccoon was sitting eating a fish.  “Hello Mr. Raccoon,” said Willy.  “Do you need a friend?  Did you send the message in our bottle?”

 

    “Nope!  I’m Moon Raccoon, and I can always use a friend.”

 

     “We’ll be your friends,” said Chucky.  “Want to go with us, Moon, to find who sent the message?”  

 

    The three friends walked on up the creek until they came to a big rock ledge.  A weird looking animal was stretched out under the ledge.  The creature didn’t move, and its lips were drawn back showing its teeth.  “I hope he didn’t send the message,” said Willy.  “He looks dead.”

 

     “That opossum’s not dead,” said Moon.  “Ol’ Pete’s just playing possum.  Hey Pete, do you need a friend?”

 

     Pete slowly came back to life and stood up.  “Shucks, Moon, I don’t have many friends,” he said.  “Why do you ask?”

 

     “My friend Willy here found a bottle in the creek with a message inside that said: WILL YOU BE MY FRIEND?” said Moon.  “Someone out there needs a friend.  You want to help find him?”

 

     “Sure,” said Pete.  And the four friends took off through the forest.

 

      Before long, they came upon a little red fox sitting in front of a cave.  “Who are you?” asked the fox.

 

     Willy held up the bottle with the message in it.  “We’re looking for whoever sent this message.   Do you need a friend?”

 

     “I’m Roxie Fox, and sure, everyone needs a friend.  But I didn’t send the message.”

 

     “Do you want to help us search?” asked Chucky.  “We need to find him.” 

 

    “I’ll be glad to,” said Roxie.  And off went the five friends.

 

     They searched all through the woods.  Suddenly, they all stopped dead in their tracks.  “Whoo!  Whoo!  Who are you?” called a voice from above.

 

     “I’m Willy…I’m Chucky…I’m Moon…I’m Pete…I’m Roxie,” replied the five friends. 

 

     “Who are you?” asked Willy.  “And where are you?”

 

     “I’m Screech Owl.  Just look up and you’ll see me.”  Screech stepped out on the limb of a big oak tree so they could see him in the moonlight.

 

     “We’re looking for someone who sent a message in a bottle that said: WILL YOU BE MY FRIEND?  Was it you?” asked Willy. 

 

     “No, it wasn’t, but I’ll gladly have all of you as friends,” said Screech Owl.  “But I think I might know who sent the message.  Just follow me.”

 

     The six friends moved quickly through the trees.  Screech kept calling, “Whoo!  Whoo!” so the others would know where he was.  Soon Screech swooped down and landed on a big hollow log. 

 

     “It sounds like someone is crying inside that log,” said Willy.  “Who is it?”

 

     “Come on out of the log,” called Screech.  “You have friends out here.”

 

     “No I don’t,” said a sobbing voice.  “I don’t have any friends.  Everyone runs when I get near.”

 

     “Please come out,” called Willy.

 

     “Come out!  Come out!” they all sang.  “We want to be your friends.”

 

     “Okay,” a sniffling voice said.  “But I know you’ll just run.  You won’t be my friends.”

 

     First the nose and whiskers……. then the head……….. then the whole body was standing outside the log.

 

     “Oh no!  It’s Bobcat!” cried Chucky.  “What’ll we do?  He’ll kill us!”

 

     “See, I told you,” said Bobcat.  “I’m so ugly that everyone hates me.  They all run when I try to be friends.  Just be on your way, and I’ll go back inside my log and be friendless forever.”

 

     “No, wait!” said Willy.  “You’re not ugly.  You just look kinda mean, so we thought you wanted to kill us.  We won’t run anymore.  We want to be your friends.”

 

     “Really?” said Bobcat.

 

     “Really!” they all shouted.  And the seven friends were friends forever.