As soon as Charles came home, Natalie said,
“Pack your bags – I won the lottery.”
“Should I pack winter or the Caribbean?”
was Charles reply.
It wasn’t long before Natalie responded, “It doesn’t matter. Get out!”
Those words didn’t really come from my mom and dad since Natalie – named after the actress whose last name was “Wood” – and Charles, who live in Elma, a suburb of Buffalo, New York, are woodchucks. Moreover, they love each other.
Some creatures call my dad, Chuck, but I respect my parents. I’m Wendy. If my mom entered a 7-11
store and tried to buy a lottery ticket, the person 1
behind the counter wouldn’t take her money, but her furry hide instead.
I begin with this incident because this is my first book and I need to keep you interested. My publisher said to always begin a book with something that grabs the reader. What my mom really said was, “Charles, we need to find a new place to live as some conglomerate will soon level our home and build high-priced condominiums.”
This practice has been going on for years as animals, and people, too, are kicked out of their homes so that businessmen can make big money on overpriced housing units. The former residents can’t afford to buy into the development and I don’t have to tell you of respectable raccoons – there are some
– beavers, wild turkeys, robins and deer and their chances of hanging around. For rats and cockroaches, that’s another story.
“What should we do?” asked Natalie.
“Maybe we should talk to my cousin Phil, you know, the rodent who resides in East Aurora on West Blood Road. His mountain is quite spacious so we won’t be intruding. All we have to do is bring him some wine and do a little digging.”
I couldn’t help but say, “But dad, wouldn’t that be giving in to the developers?”
“Wendy, we appreciate your concern and never-say-die attitude, but we’re hardly a match for the back hoes and earthmovers,” said my mom.
2
“Dear, maybe we could do both by moving near cousin Phil while simultaneously not giving in.
Doing the latter would mean getting organized and finding allies. We shouldn’t rule out help from two-legged animals,” replied Charles.
“I’m not crazy about rubber, but we could frustrate the corporations by chewing on some tires,” I said.
My mother replied, “Both of you are onto something.”
“Just when I thought our home was just the way we like it, along come big business to force us to move and start all over. I just realized that I’ll have to get a new set of tools,” said my father.
My mom knew it was close to that time, so she said, “Let’s head out for dinner. I found a nice patch of lettuce and carrots that should suffice. Who needs red meat? Besides, I think the owner’s gun is being repaired.”
3
X
4
5