Sammy and Bumpers

Pop-Pop And The Killer Squirrel The afternoon’s never seemed long enough, as Nana and Pop-Pop would sit on the back patio, reading and telling stories to both Melissa and T.C. Bumper’s was always watching and listening from his nest, high atop the giant oak tree. If no train was coming, and there was no loud clickety-clack sound along the tracks, he could hear Pop Pop reading the stories too. One Sunday afternoon, Amtrak, the people that owned the railroad, decided to work on the tracks right behind T.C. and Melissa’s house. This work was very noisy, as the workmen replaced old metal rails and rotten wooden ties. They were making so much noise on this particular Sunday afternoon, that Bumper’s couldn’t hear Pop Pop reading to T.C. and Melissa at all. This made him very sad. Amtrak Always Fixed The Tracks On Nights And Weekends Sammy had gone deep into the woods to look for fresh sticks to make Bumpers a new bed. He had outgrown his old one, and his two little feet were now sticking out over the end. He looked into the woods and called out, but because of the workmen he knew his sister couldn’t hear him. He wanted to go down closer to the patio so he could hear the stories that Pop Pop was telling. Sammy had told him to stay in the nest until she got back, but you know Bumpers. After looking around one more time and calling out to his sister, he started down the giant oak. Bumper’s Just Wouldn’t Listen He crawled along the side of the treehouse until he got to the stone walkway that led to the patio. He was pretty sure that neither Melissa nor T.C. saw him as he moved slowly toward them. They were busy concentrating, and straining to listen to Pop Pop’s voice over the sound of the men working on the tracks. Bumper’s crawled silently along the stone walkway, and up the flagstone steps that led to the patio. When he got to the top step, he stopped, and ducked under one of the big Azalea bushes that lined the edges of the patio. From there he could almost hear what Pop Pop was saying --- Almost, but not quite. Bumper’s decided he needed to get even closer. Jake had a doghouse under the bay window that had been built into the brick wall. It was dark and hard to see inside, and Jake only used it when it rained. Bumper’s decided to make a dash for it. He made it inside the arched entryway of the doghouse without anyone noticing him. He knew Jake wouldn’t be inside his doghouse, because Melissa and T.C.’s mom always put Jake in his crate when Nana and Pop Pop started to tell stories. Jake was always trying to jump up into Pop Pop’s lap. Pop-Pop Loved Jake And Jake Loved Pop Pop Nana liked Jake too, but she was still a little afraid of dogs. One very big dog had scared her when she was a little girl, and she still became afraid when she saw a dog now. On this Sunday afternoon though, Nana was still inside looking at picture albums with T.C. and Melissa’s mom. Today, Nana Was Still Inside Bumper’s poked his little head out of the arched doorway of Jake’s doghouse, but still couldn’t hear clearly what Pop Pop was saying. HE HAD TO GET EVEN CLOSER! He decided his next move would be to get right next to Pop Pop’s chair, and then hide himself inside the scattered newspapers that Melissa’s mom had left on the patio that morning. Bumper’s counted 1—2—3, and then ran for the papers as fast as he could. He made it safely, and was now buried inside the colorful comic section of the Philadelphia Sunday Inquirer. Bumpers could finally hear Pop Pop clearly. He was reading the story about Baby Dear, a favorite doll of the girl that the book was written about. Even though Melissa was now eight years old and T.C. four, they still both loved hearing the story. Their mother had read it to them many times when they were younger, and it was very special when Pop Pop read it to them now. After Pop-Pop finished reading Baby Dear, T.C. said, “More Pop-Pop, read more, PLEASE.” Pop Pop had read all of the books he had brought outside, but looked around for something else to read. As he looked down on the patio, he saw the Sunday Paper lying just to the left of his chair. “OK, Buddy, let’s see what Beetle Bailey and Little Abner are doing today,” as he reached down for the comic section. “HOLY SHIMOLIANS, JUMPIN JEHOSIFATS, LORD A’ MIGHTY, IT’S A SNAKE, IT’S A WEASEL, IT’S A RAT!” Quick run, while I go get something to smash it with.” Pop Pop jumped up from his chair and ran into the house, as Melissa and T.C. started to laugh and couldn’t stop. They laughed and laughed until their little bellies ached. When Pop Pop reached down for the comics, they both saw Bumper’s dash out from underneath, and make a beeline straight back for the giant oak and the safety of his nest. “It’s Ok Pop-Pop,” they both said, when they finally stopped laughing. “That was just Bumpers, and he’s a friend of ours.” “You two are friends with a snake or a rat,” Pop Pop asked? “No Pop-Pop, Bumper’s isn’t a snake or a rat, he’s just a squirrel, and he’s been living in our back yard with his big sister Sammy for a very long time.” When Pop-Pop reached down to get the comics, his glasses slid off his face and into his lap. Pop Pop didn’t see too well without his glasses. He felt the papers move, and then he saw something run out from underneath them. Without his glasses, he couldn’t make out what it was that had run so fast from under the funny papers. He assumed that it had to be a snake or a rat. “A squirrel, what kind of squirrel hides in the newspaper and then runs out and almost scares me half to death,” Pop Pop asked? Melissa and T.C. started to laugh again and couldn’t stop. When Pop Pop thought about the whole thing for a minute, he started to laugh too. All three of them now sat there laughing together so loudly that Nana came running out to the patio to check on them. T.C. and Melissa’s mom came running out right behind her. “Pop Pop just met Bumpers for the first time mom,” T.C. said. “Yep, he was hiding under the comics. When Pop Pop reached for them, he ran out from underneath and back into the yard. We never saw Pop-Pop move SOO fast before.” Nana and Kathryn were now laughing too. All five of them were now belly laughing at the funny scene that had just happened on the back patio. Pop Pop Laughed The Loudest Bumper’s had made it back to the safety of his nest but he could still hear the laughter, even over the noise that the workmen were still making on the tracks. It seemed to him like the laughter was never going to stop. “What’s so funny,” he thought to himself. “I thought Melissa and T.C.’s Grandfather was going to stomp me with his big shoes.” “All I Wanted To Hear Was The Story” That night when they were getting ready to leave, Melissa, T.C. and their mom, walked Nana and Pop-Pop out to their car. T.C. jumped into the back seat and got down on the floor. Nana thought he was pretending to hide as usual, so he could stow-away and ride with them back over the bridge to New Jersey. “C’mon Buddy, let’s go, his mother called out. You have school tomorrow, and you can’t go back with Nana and Pop-Pop tonight.” “I’m not trying to stow-away,” T.C. called back to his mom. “I’m looking for something dangerous that might be hiding in the car.” “Dangerous, what could be dangerous hiding inside of Pop Pop’s car,” his mother asked? “You know mom, you can never be too careful. It might just be one of those KILLER SQUIRRELS trying to hitch a ride back to Nana and Pop Pop’s, where he can hide in the funny papers when Pop Pop’s not looking.