Further Adventures in The Baker National Forest

 

          There is a kind of nausea brought on by too frequent disappearing and reappearing. But Ralph wasn’t too worried about Twigg.  He figured the problem would arise naturally and then sort itself out naturally, once Twigg had made the connection.

            Presently the boy was like a cryptid yoyo. Apparently cougar cubs are also prey to this disappearing act. Berry and Bob hardly knew which way to look. First Twigg was here, then he was somewhere entirely elsewhere, with no visible travel between.  Bob and Berry were not entertained! Twigg sure was though.  His bright little brown eyes were just shiny with the glory of it all. But Twigg was the only one, beside his dad maybe, who was having a good time in the old clearing by the home cave.
            “Ralph, honey, sweety, doll,” said Ramona. Ralph knew this meant she was serious. When she called him four different sweet things at once, it meant something was on her mind.
            “You taught him how to do it,” said Ramona. “He’s making those cats crazy. He’s making ME sick to my stomach. I wish you would teach him something else, to keep him busy, if nothing else,” she said, perhaps a bit rashly.
            “I wonder if he is old enough for ‘singing’,” said the doting father fondly. “I wasn’t a heck of a lot older when my old dad got me started ‘singing’! It went okay, I think.”
            “No time like the present, dearest,” purred Ramona.

*0*

            So, Ralph went to find his boy and get the ball rolling. He found him on the well-known log, where Ralph conducts all his serious business, Dispensing Wisdom, and such.
            “Twigg, dear son,” said Ralph, “you’re getting so good at that vanishing trick!  I think we should start something even better! This trick is the one that sets all of us Squatches apart from the rest of the family of Man!  Oh, it’s grand Twigg!”
            “OK, dad!” said Twigg sitting right down and paying attention.
            “Here, let me show you,” said Ralph.
            He blew out all of his breath! Then he pulled in a mighty draft of air and at the same time, sang a bit of a song of his own design. It swelled, it went higher and higher.  Then it was over. He let that strange breath go out.
            Shining in the dim air of the deep forest, suspended in mid air was a pink orb of light like a small moon. It was glamorous! It was pretty, and about the size of a basketball.
            “Dad, how did you do that!” yelled Twigg, leaping to his feet!
            “Aw, Twigg, it’s just natural. You can do it anytime. Make a picture in your mind of what you want to see, blow out all of your air, then breath in while singing something about it.  It’s the most fun ever! It’s important to make a lot of noise!”
            So, Twigg thought for a few seconds. He settled the vision in his mind and blew out all his breath. Then standing on the big log, he drew in the biggest breath he could while making a terrible squawking noise. Then he let that breath go out, just like his dad had.
            Flapping her wings furiously in the middle of the air, Maeve appeared! Twigg had ‘sung’ her from wherever Ravens go when they are not working or butting in, and had rudely made her appear!
            “Sorry Maeve!”, said Ralph.  “Sorry!  Sorry!  I was just teaching Twigg here to ‘sing’!”
            She straightened her black feathers, gave them a good shake, and flew up through the tree tops and out into the sky without a word. Ralph knew he had not heard the last of it. He sighed.
            So, Ralph and Twigg had a long talk about manners.  They nailed down a few basic rules. No. 1, we don’t ‘sing’ living creatures against their will. That’s quite rude, actually, Ralph told his son.
            “Stick to making pretty lights, and stuff like that for a while Twigg. Entertain Berry and Bob.  I think they are a little lonely since you have been so busy!”
            “Let’s go find your mom and you can show her what you can do,” said Ralph. “This should be fun, and she’ll be really impressed!”
            This episode probably explains a lot, but that’s a story for another time.
            Meanwhile, Ralph and son strolled happily home, looking for Ramona and possibly, some lunch.