Ramona was outside, like she mostly always
was, dealing with her fire, when she started to notice smoke drifting into the
Home Clearing from the direction of Uncle Bob’s Stump.
“Ah,” she thought, “he’s made himself a nice little fire to cook something on!” And she went back to her business.
“I wonder what he’s cooking? He must be just hanging it up over his fire, he doesn’t know anything else to do..” But the smoke got thicker. It didn’t smell like cooking either.
“Oh, no! No! That’s way too much smoke,” she muttered to herself. She wanted Ralph and he wasn’t home at the moment.
Well, Ramona thought, “I’ll call Maeve! She’ll find Ralph, and he will figure out if Bob is on fire!”
Strictly speaking, whether it was Bob in his Stump, or some other source of smoke, it was just too much smoke.
Up in the sky, way above the tree tops, Maeve was coming from wherever ravens come from. She saw a plume of smoke reaching up out of the trees where no plume of smoke should be. Her heart skipped a beat, but her wings didn’t.
She dropped into the clearing like a sort of beneficent bomb, to find Ramona standing there about to whistle for her.
“Find Ralph, Maeve, as quick as you can!” said Ramona. “That’s too much smoke! Something is wrong!” Maeve took off instantly.
When Maeve located Ralph he was upstream practicing his new fish calling song. And he was catching a few. He had that burlap bag about half full.
“Something is burning, Boss! The Home Clearing is full of smoke, Ramona is afraid something is terribly wrong. She has the kids, and the cats corralled at home, and she is waiting for you!” She took a breath. She cocked her head, looking at him urgently.
“Let’s go, Birdie!” said Ralph, and they did!
When he got home, everything there was alright, but very smokey.
He began to suspect that this had something to do with Uncle Bob. Of course. Uncle Bob had this way of being helpless. Even sober, he had a hard time with things.
“Hang on, Mona! I’ll go see what’s wrong with Bob,” and he took off running. He left her the bag of fish, so there would be something for dinner.
Now, while all this was going on, a white Raven, was sitting high up in one of those Douglas firs watching the commotion. She said nothing. She was tired. It had been a long time since she had seen this place, and she felt a little shy. She wanted to have a talk with Maeve, but Maeve was flying all over the place with Ralph, who was heading out to Bob’s Stump.
OK, we got that much established!
The closer Ralph got to Bob’s place the smokier the air became.
“Looks like it’s the stump, Boss,” yelled Maeve from up above where she could see everything. She circled around in the smoke over the stump, waiting for Ralph to get there.
When he did, he found Uncle Bob asleep inside the Stump House and a little fire burning on the outside which had caught the stump itself. Well, Ralph hoped that Bob was just asleep! He looked like he was sleeping but it was so smokey inside there.
“Bob,” Ralph roared, “get up! Wake up! Get out of there!” He was down on his hands and knees looking inside. He grabbed Bob’s foot and gave it a good big pull.
“Oh, hi, Ralphie! Where’d all this smoke come from?” mumbled Bob, rubbing his eyes and looking around vaguely.
“You made a fire too close to your stump, and then you went to sleep!” said Ralph. “It spread, and now I have to go put it out. Come out here and help!”
So, Ralph and Bob kicked the fire apart and away from the stump. They didn’t have any water, so they did what they had to do, and the fire was extinguished at last.
“I guess the rain will wash all of that away, Bob,” said Ralph. He had to laugh a little.
“Yeah, wow,” said Uncle Bob. “Hey, thanks Ralphie. You saved my life!” There were tears in his eyes.
“I guess so. Let’s go see Ramona and the kids and tell them all about it. We’ll have those trout I caught today for dinner and figure out what to do, said Ralph.
“Oh! Thanks Ralphie! I’d like that. Is it OK with Ramona?”
“It’ll be alright, Bob. She likes you!” giggled Ralph.
True or not, it was the best thing to say at the moment. And, goodness knows, Ramona was always a good sport.
Maeve flew overhead, and Ralph and Bob made their way peacefully back to the Home Clearing. It felt much better not to breathe smoke and to just walk home at a normal pace.
The story was told. Ramona nodded happily. Twigg was sorry to have missed the excitement. Cherry listened seriously. Even Berry and Bob, the cat, paid close attention, but didn’t make any remarks. They looked at each other wisely though.
When Deirdre, the white Raven, saw her sister, Maeve, she announced her presence with a few polite gronks and knocks. She flew down to join the circle by the fire where Ramona was frying the fishes for everyone’s dinner.
It only added to the festivity of the evening. Maeve and Deirdre were delighted to find each other again. Everyone was pleased to meet her, and after introductions, they had a wonderful storytelling conversation. Deirdre described her adventures of the last year or so. She had been visiting a place we call Alaska. The flight back was the reason she was a little tired that night.
While eating, Ralph said, “Uncle Bob, how are we going to get you to remember not to go to sleep when there is a fire burning, or anything else that you should be paying attention to?”
“I don’t know, Ralphie. I’m sorry. Sometimes everything just goes cloudy on me…”
“That’s not good. We want you to live a long time and have fun,” said Ralph, “not have some awful disaster! It’s your memory I wonder about.”
Everyone sat silently inside their own thoughts for a few moments.
Then Deirdre spoke, “I’m good at remembering things,” she said. “I could help.
“We Ravens are good at watching and warding. I could help Uncle Bob remember, and I need to be near my sister now. I would be pleased to help!”
“A kind and wise idea, sister,” said Maeve. “But does he want you to be his memory assistant?”
“Yes! Yes I do! I would be so happy,” said Uncle Bob.
“Then I will be pleased also” said Deirdre, the white Raven.
Ramona’s fire burned low. The kids and cats went to bed. Ramona and Ralph got sleepy too. The stars came out up in the treetops.
Uncle Bob and Deirdre walked back to his Stump House. They had a lot of interesting things to talk about on the way. It was the beginning of a fine friendship.
“Ah,” she thought, “he’s made himself a nice little fire to cook something on!” And she went back to her business.
“I wonder what he’s cooking? He must be just hanging it up over his fire, he doesn’t know anything else to do..” But the smoke got thicker. It didn’t smell like cooking either.
“Oh, no! No! That’s way too much smoke,” she muttered to herself. She wanted Ralph and he wasn’t home at the moment.
Well, Ramona thought, “I’ll call Maeve! She’ll find Ralph, and he will figure out if Bob is on fire!”
Strictly speaking, whether it was Bob in his Stump, or some other source of smoke, it was just too much smoke.
Up in the sky, way above the tree tops, Maeve was coming from wherever ravens come from. She saw a plume of smoke reaching up out of the trees where no plume of smoke should be. Her heart skipped a beat, but her wings didn’t.
She dropped into the clearing like a sort of beneficent bomb, to find Ramona standing there about to whistle for her.
“Find Ralph, Maeve, as quick as you can!” said Ramona. “That’s too much smoke! Something is wrong!” Maeve took off instantly.
When Maeve located Ralph he was upstream practicing his new fish calling song. And he was catching a few. He had that burlap bag about half full.
“Something is burning, Boss! The Home Clearing is full of smoke, Ramona is afraid something is terribly wrong. She has the kids, and the cats corralled at home, and she is waiting for you!” She took a breath. She cocked her head, looking at him urgently.
“Let’s go, Birdie!” said Ralph, and they did!
When he got home, everything there was alright, but very smokey.
He began to suspect that this had something to do with Uncle Bob. Of course. Uncle Bob had this way of being helpless. Even sober, he had a hard time with things.
“Hang on, Mona! I’ll go see what’s wrong with Bob,” and he took off running. He left her the bag of fish, so there would be something for dinner.
Now, while all this was going on, a white Raven, was sitting high up in one of those Douglas firs watching the commotion. She said nothing. She was tired. It had been a long time since she had seen this place, and she felt a little shy. She wanted to have a talk with Maeve, but Maeve was flying all over the place with Ralph, who was heading out to Bob’s Stump.
OK, we got that much established!
The closer Ralph got to Bob’s place the smokier the air became.
“Looks like it’s the stump, Boss,” yelled Maeve from up above where she could see everything. She circled around in the smoke over the stump, waiting for Ralph to get there.
When he did, he found Uncle Bob asleep inside the Stump House and a little fire burning on the outside which had caught the stump itself. Well, Ralph hoped that Bob was just asleep! He looked like he was sleeping but it was so smokey inside there.
“Bob,” Ralph roared, “get up! Wake up! Get out of there!” He was down on his hands and knees looking inside. He grabbed Bob’s foot and gave it a good big pull.
“Oh, hi, Ralphie! Where’d all this smoke come from?” mumbled Bob, rubbing his eyes and looking around vaguely.
“You made a fire too close to your stump, and then you went to sleep!” said Ralph. “It spread, and now I have to go put it out. Come out here and help!”
So, Ralph and Bob kicked the fire apart and away from the stump. They didn’t have any water, so they did what they had to do, and the fire was extinguished at last.
“I guess the rain will wash all of that away, Bob,” said Ralph. He had to laugh a little.
“Yeah, wow,” said Uncle Bob. “Hey, thanks Ralphie. You saved my life!” There were tears in his eyes.
“I guess so. Let’s go see Ramona and the kids and tell them all about it. We’ll have those trout I caught today for dinner and figure out what to do, said Ralph.
“Oh! Thanks Ralphie! I’d like that. Is it OK with Ramona?”
“It’ll be alright, Bob. She likes you!” giggled Ralph.
True or not, it was the best thing to say at the moment. And, goodness knows, Ramona was always a good sport.
Maeve flew overhead, and Ralph and Bob made their way peacefully back to the Home Clearing. It felt much better not to breathe smoke and to just walk home at a normal pace.
The story was told. Ramona nodded happily. Twigg was sorry to have missed the excitement. Cherry listened seriously. Even Berry and Bob, the cat, paid close attention, but didn’t make any remarks. They looked at each other wisely though.
When Deirdre, the white Raven, saw her sister, Maeve, she announced her presence with a few polite gronks and knocks. She flew down to join the circle by the fire where Ramona was frying the fishes for everyone’s dinner.
It only added to the festivity of the evening. Maeve and Deirdre were delighted to find each other again. Everyone was pleased to meet her, and after introductions, they had a wonderful storytelling conversation. Deirdre described her adventures of the last year or so. She had been visiting a place we call Alaska. The flight back was the reason she was a little tired that night.
While eating, Ralph said, “Uncle Bob, how are we going to get you to remember not to go to sleep when there is a fire burning, or anything else that you should be paying attention to?”
“I don’t know, Ralphie. I’m sorry. Sometimes everything just goes cloudy on me…”
“That’s not good. We want you to live a long time and have fun,” said Ralph, “not have some awful disaster! It’s your memory I wonder about.”
Everyone sat silently inside their own thoughts for a few moments.
Then Deirdre spoke, “I’m good at remembering things,” she said. “I could help.
“We Ravens are good at watching and warding. I could help Uncle Bob remember, and I need to be near my sister now. I would be pleased to help!”
“A kind and wise idea, sister,” said Maeve. “But does he want you to be his memory assistant?”
“Yes! Yes I do! I would be so happy,” said Uncle Bob.
“Then I will be pleased also” said Deirdre, the white Raven.
Ramona’s fire burned low. The kids and cats went to bed. Ramona and Ralph got sleepy too. The stars came out up in the treetops.
Uncle Bob and Deirdre walked back to his Stump House. They had a lot of interesting things to talk about on the way. It was the beginning of a fine friendship.
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