The Letter to Sneaky Sue

 

 Maurice locked the front door on the farmhouse for the very first time that night.
            Then he sat down on the floor of the front room on his pile of folded blankets. But he was drowsy. The song was very much in his mind; he played the tune again.
            Then he thought of writing to Sue, but he fell asleep while thinking of what to say. It had been a long time, and a lot had happened to him.
            He fell asleep thinking about wildness, and then it was morning and bright sunlight was coming in the windows. He took his book and the pen out to the kitchen counter, because the window faced east and the light was brightest in there. He would write standing in the light there at the counter.

 

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Dear Sneaky:
        I have been thinking of you and Joseph, and wondering how you are doing? I know it’s been a long time. I’m still alive and I am near Ralph in his Forest. I have been sleeping in an old farmhouse where no one lives.
        A lot has happened to me. I don’t wear clothes anymore because I got fleas in them, so I buried them in the forest. Now, I just wear my fur and a nice bag for my red book, pen, and harmonica. I don’t know what I will do about that if I ever decide to visit you in Branson. But if I do I will figure it out.
        Well, Ralph will probably figure it out. Not me.
        A strange thing happened to me two nights ago. Me and Uncle Bob gave a concert from the top of his Stump House to the Forest. Some people came, Ranger Rick and his helpers, and the lady who writes for the paper in town. Two families of Forest People, a bear lady, and Ralph with his Ramona and little Cherry, and their animals. Twigg and his family came too, and the baby did kind of a light show. But the most surprising guest of all was that guy from space. Mak. He came in his ship!

        It was fun. Just like we used to do in parks and stuff. They really liked it, and I loved doing it. Bob writes good songs. Some of them are a little weird. But, he’s Bob. He used to be a heavy smoker. More about songs in a minute.
        After the show, I came out here and went to sleep. In the night something came in and took my book and read it. In the morning while it was raining real hard this thing like a witch made me play music for her and I couldn’t stop! Oh, Sneaky it was horrible.
        Ralph found me and set me free and made the mean thing disappear. All my stuff was wet, but Ralph made her give my book back. We went down to his place and ate and dried all my stuff. I finally decided I needed to come back here, so I did.
        I walked home through the night. I played a new song about going home alone, to make myself braver. I was walking in the moonlight, and I heard a voice singing a song to my tune. It was beautiful, but I don’t know who it was!
        Someday I will find out. I didn’t feel alone after the song I heard.
        How is Folkie Joe? Does he have any new hits?
        I will tear this page out of my book and find a way to send it to you.
        From your friend, Maurice, A True Howler
        Thank you for being so nice to me when you were a little kitten.

 🍂

 
            After Maurice wrote the letter, he loped over to Thaga’s house and knocked on the door. Soon she opened it, and was surprised to see Maurice standing on her porch in the morning sunshine.
            “Mrs., will you help me mail a letter to my friend Sue in Branson? I’ve never sent a letter before. I don’t have an envelope or a stamp,” said Maurice.
            “Of course I will. I hope you know the address, but we can probably figure something out. Come in,” said Thaga. “Why don’t you go sit in the kitchen with Ooog and I will get an envelope and a stamp for you.”
            He found Ooog sitting at the end of the big wooden table drinking some coffee and eating fried potatoes and onions, and some eggs.
            “Have a seat,” said Ooog, then he went to the stove and got a plateful for Maurice, and also a mug of coffee. “I heard you talking to Thaga. I’m sure she’ll figure out how to send your letter.”
Maurice said thanks and sat down around the corner from Ooog and started on his nice surprise breakfast.
            Thaga came back with a long plain white envelope and a stamp. She sat down at her place around the other corner from Ooog across from Maurice.
            Maurice explained that if she wrote the address like they were sending it to the ice cream shop that it would probably get to her, because there was only one Howler frozen custard shop in Branson MO. So, this is what she wrote:
            To S. Sue
            CO Howler Frozen Custard
            Branson, MO
 
            “I don’t know the zip code, Maurice, but it’s a small city, I believe and the post office will find it, I am pretty sure,” said Thaga.
            So Maurice carefully tore the page he had written from his red book and folded it up  to fit in the envelope. Thaga put it in and stamped it. She put her own address on it too for in case of return.
            “Now, if you go put it in our mailbox, and turn the little red flag up, when the mailman comes by, he will pick it up and take it to the post office,” said Thaga. “I hope she get’s your letter. I bet she does, and will be very surprised to see the return address and wonder who in the world is sending a letter from out here. Then she will read it and be very happy to hear from you!”
            “Thank you!” said Maurice. “The breakfast was very good too!”
            He ran out to the dirt road, crossing the little river first, found the Neanderthal’s mailbox and sent the letter on its way, hoping it got to Sneaky, his old friend.
            After that, he went to catch up with Uncle Bob and teach him the song he had heard the night before, in the moonlight.

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