Kids Story

Once there was a little boy named Jack. He loved to explore his backyard. He would climb up the ladder of his fort and peak through the watch hole. Sometimes he would see pirates sailing across a wide ocean. Sometimes he would see explorers discovering a pyramid in the middle of a desert. Other times, he would find a huge T-Rex stomping through a tropical jungle. Jack looked through his watch hole today and only saw his backyard. He saw his dog sniffing around the grass. He saw a bird digging for a worm in the dirt. He saw his little brother in the sandbox shoveling sand into a bucket.

He looked up at the clouds and sighed. An airplane rumbled across the blue sky and disappear behind the white puffs. He looked down at the yard again. To his surprise, he saw something move. Some strange creature no larger than a cat. But it wasn't a cat. He watched through the watch hole to get a closer look. He saw the creature scurry down the yard toward Jack's brother.

"Hey!" Jack yelled. "Stay away from my brother!"

The creature looked up in alarm and disappeared under the earth. Jack hurried down the ladder and ran across the lawn to the sandbox.

"Are you okay, Bradley?" Jack asked. Bradley was only two.

Without looking up from his sandcastle, he responded "yeah".

Jack examined the sandbox. "Hey!" Bradley yelled as Jack dug under the sand.

"I'm just checking to make sure you're safe." Jack said. "Did you see anything go under the sand?"

"No. Do you want to help me build this sand tower? It has to be built before the army comes to destroy it!" Bradley said pointing to the army men toys lined up along the sandbox.

"I have a better idea," Jack said. "Why don't you help me find a creature? It's a magical creature that disappears and scurries around like a squirrel but isn't a squirrel. It's like nothing you've ever seen!"

"Ok," Bradley said.

Jack and Bradley started their search around the sandbox where Jack had last seen the creature. They searched all around. They searched and they searched. But found nothing. Not even a hole where the creature could have hidden in. Soon, Bradley got bored and went back to his army men and tower of sand. But, Jack didn't give up. He searched around the slide and the swing. He searched under the wagon and in the climbing tree. He still couldn't find it anywhere.

Jack sat down in the grass and started to pluck blades from the earth. He pressed a blade of grass between his hands and blew. A whistle sounded loudly in the air.

"Well, come on then!" Someone said behind Jack.

Jack jumped in surprise. He turned around and before his very eyes was the creature! It had grey fur and eyes the color of the grass he sat on. It stood on all fours but his front legs were shorter than it's hind ones. It had a short, puffy tail like a rabbit and whiskers like a mouse. A little straw hat rested on his head with a long feather poking out. A long red scarf was wrapped around his neck several times. Jack stood agog staring at the creature.

"What- Who-" Jack began several sentences but didn't know how to ask the question. He didn't want to offend the creature. "Excuse me, sir, " He started. "Who are you?" He shuffled toward the creature. "Please?" He added for good measure.

"Oswald, at your service." The creature tipped his hat. "I'm the summoner here in these parts. Now when you's go on a whistling like that. Well, I just can't ignore it. Summoners can't never ignore it. But, I got lots of deliveries to be doing so best be on our ways."

Jack looked at Oswald. "I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to summon you. I've whistled with blades of grass loads of times. And so have my friends. Why haven't I seen you before?"