Willow’s Adventure…

A true children’s story…thankfully with a happy ending! 

The house was quiet and unusually still.  No music from the grand piano  below.  No sounds of laughter or the happy sound of children’s voices.  No sounds at all from the usually noisy kitchen.   Willow stood up on her back legs and sniffed.  She wondered where everyone had gone.  She glanced over at Midnight who was sound asleep in the corner of the gerbil cage.

Suddenly, Willow noticed a small beam of light shining on Midnight’s head.  Where could that be coming from?!  She looked up.  The light was coming from the trap door above!  It was not completely closed!

Curious as ever, she jumped on top of her exercise wheel and stood up…both of her front little paws on the trap door…and pushed!  The trap door sprung open!

“Midnight!  Look!  A way out…let’s go,”  Willow whispered as loudly as she dared.

“I’m not leaving Sweet Girl.  She feeds us and takes care of us!  I would miss her.  Besides, I’m too scared,” replied Midnight.  Then she stretched, yawned,  rolled over to the other side and went back to sleep.

“Oookay then, I’m going by myself!  You should be brave like me, Midnight!  Here I go, I’m pushing the trap door open….and…I’m out!”

The trap door closed behind Willow as she looked back into the cage to see Midnight sound asleep once again.

What Willow hadn’t counted on was the distance from where the cage sat on Sweet Girl’s desk to the floor below!  She knew!  She would jump to the desk chair first and then to the floor!

“GERONIMO!” she eeeked as loudly as she could as she practically flew to the seat of the chair and then to the floor below.

Willow looked up – way up – to the cage above.  She could no longer see Midnight.  She could barely see part of the cage.  The trap door had closed.  It was now or never.

Willow took a deep breath and stood up on her back legs to get a good look at everything.  Sweet Girl’s room was pretty.  It was filled with books and pillows and stuffed animals.

“Okay, no time for a tour right now.  I must be on my way!  I’m FREEEEEE,”   Willow yelled as she skipped the other two bedrooms upstairs and jumped from the top step to the step below.

“I’m FREEEEEE,”  she sang from step to step all the way down to the platform.  What she didn’t realize was that she was leaving a trail of poopy evidence of her escape!

JUST as she made her way to the platform below, she came face to face with a very large animal!  The family’s Hungarian Vizla – who was very excited to see her!

Willow’s heart was pounding in her tiny chest!  She scooted between the dog’s legs and ran for her life!

It would be three days of her life she would never forget…three whole days of FREEDOM!  She scooted into the closest covered spot she could find – under the soft leather cushion of the club chair and she prayed no one would sit there!  At least, there was no way the dog could reach her here!

Willow was just about asleep under a soft cushion on the chair, when she heard the sound of the back door and the family coming home.  The big dog ran to the family and tried to tell them about Willow.  They thought she was just excited to see them.

Sweet Girl went upstairs to change her clothes.  She had competed in a swim meet that day and had done really well, but now she wanted dry clothes.  As usual, she walked over to say hello to Willow and Midnight in their cage on her desk.  At first, she thought Willow had  burrowed into the clean bedding in the cage and then she realized…Willow was gone!

Sweet Girl was calm as she told her Mom that there was a problem but then the tears began.  She couldn’t help it.  The tears kept coming.  Willow was gone.  The whole family began searching.  They searched everywhere.  For hours and hours.  Then, they searched again.  Willow was gone.

The poopy trail led to the landing and no further.  Everyone looked at the big dog with suspicion.  Hmmm…could she really have done that?!  Big dog did not look guilty.

For three whole days, Willow wandered.  She saw the entire house from top to bottom.  She rested beneath soft pillows or in the dark beneath the sofa.  She found a few crumbs here and there to eat – but she was hungry.  Her heart always beat much too fast when she saw big dog.  She knew that she was in danger.

For three whole days, the whole family searched and Sweet Girl softly cried.  Sweet Girl’s grandmother came over to help look for Willow.  She got down on her hands and knees to look under the big club chair and the sofa.  It made her sad that she couldn’t find Willow.  It made her heart hurt to see Sweet Girl so sad.

For three whole days, the family eyed big dog with questions.  Sweet Girl’s Mom called the Vet and talked to him about the situation.  There was nothing they could do.

Sweet Girl’s dad had the idea of setting live mouse traps and they did.  Sweet Girl placed some of Willow’s food in it…and then she prayed.  The whole family prayed for a little missing gerbil.  They prayed Willow was still alive.

On the third day, they set the live mouse trap in the lower level den.  Grandmom was visiting.  She had been playing with Sweet Girl’s younger sister and brother.

“Grandmom!  Look!  The sunflower seeds have been cracked open and eaten!  It has to mean Willow is alive.  And, look, the trap door is closed!”  Little sister was very excited.

They were hopeful but the little cage was quiet.  No Willow.

About that time, Sweet Girl and her Mom returned home and joined in the search.  They searched big brother’s room on the lower level carefully then closed the door.  They searched the other rooms and closed all the doors.  They put towels beneath the doors so Willow couldn’t scoot under.  Grandmom and Mom looked under the sofa and chair in the kid’s den.  They removed pillows from everything.  They searched and searched!

Then Sweet Girl’s Mom began searching the play room with the large Barbie houses, the play kitchen set and the life size playhouse in the corner of the room.

“She’s HERE!  I see her!  Oh my goodness, she’s still alive!”  cried Sweet Girl’s Mom.  Willow was on the other side of the large playhouse!

Sweet Girl and Little Sister waited on one side and Mom and Grandmom on the other.  Willow was cornered!

Mom and Grandmom were holding up a blanket to block Willow’s way.  They had their knees holding down the blanket on the bottom.  Just about that time, Willow scooted somewhere under the blanket and took off!

“She’s under your feet!”  yelled Little Brother!

Willow felt cornered and scared…but she was also tired and hungry.  She made her way under a big square cabinet and trembled.  She had spent the past three days exploring and seeing the great big house.  She missed Midnight.  She missed Sweet Girl.  Maybe it was time to go home…but she was still very scared.

Sweet Girl, Little Sister, Little Brother, Mom and Grandmom waited…and waited.  Minutes turned into an hour.  They had scrunched blankets under all sides but one.  There was just one way out for Willow.  Sweet Girl put sunflower seeds just outside the edge of the chest and Willow would poke her head out just far enough to get them…and then back into the darkness.

Mom called Dad at work.  He had the idea of placing Willow’s cage just outside the chest where Willow was hiding.  Midnight was placed inside their clear exercise ball and away from the scene.

The minutes ticked by.  Sweet Girl and Grandmom were holding the blankets up on either side of the open door to the cage.  There was only one way in for Willow.  Sweet Girl made a trail of food leading up to the door.  Finally, Willow came out.  She crawled over by Grandmom and then over by Sweet Girl.  They held their breath.  Finally, it happened.  Willow walked up the ramp and into her cage!  Sweet Girl and Grandmom closed the door quickly!

Everyone was so happy!  Willow was happy to be home!  She explored her cage and jumped on the exercise wheel.  She drank water to her heart’s content.  She went up to the second story and back down again!  Midnight was happy to have her friend back.  She had been lonely.

Sweet Girl smiled and gave them both fresh food.  Sweet Girl was happy.  Then, she taped the trap door on the top securely closed!

by Dianne McGregor Campbell.  Copyright 2012.

 The featured photo at top is of Midnight, missing her little cagemate Willow.