For several days Wally Woodchuck had been looking for a good place to build his

home. One afternoon he found himself in a large sunny meadow. Brightly colored

wildflowers, green grass and clover grew everywhere.

        He climbed a small hill in the center of the meadow and looked around.

        Green forest bordered the meadow on the north. Behind it he could see snow-topped

mountains. To the south, ocean waves washed over a white sandy beach. A small brook

ran through the east side of the meadow.

        That evening Wally watched the most beautiful sunset he'd ever seen. He was sure

that when morning came the sunrise over the brook would be just as beautiful. He decided

this was where he would make his home.

        Wally worked all that night. He dug very deep and then hollowed out a large chamber.

As  he worked he thought of the home he had just left. His mother and father and his

brothers and sisters had all been very happy living, loving and laughing together. Wally

hoped that his new home would be a happy place too.

        When morning came Wally walked to the small brook and tasted the water. It was

cold and sweet. When he looked up, the sunrise was just as pretty as he had hoped it

would be. Wally knew he had made a good choice. Now if I only had some neighbors, he

thought, we could live, love and laugh together and the meadow would be perfect to live in.

         One morning as Wally was watching the sunrise, he noticed a family of woodchucks

coming across the meadow.

         Hooray, he thought, Maybe now I will have some neighbors.

         Wally was so excited he called out while they were still quite far away.

         "Helloooo!" he called, and listened carefully.

         "Helloooo! Helloooo!" the new woodchucks answered.

         As Wally waited for them to get closer, he began to smooth his golden tan fur so he

would look his best to greet them.

         When they were close enough to see them clearly, he saw that their fur was not tan

like his own. It was much darker. It was almost the color of the earth around his burrow.

         Wally had never known any woodchucks whose fur was not tan. What was wrong with

this family to make their fur so dark? He dove quickly into his burrow and hoped that they

would move on.

        Later, when Wally peeked out, he saw that the new family had decided to settle in the

meadow. They had moved off a little way to the east and were busy making their new

home.

        Wally went back down into his burrow feeling angry. He decided that if the

dark-furred woodchucks were going to live in his meadow, he would build a wall between

their home and his.

        Then I will not have to see them or hear them, he thought, I will not have anything

to do with them.

    He worked all that night. By dawn he had dug up all the dirt on the east side of his

burrow and pushed it up until it made a strong, high wall.

         When Wally stopped to watch the sunrise, he checked to see that his wall was high

enough so that he did not have to see or hear the dark-furred woodchuck family. Then he

saw that he had built it so high he could not see the sunrise either.

         Sadly, Wally thought, Well I can still see green forests and snow-topped mountains. I

can see the ocean beach and beautiful sunsets. Now if some tan-furred woodchucks would

move here, we could live, love and laugh together and the meadow would be perfect.

         A few days later as Wally was watching the ocean waves roll in and splash over the

beach, he saw another family of woodchucks coming across the meadow.

         Wally smiled. Maybe now I will have some neighbors, he thought, I just hope that

their fur is not too dark.

         This time Wally did not call out. He waited until they were close enough to see what

color their fur was. When they were very close he could see that they had tan fur like his.

         Wonderful, he thought, they look just like me! Excited, he ran down the hill to greet
them.

         "Hello," he said, "My name is Wally and I live in this meadow right over there." He

pointed to his burrow on the hill.

         The newcomers looked first at Wally and then at each other. They did not answer.

         "Hello!" Wally said a little louder this time. "I'm Wally and I live up there."

         One of the group stepped towards Wally. He smiled and said "Buenos dias."

         "Huh?" Wally said, puzzled. He wasn't sure his ears were working right.

         The stranger tried again. "Buenos dias. La pradera es muy bonito," he said smiling

and pointing around the meadow.

         Wally scuttled up his hill and dived into his burrow. He thought he had never heard

words so strange before. They're probably telling secrets about me right now, he thought.

         Wally decided that he did not like any woodchucks who used strange-sounding words.

He hoped they would be gone when he looked out again.

         Later, however, he saw that they had not left at all. They were busy building a new

home of their own and the dark-furred family was helping them.

         They were laughing as they worked and didn't notice Wally watching them.

         Wally stayed in his burrow the rest of that day. He decided he would build another

wall that night. He would build it high and strong like his east wall. He would not have

anything to do with this strange-sounding family.

         Wally worked all night. When morning came he looked at his new wall. It was as

high and strong as his east wall and he had connected them to form a corner.

         There was not much grass or clover left where his digging had torn up the meadow.

There  were no flowers left at all.

         Wally sat on his hill and thought. Now I do not have to see or hear any woodchucks

whose fur is not tan or who speak strange-sounding words.

         Then Wally realized he could not see the white sandy beach and the ocean waves

anymore either. He knew he would miss them but he thought, I can still see green forests

and snow-topped mountains and beautiful sunsets. Now when I get some neighbors, we can

live, love and laugh together and the meadow will be a perfect place to live.

         Several days later Wally was sitting near the entrance to his burrow. It was a chilly

early morning and he was waiting for the sun to climb high enough for its light and warmth

to reach over his east wall. He was admiring the pink glow of the sunrise on the

snow-topped mountains behind the green forest. He never looked to the east or south

anymore. He did not like the way the meadow looked in those directions. He was sad that

the new woodchucks had caused such changes.

         Suddenly he noticed a large group of woodchucks coming his way.

          Wally brightened. Good, he thought, maybe they will settle here and I will have some

neighbors. I just hope that their fur isn't too dark and they speak the same as I do.

         Wally kept very quiet as they came toward him. When they got close he saw that

their fur was tan like his own. He could hear them speaking his own language.

         A smile crossed his face as he thought, Neighbors at last!

         Wally gathered some clover blossoms he had been saving to eat later, and scrambled

down the hill to greet them.

         "Hello," he said to the largest woodchuck, "My name is Wally and I live in this

meadow. I've brought some clover blossoms to welcome you with."

         The large woodchuck smiled at Wally and said, "I'm Wendel and this is my family.

We're looking for a place to build a home. This meadow looks perfect."

         "It sure is and it has some lovely views too," Wally answered, pointing to the north

and then the west. He did not point to the east or south where his walls had blocked the

view.

         Wendel looked at the blossoms Wally had brought.

         "Thank you for the gift," he said, "but I notice that many of the blossoms are pink.

We're not allowed to eat pink clover blossoms, only white ones.

         Wally thought that was rather strange. "What are you talking about?" he said,

"There aren't any rules about eating clover blossoms that I know about."

         Wendel simply looked at Wally and said, "It's what we were taught. It's what we

believe."

         "Well I think it's just plain silly!" Wally replied.

         Wally threw the blossoms on the ground and ran back up his hill. In his burrow he sat

thinking about these new woodchucks with their strange idea about clover blossoms. Who

knows what other queer ideas they may have, he thought.

         When he came out later, he saw Wendel's family and the other woodchuck families

busy working on Wendel's new home. They were laughing and having a good time.

         That night Wally worked long and hard. He dug up the earth on the north side of his

burrow and pushed it up into a wall that was as strong and as high as his other walls. He

had just connected it at the corner when daybreak came.

         When he turned to see the sunrise reflected off the mountains, Wally saw that he had

built his new wall so high he could not see over it. Even the tops of the mountains were

hidden from his view. The meadow all around three sides of his home was so dug up he

couldn't see any flowers either. His part of the meadow was a mess!

         Wally felt bad when he remembered how pretty the sunrise had been on the mountain

tops. He missed the sandy beach and rolling waves.

         Well, he thought, I can still see the sunsets, and my walls will keep out any

woodchucks whose fur is not tan or whose language or beliefs are different than mine. He

wondered if he would ever have any neighbors to live, love and laugh together with.

         Late one afternoon Wally was getting ready to enjoy the sunset. This had become his

favorite time of day. Suddenly he saw a large group of woodchucks coming from the west.

         He wondered if they had come to settle in the meadow.

         I  just hope that their fur is not too dark, and that they speak the same language that

I do and believe the same things, he thought.

         Wally kept very still as the group approached. When they were close enough to see

and hear well, he could hardly believe his eyes and ears!

         Some of the woodchucks had fur so dark it was nearly black. Others had fur which

was tan like his own. Still others had fur which was as white as the snow on the mountains.

There were many in-between shades and some of the newcomers even had fur which was

several shades all mixed together!

         The other woodchuck families in the meadow had also noticed the group and were

coming out to welcome them. Wally stayed where he was, by his walls.

         He could hear the group talking. Several languages were being spoken.

         How can they understand each other that way? Wally wondered.

          The group didn't seem to be having any trouble with this however. They were all

talking and laughing together. They were enjoying themselves so much that they never

even saw Wally peeking out of his burrow.

         Suddenly Wally felt very alone and scared. He quickly dove down into his burrow out

of sight.

         Wally forgot all about watching the sunset that day. He stayed hidden in his burrow

for a long time thinking about what to do.

         Somewhere in the land there is a meadow bordered with green forest and

snow-topped mountains and a white sandy beach. Ocean waves roll in and splash across

the beach. Each morning the sunrise brings light and warmth to to the meadow and to all

the woodchucks who live there.

         Woodchucks of all colors live in the meadow. They speak many languages and have

many different beliefs about things. They swim and play on the beach together. They race

around and roll in the green grass together. They share the clover blossoms  and live, love

and laugh together. They think their meadow is perfect.

         Late in the afternoon, the woodchucks gather and watch the sunset. Sometimes they

sing as the sun goes down. Sometimes they just sit close together and watch. This is the

favorite time of the day for all the woodchucks.

         In the middle of the meadow there is a small area that is surrounded by four very

high, very strong walls. The walls have been there for a very long time. So long, in fact,

that none of the woodchucks can remember how the walls got there. Some of the younger

woodchucks have gone right up to the walls and called out, but no sound ever comes from

inside the walls.

         There is a legend among them that the walls were built by a woodchuck who wanted

to protect himself. Nobody knows why or from what and nobody remembers his name. A

few of the older woodchucks believe the legend is true. The rest, however, do not.

        "After all," they say, "what woodchuck would be so foolish as to build such strong,

high, ugly walls in such a beautiful meadow?"
 
 

JimCherryPix.com/writing
©2008