Unraveled - Part 6

The next day Patricia woke up to honking outside her front yarn. There was a very weathered looking man, driving a rusty truck. The truck looked like it was about to break apart any second. In the back of the truck bed there were three cages packed full of squirrels.

“I heard the announcement from the mayor that a squirrel haven sanctuary place has been started here at your place. So… here I am…”

He looked back at the squirrels who were crammed in the cages with wide anxious eyes. They looked as if they were about to get their heads chopped off like people in the French revolution.

“I’m sick and tired of all these pesky critters! All my bird food that I put out in my bird feeders… they’re eating it up before the birds can get to it!”

“Word travels fast around here!”

Patricia tried to take a deep breath. Momentarily closing her eyes, she thought about how she’d not even had her morning coffee yet.

“I’m gonna have to have extra strong coffee today!”

She mumbled to herself, continuing…

“That darn yarn… What on earth has he signed us up for?”

The man didn’t wait for her to respond further. He grabbed the cages and threw them down near her front steps. She started to call after him but he jumped in his truck and drove off. The truck muffler sounded like it was gagging or choking on its last breaths of life. Despite the beat up vehicle, that looked like it was pulled from a junk yard, it made it out to the main road.

“How on earth did he even catch that many squirrels?”

She questioned aloud.

“How are there even that many squirrels in this town? What on earth am I gonna do with all these squirrels? This is absolutely nuts!”

She wondered what kind of nuts that they ate.

“Acorns! They eat acorns!”

She pulled out her phone and called Samuel. He answered on the first ring.

“Hello, good morning, you’re up early, Patricia!”

“Well, I’m in a situation… You know our ‘friend’ who has gotten friendlier with the squirrels? Well, word is already out about the squirrel sanctuary and now I have three cages full of lots and lots of squirrels here! Oh… why did I think agreeing to this was alright? Anyhow, I need lots and lots of acorns! You know to feed them! I remembered that you were reading a book about acorns and how to make stuff out of them not long ago, weren’t you?”

“Um. Yeah…”

Samuel answered.

“Well, I need you to do me a huge favor! Can you see if you can collect as many acorns as possible and bring them here for them?”

He laughed a bit and didn’t question anything.

“Yeah, sure I’ll see what I can do…”

“In the meantime… I’m gonna have a word with Mr. Yarnell Tiddlywinks up in the nest!”

“Okay. Bye.”

Patricia hung up the phone. Still in her tweedy bird pajamas, she put on her leather work boots and jetted to where the tree and the squirrel nest was.

“Hey mister! We have a problem!”

Patricia heard a yarn from Yarnell.

“Oh hello there, don’t you look cozy in your jammies down there…”

Yarnell had been completed unraveled and had been woven meticulously into the squirrel nest. It was as if the sweater/pants that were knitted by Patricia had never even happened!

Patricia crossed her arms across her chest as if to guard herself somehow but then uncrossed them in aggravation.

“Due to you contacting the mayor, we now have lots of squirrels here! And I don’t know what on earth to do with them all! Since you’re the one whose started this mess, I command you to come down right now and help me figure how want to do with dozens of squirrels!”

In a smirky voice, Yarnell asked,

“But I thought you liked animals? I thought it’d be a nice surprise…”

“Oh… now you are the surprise! Ever since you got here things have been plum chaotic! Now, get your stringy butt down and let’s brainstorm or figure this out!”

“You’re clearly stressed out for no reason, Patricia. I bet you haven’t even had coffee this morning. Now, go back inside and do your morning routine. Also, I cannot come down… can’t you see I’m thoroughly enjoying living up here… You see, up here… I feel more respected and valued for the talented yarn that I am. Never before have I experienced such tremendous purpose!”

Patricia was really angry now. Near the edge of the barn wall, there was an old, mostly dry rotted, basketball. She picked it up and chunked it at the colorful squirrel nest. Yarnell shrieked wildly as he plummeted down to the ground. The squirrel that had being living in the nest had already hopped out of the yarn woven nest because it was intrigued by the cages in the front yard.

“Patricia, how could you! Things were so content up there!”

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Author’s Note:

To read part 7 by Colleen Walters, follow the link below: