In The Woods

Chapter 4

Forest "Forces"
         All life in the forest was paused for what seemed like an eternity, ears (or leaves) pricked up, listening intensely.  The scream was mournful and full of fear.
It shattered the wood animals' hearts, bringing out all of their sorrows with its own.
         When the scream was finally stopped and a heavy silence spread throughout the deep dark forest, many of the animals continued to stand still, just crying. Then the only noise heard was the sniffling of many sad animals and the mourning creaks of trees and the grieving whispers of the flowers and grasses.  Then out came Old Mrs. Dormouse to break up the sadness.
         "Look't you all!  Cryin' like a bunch of ninnies, ya'll are!" she scolded in a shaky voice, dabbing her own eyes with a handkerchief and waving around her twig cane wildly.  She sniffled and looked around, then started talking again.  "Come on, now.  Let's pull ourselves together!  Think!  We've got over, what, fifty stinkin' guys comin' o'er to trash our forest and we're all sittin' round doin' nothin'!  As if that's actually gonna do somethin' for our forest! Pathetic." She turned on her heel and walked away shaking her head and rapping animals' heads with her cane, whiskers twirling wildly and her fur looking as awry as ever.
         Smiles entered the faces of many of the animals.  Old Mrs. Dormouse was a funny old lady.  She had lived in the forest all of her life, and she had gray tufts of fur standing at odd angles all over the top of her head, along with a day-lily that sat right behind her ear.  Her tail always appeared to be in knots, and whenever she got excited she would wave around her pussy willow twig cane like a madwoman, and her nose would twitch in indignation. She was on of those old ladies who liked people to think she was mean and grouchy and really was very sweet and cared for everyone.  Once she baked pumpkinseed pie for Mrs. Finchley because she was ill and couldn't take care of herself, and her husband had to help the children migrate.  The bird thanked the mouse, but all the old lady said was, "Well, I had a lot of time on my paws.  I might as well cook for you.  It was nothin' really," and she walked away twirling her pussy willow cane, shifting the day-lily on the top of her head, and flattening out her fern apron.  Then she walked into the more crowded town-like part of the forest muttering and complaining to herself.  That was Old Mrs. Dormouse.
         "Alright!" cried Mole, grinning his adorably hysterical bucktoothed grin, "Let's put our heads together.  We need to figure out how to defend our forest from this forest Exterminator or all is lost.  Mrs. Dormouse is right; we're pathetic.  Let's make that a lie.  Let us create some forest forces!"  The crowd of forest plants and creatures applauded.  "Come on, now!  Stop your cheering!" said Squirrel, mocking scolding.  "Every second we just stand here listening to a mole," Squirrel winked at his friend, "is a second wasted for planning our war!"  He smiled, laughed, and thumped grinning mole's back. "Let's go!" they shouted together.  Then the whole forest was screaming and applauding and cheering.
         The wood was now a party and a pep talk.  Everyone was making the best of things.  Everyone but Willow, who sat weeping and moping in the far corner of the forest, and Elm, who stayed by Willow's side to comfort him.