Читать книгу Kentucky Tails - Betsy Byrne - Страница 6

Everything was so stunningly bright, it was hard to see more than the forms of the mountains and her eyes watered from trying to forcedly see the breathtaking view. Tired from the trek to the cliff she sat on a rock nearby and the quiet was interrupted, not the usual tourist ooh’s and ahh’s but a quiet sigh that clearly sounded as if the person who obviously was sharing the view with Penny was also trying to catch his breath. It was more than worth the rush as the sunrise was magnificent.

The man was very quiet, seemingly peaceful and since she knew that he already saw her and surprisingly wasn’t interested in bothering her, she didn’t feel she needed to rush off. The Grand Canyon looked particularly beautiful this morning and when she turned her back to scamper away she caught a glimpse of the handsome man creature that shared all the beauty with her and was once again taken back but this time it was by him and not the canyon.

He had a furry chiseled jawline and a very kind face. His eyes sparkled and were dark brown like the clean acorns right after a soft rain. He already had his camera out pretending to take more photos of the canyon but aiming the camera directly at her. Penny blushed and turned her back once again to the stranger. Maybe if he couldn’t see her face he’d put down the camera.

As she glimpsed back she saw that he did. He sat back on a rock and they just both went back to enjoying the view. After a bit of time the man reached into his backpack and pulled out a sandwich. Penny watched him eat it with so much intensity that she never gave the canyon another view. She was starving and he kept reaching into his backpack and pulling out food.

She knew it was an awful thought but she wanted so badly to get to that backpack. She was hoping to find even a crumb of food. Even if she was hurt or killed what did she have to lose? No one wanted her around anyway. She was shunned from her family since she refused to marry the ‘chosen one’ picked by her parents. She always was very rebellious and supposed that was the last straw for her family.

She had strong instincts yet chose to toss caution to the wind and attempt to climb into the bag. While he was studying his photos and reading a book, she quickly and quietly made her way to his back pack just as the man reached down to pick it up again. He saw the movement, grabbed his backpack and vigorously shook it, to drop out whatever just crept in. Penny felt an earthquake stronger than anything she ever had heard about but hung on to the pocket for dear life. She decided that it would be better to try to stick with the kind looking man till she had a full belly from his lunch! A pebble dropped out and plopped onto the dirt. He heard the sound and felt satisfied that whatever it was he saw fell out and promptly zipped his bag closed.

Her heart beat so rapidly, she felt queasy but with a huge gulp she crawled inside one of the several small pockets so she wouldn’t be so tossed around.

Oohh, there were crumbs in this one that she chose. Everything was looking up! Even though there was so much movement she lay back against the soft material and chewed on the crumbs until she got full, and fell fast asleep. She must have slept for quite a while. She had been on her own for so long now and was always frightened. She was afraid to close her eyes, as she could get picked off by one of the known enemies of the canyon.

The sounds were different; Penny never heard anything other than the sounds of that area. Whistling winds and trees with their leaves rustling, sounding like the waterfall her family went to last summer. Although she loved to travel, how far was she going? She started to worry that she’d never be able to see her family again, even if it was just from a distance. She heard some loud sounds, it sounded like the strangers who came to visit the canyon daily at the huge place that they left their big carriers, when they slammed them shut.

She felt movement. Her heart felt as if it would leap out of her throat once again. What was happening? Did she leave the whole canyon area? She thought about how she never knew anything outside of those surroundings and sweat, very cold sweat lingered on her brow. The bag started swaying again. All of a sudden, there was quiet. It was so dark, and the zipper wasn’t being opened.

The man must have left again, only this time, she didn’t quite have the choice of where to maneuver to.

The more she thought, the more upset she made herself as she had such a vivid imagination. She became frantic and crept to the bottom of the backpack and in to a corner. She began chewing, using those razor sharp teeth and very strong claws to try to dig her way out. Her breath became rapid as well as her body shaking violently.

She finally started seeing a bit of light. She had to see where she was and try to keep herself safe. It took all her might to get out of that canvas bag that was so easy to climb into. She didn’t know what turmoil she may be stepping into. The room was darkly lit, but she could hear singing in the little room that was located right next to the large desk by the window. Water was running as she knew that sound.

She crept down the luxurious quilt on the bed, and made her way on to a very slippery and cold wooden floor. This must be where he sleeps at night. What a very cozy room and the colors were all so earthy. The best place to hide would probably be near the window so if it opened she could hop out. This was the only time she wished that she was as small as a mouse!

Now was the time to find something that she could hide behind so as not to be seen until she made her getaway. There was a desk that faced the window and she knew that if she could climb up the chair, she could try to hide behind the curtains that spilled onto it. The chair had roller balls on its legs and was very close in proximity to the window. It only took one huge leap for her to get her claws into the material that covered the seated part and swing her body up onto the desk. Wow, she thought, I guess it was a good thing that she was a TREE squirrel she was already so nimble.

The pretty red shade of her fur, (the reason she was named ‘Penny’) blended well with the reddish brown rich color of the curtains. It was perfect right near the window. Hopefully someone, anyone, will want to open it to freshen the air in the room. While the water was still on she heard a sound from the opposite side of the room.

She already felt disoriented but she crouched down right where she was at and luckily was able to hide behind a huge picture that stood tall near her. The entrance door swung open and a lady stepped inside, humming as she brought some freshly folded clothes inside and set them on the bed. She walked directly over and opened the window.

Penny started to feel sick again for she knew what she had to do. The lady had walked over to the area where the man was running water and started talking and laughing with her face turned as if she was looking at someone. Penny bolted from behind the curtains, snagging her toe nail on the curtain material. She let out a little whimper but still made it outside.

It was a room that was on the ground floor so it was even easier for her to shimmy down the drain pipe and on to the grassy wooded land. Where was she now? She didn’t know what or who to expect and it would soon be dark. Her toe was throbbing but not as much as her heart was at that moment. She felt the best plan would be to find a place to stay for the night now. She wasn’t sure if she’d like this place at all. She felt the cold ground underneath her little toes. She immediately started looking out for known enemies.

She was cautious because she knew that there was much that she didn’t know about enemies anymore. This was way out of her territory and she was frightened not knowing what to expect at all. Out of the corners of her eyes she kept seeing movement in the bushes and vigorous shaking of the branches in the many tall trees. She could only hope that she didn’t intrude into someone else’s territory.