Sunday, January 08, 2006

I need a title

Hey, I wrote this as an assignment for school (to write a "folktale"), and I need a title. Help me out.
Here it is.

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There was once, way back when elephants had only a stubby trunk and the rhinoceros had no skin, a little Grey Fox, with a Mrs. Grey Fox and fourteen little foxes. He lived a happy life for the most part. Everybody in the White Forest knew Grey Fox. He had no enemies to speak of, except for one.

Grey Fox made his home in a crevice underneath a big rock. It was a nice home for a family such as the Foxes, furnished with all the comforts that a good home should have. All the comforts except for the very most important ¬– fresh water! But you see it had not always been that way. No indeed! There was once a beautiful clear creek cascading down a series of mossy rocks, close enough to spit, or whatever Foxes would do. Three weeks ago Busy Beaver dammed up the creek forty feet above the Foxes.

“That stupid beaver!” said Grey Fox to Mrs. Fox, “Our home was ever so much nicer before he built that dam upstream. Now we have to walk another thirty feet over in order to get a drink, because the dam caused the creek to move.”

“Oh dear, really it’s not that big of a deal. Busy Beaver has to have his home too.” said the gentle Mrs. Fox. “We should try to be nice neighbors to him.”

“Okay Honey, whatever you say. I’m gonna go over and visit Mr. Gopher.”

“Okay.”

Mr. Gopher was a crabby old gopher who lived in a hole just over the big moss covered tree that had fallen last year. Gopher was hated by the larger animals of the woods, because of his lack of self-control when it came to digging holes. They were always stepping into them and getting hurt.

“Hello the hole!” shouted Grey Fox as he approached the hole, and out came Mr. Gopher.

“Well, if it isn’t Mr. Fancy Pants! What do you want?” Grumbled the gopher

“Hello, Mr. Gopher!” I was wondering if you’d like to help me get rid of the beaver dam upstream?”

The gopher, without even hesitating said, “Well! I most definitely would! Why ever since that flat-tailed creature made his home up there, my fur has been matted and muddy, because of how close the creek comes to my hole.”

Gopher’s coat was always dirty, thought Grey Fox, but he decided it wouldn’t be wise to voice it seeing as how he wanted his help to carry out his sly plan. So instead he said, “Oh my, my! That’s horrible! We were here first. He should pay for his trespasses!”

“Well, let’s get to it. What were your plans?” inquired Mr. Gopher, rather impatiently.

“I figure that you can dig holes all through his dam, while I jump up and down on top of it. That should make the entire thing start to break. Then we run off to the side before it breaks. You see?”

“It just might work!”

“Let’s do it.”

And so they went upstream until they reached the dam. There they stopped to make sure he was not at home. When they made sure he wasn’t, Mr. Gopher proceeded to burrow into the dam.

“Fhew, this is hard work! I’m not used to digging through sticks. Try jumping harder.” suggested Beaver

“I’m jumping as hard as I can. Dig faster Beaver could come home a any time,” retorted Grey Fox

Just then, a wind started to blow. It got stronger and stronger until finally Grey Fox and Gopher began to see all the creatures of the forest get into their homes. Just as Gopher began another hole in the dam, an old dead tree just behind the pond began to fall from the mighty force of the wind. To their horror, it was falling directly towards Grey Fox and his companion!

“Gopher! Gopher! Get out of there now!” cried the Fox, but before either could vacate the premises the tree was already upon the dam, missing the two delinquents by only inches. In an instant the weakened fortress began to crumble. To make matters worse it had begun to rain– rather pour. Only hastening the destruction of the dam.

“Gopher climb on my back; we’ve got to get out of here now!” shrieked Grey Fox, and Gopher did so immediately.

The two arrived on semi-solid ground only moments before the entire dam burst forth with all the fury of the water behind it. After the initial shock the two reflected on their success. Then Grey Fox realized that the river had flooded its previous windy banks and ripped straight down the hill, right towards the Fox’s den!

“My family!” shouted the Fox, “I’ve got to save them!”

He stepped right off into a raging current in his hurry, and was washed along with Gopher onto a boulder in the middle of the torrent. Now they were trapped. They had no escape route and neither Grey Fox nor Mr. Gopher could swim. So all they could do was watch as the water filled Grey Foxes home.

“Hellooooo!” shouted a distant voice, “Hey there, Grey Fox, Gopher!” It was Busy Beaver! He was on his way home when he found his home was nothing more than an eddy, and he had seen these two. “I’m going to chomp through this tree and make it fall on your rock there, so stand clear!”

Honestly, there was no place to “stand clear”. The rock was only a little bit bigger than Grey Fox. They watched though, as Beaver gnawed through the tree and made it fall.

“Timmmmberrrr!” exclaimed Beaver as the tree began to fall.

Thwack! The tree had land precisely on target, missing the Fox by inches.

“Come on, that tree aint gonna stay forever now.” Said the rescuer.

They reached safety and, after the storm had passed, Grey Fox went to assess the damage at his residence. Grey Fox found that his family was safe, as they had gone out to find herbs before the tragedy happened. His home, though, was devastated, filled with mud up to the top. There would be no living in it.

Realizing now what he had caused, Grey Fox mustered all his will and spoke, “Busy Beaver, I’ve got to tell you something… I’m the reason you’re home is wrecked, I’m sorry.”

“Sssay what now? How did you manage that?” Beaver responded, coolly.

“Well, I didn’t like your dam, it inconvenienced me when I wanted a drink. I’m sorry Beaver.”

“Well now, that’s alright. Now I just get to build a new one, and there’s nothing I like more than a new lodge. And say! You and your’s could live with me! I could build a super size lodge and we could help each other.”

“You’d do that for me?” asked Grey Fox, astonished

“We’ll sure! Doesn’t look like you’ve got much of a place to live.”

“I’d sure appreciate it! Thanks.”

So Busy Beaver did just what he said he’d do, and even Gopher got in on the relocation, as he burrowed into the foxes former den and retrieved some of the more valuable possessions. And the Foxes lived with Busy Beaver from that time on, helping each other with daily chores and projects. And now Grey Fox had no enemies in the forest!

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