The Schmooney Trilogy

By Bob Shumaker

Have you ever had that odd feeling something was about to happen, and it did? Some people call that a ‘gift’.

Austin Cook has that gift. He doesn’t understand it and has tried to ignore it. As far back as he can remember, he and his family have visited his favorite uncle in Mountview, a small North Carolina town surrounded by a largely unexplored forest. For nature-loving Austin, it is an ideal place to explore the woods and learn about the forest animals that fascinate him. He loves all kinds of animals and, strangely, they have always been drawn to him. Austin has that ‘feeling’ that this trip will be much different than all the others, and it will.

He and his sister, Katy, will befriend a very special forest animal who has amazing powers. The three, using Austin’s incredible gift, will unlock hidden secrets that have been buried for centuries. But there are treacherous people who want to keep those secrets hidden.

Austin and Katy are vulnerable children visiting a deep and dangerous forest, and they will need to use all their powers and friendships to defend themselves if they are going to survive.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jun 16, 2022
• ISBN: 9781665561679

Bob Shumaker

Bob Shumaker, author of thirteen books, was raised in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, and now lives in Simpsonville, South Carolina, with his wife, Sharon. He retired early from his sales and marketing company to focus on one of his lifelong passions: writing. His ‘Schmooney’ character was selected as the prestigious ‘South Carolina State Mascot for Literacy’ and was also named the ‘City Mascot of Simpsonville, South Carolina’. Bob’s books appeal to all age groups. Nancy Machlis Rechtman has had stories published in a number of children’s magazines, most notably several times in Highlights Magazine for Children. She has had several children's plays and musicals both produced and published. She is a member of SCBWI. Nancy has had numerous stories and poems published in various literary journals and she has also had poetry, essays, and plays published in various anthologies.

Book preview

PART I

The Secret of the Enchanted Forest

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CHAPTER 1

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It was an unusually warm spring day in Atlanta, as I finished packing my clothes on that late April morning. We were taking advantage of the spring break from school to visit my Uncle Steve. He lived out in the country, away from all the problems of a big city. Uncle Steve had always lived away from the crowds. He liked it that way.

We, on the other hand, had always lived in the city. It wasn’t because we liked it. I think it was mostly because that’s where my dad happened to work. Dad taught at the local high school. He and my mom always said that it didn’t pay all that well, but he did get a lot of time off. During this time off, we were going to Uncle Steve’s for a couple of days.

I should probably introduce myself. I am Robert Austin Cook. I really didn’t like my first name. I did have lots of options. I could be a Robert, Bob, Bobby, or Rob. But I didn’t care for any of them. Here’s the deal. Could you give anyone a plainer name than Bob? Bob was so boring, Robert was too formal, Bobby was childish and Rob…well, no…no Rob. Being twelve years old, you could say I was somewhere between Bobby and Robert. But I had decided that I didn’t care for any of those names.

So that left Austin. Where in the world did my parents come up with that name? They never lived in Texas. They said it was a family name somewhere on my mother’s side. My theory was that my family owed the Austin’s some money, so my parents named me after them and got a good deal on the loan. I don’t know. But that’s what I was stuck with, so everyone called me Austin.

Hey, Austin, Dad says you are holding us up!

That is Katie, my sister. She was eight years old at that time. Although we are brother and sister, we have always been able to get along. Of course, there are times when we disagree and sometimes one of us gets upset and sometimes mom or dad must intervene. But for the most part, we like and respect each other and that makes for a good relationship.

Austin, we are leaving in five minutes, with you or without you.

That was my dad. He always seemed to think that if we didn’t leave exactly on time something terrible would happen. I am not sure where that came from. Nothing bad ever happened to us, not that I could remember. I didn’t think anything bad would happen this time either, but I did feel that there was something different about this trip. Have you ever had that feeling? A feeling that something is about to happen, but you don’t know what it is?

I grabbed my duffel bag and headed for the car. Whatever was about to happen, I didn’t want to be left behind.

The trip to Mountview, where Uncle Steve lived, takes about two hours. After countless trips, a pattern had developed. During the first part of the trip, no matter what time we left, we got stuck in Atlanta traffic. That monotony lulled each of us into our own private worlds.

During that time, Dad was usually very quiet. I supposed he was thinking of two things. First, he was thinking about the minute details of the trip. Second, he was thinking about all the things he had forgotten to do before we left. He’s like that.

My mom rode in the front seat with Dad, but you would never know she was there. As we drove, she stared at the road. I really don’t know why. It made me think about how deer are frozen in their tracks as they stare into a car’s headlights. That’s what she did. As if frozen by a beam of light, she stared helplessly at the road ahead. That lasted until one of us broke the silence, however long that took.

Katie passed the time by playing with her dolls. You know, the standard stuff – combing their hair, changing their clothes, all the stuff eight-year-old girls do.

As for me, I liked to spend the time while we were stuck in Atlanta traffic thinking about my Uncle Steve and the place where he lived, and all the things we would do when we got there. He was one of my favorite people, but even if he hadn’t been, Mountview still would have been one of my favorite places.

Mountview is a small town in North Carolina. We had been going there for as long as I could remember. It was a cool place. I sometimes wished that I lived there, instead of in the city. The downtown was just four or five blocks packed with old houses and buildings and shops. The town was surrounded by mountains and forests that had the coolest trails, with streams and even several waterfalls. Uncle Steve lived on the road out of town toward Prospect, another North Carolina town.

Spring wasn’t the most popular season in Mountview. The most popular time was the fall when the leaves changed color. The place was packed with tourists then. We went there once in the fall and my dad swore that he would never do it again. I remembered how pretty it had been, but any time it came up Dad said there was too much traffic, long lines everywhere, and no bargains. Summer was a good time to be there because it was much cooler than the city. Plus, the streams and waterfalls were really cold and it was always fun to hike and camp out near one. At least, those were some of my reasons for liking trips to Mountview. As for why Katie liked going there, it was simple. She adored Uncle Steve.

Uncle Steve is my father’s older brother. He had lived out in the country for most of his life and knew everything about the forest. We would go on hikes with him and his dog, Edison, a four-year-old black Labrador Retriever. While we walked, Uncle Steve would teach us about nature and tell us about Mountview. He read a lot and even had a library in his house. He knew lots and lots about animals and where they lived and how they survived. He was good at teaching us things, but I didn’t think he had a job as a teacher like Dad did. I thought he did work outdoors for the County, the kind of thing where people ask you to do something that you really like to do and then they pay you to do it. That was cool.

This trip started in the usual way, with each of us absorbed in our own pastimes. After a while the car’s motion finally settled to a smooth, fast pace. I looked around and saw that we had made it through the Atlanta traffic and were halfway to Uncle Steve’s. I decided it was time to break the silence.

Hey, Mom, did you pack the animal crackers? I knew that would break her frozen gaze at the road.

Austin, are you hungry already? Mom turned around to look at me. I was sitting directly behind her in the back seat of our Ford.

Yeah, I don’t know what it is about riding in the back seat of a car, but it really works up an appetite, I said sarcastically. Did you bring them?

What would a trip be without animal crackers? Mom reached into a bag on the floor by her feet. Here they are. One of these days all this food is going to catch up with you and you won’t be able to fit into the back seat.

See, Mom, that proves that there’s something good in everything! I joked.

I am not saying that back seats are all bad. They have their advantages. Parents are usually in the front seat with their backs to you. That is a good thing, because even though they are very close, they are not staring at you ready to criticize you for doing whatever it is you are doing. What is bad about being in the back seat is that everything cool about a car – the steering wheel, the radio, the gearshift – all those things are in the front seat. So riding in the back seat is a lot like sitting at your desk in school. All you can do is sit and watch what other people are doing with the cool stuff at the front.

For Katie and me, the good news was that we had a game that helped pass the time while we were imprisoned in the back seat.

Katie stopped playing with her dolls and watched as Mom handed me the box of animal crackers and the customary roll of paper towels.

Anybody want to play Name That Animal? I asked.

Katie said, I do, I do! She pushed her dolls aside and reached toward me with her hands cupped in front of her. What about you, Mom?

No thanks, Katie. I will sit here and keep your dad company. What Mom really meant was, ‘I will sit here and stare at the road for a while longer.’

OK, it’s just you and me, kid, I told Katie.

Name That Animal was a fun game to play, partly because our parents gave us something to eat and tolerated lots of crumbs in exchange for silence. Here’s how it worked. You distributed the crackers so that each player had the same number. If there were an odd number of crackers, then the dealer got to eat the odd one. Of course, I made sure that I always dealt! Then the game began. You had ten minutes to create your very own strange creature and name it. You took body parts from different animals by gnawing off the pieces of the cracker that you didn’t want to keep. For example, if I had a lion and decided to keep the head, then I would eat everything but the head and place the head on a paper towel. Next, I might have an elephant. So, I would eat the elephant except for, say, the trunk. Next, I might have a giraffe. I would eat everything but his neck. Next, I would eat the horse but save its legs. The key was precision biting. And here is the best part – you got to eat all the crackers, except for the animal parts that you needed to save, and then at the end of the game you ate those parts too. And nobody yelled at you about the crumbs. What could beat that?

Dad loved the game because he could concentrate on driving and think about everything he forgot to do, so it was peaceful for him. Mom loved the game because she could stare at the road some more without anyone interrupting her. Sometimes she played, but she usually came up with dorky names. And Katie and I liked the game because we were stuck in the back seat with little else to do anyway. Besides, unlike other games, this one guaranteed snacks. So, when it came to playing this game, it made sense for everyone.

Dad had come up with Name That Animal a long time ago to keep us quiet and to expand our world. He always reminded us to use our creativity. I can still hear him saying, Remember, Einstein said that creativity is more important than knowledge. So, any time we could work creativity into something we liked to do, he would support us.

Katie and I got to work on the crackers, carefully freeing the parts we wanted to keep and devouring the rest. Animal parts and crumbs gradually multiplied, until there were only a few untouched crackers left.

I looked over at Katie, who was gnawing off an elephant’s head. I glanced at Mom, and saw that she was perfectly happy, still staring out the front window and looking at the occasional traffic. Dad was as silent as ever.

OK, time’s up! I announced to Katie. What have you got?

Just a second, I’m not finished.

You’d better hurry, Katie. We are getting close to Uncle Steve’s, I cautioned.

There, I’m done. You guess first, she said.

Katie uncovered her animal. I studied it. Let’s see, it’s got a giraffe’s head and neck, some kind of body…

It’s a horse, Katie informed me.

OK, a horse’s body, a giraffe’s head and neck, an elephant’s butt…

Mommmmm, Austin said a bad word!

That would always wake up my mom. It was like somebody suddenly turned the headlights off. She snapped out of her frozen gaze and turned to remind me, Austin, that’s not a nice word.

A horse’s body, a giraffe’s head and neck, an elephant’s…behind, and…what’s that on his face? I asked.

That’s a nose, she said, as if I was an idiot.

A nose? It looks more like a booger. What kind of nose? I couldn’t believe she had bitten off such a small piece.

It’s a horse’s nose.

A horse’s nose with boogers on it. Why a horse’s nose, Katie?

Because I knew you wouldn’t get it, she said smugly. Now, what’s its name?

No one could ever guess the names. Two people just don’t think that much alike. But it was the part of the game that Katie liked the best. She seemed to be developing a good sense of humor.

The name…I think the name of this animal is an Elehorseaffant? Nope. Mommy, you guess! Katie begged.

Mom looked over her shoulder at Katie. She looked down at the paper towel which held Katie’s prize sculpture and said, Katie, it looks like an animal whose name is Ted. Then she turned around, giggled, and went back to staring at the road.

Katie and I just looked at each other. Silence briefly fell upon the car. I shrugged my shoulders and opened my palms as if to say, ‘What did you expect?’

Katie returned her attention to her animal. Nope. Give up? Yep, we give up, I said.

It’s called a Long-Necked Horse that Poops Peanuts, she announced with a proud grin wrapped around her face.

I was laughing too hard to hear what Mom was saying to Katie, but I was sure it was something about nice girls not saying things like that.

OK, Austin, it’s your turn. Show me your animal. Katie leaned toward the paper towel I was holding, trying to see what I had hidden.

I uncovered my animal slowly to keep every piece in place. Katie said, It has a giraffe neck, an elephant body and tail. I think it’s called a… You forgot his head; what’s his head? I asked.

Oh yeah, it has a lion head. I think it’s called…a Geliophant? Katie guessed, which wasn’t bad at all.

Not bad, but no. I wasn’t about to ask my mom to guess. It’s called The King of Peanut Poopers.

Mommmmm! Katie wailed.

That wasn’t what I really had named it, but I couldn’t resist.

As we finished off our animals, I noticed that we were approaching the mountains. There were wispy white sweeps of clouds drifting across the baby blue sky, forming a backdrop to the mountains up ahead. I could see the telltale straight lines of jet trails, showing where airplanes had been and where they were probably headed. Cumulus clouds, those puffy cotton ball clouds I learned about in science class, weren’t in the sky that day, just those streaks of white layered across the blue.

Dad had reached the winding road that led up the mountains to Mountview. Over the years we had learned that you didn’t read, write, or draw while you were on this part of the trip. Once, a few years before, Mom was reading the map while we were driving up that curvy road. Suddenly, she covered her mouth with her right hand and reached for Dad with her left. It was weird. She was trying to say something, like, Help me, or You’d better stop, or you’ll be sorry. Well, Dad stopped and before you could say RALPH she leaped from the car and started hurling. It was gross, but what a great lesson. Ever since, Katie liked to remind us of the exact spot. I could see that special bend in the road up ahead; we were almost there. I waited just a minute. OK, there it was.

Hey, that’s where Mom puked! Katie proclaimed, pointing to the side of the road.

Some things are better left forgotten, young lady. Our trip continued as it always did.

I lowered my window, moved closer to the opening, and caught the scent of the clean, crisp mountain air. Oh, that was good. I closed my eyes and dreamed that I was skiing. I had never skied, but I was imagining it very well. With the cool breeze against my face, I was skiing down a mountain out in Colorado. I was leaning into one turn after another. I imagined the snow swooshing under my skis. I was passing trees with great speed. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, I passed several trees, whoosh, passed another. I leaned left. I leaned right. Oh, was I good. I began to slow down. I slowly opened my eyes and realized that we were coming into the town of Mountview. My skiing would have to wait for another trip.

We stopped at the red light. This was the only traffic light in town. I had noticed that whenever someone in Mountview was giving directions, they would start off by saying, From the red light go…. Perhaps it was considered the center of town. Or maybe it was the only landmark they figured everyone recognized. Whatever the reason, all directions started with ‘THE’ red light.

Did you ever wonder why people giving directions always seem to say, ‘red light’? They don’t say ‘traffic light’ or ‘green light’; they say, ‘red light.’ Next time you get directions and there is a traffic light involved, listen to what the person says. Maybe we say ‘red light’ because we have a better memory for traffic lights where we must stop. They make us stop our busy lives for a moment. Or since we have time to look around when we stop at red lights, perhaps we remember the things that we see at red lights more clearly. Or maybe we say ‘red light’ because when we use it as a landmark for directions, we think in terms of stopping at the landmark and you only stop at a traffic light if it’s red. I don’t know. But while we were stopped at this red light, I noticed that the town looked pretty much the same as the last time we had been there.

Several people were walking along the sidewalks, but nobody was in a hurry. I recognized the familiar buildings. The Old Andrews Inn was on my right, and across the street was The White House. People here called them hotels, but they were a lot smaller than the hotels I had seen in Atlanta. There were cars parked in front of both hotels and, as I glanced down the street, I could see cars parked in front of the various shops that lined the next two blocks. I looked off to the right to see the picturesque old church, about a block away. I knew that past the church and up around the bend was Sunset Rock, and just past that there was an Indian burial ground. Things didn’t change much here. Mountview was about old things. I liked it that way.

Driving through town never took long, even if you got stopped at the red light, except in the fall. I think the fall season was the only reason they had to install the traffic light. Since this wasn’t fall we were already past the town, headed toward Prospect. What I saw now was mostly trees, with just a few houses scattered here and there. The road between Mountview and Prospect had great scenic views. I am sure that is how the town got its name – Mountview, short for Mountain View.

I was holding my arm outside the window now, funneling the cool breeze over my face. My mind drifted back to dreams of skiing again. One of these days I would have to learn how to ski. With my thoughts focused on whooshing past the trees, I was surprised when I realized we were pulling into Uncle Steve’s driveway.

Uncle Steve’s house was built back from the road. The driveway had a slight curve to it as it navigated between several large trees on its way from the road to his front walk and beyond to the garage. The front yard wasn’t really a yard. Not like in the city, I mean, where yards are neatly clipped lawns. What was in front of Uncle Steve’s house was a ‘natural’ setting, as Mom called it, but calling it a ‘front natural’ didn’t seem quite right. The woods came right up to the house on both sides, as if the house had been lifted and dropped right in the middle of all the trees.

Uncle Steve’s house wasn’t big. It’s funny. As I got bigger, his house seemed to get smaller, perhaps because over the years I grew, and the rooms didn’t. The house wasn’t that fancy, either. But it was cool. I always thought it felt sort of welcoming. It was an older house that had paneled wood doors with glass doorknobs, high ceilings, and wood floors. When you walked the floor made noises, especially in the hallway. The windows were usually open, and we got to sleep with our window open and blankets over us. Best of all, Uncle Steve always had a refrigerator full of Vernors Ginger Ale. We never had that at our house. In fact, we looked for Vernors in the grocery store at home but could never find it. Coming to Uncle Steve’s was all about Vernors Ginger Ale.

Dad stopped the car. I saw the front door of the house open, and then Uncle Steve was standing in the doorway, smiling. He looked about the same as the last time I had seen him. He was a little heavier than Dad and about two inches taller. Instead of waiting at the door he came out to the car. Mom was the first to greet him. They hugged each other and he said something that made her smile. She really liked Uncle Steve too. Katie was next in line. He picked her up and asked her how his favorite girl was doing. She smiled a lot and introduced him to her new doll. Dad walked to the back of the car, where he and Uncle Steve shook hands and spoke briefly. And then it was my turn.

Uncle Steve held out his hand. Austin, how’s my man? Yeah, I knew it was dorky, and Uncle Steve knew it was dorky, but he said it anyway. I really liked this guy.

I shook his hand and asked, Do you have any Vernors?

You bet I do. And if you help bring in the luggage, I will show you where there are two ice cold cans, one for you and one for Katie. Deal?

He didn’t have to say any more. Katie picked up her dolls while Mom brushed the crumbs out of the back seat. Dad gave me the biggest bag and he and Uncle Steve took the rest. They started talking about stuff and walked into the house.

I didn’t go in right away. I just set the bag on the walkway leading to the front door and looked around for a minute. From the walkway I could see the mountains that surrounded us. I thought, I really like this place; it’s not like my home in Atlanta, but it always feels like home. I turned very slowly in a full circle. I looked at the tall trees that seemed to go all the way up and touch the clear blue sky. I studied the pine trees outlining the distant mountain and let my eyes follow them down the side of the mountain until they touched Uncle Steve’s back deck. I looked at the ‘front natural’ that ran from the road to the front steps of the house, interrupted only by the walkway where I was standing.

It was very quiet except for an occasional birdcall. It seemed like the tall oak trees were whispering mountain secrets to me as the breeze fluttered their small spring leaves. I thought about what it would be like to live up here and was glad that I had the chance to experience it, even if it was only for a few days at a time. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and then slowly let it out, absorbing the rich, clean country air. Then I picked up the bag and followed my mom and sister into the house.

CHAPTER 2

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I walked through the front door and was immediately greeted by Franklin, the best cat in the world. He came over and rubbed his head against my right leg. Then he circled around and rubbed his head against my left leg. He looked up and let me know that it was good to see me. I thought the same. People say that cats are finicky. But not the cats that I had met. Franklin was a cat you could play with. Really, Franklin and I played games. Our favorite was called Mousy. He was great at that game. I put the bag on the floor and picked up Franklin. Although he looked big, he really wasn’t all that heavy. His long, fluffy gray fur made him look bigger than he was.

Hey, big boy. I rubbed his neck. He purred and moved his head so I would scratch in all the right places. I knew that he was fine; something just told me so. He was saying hello. I petted Franklin a little longer then put him back on the floor so that he could say hello to everyone else.

Where’s Edison? I asked.

Edison should be here any minute. He knew you were coming. He was out back earlier and probably wanted to roll in something before you got here, Uncle Steve told me. Austin, why don’t you put that bag in your parents’ room?

And Austin, you and Katie take your bags upstairs to your room, Mom added.

OK, Mom, I said.

Katie and I had just come back down the stairs when Edison burst through the back door. Uncle Steve had designed a doggie entrance for him, so he could come and go as he pleased. He immediately came over to me and started licking my face.

Hey Edison, what a good boy. I hugged him and scratched behind his ears just the way I knew he liked it. He was smiling at me, as if to say, ‘good to see you; let’s go play.’

I can’t go play yet, big boy, I told him.

Katie came over and started petting Edison, and he turned his affection on her, too.

Hi Edison, how are you? Katie asked as if expecting a response. She continued to pet him, giggling and squirming when he tried to lick her face.

Mommy, why does Edison always go to Austin first? Why doesn’t he come to me first?

Katie, you know Austin; dogs and children are always attracted to him.

Edison sat down between us, grinning. His tongue was hanging out of his mouth as he panted. I watched it as his head moved back and forth to look at Katie, then me, then Katie, then me. Each time he turned his head his tongue moved from one side of his mouth to the other. His tongue was wet and now the floor was too. He was very happy to see us. We were happy to see him, too.

Uncle Steve returned from the kitchen and gave us our cans of Vernors Ginger Ale, which we opened right away. Katie and I sipped our Vernors, petting Edison, while Dad and Mom talked to Uncle Steve. I looked around the living room. There were books on the shelves, and more stacked on a table in front of the small sofa. On the wall, there were several pictures of Uncle Steve with other people. Two larger pictures sat on the bookshelf. I crossed the room to look at them. The first one was of him with a big bear in a snowfield. I hadn’t seen it before. He noticed me looking at it.

That picture, Austin, was taken about five months ago. How big was he? I asked, pointing to the bear.

That was a very big bear. Uncle Steve came over to stand next to me. He continued, Matter of fact, it was the biggest bear we had ever seen in these parts. We didn’t know that black bears grew to that size around here. Just goes to show you that we don’t know everything.

I picked up the picture and studied it more closely. Why is he on the ground; is he dead?

No, not dead, just tranquilized, Uncle Steve responded.

I didn’t understand why someone would give a bear a tranquilizer. I had seen a television show where a doctor prescribed a tranquilizer for a person who was very upset. But I’d never heard of giving an animal a tranquilizer to calm them down. I looked carefully at the picture but didn’t see anything that gave me a clue. Why did he need a tranquilizer?

Uncle Steve reached out and I handed him the picture. He looked at the bear for a moment, remembering, and then looked back at me. We used a tranquilizer to put him to sleep, but just temporarily. I was asked to help find that big boy. We had several reports of a large black bear in this area, and we were afraid that somebody might hurt him. He turned out to be very large, bigger than we expected.

He looks like he could take care of himself.

Yes, he does, laughed Uncle Steve. Black bears are very powerful. They look fierce, but they really are docile and shy. There hasn’t been a documented case of an attack for 100 years. Still, when people are afraid of an animal, that can result in very dangerous situations for everyone involved. If the bear got onto a road, somebody might run into him or even try to shoot him. If someone did something the bear interpreted as threatening, it might behave aggressively to try to scare them away. The best way to avoid problems is to keep bears and people apart. So with the help of the Wildlife Commission, we tracked him, found him, darted and tagged him. Then we put him in a cage temporarily so we could move him back into the wilderness and release him.

I like bears, Katie volunteered.

I pointed to the other picture. Wow! What’s this one?

Uncle Steve put the bear picture back in its place and picked up the other one. A smile stole over his face. This is one of my favorites. Both pictures are reminders to me that the forest is full of surprises. This is a cougar. Her name is Carrie. Isn’t she a beautiful cat?

I like cats, said Katie. She moved over by Uncle Steve and me so she could see the pictures better.

And so do I, Uncle Steve replied, placing the picture of the cougar back on the shelf. We try to care for the animals in the forest. He turned back to look at Katie and me. They are all part of a marvelous natural system. Animals build up life by serving as food for people and for other animals. They even provide food for plants. But animals also remove life. They eat plants and they hunt and kill other animals for their own food, usually taking out the weaker members of the herd, which in turn keeps the gene pool strong and makes for a healthy ecosystem. As a result, each animal helps keep the total number of plants and other animals in balance. The balance in nature is very important.

Uncle Steve stopped. He winked at us, then smiled sheepishly at Mom and Dad. Oh boy, there I go again.

Mom was the first to speak. Oh, that’s all right, they love to hear about the forest, she assured Uncle Steve. She got up and moved toward the door. Why don’t I unpack while you tell them some stories? I like stories, Katie said.

I bet your father would like to take a snooze about now, so let’s leave him in this room and we’ll go to the library? Uncle Steve suggested.

The three of us got up, and as we left the room I turned and looked back at Dad. I watched him settle onto the couch. He would be snoring in no time.

The library was down the hall to the left. I walked down the hall, listening to all the creaks of the wooden floor. Edison was right at my side. I thought about what Mom had said, that animals and young children always came up to me and followed me around. I had never really thought about it much, but I knew it was true. I just didn’t know why. Maybe that was my purpose in life. I grinned.

Katie was already sitting on Uncle Steve’s lap when I walked into the library. With my Vernors in my hand, I headed for the big red stuffed chair with its matching footstool. Edison sniffed around a little then lay down next to my chair. I noticed that Franklin had come in, too. I watched him as he brushed by Edison, touching him just enough to make his presence known. Then he jumped up onto my chair, and after walking in a complete circle, settled onto my lap.

Katie opened the book Uncle Steve had selected. OK, Katie, first a game. Which animal has the largest ears? Elephant! she answered proudly.

You are right; their ears grow as large as four feet across. And now for $100 and a Double Jeopardy win, Katie Cook, which animal has the largest eyes?

Uncle Steve began to hum the Jeopardy theme song. I laughed as Katie’s eyes grew wider and wider and she blinked rapidly.

The beaver, she guessed.

A beaver? That made me laugh so hard that the Vernors I was drinking started coming out my nose. Franklin got wet and quickly jumped up and ran away in disgust.

Uncle Steve took it in stride. No, not a beaver, but that’s a good guess. There are two animals that have the largest eyes, and you can ride both.

A turtle, she tried.

Do I get to play? I asked.

Of course, Austin, Uncle Steve told me. And by the way, Vernors tastes better through your mouth than through your nose. Katie giggled.

A horse, I said.

You are right. That was the easy one, Austin. Go for the next one.

I was thinking it was an owl, since they can see really well at night, but you can’t ride them, I said, thinking out loud.

Not bad, but no. How about you, little girl? Uncle Steve said as he tickled Katie. What will be your guess?

A bear, she said, just like the one in the picture.

Not a bad guess either, but I don’t know if I would want to ride a bear. The answer is an ostrich. An ostrich and a horse have eyes that are 1½ times the size of ours.

Do it again, Uncle Steve, Katie begged.

All right, this one is for Katie. What is the smallest bird in the world?

Katie knew that one, and Uncle Steve knew that she knew it. The hummingbird! she shouted.

Yeaaaaaa, Uncle Steve cheered. He proclaimed, We have a winner! Katie’s face split into a big grin as he hugged her.

Uncle Steve, I asked, are there other bears out in the forest like that one in the picture?

Maybe. We really don’t know everything that’s out there.

Katie was opening the book. Uncle Steve, will you read this to me? Uncle Steve looked at it, briefly scanned the page, and said, This may answer your question, Austin. Sure, I will read it.

‘Animals of many shapes and sizes live in all parts of the world. They walk or crawl on land, fly in the air, and swim in the water. Horses, canaries, frogs, bass, butterflies, and worms are all animals. So are oysters, beetles, elephants, lobsters, sponges, seals, and snakes. Many animals are so small that they can be seen only with a microscope. The largest animal is the blue whale. It is longer than eight elephants in a row. The world has so many animals that no one could possibly count them. No one even knows how many kinds of animals there are. So far, scientists have classified almost a million kinds of animals, but each year, hundreds of new kinds are discovered.

People probably could not live without the help of animals. The role of animals in the balance of nature is their most important service to human beings. In addition, animals help people by supplying them with many foods and other useful products. Without animals, people would not have meat, milk, eggs, honey, wool, fur, or silk. For thousands of years, people have caused changes in the animal kingdom. They have tamed many kinds of animals and used them for food and clothing. They also have killed or driven away animals that once attacked them or interfered with their use of land. Today, people try to protect many kinds of animals that are in danger of dying out.’

So that was what that picture of the bear was all about, right? I asked.

If you mean protecting animals, you are right, Uncle Steve agreed. That’s what I am all about, Austin.

As I started to consider that, Mom peeked into the room. I hope you don’t mind, Steve, but I made some sandwiches. Anybody hungry?

We all were. We got up and made our way to the kitchen. Katie and I got to eat at the breakfast bar on barstools while Mom, Dad and Uncle Steve ate their lunch at the kitchen table. Edison curled up in the corner while we ate. I hadn’t seen Franklin since I sprayed him with Vernors.

We ate pretty much in silence, except for the adults. Katie and I were hungry, despite the animal crackers we had eaten, so we didn’t want to waste time talking. But something Uncle Steve had said earlier was on my mind.

I looked over at the three of them eating at the table and asked, Uncle Steve, when we were looking at the pictures of the bear and the cougar, you said that the forest was full of surprises. What did you mean by that?

Uncle Steve finished taking a drink and wiped his mouth. He said, What I meant was that the bear was much bigger than your typical black bear. So we were surprised when we saw how big he was and that he was so close to town. As for the cougar, the eastern cougar species is extinct. The cougar was extirpated at the turn of the century. It was what? my mom asked.

Oh, sorry. The eastern cougar is extinct. However, cougars still live in the western United States and in Florida. When an animal is extinct in a certain geography, that’s called ‘extirpated.’ Anyhow, that’s why we were very surprised to find a cougar in North Carolina. It turned out to be a western cougar, brought here from the western U.S.

It looked just like a mountain lion, I commented.

Well, it is. Uncle Steve responded. Cougar, panther, mountain lion, puma, bearcat and even painter all refer to the same ‘tawny cat,’ as they call it. That one animal has more names than any other animal I know.

Did the bears eat them all? asked Katie. She reached in front of me for the Fritos bag and began to crunch a handful of corn chips.

I didn’t know she was even listening. Sometimes she surprised me.

Uncle Steve and Dad were smiling at what Katie had said, but before they could answer, Mom spoke up. I didn’t know that it had all those names. What did happen to all of them?

Dad jumped in. They died out for two main reasons. First, the environment changed, over time, because of humans. The land was more open back in the 1800’s; there was much more wilderness and there were more meadows. There were other large animals here besides cougars, such as bison and elk. There were more deer as well. When burns opened from fires that were unchecked, that created meadows. The large grazing animals kept the trees in those areas small because they would eat the sprouts and saplings. Then the predators – wolves and cougars – would come in and feed on the animals. Animals were easier to catch in the open than in the forest, so the meadows helped keep the population of predators alive. Well, when man started moving into the wilderness and developing the open meadows, that forced the animals from the meadows into the forest. The big animals ran out of food; they simply didn’t have enough to eat. Often the adults could survive, but the babies couldn’t. So, the population died out.

The second reason the predators died out was that when other prey became scarce, the eastern cougars and gray wolves began to eat the farmers’ animals. Bounties were placed on the cougars and the grays, and humans killed the remaining ones off. How awful! Mom protested.

Well, not really, Dad countered. I mean, today we would do things differently. But back then it was survival of the fittest. And man won out.

So where did the cougar in the picture come from? I asked Uncle Steve.

I thought you would never ask, Uncle Steve joked, looking pointedly at Dad. I guess he was teasing Dad for his long-winded explanation. They both tended to get carried away when they started talking about nature.

Carrie was given to us by a family that had raised her from a baby. She had been de-clawed, and her teeth had been filed down, and the family had kept her as a pet. She was getting too big for them to handle. She couldn’t be let go in the wild; she would have died. So we took her in and contacted the Western North Carolina Nature Center in Asheville. They provided her with a safe home at their Center. We could go see her the next time you come to town if you’d like.

Katie and I both said, Yeah!

We were all finished with lunch, but I had one more question. Uncle Steve, are bears the most feared animal in the woods? I mean, do all the other animals run when a bear comes around?

That’s a good question, Austin. Most people think that the black bear is at the top of the food chain. When the eastern cougar was around, the cougar would have been at the top, followed by the gray wolf. The black bear is the largest carnivore, or meat-eater, in this part of the country, but it is not really a formidable predator. It is more an herbivore, a plant-eater, rather than a carnivore. Although bears are carnivores by their makeup, with their jaws and their teeth, most of their food is fruit and nuts. They bulk up for winter on acorns. They used to bulk up on chestnuts until those were wiped out by blight. Bears do eat meat, but since it is not a staple to their diet, they are not big hunters.

So, to answer your question, I am sure that any animal would get out of a bear’s way. But the cougars and gray wolves would have been the most aggressive predators in this part of the country. A 200-pound cougar is a very, very dangerous animal. There hasn’t been a documented case of an eastern cougar being photographed, killed, or identified by tangible evidence for nearly a century. However, we don’t know everything.

Uncle Steve looked around and saw that he had everyone’s attention. Then he looked at the nearly empty plates. He said, Speaking of extinct, what happened to all the food? Does anyone want to go on a hike?

Katie and I both raised our hands and shouted, Yes! with mouths full of Fritos.

Finish eating, then I’ll clean up lunch and put your clothes away while you go on your hike. I’m sure your dad will want to relax and do some reading, Mom told us.

I jumped down from my barstool. Katie was still feeding her new doll the end of her ham sandwich, and Uncle Steve and Dad were talking again.

I’ll change and be right back. Are you ready to go, Uncle Steve?

Whenever you are, buddy.

Come on, Edison.

I ran upstairs to my room. It was our room; Katie and I shared it. But that was OK. It was the third bedroom in the house, and it had two beds, one on either side of a table under the window that doubled as a desk. The window was closed, so I moved the lamp to the left, parted the curtains, and opened it a little. A small gust of wind blew into the room, just enough to move the curtains, announcing that we were officially in heaven. Katie and I liked to keep that window open at night so we could listen to all the animals talking. We pretended they were talking to us and had fun interpreting what they said.

The upstairs of Uncle Steve’s house was just as cool as the rest of the house. The window in our bedroom looked out on the back yard and woods. Uncle Steve’s office was just across the hall. I would explore the office later. But right then, we had a hike, and I wasn’t about to miss it.

I put on my light brown canvas hiking boots that laced up over my ankles, the ones Mom had bought me for Christmas. I pulled on blue jeans and the Georgia Tech sweatshirt that Dad had given me for Christmas. Sometimes it seemed like if it weren’t for Christmas, I wouldn’t have anything to wear.

Edison and I ran to the stairs. Katie was coming up.

Are you coming? I asked her.

Yep. Hi Edison, she said, and trailed her fingers along his back as we passed on the stairs.

Edison wagged his tail at that but didn’t leave my side. In the kitchen, Dad and Uncle Steve