by Bob Brooks
This year, for the first time, she and Morris would work as a team to create the kites for the upcoming contest and flying season. Morris, and now Birk, would build the frames, and she would cut and attach the cloth. With the additional help, Morris planned to offer larger and more varied kites than in previous years.
To her pleasant surprise, she spotted Birk coming up the path. Birk and his family had arisen early at Morris’s. After breakfast everyone but Birk returned home, by way of the land route. Morris had asked Birk to visit Rhonda and arrange a meeting to discuss the details of the kite building project.
“Good morning, Birk,” she said. “Did you and your family have any trouble with the storm last night?”
“Good morning, Mrs. Rabbit. No, but we did see the ‘Pond Creature’.”
“The Pond Creature?” she asked.
Every time Rhonda heard a story about a sighting of the “Pond Creature”, it seemed to be in bad weather or at night. No one ever got a good view. She had her suspicions about the whole thing.
“Yes, we were at Morris’s cottage when the storm hit. At about 8 bongs we looked out the window, and there it was, next to the dock. It was gigantic with huge red eyes!” he exclaimed.
“Then, what happened?” she asked.
“Well, it stared at us for a long time and then disappeared under the water.”
“Wasn’t it difficult seeing through the storm?”
“Yes, but it was so big, you could hardly miss it. We all saw it,” answered Birk.
“Well, that was an exciting night for you.”
“Yes, it was, but,” as he remembered the reason for his visit, “that’s not why I’m here. Morris asked me to come and invite you to a meeting about building the kites. Last night, Morris offered me an apprenticeship, and this is my first job.”
“That’s wonderful. Congratulations!” she said warmly. “I’m available later today around 3 bongs if that’s okay?”
Birk said, “Thank you. I’m sure 3 bongs will be fine. I’ll go and tell Morris right now. See you this afternoon Mrs. Rabbit.”
“Goodbye, Birk,” Rhonda shouted as he hurried away.
As agreed, Rhonda arrived at Morris’s cottage at 3 bongs. Birk had also just arrived after helping his family with a small wall repair job.
The meeting went well. Morris would design the kites. They would range in size from about one to four feet. Most would be of traditional shape with long colorful tails. For the first time there would also be a few box kites. The kites would have lightweight frames consisting of two crossed sticks. The larger kites would have framed edges. Rhonda would make the fabric parts out of thin, colorful cloths. Birk would be responsible for gathering the wood from the forest and cutting the framing pieces to the right size. They planned to make about fifty kites in all.
The kites needed to be completed in two weeks. On Saturday of that week, everyone would come and make their selection. Then, they would have one week of practice before contest day. As in previous years, Morris and Bartholomew would be the judges.
The next few days were spent gathering the materials needed to build the kites. Since the storm, there was no lack of small branches lying in the forest. Birk found many and brought them back to the cottage. With Morris’s help, he chose the best ones for kite frames. Morris had plenty of string and glue to assemble everything. Rhonda searched through leftover cloth from her husband’s tailoring and found many nice pieces.
Besides the kites, Morris had other ongoing furniture projects. He provided direction to Birk on how to cut and assemble the kite frames, but Birk did most of the work. It was a good arrangement, and the young beaver was a great help to Morris.
Birk was a quick learner and fast worker. He had no trouble building the frames, but occasionally he would accidentally tie one of his claws to a kite. Despite that, the kite frames were completed in a week. Then, Rhonda brought over the cloth pieces. She laid them over the frames and, with Birk’s help, cut them to the right size. The cloth was then attached to each frame with string. Finally, long tails were made and attached to complete the kites. Morris’s cottage and shed became very colorful with kites everywhere.
The two weeks passed quickly, and soon it was kite choosing day. Since the selection was scheduled for 10 bongs, Rhonda and Birk arrived at 9 to help Morris set up. They carefully laid each kite on the ground in its appropriate group — 1-foot, 2-foot, 3-foot, 4-foot, and box. What an impressive sight they had created. They were very pleased.
The day was Blue-Green-Blue, and many animals came early to admire the kites and do preselection. The atmosphere was like a festival. Everyone was given a lottery ticket with a symbol on it. Bartholomew would draw the matching ticket from a barrel and announce the symbol. The holder of that ticket got to pick the kite of their choice. It was a fair method and had been used many times.
After a brief welcoming speech, Bartholomew reached into the barrel and grabbed a ticket with a fish symbol on it. He held it up, and Brie Bluebird yelled, “It’s me!”
The animals cheered as she flew over to the kites. After about five minutes she chose a 1-foot, blue and white kite with a yellow tail.
The next ticket drawn had an oak leaf symbol on it. The winner was Merwin Mole. Again, everyone cheered. Merwin had arrived early, so he knew exactly which kite he wanted. He walked directly to a multi-colored, (Red, Blue, Green, Yellow) box kite and proudly picked it up.
So the selection process continued until there was only one ticket remaining. The last one to choose was Dr. Brigit. There were six kites left, and she selected a solid green box kite.
The whole process took about two hours, and everyone was very happy with their kite. They were eager to begin practicing.
But now it was Bartholomew’s opportunity to present his sailing ship idea.
He began. “Today, has been a great success. There are so many beautiful kites here. Thank you very much Morris, Rhonda, and Birk for the fantastic job you have done.”
Everyone stood and clapped.
“I am sure that you all would like to start practicing with your kites, and today is a perfect day for it. However, before you leave, please let me propose a new project to you. As you know, I do a lot of reading. Recently, I began reading this book about sailing ships.”
He held it up for everyone to see.
“I saw all of the beautiful ships in the book and thought it would be nice if Ballymore had a ship or boat for the pond.”
An “ooh” went through the crowd. Bartholomew noticed and smiled.
“The boat could be used for general sailing and for transportation. Right now, we only have the ducks’ raft. Based upon our needs and the size of the pond, I estimate that it would be about fifteen feet long and four feet wide. There would be a single mast about fifteen feet high and three sails.”
They “oohed” again.
“It would take significant effort to build and maintain, but the boat would be a wonderful and useful asset for Ballymore. I would design it and manage the building project. The boat would look like this one but about one-half the size.”
He held up a picture of a beautiful Irish Hooker on the high seas. It was obvious that everyone was impressed.
“I ask for your interest and support. Would everybody who likes the idea, please raise their arm or wing.”
About 90% of the animals raised their arm or wing and cheered.
“Now, would everybody who does not like the idea, please raise their arm or wing.”
No one raised anything.
“The project is approved. I thank you so much,” he said.
Another cheer went up.
“I will be organizing the project soon and will be in touch with you. My goal is to have the boat ready for the Midsummer’s Eve celebration. Thank you, again. Now, please go and enjoy the day and your kites.”
After some final cheering, the group began to breakup and return to their homes.
Morris thanked Rhonda and Birk for their hel
p.
“You have made a great start as my apprentice,” he said to Birk and patted him on the back.
Birk smiled and looked down bashfully at his furry paws.
It was a good practice week. Everyone experimented with loops and turns and dives. The animals had fun learning how their kites responded to the wind or a pull on the string. However, some kites seemed to have a mind of their own. The week passed quickly. When Saturday morning arrived, most were ready, some were not.
As Grenby had predicted, the weather was partly cloudy and breezy with the wind from the south. In other words, it was perfect kite flying weather. The contest site was a small field on the north side of the island. It was chosen the day before, based upon the expected wind direction. For the most part, the kites would be flown over the open water, and everyone would have a good view. The contest was scheduled to begin at 10 bongs, but many were there by 8. The sky was soon full of darting, bright colors as everyone did some final practicing.
The animals were to participate in and view a scored stylistic flying exhibition. There were five kite categories — 1-foot, 2-foot, 3-foot, 4-foot, and box. Each competitor would have five minutes to perform. The judges would rate each performance for flying skill and originality. The maximum number of points that could be earned in each category was 10, so the highest possible score was 20. The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishers in each category would receive beautiful silk award ribbons.
At 10 bongs, Bartholomew called everything to order. He arranged everyone on the field according to their kite category. The ticket system was used again to see who would go first, second, and so on.
Brie Bluebird was again chosen first, with her blue, white, and yellow 1-foot kite. She sent it into the sky and executed some beautiful figure-eights. She swooped and swirled the kite gracefully for much of the five minutes. Everyone applauded a very nice opening performance.
There was a lot of similarity in the performances, but some did stand out. The best performance of the day went to Dr. Brigit. Among other tricks, she made her green box kite climb very high in the sky and then come hurtling towards the pond. Just before hitting, it took a sharp U-turn and barely skimmed the water. She did this three times. She got a standing ovation from the crowd and was awarded a perfect 20 points.
On the other end of the scale, unfortunately, a few kites crashed. Finn Frog’s kite went out of control and pulled him into the pond before it went down. Most embarrassing!
Everyone brought a picnic lunch and had a very enjoyable time. At the end of the long day, the winners were announced:
1-FOOT KITES
1st - Fiona Frog, 18 points
2nd - Brie Bluebird, 16 points
3rd - Faith Frog, 14 points
2-FOOT KITES
1st - Sofie Squirrel, 17 points
2nd - Melrose Mole, 16 points
3rd - Bartley Bluebird, 14 points
3-FOOT KITES
1st - Conner Chipmunk, 18 points
2nd - Stoddard Swan, 17 points
3rd - Declan Duck, 16 points
4-FOOT KITES
1st - Dahlia Duck, 18 points
2nd - Wilde Weasel, 16 points
3rd - Birch Beaver, 13 points
BOX KITES
1st - Brigit Badger, 20 points
2nd - Shane Squirrel, 18 points
3rd - Merwin Mole, 16 points
Bartholomew closed the event by congratulating the winners, thanking everyone, and wishing them well. Most packed up and left the island quickly to return home.
Conner, Colin, and Craig Chipmunk decided to stay a little longer and play with Conner’s winning kite. Stoddard Swan and Branna and Britt Bluebird also stayed.
At one point, Colin suggested that it would be fun if they could ride on the kite. The other chipmunks agreed, so Conner pulled the kite down to the ground. Colin and Craig grabbed onto the crossbar.
Conner said, “This will only be a short ride. Now, hold on tight.”
Stoddard cautioned, “Please, be careful.”
Conner launched the kite into the wind. The breeze caught it, and soon the two chipmunks were soaring over the pond. What a view they had! Now, they knew what it was like to be a bird. It was great fun!
But then, a strong gust of wind hit the kite, and to everyone’s horror, the string broke. The kite immediately went out of control and headed north over the pond.
Conner yelled, “Oh, no! Help!”
Stoddard and the bluebirds, took off immediately and went after the kite. There was nothing Conner could do but hope. The three birds quickly caught up with the kite, but they didn’t have a rescue plan.
Stoddard saw that there was still a short piece of string attached to the frame. He thought that if he could grab the string, he could pull the kite back towards the island. Unfortunately, he couldn’t get close enough. When he tried, the draft from his flapping wings pushed the kite away. He was too big.
Branna saw what was happening and had another idea. Branna yelled, “Britt and I are going to try to land on the crossbar and pick them up.”
Stoddard yelled, “Okay, good luck.”
The kite bobbed and weaved, darted and plunged unpredictably in the wind. Branna and Britt made several approaches in trying to land on the crossbar to which the chipmunks were tightly clinging. To do that, they had to hover briefly above the crossbar and then stop flapping their wings so that they could settle down onto it. Unfortunately, the kite would turn this way or that, and the bluebirds would end up falling through the sky until they could start flapping again to stop their plunge towards the pond. It was a difficult trick. A hummingbird might have been better suited for the task, but Branna and Britt were bluebirds, and they did the best they could.
Finally, the kite sailed smoothly for a brief time, and the bluebirds were able to land on the crossbar next to the frightened chipmunks. The period of calm didn’t last long. Now, they also had to hold on tight. The birds didn’t want to have to land on the crossbar again.
Branna yelled, “The next time there’s some calm, Colin, you jump on my back, and wrap your paws around my neck. Keep your rear paws together so they don’t interfere with my wings. Craig, you do the same with Britt.”
About a minute later, they had an opportunity.
“Go!” yelled Branna.
Colin jumped on Branna’s back and hung on tight, but before Craig could jump, another gust of wind hit the kite. Both bluebirds were knocked off of the crossbar. Craig was left hanging by his short claws. Branna immediately plummeted towards the pond as she was not used to the extra weight. She used her strong wings to break the fall and regain control. She was then able to fly back up to the kite.
Bluebirds Rescuing The Chipmunks
Britt was circling and waiting for an opportunity to get back on the crossbar. After another minute she was able to land, and this time Craig successfully jumped on her back, and they soon joined Branna and Colin in mid-air. Then, both birds did a wide, slow turn and went into a long glide. Two minutes later, they landed right next to Conner.
Colin and Craig let go and fell off of the bluebirds’ backs to the ground, safe but very tired. It was so good to be back on the ground. They hugged each other and thanked Branna and Britt for their heroic efforts.
Conner thought that winning 1st prize would be the most exciting part of his day. It didn’t turn out that way. Sometimes, things happen that you don’t expect. Luckily, and with a lot of help, the day ended well.
The chipmunks’ kite riding days were over. As the sun set, the now abandoned kite continued to dip and dart away until it was out of sight.
CHAPTER TWO
Spring Creations
Rhonda Rabbit liked to wear her big, green apron when she tended her flower garden. It had nice, over-sized pockets to hold snippers, trowels, and flowers. The large garden covered nearly an acre behind her cottage. The forest began just beyond the garden. From March through October, it produced the most beautiful flowers in Ballymore.
It was April now, so tulips, lilies, lilacs, marigolds, and others were coming into bloom. The animals frequently visited to choose bouquet baskets for their homes.
Not only was the flower garden beautiful, its scents wafted over the whole south side of the pond. Combined with the sweet sap from the forest pines, the effect was delightful. Her immediate neighbors, the squirrels, were well pleased with their location. Grenby Groundhog also enjoyed the fragrances but wouldn’t admit it. He wasn’t being mean. He was just being Grenby.
Caring for a garden that size required a lot of effort, and her children Robbie, Rachel, and Rain frequently worked with her. They planted, weeded, watered, cut, and arranged. The chipmunks also stopped by occasionally to help. That is, when they weren’t riding on kites or some other such foolishness.
