The Swimming Hole

by Cam Higgins

  1 Made in the Shade

  Every farm has a big tree.

  You know, a huge one with wide limbs perfect for human kids to climb. One that you can’t miss.

  Sometimes the tree is next to the barn. Sometimes it’s in front of the house.

  The big tree on our farm is in the middle of the field. On hot days, everyone gathers there.

  Why? you might ask. Because the big tree gives the absolute best and coolest shade.

  Every animal on the farm needs shade on hot summer days. The cats stay in the barn, horses stay in their stalls, and pigs stay in the mud—if they are lucky enough to find a pool of mud.

  But when it is so hot that it feels like the sun is tapping you on the back, the best place to be is under the big tree.

  All the animals meet there, and it’s like a party. Well, it’s more like a slumber party, because everybody likes to close their eyes and enjoy the sweet breeze.

  One sunny day, a young bird perched in the branches of the big tree and began singing.

  I liked his song. It went like this: “Tweetly tweet tweet, sweetly tweet tweet twee.”

  Billy the goat, on the other hand, did not like the song. He did not like it at all.

  So Billy did what any goat would do. He climbed into the big tree. I’d never seen that before—it was pretty neat!

  The bird didn’t think it was so cool, though. He flew away with a squawk and left Billy up in the branches all by himself.

  The other animals cheered. I guess they didn’t like the birdsong either.

  “Now we can all get some rest,” Billy announced proudly.

  Then he looked around, as if noticing for the first time that he was up in a tree.

  “But first, could someone help me?” Billy asked.

  The animals looked at one another, and it was clear. We had no idea how to get that goat down.

  2 Hot, Hot, Hot

  But I knew who could help Billy: Nanny Sheep! She’s the smartest animal I know!

  I ran through the field to find her resting by the barn.

  “Hey, Nanny Sheep! Billy the goat climbed the big tree to keep a bird from singing, and he’s stuck!” I told her.

  “Oh, that poor young bird, getting bullied by a grumpy billy goat,” she said. “I will help, but Billy must apologize to the little one.”

  When we reached the big tree, Billy was perched on a wide, low limb. And he looked scared.

  “Billy,” Nanny Sheep called. “The first step to climbing down safely is listening to me very carefully, okay?”

  Billy nodded, but the expression on his face didn’t change.

  Nanny Sheep waved to Comet, a young foal.

  “Comet, would you please stand below this branch?” Nanny Sheep asked.

  “Of course,” said Comet.

  “Thank you, dear,” said Nanny Sheep. Then she turned to Billy and said, “Time for the second step. Reach down with your back leg until you can stand on Comet’s back.”

  Other sheep gathered around Comet to catch Billy just in case he fell.

  Billy took a deep breath. He shifted one leg carefully, then quickly moved it back.

  “Oh, I can’t do it!” he moaned.

  “Billy, you have to trust your friends,” Nanny Sheep calmly told him. “We will keep you safe, as long as you listen and believe in us.”

  The goat closed his eyes and stretched for Comet’s back once again.

  “You need to move lower,” Comet called up to Billy.

  “It’s impossible!” he shouted. “I’m too scared!”

  “You are a very brave goat, Billy,” said Nanny Sheep. “If you don’t get it right the first or second time you try, take a break. We will get you out of that tree—just don’t give up.”

  I could see Billy relax at Nanny’s words. He lifted his leg again, and this time, he found Comet’s broad back.

  “Wonderful, Billy!” Nanny Sheep said. “Now lower your other leg.”

  Billy tried to move and lost his balance.

  The whole barnyard gasped as he wobbled!

  Luckily, Billy quickly caught himself and soon had two feet on Comet’s back. Then slowly, step by step, Billy was out of the tree!

  We all gave him a cheer for a job well done, but now Billy had a new task. He needed to apologize to the young bird he chased away.

  He walked all around the farm searching for the right bird with Nanny Sheep. I followed them too, just in case Billy got stuck in any more trees.

  When I got home at the end of the day, I was hot, hot, hot. But as soon as the door swung open, a blast of cold air met me, ruffling my fur. It was brrr-ific!

  I headed straight for the kitchen floor. It’s the best place to plop down after a hot day. The tiles are cool against your belly, and you can let your tongue flap out as you catch your breath.

  Imani sat down next to me and said, “Wow, Bo, I think you need a cooldown trip tomorrow. How does that sound?”

  She scratched behind my ears, and I rested my head in her lap. I was way more excited on the inside than I seemed on the outside. But I was wiped out. This heat had me beat.

  3 Go, Go, Go

  The next morning, I woke up to find Imani and Wyatt downstairs in the kitchen.

  They were dressed in bathing suits and were busy stuffing fluffy towels and sunscreen into their backpacks.

  Oh, I like sunscreen. It smells so yummy, even if it’s not food.

  My human parents, Jennica and Darnell, were there too. They were packing a cooler with water, juice boxes, snacks, and sandwiches!

  Suddenly the smell of salami and bacon and peanut butter filled the air, and my tail started wagging. Plus, I started drooling a little—just a little.

  And I knew those sandwiches weren’t for me. But something big was going on. When your family packs a picnic, you know you’re going on a big adventure!

  “Well, well, look who’s finally awake,” Wyatt said. “Come on, sleepyhead Bo, we’re going to the swimming hole today.”

  The swimming hole? What was that? Was it the cooldown trip Imani talked about last night?

  I licked Wyatt’s hand, then heard a familiar sound. Darnell was filling my dish with kibble! He also placed a nice, cold bowl of water beside it.

  “Eat up first,” Darnell said. “You can’t go hiking on an empty stomach.”

  He didn’t have to tell me twice. I dug in, and once I finished, we were off.

  It was hot that morning. Hotter than it was yesterday. I woofed to the sheep who were grazing in the meadow as they watched us head into the woods. A few of the sheep even baaed back!

  I love the woods. As soon as we stepped under the trees, the world got a little cooler.

  We walk in the woods all the time, but that day, Imani told me that we were going to take a different path.

  “It’s time you visited the swimming hole, boy!” she cheered.

  There was that name again: the swimming hole. Maybe it was part of the old creek? That place was great! The water was cold and not too deep at all. I could walk in up to my knees and watch the tiny minnows swim past. I love to splash through the creek every summer.

  But the creek was in the opposite direction. Hmm, guess this swimming hole was somewhere else.

  We hiked for a long time in and out of the hot sun. I saw lizards. I saw squirrels. I even saw the young bird Billy the goat chased out of the tree. But I did not see a swimming hole.

  Then I finally heard the sound of people splashing and laughing. We walked around a corner, and the forest opened up to reveal what had to be the swimming hole.

  There was a little beach with soft dirt that led down to a lake with tree branches dipping low over the water. There was plenty of room for swimming, but the water looked deep and dark.<
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  I trotted over for a closer look. I couldn’t see the bottom of the swimming hole—Woof! I couldn’t see anything in the water except for my own reflection.

  A nervous feeling started in my belly. Splashing around close to shore was fun, but this was clearly a place for swimming.

  Then I heard a new sound—it was a dog barking! And I knew that bark anywhere! It was my best friend, Scrapper. And he was running across the beach… right toward me.

  4 Swinging, Swimming

  “Woof! Woof! Hey, Bo!” Scrapper called out as he hopped around in a happy circle. “I didn’t know you were coming today! This is so great!”

  My tail wagged and wagged.

  “It sure is!” I agreed.

  Then Scrapper bounced over to the water.

  “Last one in is a rotten pup!” he said.

  “Wait!” I cried. “I, uh, I should wait for Wyatt and Imani to get ready and come in too.”

  “Oh, okay,” Scrapper said.

  We found the others and followed along as they helped their parents set up the blanket and towels.

  Then Imani, Wyatt, and Scrapper’s human brother, Hank, headed away from the water.

  Hmm, that was very mysterious! Didn’t we come to the swimming hole to swim… in the swimming hole?

  Luckily, Scrapper and I were on the case!

  We trailed the kids down a path that led to an old tire at the side of the lake. It looked very out of place. What did an old tire have to do with the swimming hole?

  Well, I found out soon enough.

  The tire was attached to a rope that was tied to a thick branch higher up in the tree. Imani grabbed the tire, stood up on it, and then swung away!

  Oh, wow—it was a tire swing! Not only that, but it was a tire swing that flew out over the swimming hole! Imani gave a whooping cheer as she let go of the swing and splashed down into the water below.

  Next, Hank climbed onto the tire and did a flip off the swing, landing with a belly flop and a huge splash. Wyatt and Imani both laughed loudly and cheered for Hank. After a moment, his head popped up out of the water, and he yelled, “Beat that, Wyatt!”

  Now it was Wyatt’s turn to swing out over the swimming hole, but he didn’t let go. Nope, he swung back over the land, then over the swimming hole again. He pumped and pumped, sending the tire swing higher and higher.

  Scrapper and I watched as the tire swing started to bounce up and down. I growled nervously. What if the branch snapped?

  But then Wyatt let go of the tire and dove into the water with the biggest splash.

  The kids all laughed and clapped loudly. Scrapper and I howled with joy.

  But there was one sneaky animal who kept quiet: a squirrel!

  He climbed out onto the branch with the tire swing and sniffed the rope.

  I didn’t know what that squirrel was up to, but I’m sure it was no good. I let out a growl, but then Scrapper stopped me.

  “Aw, leave him alone, Bo,” he said. “It’s too hot to chase squirrels. C’mon, let’s go get in that water!”

  Um, too hot to chase squirrels? What was Scrapper talking about? But before I could say a word, Scrapper called, “Race you back to the beach!”

  He took off running, and even though I probably should have stayed to deal with that squirrel, I couldn’t resist a good race.

  5 Wet Slime

  The two of us ran as fast as we could around the lake.

  Scrapper was ahead of me most of the way, but then I found a shortcut over a fallen tree in the forest path. We made it to the beach at the exact same time. It was a tie, but only just barely.

  “Aw, I thought I finally had you,” said Scrapper.

  “Well, you did have a head start,” I reminded him.

  Scrapper nodded in agreement. “I guess so.”

  We looked out over the water and could see the kids not too far away. They had already come back up to the beach and grabbed their floats. They were smiling and talking happily in the water; they looked like they were having a great time.

  “Come on, let’s go join them!” Scrapper cheered as he darted into the water.

  Soon he was up to his neck and paddling like a champ. He swam in circles, calling to me.

  “Come on, Bo!”

  “I’m coming, I’m coming,” I called out. “Hold your seahorses!”

  I put one paw in the water. It was ice-cold and exactly what I needed for my hot puppy toes after the long hike here. But then I noticed a different feeling. The bottom of the swimming hole wasn’t sandy like the beach. And it wasn’t rocky like the creek. It was slimy!

  “Yuck! I stepped on something slippy-slimy gross!” I whined.

  I jerked my paw back out of the water, and something was hanging from it! It was green and wet and totally stuck to me! I shook my paw to get it off.

  But the more it shook, the worse it got. It stuck to my leg, then to my tail, and then to my nose!

  In no time, I must have looked like a sea monster!

  “Oh, that? Yeah, don’t worry about that,” said Scrapper. “It’s normal. Just start swimming, and you won’t even have to touch it.”

  After I took a quick roll in the dirt, the green gunk came off. Now it was time to tell the truth.

  “Um, Scrapper,” I said, “I have to say something, and I don’t want you to tease me about it.”

  “Tease you?” asked Scrapper. “Friends don’t do that. Just tell me what’s up, pup!”

  “It’s just that I, uh, don’t know how to swim,” I said.

  Scrapper swam back immediately with a big smile on his face. “Why didn’t you say so? Because you just happen to know one of the best swimmers around—me!”

  6 Doggy-Paddle

  Scrapper swam back to the beach and shook the water off. Unfortunately, it got all over me.

  When he finished, he cleared his throat and made an announcement. “First things first. I’ll be your swim instructor, so please listen to what I tell you.”

  I nodded my head uncertainly. “Okay. But I’m a little bit scared.”

  “That’s all right, Bo,” he said. “It’s normal to feel anxious and scared. But I won’t let anything happen to you, as long as you listen to me and try to do what I tell you.”

  “Okay,” I said reluctantly.

  “Let’s start with floating,” Scrapper said as he stepped back in. “Arch your back, then swirl your paws in the water. It’s easy!”

  Hmm, he did make it look easy. So I decided to give it a try.

  Big mistake!

  I stepped back in the swimming hole and slipped on the wet slime. Instead of floating, I splashed myself in the face and took in a big mouthful of water.

  “Scrapper, I can’t do it!” I whimpered as I struggled back to the beach.

  “Yes, you can. Just keep trying,” Scrapper said patiently. “Remember to swirl your paws and push your back up toward the sky. If you do that, then you won’t slip on that gross green goo.”

  I tried again, but my paws just didn’t seem to know which way to go, and I could feel myself sinking.

  “Maybe swimming isn’t my thing,” I spluttered angrily after another dunk underwater.

  Scrapper smiled. “Keep working at it, Bo. You’ll get it. Not all pups swim on their very first time in the water, or even their second or third. You just have to keep trying.”

  But no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t do it. My legs were getting tired, my paws were getting goopy, and even my tail was sore.

  I think Scrapper could tell, too, because he suggested we take a break.

  So I slumped back to the shore and plopped down on the Davis family’s blanket, feeling like an awfully silly pup.

  7 Cats and Water

  As I rested, Scrapper and the kids splashed and laughed in the distance. I could tell they were having a great time.

  Even Darnell called out for me to join them in the lake.

  “Hey, Bo! Come on in!” he shouted happily. “The water’s fine!”


  He looked like a mountain floating in the water, so big and strong.

  I wanted to stand up, but my poor legs had other ideas. I dropped back down. Maybe a little more rest would help.

  Then I heard another voice… and it came from the bushes behind me.

  “Psst,” someone hissed.

  “Who’s there?” I asked, looking around.

  I noticed four gleaming eyes and two sneaky smiles. It was King and Diva, the barn cats.

  What were they doing all the way out here, so far from the farm?

  As they turned their sly grins my way, I realized exactly what they were doing out here. They had come to make fun of me.

  “Hey, Diva, what’s wet and soggy and stinks like a froggy?” King asked.

  Diva snorted with laughter. “Oh, I know! Is it the same little puppy who thinks he’s a guppy, but can’t even doggy-paddle?”

  Oh, my fur stood on end! But I couldn’t let them know they were making me upset. That’s exactly what those cats wanted.

  “I thought cats and water don’t mix,” I woofed back.

  “Oh, we’re not here to swim, Bo,” said King. “We’re here for the sun.”