by Brian Bakos
***
Chester Squirrel and Tom Chipmunk arrived next. They clawed and scratched their way slowly up the wall where the trellis had once been, complaining every inch the way.
At last, they scampered out onto the roof.
“Man, that was hard work!” Chester said.
“Yeah,” Tom agreed. “My claws were made for gripping tree bark, not slippery walls.”
“Mine, too,” Chester said. “You know, my girlfriend always says ...”
“Hey you guys,” Johnny interrupted, “can you forget about your claws for a minute and help me?”
They turned blank looks toward Johnny.
“What do you want us to do?” Tom asked.
“Bring me some food,” Johnny said. “I haven’t eaten since lunch yesterday.”
Chester and Tom looked back down the way they’d come. A round trip would be a very difficult task. A change of subject seemed in order.
“So, Johnny,” Chester said, “there wouldn’t be any Punch Fabuloso left, would there? We were just in the neighborhood and thought we’d check.”
“No,” Johnny said.
“Not even a little bit?” Tom asked. “We don’t need much.”
“Nothing!” Johnny shouted.
Tom and Chester traded surprised glances. An unpleasant silence followed. Breeze rippling through the tree tops provided the only sound.
“My gosh!” Chester cried suddenly. “I’m supposed to run an errand for my girlfriend. I almost forgot.”
“How convenient,” Johnny said.
“Well, gotta go,” Chester said. “Lovely view up here, isn’t it?”
He scampered back down, much faster than he had come up.
Johnny looked at Tom with disgust.
“What’s your excuse?”
“Sorry, I’d like to help,” Tom said, “but I’m too small to carry Badger food up this high.”
Then he, too, was gone.
Part 4: Coming Down