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** Magpies **
*** Hedgehog
Telegraph ***
by Bobby Mac
part 2 of 13 ( hedgehog
telegraph )
"No way", said the grown up Magpies
all together. "Wait until we have our nests built,
then we
can swoop down when the food is first put out, the little birds
won't be
expecting us and will fly off in fright. By the time
they're brave enough to come back,
we will have all the food we
want, and they can have what's left, if anything".
The
Magpies all laughed and took off home, their thoughts on
the good life they
were going to have.
Over the next few
days things were very busy for the Magpies, then at last they
were
ready, when all the small birds were tucked up in bed asleep the
Magpie families
moved house. The young Magpies found it hard to
get to sleep that night. They talked
excitedly about the food
they hoped to have. What a surprise the little Tui's, Finch's
and
Blackbird's were going to get when they went for breakfast the
next day.
Mr. Henry Hedgehog had heard their chatterings and
although he couldn't hear
everything, he heard enough to know
trouble was brewing.
As soon as he was sure all the Magpies
were asleep, Henry slipped out of his home
behind the tall flax
plant, and slowly made his way to the front verandah where
he
often shared a meal with the cats of the house. Although it
was a bit early for supper
Henry soon found two of the grey
cats, Smokey and Shadow, and told them what he
had heard. Now
as everybody knows, cats and birds don't usually get on together,
but at
this house, the home of Granny and Granddad Butcher, it
had been made crystal clear
right from when the cats were wee
kittens, as ti had to all the animals that lived there,
they
had to get on with each other. Smokey and Shadow weren't sure what
to do,
so they went and found Tigger, the other big grey cat
that had lived at Granny's for years,
ever since her youngest
son was a schoolboy, and he was now grown up.
The animals all
knew about Granny's children and grandchildren because Granny
was
always talking about them to the animals. The older
children next door used to hear her
talking to the animals and
laugh at her and call her funny names. "As if they
understand",
they used to say of the animals, but Granny
knew the animals heard and understood her.
*****
Copyright:
Bobby Mac, June 2003
Published: www.tardemstudios.co.nz - 12th.
May 2004
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*****
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