the adventures of iggy and the summer jamboree

8/8/2019 The Adventures of Iggy and the Summer Jamboree

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Iggy's Big Summer Jamboree

Paulette Affuso and Tracey Basta

7/31/2009



Sophia looked around at her new surroundings. She had never seen so many trees and so

much grass in her life. Even the park back in the city didn't have this much space to run

around in.

Looking out from the back of the house, the ground sloped downward. There was high

grass with a path cut into it heading down the hill. At the bottom of the path on the hill wasmore high grass and pathways that went in all directions, like a cross. There were a couple of

trees to the left of where the paths came together, and another 2 trees if you followed the path

straight ahead. Beyond that was a field to the right of those trees and more high grass to the

left. Her mom told her there was a creek at the edge of the property, but she couldn't see it.

Perhaps she could see it later.

There was also a set of steps going down to the back door on the bottom floor. It

started near the steps that went to the main floor's back deck. The garage was just a few feet

away from the top of them. The steps were made of flat rocks and they were set in middle of

a rock wall. The wall was actually a garden set in the wall with rocks. There were 4 layers of

rocks on either side of the steps that had plants in each layer. At the very top was a small

plastic pond with more flat rocks lining it and a small waterfall that ran down some more rocks

and into the pond.

Wilson, her dog, was running around looking so happy. He was a black Labrador

Retriever. He never got to run around in this much space before. They lived in a small

apartment in the city and he always had to be on a leash, except at the dog park, but that was

so small compared to what was now her back yard.

She called to him and he ran over wagging his tail happily. They walked to the

beginning of the path and looked around. She could only see in front of her down the hill

because the grass was over her head! As she got ready to start down the path, her mother

called out to her.

“Sophia, can you please go and fill the bird feeders for me? The bucket is in the

garage. You're dad was supposed to do it, but he's still working in the basement. I also don't

want you going down the hill by yourself. That grass is very high and you can't see if there

are any animals in there.”

“But I'm not by myself, Wilson's here with me!” she said.

“I don't want you going down there without your father or I until we can find out if there

are any bears that hang out in the field.”

“OK, mom. I'll go take care of the birds,” she said with a sulk and walked up the stone



steps that led toward the garage on the side of the house.

In the garage, she found the seed bucket open. Someone must have forgotten to

close it. As she got closer, she heard a sound coming from inside. A scratching and rustling

sound. She almost thought she heard a small voice, but couldn't be sure.

When she looked in the bucket she saw a small mouse. He was tan and looking verylost. He saw her shadow loom over her and looked up. He seemed to be very frightened by

the sight of her. He backed away to the side of the bucket. There wasn't that much seed in

there so he was too far down to jump out. Sophia needed to do something before her father

saw him!

She looked around to find something for him to climb out on. All she could find was a

piece of handle from and old broom. She put the handle in the bucket a little bit away from

the mouse. He looked at the handle, then at her. Then he ran up the handle, up her arm to

her shoulder, then jumped and away he went! He ran out of the door and down into the rock

steps that lead down to the backdoor and disappeared.

She couldn't believe it! He was so cute and so small. In all her 9 years, Sophia had

never been that close to a mouse before. He had very small black eyes and his nose

twitched at the sight of her. She hopes to see him again around the yard.

The next afternoon she went back into the garage. The cover to the bucket was off

again and she heard a mumbling coming from inside. She knew she heard it this time! When

she looked in, the same mouse was there. He was in the bottom of the bucket trying to get

some seed. When he saw her shadow, he froze where he was. She watched him until he

slowly turned his head upward to her. She smiled at him and he just stared, his nose

twitching.

This time, instead of using the broken broom handle, she put her hand in the bucket.

Like last time, just a little distance away from the mouse. He looked at her hand for a few

moments then ran up. But this time, he stopped at her shoulder and looked right at her. He

looked as though he was thinking about something, then jumped off of her shoulder and ran

off.

Sophia thought about the mouse all afternoon. He didn't seem as frightened as he was

yesterday. He almost appeared as if he was going to talk to her. But that's silly, mice don't

talk! Everyone knows that! She put that thought out of her mind and decided to go for a short

walk. She had some food scraps that she wanted to put out for the animals. No sense in



wasting perfectly good food. If her family wasn't going to eat it, then at least the animals

could. They did give some to Wilson, but he had a sensitive stomach and could only eat

certain people food. Her mom said it was okay to put the food out, it was less garbage for

her, but only if she brought it to the bottom of the hill, far away from the house. She didn't

want the animals getting used to coming close to the house for food. So she put it in analuminum tray, like the ones her mom uses for baking, but these are throw away ones, and

started out.

She went down the porch steps and over to the rock steps. As she started to walk

down, she saw the mouse! He was sitting on one of the rocks under a small bush. He had

on a blue vest and had a book open on his lap. He had small glasses that he kept pushing up

his nose as they kept sliding off.

“Hello, little mouse,” said Sophia. The mouse jumped at the sound of her voice. He

looked at her carefully, not moving. He did not seem to know what to do. Sophia felt bad for

startling the poor little thing, but was startled herself when she heard him speak back.

“Hello,” said the mouse in a very quiet voice. He seemed very nervous.

“Wow, you do talk! I thought I heard someone talking in there. I just didn't think it could

be you!” she said.

“I do talk, just normally not to people. Especially the adult ones. They forgot how to

talk to us.”

“Well, my name is Sophia.”

“I am Ignatius Mouse, but you can call me Iggy,” said Iggy.

“Very nice to meet you, Iggy,” said the girl.

“It's a pleasure to meet you, too. You just caught me at a very troubling time. I

normally do not allow myself to be spotted that way. I am normally more careful of my

surroundings,” said the mouse.

Sophia asked, “What is wrong? Why are you so troubled?”

Iggy sighed, lowered his head, took off his glasses then looked at the little girl. She

appeared to him to be about 9 or 10 years old, in human years, of course. She may

understand his plight, but he needed to talk to someone. “I am trying to plan out our Big

Summer Jamboree to be held near the end of the summer. It is almost July and the

Jamboree is in a few weeks. There is so much to do and I don't even know where to start.”

Iggy began to explain to Sophia about the Jamboree:

“Down here in the Wetlands, everyone likes to perform. We love to have fun and enjoy



ourselves. Bessie, my wife, loves to sing. Oh, can she sing the blues! I love to listen to her.

I play guitar, and I have to admit, I'm not too bad. Eddie, the gray squirrel, plays piano. Bobo,

the bear, is a really funny guy, very shy, but once he gets going, oh, we laugh and laugh.

Herbert, the painted turtle, is funny too. He loves to get in front of people and see them smile,

but unfortunately, it takes him a long time to get there. Frank, the big buck, is also a singer.Oh, how the girls love to hear him. They go crazy! The bats love to get up on stage, but most

of the animals can't hear them, their voices are too high. Emma, the doe, loves to recite poet.

She loves to write about life in the wetlands and how to help stop pollution. She is quite the

environmentalist.” Iggy pushes his glasses back up his nose and opens the book on his lap.

It was a calendar.

“I have to make sure that we have everything set up, but I've barely gotten started.

The only part I have is that we want to hold the Jamboree on the bank of the creek. I need to

get the plans for the stage ready and give it to the beavers to build, make sure that everyone

gets time to practice, get the lighting for the stage, and make sure that we have all the

materials that we need to do all of this. It seems like I have so much to do and not enough

time to get it done.”

“You said you have a few weeks!” exclaimed Sophia.

“Yes,” said Iggy, “but a few weeks is not all that much time. This is the first time we are

doing this, so no one really knows how to get this all done. I still have not even drawn a

picture of how the stage will look so the beavers can cut down the trees and start building.

They are wonderful builders you know.”

“Can I help?” asked Sophia. “I am very good at drawing. I can help you with that!”

“That would be great!” said Iggy. “I cannot draw very well. I need to find out what

kinds of songs everyone wants to sing and set up practices so that we can all be ready. I also

have to get the hummingbirds to help with the costumes. They have such small quick hands,

they can help with the sewing.” He pushed his glasses back up again and took a watch out of

his vest pocket. “Oh, I must get home, Bessie will be so worried about me! She must think

that I've gotten stuck in the seed pail again. I must be more careful. Thanks for getting me

out of there. I never did thank you, that was very rude of me.”

“Your welcome! It was my pleasure.”

Iggy said goodbye and started for home. He ducked into one of the bushes and ran

into Itchy. Itchy is a chipmunk, a very sensitive and nervous chipmunk. He looked sad.

“What's wrong?” asked Iggy.



“It's the foxes again. I wish they would leave me alone! Every time they see me, they

call me names! It's not my fault that my cheeks hold so much food! That does not make me

fat or pudgy or porky or any of the other names they call me! They think they are better than

everyone because they can afford all the best stuff in the Wetlands. They have the coolest

house next to the big pond by the field, they have the finest looking coats, always so pretty.They also get the best food that the humans throw out for them! They eat better than any of

us! I get sunflower seeds, and once in a while some peanuts. They get steak and vegetables

and salad and bread. Why do they have to pick on me all the time!” Itchy said very quickly.

Iggy didn't even see him breathe he said it all so fast. Boy, he was a fast talker. He was

always a bit twitchy and he could never sit still, except for when he saw danger, then he

became as still as a stone so he couldn't be seen so easily.

“Why do you let them bother you?” said Iggy. “They don't even care about us.”

“I don't know, I just can't help it. They said those horrible things and laughed at me.

And they're always in their little troop. I think they're just sizing me up just so that they can

eat me!” Itchy squeaked.

“As long as the humans keep feeding them all of that food, hopefully they won't eat any

of us,” Iggy told him.

“I hope not, I don't like the idea of being someone's dinner. That reminds me, who

were you talking to out there? Was it a human, you know you shouldn't, that's dangerous!”

“It was a little human girl. She saved me from being stuck in the seed pail. I know I

shouldn't have jumped in, but I was so hungry, I couldn't help it! It looked so good. And, I

have the Jamboree on my mind, so I haven't been thinking as clearly as I normally would. I

have to be more careful. Bessie's gonna give me such a bump on the head if she finds out I

was so careless!” sighed Iggy.

“You need to be careful around those foxes, too Iggy. I don't trust them one bit! They

have been known to eat rodents. Just because they get all that fancy food now doesn't mean

that they still won't get a taste for chipmunk or mouse again! Especially if they keep calling

me fat and pudgy, I think they mean to do it!”

“I'll find out what's going on with them. Emma watches their kits when they want to go

out on the town, I'll see if she's heard anything. In the meantime, you just try to stay clear of

those guys. They can't be trusted. Remember where the saying 'Sly as a fox' comes from.”

Iggy told him.

“All right, I'll try to stay away. But before you go, have you seen any seeds or peanuts



out on the rock?”

Iggy thought for a moment and then told him he hadn't noticed. He was in such deep

thought and then caught off his guard by the little girl, he hadn't even seen if anyone put the

seeds down. Sometimes the humans will put seeds or nuts on the rocks near the small pond

for them.But it did remind him that he had to get home. Bessie was sure to give him a good

lecture about how he needs to be careful. She's a good mouse and she takes very good care

of him. He didn't want to worry her anymore than he probably already has.

“I will see you later, Itchy. It's getting late and I need to get going. If you have any

more problems with the foxes, let me know. I'll go see the woodchuck. He should know what

to do.”

Itchy sighed with relief. “Thanks Iggy. Get home safe. I will see you tomorrow.”

Iggy ran off towards his little home in the rock wall where his beautiful wife, Bessie was

waiting for him with some nice roasted seeds and nuts. She sure is a great cook, he thought.

Their home was in the bottom layer of the rock wall. There was a nice big open space that

was formed when the rocks were put down by some humans that lived in the house a long

time ago. It was just the right size for mice.

The next day Iggy was sitting at his kitchen table with Bessie, telling her all about the

little girl and his talk with Itchy about the foxes.

“Go see the Woodchuck” said Bessie. “He always has good advice. He is a very old

and wise creature of the Wetlands.”

“I'll go down there this morning. I just hope he is home,” Iggy said.

“Just be careful and watch for the hawks,” Bessie told him.

Iggy hugged his wife and left for the Woodchuck's house. The Woodchuck was old

and wise. He was just a little hard of hearing, so you often had to talk loud for him to hear

you. Sometimes he didn't hear exactly what you said and would hear the wrong thing. But he

was good and kind as well as wise.

At the edge of the tall grass at the far end of the field, was the entrance to the

Woodchuck's home. Iggy had to cross a lot of open space to get there. He didn't like it,

because a hawk or eagle could see him, and they like to eat mice.

Iggy started across the field. He stayed as low as he could to the ground to avoid

being seen. He did not wear his vest today because he needed to blend in with the ground as



much as possible. He darted under clumps of old grass from when the mower came to cut

the path in the field. Luckily the old grass was left behind, it gave him some cover.

Just as he darted out from a patch of dead grass back into the open, he saw a shadow

move fast over him. It was a hawk! He had just grabbed the patch of dead grass that Iggy

had been hiding under! Iggy heard the hawk's cry. It sounded almost like a scream. Itsounded higher pitched than the adults, so it must be one of the baby's out trying to hunt for

the first time. Iggy was glad he wasn't that good yet, but he knew the hawk would circle

around and try again.

Iggy ran as fast as he could to a small old hollow log that was just at the end of the

field. He could hear the hawk screech again as he tried to find Iggy. He wanted to stop and

stay still so the hawk couldn't hear him, but he knew he had to get to that log. If he didn't he

was breakfast for sure. He didn't like the idea of being someone else's breakfast. He saw the

shadow of the hawk just as he jumped into the hollow log. Iggy ran in just far enough that the

hawk couldn't reach him. He waited for a while so he had time to catch his breath and regain

some of his energy. He was glad he ate breakfast that morning, otherwise, he might not have

had the energy to make it to the log.

Once he heard the hawk's cry far over the hill, he peeped his head out. He was not far

from the entrance to the Woodchuck's den. He looked for any other signs of predators, but

didn't see or smell any. He decided it was safe.

A younger woodchuck was at the door to the Woodchuck's den. His name was Olsen.

“What do you want here?” said Olsen with some air of authority. He tried to talk with a deep

voice so that he sounded very important.

“I need to see the Woodchuck. I have a question for him about the foxes,” said Iggy

with a little quiver in his voice. He was a little nervous. He always felt intimidated when he

talked to Olsen.

“Wait here,” Olsen said, then went into the entrance.

Iggy waited outside the entrance to the Woodchuck's home for Olsen to return. He

didn't like being in the open like this. He could be seen again. He had enough adventures

with the hawks today. He nervously bounced from one foot to the other, becoming more

anxious. As he pushed his glasses back onto his nose again, Olsen returned.

“Come inside, but don't keep him too long. He's feeling a little tired today. His allergies

kept him up sneezing last night and his nose is a little stuffy,” Olsen directed.

“Thank you,” Iggy said as he scooted past Olsen and into the entrance and away from



the open field. He was glad to be inside where he couldn't be seen. He walked down the

path deeper into the grassy home. It was quite roomy for a mouse. Woodchucks are a lot

bigger and so they have bigger homes. To Iggy, it seemed like a mansion. His whole home

could fit just in the entranceway.

He came to the Woodchuck's living room and found him sitting with some tea and abox of tissues. “How are you today, young Ignatius?” the Woodchuck said very kindly.

“I am fine, thank you. I need to ask you about the foxes,” Iggy said in as loud a voice

he could muster.

“What boxes? I don't have any boxes. Are you moving, young sir?” the Woodchuck

replied.

Iggy shook his head and said a little louder, “no sir, the foxes that live in the field. They

are pestering a friend of mine and he is worried that they might try to hurt or eat him. I just

need to know if there is any danger for him. I know they are well fed these days by the

humans, but we are both a little nervous about their intent.”

“Oh, the fox family. Do not be hasty in judging a book by its cover. Be mindful and

careful, but do not be quick in judgment. You may never know when they may be of use to

you or your friends,” the Woodchuck told him. “Things are not always what they seem.”

Feeling that the Woodchuck was done, and knowing Olsen would be waiting to get him

out of there so the Woodchuck could rest, Iggy thanked him for his time, wished him well and

left. He thought about what the Woodchuck said, but still was not sure what he meant. The

Woodchuck sometimes didn't always make things as clear as he would like, but he was sure it

meant that there was not danger to Itchy. It was hard to trust the foxes. No one did. They

were always picking on the smaller animals of the Wetlands. It just didn't seem right.

The next day Iggy headed towards the beaver dam. He was close enough to them and

he had to go over the stage plans for the jamboree. Sophia left the plans for him in the shed

and they were pretty good. He just needed to get them to the beavers so they can get started

building. Next on the list was to get everyone who wanted to perform a chance to practice.

Everyone will get to perform. They didn't leave anyone out. Even if they weren't that good,

but most were very good.

He found the beavers hard at work as usual. They were putting an addition on their

house. You only saw the top of it from the bank of the creek, but it was a lot bigger than it

looked. Just like the Woodchuck told him, things are not always what they seem. The beaver



home went down to the bottom of the creek and into the bank of the creek. Iggy knocked on

the roof to see if Charles, the head beaver, was home.

Charles popped his head out of the water next to the beaver home. The entrance to

the beaver house is always underwater so that predators cannot get in. That's great for the

beavers, but hard for any visiting friends who do not like to go under the water.“Iggy, how are you, friend?” said Charles with a large grin on his face. “Just working on

the new addition. Have the new litter coming soon and we have to get the nursery ready”

“That's great! I heard you were adding another room, but I didn't know you were

having another litter!” Iggy smiled back.

“Yep! Can't wait. The wife is starting to drive me a little crazy with all the cleaning and

tidying up before the little ones arrive,” Charles said with a wink and nudge of his arm. “Do

you have the stage plans with you?”

“I have them right here. Had a little help, but they are pretty good. Make any

corrections you need. You know how to do this better than I do! I trust any changes you think

we need,” Iggy told him as he handed Charles the drawings of the stage.

“Thanks!” Charles exclaimed. “I appreciate the trust. But I don't think there will be too

much to change, this looks good. I should be able to get the crew on this by the end of the

week. The new nursery will be done and we can put all of our effort into this.”

“I'm glad to hear it. I must get going. I have so much to do,” Iggy told him.

Charles shook Iggy's hand and said, “Come check out our work once we get started.

Let me know what you think.”

“O.K., I will!” Iggy said as he ran off. He wanted to see the new litter and their room

when they arrived, but the thought of having to swim underneath the dam to get there didn't

make him very happy. Charles was his friend, and he would do it for him, because he knew

that it would make his friend happy to show off the new addition – his house and his family.

A few days later Iggy is sitting on a rock on the steps of the rock garden, when Sophia

sees him. “Hi Iggy.”

“Hi Sophia” he says shaking his head and sighing.

“What's wrong?” she asked.

“There is as sparrow that has gone missing, little Ginger. Her family can't find her

anywhere. They're worried sick,” Iggy exclaimed. He was looking at the ground and looking

very sad.



“Oh goodness,” Sophia said holding her hand to her heart.

“I don't know how to find her. Her mother asked me to help, but I don't know where to

begin,” he said looking even more frustrated. He wrinkled his nose and pushed his glasses

back up.

“Wilson can help you! He's great at finding things!” she said very excitedly, suddenlystanding up tall and opening her eyes wide.

“Wilson?” asked Iggy. “Who is that?”

“He's my dog. He's a Labrador retriever, but he's very smart and great at helping me

find lost things!” Sophia said even more excited than before. “Wilson!” she yelled out, calling

the dog to her.

Iggy hid behind the bush as Wilson came charging around the house, wagging his tail.

Wilson was a pretty big dog, but looked friendly enough. Iggy was still scared. To him, most

dogs were very big and this was one of the biggest he had seen. He had a shiny black coat,

big feet and large ears that kind of drooped down as he came running over, then stood up

straight when he got to the rock wall where Iggy was hiding.

“Iggy, you can come out, Wilson won't hurt you, I promise” Sophia said as calmly and

quietly as she could so she would not frighten poor Iggy even more.

“Sophia” came a yell from inside the house. It was her mother calling her. “You have

to get these dishes done! I can't start making dinner until these are cleaned up and the

kitchen is wiped down!”

“Okay, Mom. See you later, Iggy.” she said as she walked slowly towards the house.

“It's okay Iggy, Sophia told me you need help finding something. That's my special

talent,” Wilson said with pride. He puffed up his chest and held his head up high. Then he

sat down and looked at the place where Iggy was hiding.

Iggy peeped out of the bush at Wilson. He'd never talked to a dog before, and he

started to get nervous.

“G-G-Ginger, a little sparrow has gone missing, her parents can't find her and they are

so worried,” Iggy informed the large dog.

“A sparrow, huh? Never found one of those before, but I see them always flittering

about. They are little things, aren't they? Let's go see her parents,” Wilson told him.

“Oh, but you'll frighten them something awful. Let me talk to them first. I'm still a little

afraid of you as well,” Iggy said as he hurried off towards the field.

Wilson understood. He never really talked to a mouse either, or birds for that matter.



In the city, he would sit in the apartment, then only go out when Sophia's mom or dad took

him for a walk. But he could always tell who was out there before him. He had a really good

sense of smell.

“Wilson, come on!” Iggy called out to him. Wilson went towards Iggy's voice, down by

the tall grass where the yard and field met and the paths crossed. The sparrow parents werestartled when they saw him, but did not fly away because Iggy told them he was not going to

hurt them. He was there to help.

“Our little Ginger went out to fly her friend home by the creek and never came home.

They were supposed to fly half way together and then she was supposed to come straight

back. We don't know where she is. She always comes home when she's supposed to. It's

not like her to just stay out!” Mom cried out. “We tried to look for her, but couldn't find her.”

“Do you have anything that belongs to her? I need to know what she smells like”

Wilson told them.

“Here's the hat she was wearing earlier,” Dad said as he handed the hat to Iggy. He

was too afraid to give it to Wilson himself.

Iggy held it out for Wilson to sniff. Wilson sniffed in so hard, he almost took the hat

right out of Iggy's hands! Iggy pushed his glasses back up and said “Be careful! You almost

sniffed me right up that huge honker of yours!”

“Sorry,” Wilson told him. “I have her scent. Are you ready?”

“Ready? Me? What for?” Iggy said quietly.

“I need you to help me when we find her. You can talk to her. If she sees only me, she

might get scared and not come out,” Wilson said. Iggy knew he was right. Ginger would be

too afraid to even say anything if she saw Wilson and didn't have anyone her size to ask for

help. So Iggy went against all of his instincts and climbed up Wilson's back.

Just as Iggy sat on top of Wilson's shoulders, poor Itchy came running down the hill.

He didn't see Wilson at first, because he was around the corner, hidden by the tall grass.

Itchy stopped short. He looked panicked with huge black eyes and shaking all over. Then, he

fainted. He didn't know what else to do. He was never that close to something so big. It

caught him by surprise.

Iggy jumped off of Wilson's back and ran to him. He patted Itchy's full little cheeks and

called out his name. Itchy opened his eyes and looked at Iggy. “What happened?”

“You fainted. You almost ran into Wilson and then fainted dead away when you saw

him,” Iggy told him.



“Wilson? What's a Wilson?” That's when Itchy looked up at Wilson and his eyes got

all big again.

“That's Wilson. He is going to help me find Ginger Sparrow. She's lost. Would you

like to help?” Iggy asked.

“H-H-Help?” Itchy gulped. “With him? Won't he eat us for a snack?” he whispered.“No, he's okay. I'm still getting used to him myself, but Sophia said he's not going to

hurt anyone. She must be right, because he hasn't hurt any of us yet.”

“Alright, but if he eats me, I am going to haunt you forever!” Itchy said still a little

shaken.

They both climbed up his back and sat on his shoulders behind his head. Wilson took

off down the path that goes into the field and followed the trail that goes around the edge of it.

He starts to smell Ginger's scent. It's faint, but it's there. Following the scent of a bird,

especially a small one, is very hard. They are in the air, so they do not leave a heavy scent

trail behind.

Following the path, they come to a small berry bush. There are small red berries on it

and shiny leaves. Ginger's scent is everywhere. Wilson knows she was here. “Ginger's

been here,” he tells Iggy. “Her scent is very strong.”

“If she's been eating these berries, then she may be in big trouble. They are poisonous

and can make you very sick or even kill you if you eat too many,” Iggy gasped.

“Hang on you two,” Wilson said and then started sniffing around even more. He was

was moving his head back and forth very quickly. He seems to have found something.

“Is it her?” Itchy asked with a quiver in his voice.

“Not yet,but I know what direction she is in,” Wilson said as he walked into the taller

grass. It was tall enough to go over Wilson's head and even hit Iggy and Itchy as it went by

them. They put their hands up over their heads to try to keep the grass away from their eyes.

Wilson didn't like the tall grass because he saw spiders in there one day while exploring.

They were small black ones and they were jumping! He didn't like spiders at all! But if Ginger

was in here, he needed to find her before something that eats birds does.

Iggy took his hands off of his head and held onto Wilson's coat tightly. He was more

afraid of falling off and he just put his head against Wilson's fur to keep the grass away when

Wilson suddenly stopped short, sending Itchy into the back of Wilson's head and Iggy holding

on for dear life. “What is it?” asked Iggy.

Wilson looked down into the grass where he saw something small and pink. He



pushed some old grass aside that was on the ground and saw a small sparrow with a bow in

her feathered head. She was snoring!

Iggy and Itchy climbed down off of Wilson and ran over to Ginger. They called her

name and tapped her wings. She kept on snoring. She had some red liquid on her lips and

Iggy started to get panicky. “Ginger! Wake up!” he started yelling to her now. She slowlyopened her eyes and looked at the two rodents.

“Who are you and where am I?” she said sounding tired and slurring her words.

“I'm Iggy, I know your parents and we've met once before, just after you hatched.

You're in the tall grass at the edge of the field, almost down by the creek. You're parents are

worried sick about you! You were supposed to be home a while ago.” Iggy said very sternly

with his arms crossed over his chest. He uncrossed them, pushed his glasses up and

crossed them again.

“What happened to you, Ginger?” Itchy asked not sounding so nervous anymore.

“I was on my way back when I saw the berry bush. I was so hungry I decided to have

a snack. I had two berries and they tasted bitter, so I stopped eating them. I started to fly

home then got very dizzy and lost my way. I forgot what direction I was supposed to go in

and then took a rest in the tall grass so that I could stay hidden from the hawks. I got so tired

that I laid down and then you were here.” She started to look upset and then her eyes got

really big as she noticed Wilson sitting there watching them.

“Watch out!” she screamed as she tried to fly. She was still a little disoriented and

could not flap very well, which was a good thing for Iggy and Itchy. They held onto her feet so

she couldn't leave. “Let me go! He's going to eat us!”

“No he's not, that's Wilson. He helped to find you. If it wasn't for that nose of his, you

might have been hawk dinner for sure,” Iggy told her.

Itchy started shaking again. He forgot about Wilson. He turned around and saw

Wilson standing there with a big grin on his face and his ears drooping down. He had his

head tilted to one side. Itchy shuttered then turned back to Ginger. “No, even though I can't

seem to get used to him, he didn't eat us. We rode his back all the way here.”

Ginger sat upright, then tested her wings again, but not trying to fly. They seemed

okay to her. She looked at Wilson and said “Thank you, Wilson. I don't know what may have

happened to me if you didn't find me.”

“Your parents couldn't see you because you were too deep in the grass. You better get

home to them. They can't wait to see you,” Wilson said very concerned. Ginger flew up to



his back and Iggy and Itchy climbed back up. Wilson walked slowly back to the sparrows

nest.

Mrs. Sparrow flew over the minute she saw Wilson coming down the path with his crew

on his back. She was so relieved, but very very angry. Ginger saw her and put her head

down. She flew towards her mother with her head held low. She knew she was in for it.She could see it in her mother's eyes and the way she flew in their direction.

“You're father and I were worried sick. We don't know what we'd do if anything

happened to you! Don't you ever do anything like that again. What were you eating? Why

are your lips all red? When we get home you are grounded young lady! Thank goodness

you're safe, but you are in big trouble...” Mrs Sparrow didn't even give Ginger a chance to

explain. She knew her mother loved her very much, but she was scared too. Ginger didn't

realize just how much danger she was in and how much her parents were worried about her.

She knew after this, she wouldn't do anything like that again!

Wilson, Iggy and Itchy could hear Mrs. Sparrow scolding Ginger as they flew back to

the nest. They walked back towards the house feeling glad that she was safe. They knew

she would be just fine once her mother got all of the worrying out of her system.

“Thank you so much, Wilson. We are all very grateful to you. I know the sparrows will

never forget what you did.” Iggy said.

“Anytime, I am glad to help. There's not much for me to do around here, so I don't

mind,” he said with a smile.

“Well, I'm off to home. Bessie will be wondering what happened. She knows Ginger,

too, and I know she's concerned,” Iggy said.

“Me, too,” Itchy said with a little squeak of his voice. He's still a little nervous around

Wilson, but he's getting better.

Wilson said goodbye, then went to his favorite spot on the deck on the back of the

house and laid down. It was a small old rug, but it was comfortable. He went right to sleep.

The next couple of weeks were really busy for Iggy. He got the list of everyone who

wants to be in the jamboree and started rehearsals. Bessie's old blues song sounds

wonderful, of course. But Iggy always thinks Bessie's singing is awesome. The band practice

was going good. With Iggy's guitar, Eddie the squirrel's piano, and Itchy's wild drum solo's,

their rock and roll performance should bring down the house! But they were still missing one

thing, but he was not quite sure what it was. Bobo the bear has been practicing his stand up



act with Herbert the turtle. They decided it might be better if they team up, since Herbert is a

little slow getting to the punchline, Bobo can help him out. Frank has his crooner act all ready

to go. Emma came up with a lot of new poems. There has been a lot of dumping in the creek

this year, so she decided to make that the subjects of some of her new ones. The list of who

is going to perform and when was done. He also has the other parts of the show ready to go.The lightning bugs will take care of the aisle and stage lighting. The dragonflies are

going to do an air show before the big event, just before sunrise. Wilson, Sophia's dog, is

head of security. The animals of the Wetlands made him honorary sheriff during community

meeting last week because of his great detective work finding Ginger Sparrow. The beavers

are the stagehands since they know where all of the parts of the stage are and how they

work.

Everything seems to be in order. It was the day before the show and Iggy was going

over all of his final lists and paperwork as he walked along the creek bank on his way back

home. He wanted to get something to eat and take a nap. He has been so busy, he was

quite tired.

Iggy did not realize that he was so deep in thought that he wandered off course on his

way back home. He had headed downstream of the creek and did not watch were he was

going. He stepped onto the old home of the beavers. It had been abandoned after a huge

flood a couple of years ago had done too much damage. The beavers decided to build a new

home further upstream, that was were they lived now. When he stepped on to the old beaver

den, he fell through the roof. There was a huge hole on the top covered only by a couple of

leaves. Iggy went right through the hole and into the muddy floor at the bottom.

“What do I do now”, Iggy thought to himself. “This is what you get for not watching

where you are going!” he scolded himself. Iggy tried to free himself from the mud around his

feet, but the more he moved, the more stuck he seemed to be. “Ugh!”

Iggy tried calling for help, but no one was close enough to hear him. He got more and

more nervous as he continued to struggle to get out, but became more and more stuck.

An hour later, Bessie was waiting at home for him. She knew he was going over the

last minute details of the stage lighting with the lightning bugs and was supposed to be home.

She started getting nervous. He was never this late without sending a message to let her

know what he was doing. Then she heard a knock at the door.

Itchy was there when she opened the door to see who it was. “I need to talk to Iggy!”

exclaimed Itchy. He was twitching about on the doorstep, looking more anxious then ever.



“I don't know where he is. He was supposed to be home almost an hour ago! This is

not like him. I don't like this one bit!” Bessie said as she nervously gripped her dress. She

seemed to be holding it so tightly she thought she would tear a hole through the fabric!

“Oh no, oh no, oh no!” Itchy cried.

“What is wrong, Itchy?” Bessie said.“I knew it, I just knew it. Those foxes, they must be behind it. I know what the

Woodchuck told Iggy, but I knew I just couldn't trust them. They've been sneaking around all

morning, like they were up to something. They had that look in their eyes! I knew something

bad was going to happen! I knew it!” Itchy cried out.

“Let's go get Sheriff Wilson. He will sniff his way to the bottom of this. He has a nose

for this kind of thing,” Bessie told him.

They left the mouse home in search of Sheriff Wilson. They found him by the back

door of Sophia's home. He was sleeping in his usual favorite spot on the deck.

“Wilson! Wilson! We need your help. We can't find Iggy, he's should have been back

an hour ago, and Itchy saw the foxes sneaking around. We think something may have

happened to him! Help!” Bessie cried out.

Wilson sat up and looked at them coming out of the rock wall. Poor Bessie looked so

upset and Itchy looked like he was going to jump out of his own skin. Wilson never saw him

so twitchy and that is pretty bad since Itchy is always very twitchy. He's just a nervous little

guy.

“Where was he going this morning?” Wilson asked.

“He was going to see the lightning bugs in the field. They were going over the final

details for the stage lighting,” Bessie said, quite out of breath.

They started towards the field. On their way to the field, they passed the fox den.

They overheard Bessie telling Wilson about how he's been working so hard on the jamboree

that he would often get lost in thought. He has been so tired from all the time he has put into

the show that she worried that something has happened to him. They listened then waited for

Bessie, Wilson and Itchy to pass by.

It was then that the rain started to come down, and it came down very hard.

Iggy was now stuck up to his knees in the mud. He got deeper into the mud as he

struggled. That's when he noticed the rain. It was coming in through the roof, and fast. It

started to pool around him. He was worried he would sink deeper into the mud, so he stood



very still, calling out every so often to see if anyone had been passing by and could hear him.

He just hoped it wasn't anyone unpleasant who found him, but he had to take the chance.

The biggest problem was that not too many of the animals came this way anymore.

Bessie started to cry. “What if he's stuck somewhere, what will I do?”Wilson told her that they would find him and not to worry. They made it to the lightning

bugs in the field. The lightning bugs told them that Iggy left quite a while ago. He was very

happy when he left because they solved the problem of the spotlights. Then he wrote

everything in his planner and headed off. He was still going over things in his book and he

went further into the field grass.

Wilson did not like the sound of this. It was raining even harder now and that meant a

danger of the creek flooding. If he was anywhere that got flooded and was hurt, he could be

in real danger.

The rain kept coming through the hole in the roof. He tried to cover his head with his

planner, but the rain was coming in and starting to get deeper and muddier. Some of the rain

was also washing in some of the mud and grass from the bank of the creek. He felt like he

was the main ingredient of mud soup. How could this get any worse?

He tried calling out again and realized that the rain will make it even harder for anyone

to hear him, but he had to try. Bessie should notice that he's not home by now and she would

be getting worried. Hopefully she would go find Wilson.

Then Iggy heard the sound of the creek rushing by outside. He knew the old beaver

den was not too stable. He just hoped it would hold together long enough for him to get out.

But if this rain continued, it might not.

The father fox, Reddington, or Red for short, got his troop together. They were going

down to the creek. The kits saw Iggy heading downstream earlier that day and thought they

might be able to get to him. They knew the creek could become dangerous fast, especially

with the hard summer rains. The creek could rise up very quickly, and if he was anywhere

near it, he was in serious danger. They didn't have time to tell the others. So they went

towards the old beaver dam.

Wilson tried to track Iggy's scent from where the lightning bugs were gathered in the



field, but the rain was making it very difficult. The rain kept washing Iggy's scent away. Just

when he thought he found it under a patch of grass, it disappeared as soon as he moved in

the direction it seemed to be pointing. Wilson thought this was taking too long. Also the

heavy rain was pushing down the grass, making it difficult to try to track where he may have

walked through the field. Mouse tracks are difficult to follow even in perfect weather. The rainwas making it downright impossible to follow Iggy's tracks.

That was when Wilson heard the foxes calling to each other. He got a sinking feeling.

He thought that meant danger. He was worried that if they found Iggy, it could be very bad.

He did not trust them at all.

Iggy kept as still as he could as the rain kept coming in the old dam. It was now up

past his waist and seemed to be rising faster and faster. He started to panic and his instincts

kept telling him to try to free himself, but when he did try to move, he seemed to sink even

deeper into the mud. So he went against every instinct and stayed as still as he could. He

kept calling out hoping someone would hear him.

Red followed the path to the creek where the old beaver dam was. He called to his kits

to make sure they were behind him. He knows what everyone thinks of them, but he doesn't

care. He has not been as sociable as he used to be. He has been keeping to himself and his

family as he's gotten older. Maybe that's why the others think he doesn't like anyone

anymore. He's just learned to appreciate the peace and quiet of staying home.

He tries to tell his children to be mindful of the others, that they will judge them on what

they say and how they act. But the young ones often think that they are better then everyone

else. They have been very fortunate lately with the humans putting out their old food scraps,

and they have the best house in the wetlands, but he tries to remind the kits to still be

respectful. Hopefully one day they will understand and stop being so arrogant.

Red wants to do the right thing in helping out. He just knows there is no time to find

anyone else, if his instincts are right. He came up to the old beaver dam and heard a small

voice coming from within.

“Iggy, are you in there!” cried out Red.

“Yes, yes, but hurry, the water is coming in fast. The creek broke a hole into the side of

the dam and the water is rushing in! It's almost up to my head! Please hurry!”

“I'm going to break in the roof. Cover your head if you can so that you don't get hurt



with stuff falling in. It's the only way!” Red told him.

Iggy was nervous having Red help him. He knew Red's name from Emma, but not

much else. He just tried to think of what the Woodchuck told him. Maybe he was here to help

him and not eat him. Thinking about the Woodchuck made him not think about the water that

was now up to his chin.Red started digging into the roof to open up the hole so he could get in. Debris started

to fall on Iggy and he cried out. “Sorry,” Red told him. “It's the only way to get to you quickly.”

“That's alright. It just caught me by surprise. I wasn't expecting so much. And the

water is coming in faster!” Iggy cried out. It was almost over his chin, and the walls of the

den sounded like they were cracking and about to break.

Wilson came running up, barking at the fox, but Red kept digging. He knew if he

stopped that Iggy wouldn't make it out. Red got his head through the hold and grabbed Iggy

by the head with his teeth. Just then the walls of the dam buckled in on the sides. Red was

trying to be as careful as he could, but there was no other place to grab him and he had to get

him fast.

Bessie, Wilson and Itchy all saw Red bring his head out of the hole with Iggy in his

mouth. Iggy's legs were sticking out and they were kicking about. Bessie screamed, Itchy

fainted and Wilson jumped on Red, growling and baring his teeth. Red dropped Iggy on the

grass as he fell to the ground. Iggy coughed up some water and took in a deep breath. The

rain was still coming down hard.

“Leave him alone, Wilson,” exclaimed Iggy, still a little breathless after such an ordeal.

“What do you mean, Iggy” said Wilson, still baring his teeth and holding Red to the

ground with his front paws. Red just stayed there. He didn't want to move.

“Red saved me. He got me out just in time. Another second and I wouldn't have made

it. I owe him my life.” Iggy went to Red and bowed. Then he hugged the fox on his snout.

Wilson stepped off of Red and looked down. Red was smiling. “I had to act fast. The

kits saw you down this way earlier and I thought you might be here. I had to use my instincts

and I was afraid I wouldn't have time to tell the others,” Red told Iggy. “Turned out I didn't

have time, if I tried to find any of you first, he would be under all of that water and debris right

now.”

“I'm sorry, Red,” Wilson said. “I didn't trust you. I really thought you were going to eat

him.”

“Eat him?” Red said with disgust. “Why would I go back to mice and other rodents?



We have all sorts of stuff to eat. That little girl puts food out all the time. I heard her calling

everyone to eat, but no one comes. She wants everyone to get some, from the bugs, to the

mammals and birds. Since no one else eats it, we do. Besides, mice don't taste all that

good, anyway.”

Bessie ran over to Iggy and gave him a huge hug. She was never so relieved in her life. She thought that he was gone. But now he's here and everything is alright.

Everyone started walking off when Iggy realized that Itchy was still lying on the ground

from when he fainted. Iggy walked over to him and tapped him on one of his big cheeks.

“Itchy! Itchy!” Iggy cried out.

“Oh my! Am I in heaven too!” Itchy said groggily.

“Heaven? What are you talking about?” Iggy said.

“Didn't you get eaten by the fox? I saw your head in his mouth!” Itchy said with wide

eyes.

Iggy and Bessie laughed as they helped him up. “No, we're still in the Wetlands and

I'm still alive. No one has eaten me. In fact, Red saved me. He was the only one who knew

where I might be. I was so lost in thought, I wandered off course. I am grateful to him. The

Woodchuck was right. Things are not always what they seem and the foxes did have a part

to play. We should make the whole troop honorary guests at the jamboree!” Iggy said with

delight.

“Why not?” said Bessie. “If it wasn't for Red, I wouldn't have my main mouse with me!”

The next night the Big Summer Jamboree went off without a single problem. Bessie

sang the most beautiful songs that Iggy ever heard her sing. Bobo and Herbert brought the

house down with their act. Frank had all the girls swooning in their seats. Emma's poems

were absolutely beautiful. They brought tears to some of the animal's eyes. And best of all,

Iggy and the band even had Red up to jam with them. Turns out, Red can play a really great

bass guitar. Just the thing the band was missing. The Wetlands would talk about it for

months to come.

Sophia was even allowed to come down to the show. After they heard that she was

trying to feed all of the animals with the left over food, not just the foxes, they realized that she

was not so bad either. Iggy knew she was alright, but it was good to see the rest of the

Wetlands knew it too. She would spend a lot of time hanging out with her new friends, hearing

of their adventures and joining in a few with them.



The End

9/24/2009

the adventures of iggy and the summer jamboree

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