Chapter 10: The End
The Three Tails slept late into the morning. Pudgy was the first awake. A jingling sound drifted in through the open garage door.
“Whastha?” said Pipsqueak blinking sleepily.
“Cheddar, swiss, muenster…”, Gomer muttered in his sleep.
“It’s the jingling sound Chipper told us about!” whispered Pudgy.
Slowly stretching and carefully crossing the floor, the three friends tip-toed to the door and peeked around the corner.
“Here’s a red one, Clara!” A little boy exclaimed as he plucked a juicy strawberry from the patch.
“I found a yellow one, Tommy!” The little girl popped the yellow strawberry into her mouth and made a face. “It’s sour!”
Tommy chuckled. “They’re not ripe til they're red, silly.”
The children continued to pick and eat strawberries by the handful until only a few pink and yellow, not-yet-ripe berries remained.
Pudgy looked back and Pipsqueak and Gomer. “I guess we found our thief.”
“Thieves you mean,” sighed Pipsqueak.
“What can we do to ‘em guys?” asked Gomer. “Tell them the secret of the garden? They’re pretty big, but they might be able to fit under the fence.”
Pipsqueak stared at Gomer. “For goodness sake Gomer, we can’t--”.
“Oh just leave it, Pipsqueak,” chuckled Pudgy. Pipsqueak gave an exasperated laugh and peeked back out at their two thieves.
“Guess what Mom told me, Clara.”
“What?” asked the little girl.
“Daddy’s bringing us a present today.”
“What is it?” asked Clara eagerly.
“Two kittens!”
The Three Tails turned to one another, terror on their faces.
“Maybe we can tell the cats the secret of the garden, Pudge?” Gomer asked hopefully.
“Oh Gomer, for goodness sake! Cats don’t eat vegetables, they eat--.”
“They’ll be outdoor cats though,” said Tommy. “Mom wants to catch those mice.”
Previous Chapters
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Previously published on A Pinch of Homestead