Telly Tales: The Best of Telly Owl & Friends! (15th Anniversary Edition)

By Paul David Powers

Telly Tales is the three part Trilogy of the Life and Times of Telly Owl, who like Jesus watching over His Sheep, Telly's job is to watch over the creatures of the swamp! Book One Tales of the Swamp Creatures was released in 2003, Book Two, Telly Tales, Adventures, Telly has Passed on, the mantle falls on Son Thomas Telly Owl and his struggl

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lettra Press LLC
• Release date: Feb 19, 2019
• ISBN: 9781949746662

Paul David Powers

Paul David Powers graduated from Miracle Valley Bible College in 1976. In 1982, he received Leadership Development / Helping People Who Hurt Certificates from David Wilkerson’s- World Challenge Institute of Christian Training. “Journalism Awards-1992-1997”, as Photographer & Editor of TNCC’s- The Nelsonite. In 1997, He graduated from Thomas Nelson Community College with an Associates Degree in Photography, Southside VA Community College, with an Associates Degree in Human Services, Substance Abuse Counseling. He holds a Bachelors Degree in Counseling from Master’s International School of Divinity. His previous writings are From Woodstock to the Cross-The Story of a Former Hippie Flower Child! Telly Tales Trilogy: Tales of the Swamp Creatures! (2003), Telly Tales, The Adventures of Telly the Owl! (2010) and and his current Book, Telly Tales III, Telly Owl, Family and Friends! (2014)! Copies of Telly Tales: Adventures and Telly Tales III can be ordered through www. Xlibris.Com, B&N.Com and over 25K Online Outlets Worldwide! For Book Signings or other Promotions write [e-mail]

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Telly Tales

This book is written to provide information and motivation to readers. Its purpose is not to render any type of psychological, legal, or professional advice of any kind. The content is the sole opinion and expression of the author, and not necessarily that of the publisher.

Copyright © 2019 by Paul David Powers

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted, or distributed in any form by any means, including, but not limited to, recording, photocopying, or taking screenshots of parts of the book, without prior written permission from the author or the publisher. Brief quotations for noncommercial purposes, such as book reviews, permitted by Fair Use of the U.S. Copyright Law, are allowed without written permissions, as long as such quotations do not cause damage to the book’s commercial value. For permissions, write to the publisher, whose address is stated below.

Printed in the United States of America.

ISBN 978-1-949746-65-5 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-949746-66-2 (Digital)

Lettra Press books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting:

Lettra Press LLC

18229 E 52nd Ave.

Denver City, CO 80249

1 303 586 1431 | [e-mail]

www.lettrapress.com

About Telly Tales!

The Telly Tales Trilogy began (2003) in Tales of the Swamp Creatures introducing Telly the Owl as overseer to the creatures of the swamp! In Telly Tales Adventures (2010), the mantle of leadership falls on his son, Thomas Telly Owl! Telly Tales III is a two-part story of Telly’s early days and the difficult transition of leadership to his son, Thomas Telly Owl, the next generation leader! Telly Tales III is a unique blending of the entire tale’s epic with never- before-seen stories and illustrations which make the characters come a live!

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Grandson, Nathan A. Hughes

A Telly Tales Fan!

Author’s Note: With sincere humility and great sacrifice, Telly Tales III has been written and published! It is a tribute to God for a lifetime of service! For In Him we Live and Move and Have Our Being! (Acts 17:28a)!

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to Jennifer E. Sheehan (Bumples.com) for her contribution of her artwork ( Morris the Yellow-Spotted Frog )! Thanks also to the Hughes family—Mikey, Christina (daughter), Nathan, Noah, and Thomas—for believing in me when I struggled to believe in my self!

Contents

Telly’s Early Days! Part One

Chapter One: Morris the Yellow-Spotted Frog

Chapter Two: Morris and Peabody

Chapter Three: The Beaver Competition

Chapter Four: Billy Crab

Chapter Five: Bunny Love

Chapter Six: The Owl Legacy I

The Owl Legacy I

The Owl Legacy II

Chapter Seven: The Mysterious Bandit

Chapter Eight: The Prophecy

Chapter Nine: The Mischievous Varmints

Chapter Ten: Merry Ole England

Chapter Eleven: Tully of Woodshire

Chapter Twelve: The Greatest Love

Chapter Thirteen: The Predators

Chapter Fourteen: The Big Surprise

Chapter Fifteen: Changing of the Guard!

This is Telly Owl. Welcome to the world of Telly Tales! The story begins with my great-great-grandfather Rufus Allan Owl who had a dream from God! In it a voice said, Rufus Allan Owl, all around you are creatures who are lost and need direction. I am calling you and those that follow after you to watch over them as the Good Shepherd watches over his sheep! Rufus Allan Owl obeyed that call, and now generations later, we (owls) carry on what he began!

Chapter One

Morris the Yellow-Spotted Frog

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(Jennifer E. Sheehan)

The swamp community is like a family! When a new creatu re is born, all the creatures of the swamp crowd around to get a look at their new neighbor and celebrate its birth in the community. A new addition was about to be born in the swamp, and the news of it spread fast! Mrs. Frog was about to deliver her offsp ring.

Like the human world, there are dedications, and of course, as overseer, I preside over each occasion. The time had come, and everyone gathered around the lily pad home of Mr. and Mrs. Frog. Each eagerly awaited the birth to take place. As everybody knows, a frog is first a tadpole that swims in the water. Later that tadpole is transformed into a full-grown frog.

Mrs. Frog was in hard labor, holding Mr. Frog’s hand and crying in pain. Why does this hurt so much, when is this child going to be born? said Mrs. Frog.

Darling, everything in its time, dear. Soon the child will be here, and the labor will be over! said Mr. Frog.

The younger creatures were running back and forth, anxious for the new arrival to come. There was a big ribbit, a swoosh, and a loud splash into the water. Mr. and Mrs. Frog had a new son, Morris! All the creatures clapped, whistled, and applauded as Morris swam back and forth through the waves, jumping, leaping, and performing before his parents!

At first, Morris was like any other tadpole, slimy and fishlike. But as time went on, he grew up, and that’s when things became difficult. Morris and the swamp creatures began to notice that he wasn’t green like most frogs. In fact, you could hardly see green on him at all with the exception of a few lines here and there. Morris had yellow spots all over him!

The crowd was horrified and screamed! Look how ugly he is! If I had skin like that, I wouldn’t come out in public! Slithery Snake said.

He’s a freak—everybody get away from him! Crabby Crab said. Slowly all the creatures pulled back like Morris had a disease or something! The crowd quickly disappeared!

Mom and Dad Frog and the young Morris stood alone. A look of sadness was on the face of the parents. Mrs. Frog was crying, brokenhearted over the rejection of her son. Father Frog comforted his wife. Morris didn’t quite understand what had just taken place, but soon the reality of it would hit him hard.

Morris quickly grew in the swamp, and the larger he grew, the more noticeable those yellow spots became. None of the swamp creatures would come near him or even talk to him. They avoided him like a plague, like he had some sort of disease. But the disease was in the creatures’ minds, not on Morris.

One day while sitting on a lily pad, Morris looked down into the water and saw a horrible sight—a yellow-spotted frog in the water looking back at him. He screamed in fright. What is that? he asked his mother sitting nearby on another lily pad.

Morris, that is the reflection of you in the water! Mom said.

Morris yelled out, God, I’m ugly! No wonder no one wants to be around me!

Morris’s mother comforted him by telling Morris that every creature is special in God’s sight! But Morris knew that he wasn’t normal like ordinary frogs. The color was wrong, even his frog brothers, tadpoles, and his neighbors wouldn’t have anything to do with him. Morris, depressed, leaped to a distant lily pad, and there he sat for days and days and questioned why he was like he was.

During the winter, his father died. A few months afterward, his mother passed away too. Morris found himself all alone in the swamp. Morris decided it was time to get off that lily pad and do something other than feeling sorry for himself. He began a daily ritual of swimming and hopping onto the dry land to explore. One day as Morris was on one of his adventures, he noticed something leaping and running through the tree above him.

What is that? Morris wondered. Morris hopped to get a closer look. It jumped and leaped from tree to