Secret of the Forest: Wise Tales for a Happy Healthy Life

By Michael Neer and Gwenna Merriman

A forest with a mysterious secret.

A cat and mouse on a quest to find it.

Help from a fox, an owl, a bear, and the trees.

 

Curious about everything, Junah Cat is determined to find the secret of

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ocean Sun Publishing
• Release date: Sep 6, 2022
• ISBN: 9781732217683

Michael Neer

Michael Neer writes fables and legends about the quest for the secrets of life. He believes that stories reveal the universal values that we all share. He also has created coloring books and puzzle books on various themes for kids and adults. He has enjoyed a long career of organizing words in creative ways as an English teacher, curriculum specialist, magazine publisher, book editor, and long-time meditation teacher. He has won awards for journalism, newsletter writing, and teaching, and makes his home in Fresno, Calif.

Book preview

Preface

This is a tale about Junah Cat. He was an ordinary black-and-white cat, but he was different because he was extraordinarily curious about everything.

He lived with the mysterious three sisters in the house by the garden. The sisters loved to help things grow, and Junah Cat was no exception. They challenged him to grow by sending him on a quest to find the secret of the garden.

With the help of his friend Maureen Mo Mouse, Junah succeeded in that adventure.

But now, the sisters have a new secret for him to be curious about. They hope Junah will continue to be purr-sistent and aim for purr-fection.

Listen now for the purr ….

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1

Basking and Remembering

Junah Cat sat in the sun on the patio behind the house. He lay there basking, not only in the warmth of the sun, but in the feeling of accomplishment. The three sisters – Sara, Laka, and Duma – had given him the challenge of finding the secret of the garden. They told him it had to be experienced for himself.

He explored the garden with the help of many friends he met along the way. Mo Mouse was his best friend. She always had good ideas and helped him find his way around. Hannah Hummingbird seemed to fly by when he needed help and reminded him to purr. In the end, he found out how important purring really is.

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Sandy Squirrel showed him the Big Picture from up in the Big Tree. Old Thomas Tortoise told him stories about the garden’s past. Ralph Rabbit and Harry Hedgehog pointed out parts of the garden that were hidden from sight underground.

Junah recalled how he got stuck in a web, was roughed up by rosemary, scratched by a possum, and caught in a rainstorm. But when the garden was

threatened, he and his friends came to the rescue.

It was then that he had found the secret of the garden. It was something bigger than Junah himself. Bigger than his friends too! The secret was what the garden was made of. What Junah and his friends were made of. It was like he remembered the truth of who he was and what the garden was. He re-discovered a deep memory that had been hidden.

Junah smiled, reflecting on what he had learned. Just like he was warmed all over by the sun reflecting off the stone patio, knowing the secret of the garden made him feel all warm inside. It had been a good adventure!

THE CAT’S PURR:

Learning Is Remembering.

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2

Stretching and Growing

After discovering the secret of the garden, Junah received extra food, more petting, and more play from the three sisters. He could see they were happy that he had succeeded where so many other cats had failed. They told him he was special. They reminded him that his black and white fur was like a balance, containing all colors and no colors. They liked that he never gave up on his curiosity.

One day, shortly after Junah woke up, he went to get some food from his bowl in the kitchen. He heard voices and saw the three sisters talking together on the patio between the garden and the house. He pushed on the new wooden pet door to join them on the patio. As soon as he stepped onto the rough stone patio, they stopped talking and turned to look at him.

Come here, Junah, said sister Sara, motioning to him to join them. He stretched and sauntered over to the three who were sitting on benches in front of the garden. He jumped up onto Sister Duma’s lap and started purring.

You did very well in discovering the secret of the garden, said Laka with her liquid light voice. We are very proud of you. Duma pressed tenderly on his back and stroked behind his ears. Junah closed his eyes and soaked it all up.

We think you are ready to find the next secret, suggested Sara, watching Junah carefully.

Junah jumped back, startled. What! You mean there is more than one secret?

Oh, there are many secrets in life, said Sara mysteriously. But now that you have discovered how the garden works, we think you might be able to go to the next level to find the secret of the forest.

What do you mean by next level? asked Junah. I saw the forest from up in the Big Tree with Sandy Squirrel. It looked big and far away, not as nice as your wonderful garden here.

That’s just it, Junah, laughed Laka. Big and far away is the next level. You have to stretch to find it.

Duma stretched her arms out wide and winked at Junah.

Junah sighed. I was just getting comfortable with the garden and all that I have learned. Junah scratched his ear. But, you know, I do like to stretch! Maybe trying new things is another way of stretching.

That’s how things grow, said the three sisters together.

Things get bigger, wider, taller, brighter, prettier, explained Sara. They are stretching out from what they know to something more.

Junah smiled and looked out at the garden, remembering all his adventures. He had seen many ways the garden could grow and realized that he also had grown. Okay, my curiosity is itching to know what this other secret is. I’m ready to stretch!

THE CAT’S PURR:

We Grow By Stretching To More And More.

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3

The Squirrel and the Mouse

Tomorrow, we’ll journey to the forest, Sara told Junah Cat. It’s pretty far, so we’ll hitch up Hank Horse to the wagon and give you a ride over there. So, get some rest tonight.

Junah hopped down from Duma’s lap and took a stroll around the garden, remembering all he had learned in the hope it would help him when he got to the forest. He learned something from almost everything – the vegetables, the flowers, the insects, friends he met, and more. His friends, especially, helped him see things in different ways.

Sandy Squirrel had taken him up the Big Tree to see the whole garden. It was a big picture view that helped him know where he was going. He remembered that he could see the faraway forest from there too.

I better climb back up and refresh that view, thought Junah. Sandy Squirrel saw him coming. She was enjoying her morning sunflower seeds while sitting on a branch near the top of the tree. She waved her fluffy gray tail and hopped down a few branches to greet him.

Hey, Junah, good to see you, she said. What brings you to the Big Tree today?

Hi Sandy, responded Junah. Now, the sisters want me to find the secret of the forest, so I thought I’d take another look at it from up on high.

Good idea, said