The Adventures Of Pahwoo And Her Friends

By Rhonda Hanson

On May 28, 2014, Pahwoo came to life. So did my youngest granddaughter, Evie. When Evie was born, her older sister, Eliza, came to stay with Grammy and Pappy for a while, because little Evie had to spend some time in the hospital's NICU. I could tell that four-year-old Eliza was going to need some special help coping with being separated from

• Language: English
• Publisher: Grace Under Pressure Publishing
• Release date: Sep 29, 2023
• ISBN: 9798218295684

Rhonda Hanson

Rhonda Hanson is one of a pair of twins, the youngest of ten siblings, raised on Black Bayou in Louisiana. For much of her childhood, she lived without the luxuries of indoor plumbing and electricity and, growing up without the Internet, devices, or television, she was left to discover the exciting worlds that can only be found within the pages of a good book. She is a collector of vintage children's books, and is not embarrassed to admit that she will reread the same book over and over, if it makes her happy. Her own imagination began to be challenged at an early age, and she would pen practically anything and everything that fermented in her mind, much of which is sadly lost or left back in her youth, probably in some old trunk, in someone's barn. Today, Rhonda is a novelist, recording artist, songwriter, musician and speaker, but her most crowning achievement is being "Grammy" to her two granddaughters. She spends her days in middle Tennessee, writing, convincing feral cats that the Hanson Hotel is open for business, bragging to anyone who will listen about her grandchildren, and tearing all her MacBooks apart and rebuilding them, because of her stubborn refusal to upgrade. Her first completed novel was recently published, (books two and three of the series are finished and soon to be released) as well as a children's book, containing a continuing bedtime story she told her granddaughters, that spanned a period of seven years.

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

Pink Elephants?

Pahwoo was certainly an odd name for an owl, but then Pahwoo was no ordinary owl. For one thing, her feathers were a very unusual shade of pink! She was never able to explain this to anyone, because she had always had pink feathers since the day she was hatched. Gradually, everyone just accepted her striking sense of fashion. Pahwoo was pink. That’s all there was to it.

Pahwoo lived on an American farm, where all four seasons came and went. The farm sprawled out for many acres, with plenty of fields, and ponds, and barns. One old barn, in particular, had been left to weather away and a newer, more impressive barn had taken its place. The old barn was used for nothing more than hay storage now. It was in this all-but-forgotten barn that Pahwoo lived, along with others who had decided that it was a cozy place to call home.

Blinky the cat was one of the others. Like Pahwoo, she was also a bit different. For one thing, she had one blue eye and one green eye. But perhaps the most unique thing about Blinky was that she, a cat, could read! On one of her many excursions into the neighboring town, she had stopped by the open door of a schoolhouse, and watched and listened intently, as reading was taught to the children. She returned almost every day, until she knew enough words to be able to handle simple stories and headlines. There were times when Blinky’s ability to read proved to be very handy!

Blinky had moseyed into the old barn on a rainy Autumn day, and decided, then and there, that she was staying. She and Pahwoo had an interesting friendship, if one could call it a friendship. They got along in a just agree to disagree manner. Pahwoo was an imaginative owl, who dreamed of all sorts of outlandish pursuits and Blinky was always certain to give Pahwoo one of her very effective blue and green stares, and patiently (and sometimes sarcastically) explain why Pahwoo’s scheme was doomed for failure.

A small white goat named Lily had made quite a comfortable bed in a mound of loose hay in the back corner of the barn, and when she wasn’t out grazing in the fields, or chatting with the ducks at the pond, she would make her way back to the barn to nap, or to referee an argument between Pahwoo and Blinky. Lily was soft-spoken and peaceable, and was usually able to diffuse most disagreements. While she wasn’t exactly wise, she was gentle, and gentleness goes a long way, when disputes are brewing.

Like Pahwoo and Blinky, Lily had her own odd feature: one straight horn and one curly one. She didn’t seem to mind it. In fact, she had won a blue ribbon at the county fair one year. She personally thought it was her curly horn that had earned her the first prize.

Down the trail from the old barn, was a small stable with a corral, where a brown pony named Dusty lived. Dusty had no trouble stepping over one of the corral’s broken boards to come and go as she pleased, but she was often to be found within the confines of her stable. where she nibbled her sweet feed and studied the occasional small plane that would fly, tiny and quiet, over the farm. She never spied a plane without dreaming of what it might be like to fly through the clouds. Of course she never told anyone else this, especially Blinky! She simply observed, silently and very thoughtfully.

Dusty did have to remember to watch where she put her feet when she ate, because, more often than not, Millie was sure to be somewhere next to them, happily gleaning the kernels of feed that fell to the ground. Dusty glanced down and sure enough, there was Millie, snacking away.

Millie was a field mouse. She was tiny, brown, and, unfortunately for Dusty, a bit of a chatterbox. She was quite happy to break into anyone’s conversation with an opinion, or a suggestion. Dusty quite liked Millie, but she also liked time alone for her quiet reflections. These had to be put away whenever Millie dashed in to keep Dusty from wasting any food. When she was done eating, she would usually interrogate Dusty to find out if anything was new at the pond, and then finally, to Dusty’s secret relief, make her way to the old barn where she, too, had her own cozy nest.

It was just after sunset and Millie’s dinner with Dusty that she arrived at the barn just in time to hear Blinky yelling, "That is the dumbest thing you’ve ever said, Pahwoo, and believe me, that’s saying a lot! You have got to be kidding me!"

Millie eagerly scrambled to the top of a wooden barrel to better hear Pahwoo, who was perched on an overhead rafter, with an offended and indignant air.

"Of course you would say that, Pahwoo said, in a sulky tone. You never think anything I want to do is a good idea."

"Because nothing you want to do is a ever a good idea, Blinky returned. And of all the bad ideas you’ve ever had, this one is absolutely the worst."

What is it? Millie demanded, in her shrill pitch. What’s your idea, Pahwoo?

Lily shook her head at Millie, who pretended not to have seen her.

Normally, Blinky would have told Millie to mind her own business, but she was so put out with Pahwoo, that she turned to Millie in exasperation, and said, Pahwoo has now decided that she wants to be an elephant!

This had the very unexpected and rare effect of completely silencing Millie. All she could do was stare at Blinky, as if she’d suddenly grown another head.

Lily had remained quiet during this particular argument, but now she ventured in her soft way, Pahwoo… we are born to be what we are. We can’t change that. You were born to be an owl. Why can’t you be happy with that?

Because she’s nuts! Blinky turned in disgust, and marched over to a more comfortable pile of hay. And you mark my words, Lily. Sooner or later, this is going to end up involving us!

Oh, surely not! Lily looked shocked.

Millie had recovered from her stupor, and now scrambled up to the rafter to be closer to Pahwoo. Why do you want to be an elephant, Pahwoo? We don’t have elephants on this farm. If you become an elephant, are you going to move to Africa? She seemed truly alarmed.

She’s not going to become an elephant, you bean bag! Blinky snapped. And no one’s going to Africa!

Millie continued to twitch nervously, but not because she was in close range of an owl, since this particular owl had no interest, whatsoever, in field mice or any other rodents. She was simply distraught over the thought of Pahwoo journeying off to the wilds of Africa, to live as an elephant.

"We’ll never see you again!" she wailed loudly.

Oh do shut up, Millie! Blinky got up from her bed of hay and came over to glare up at her. Pahwoo’s not going anywhere!

Blinky paused, and narrowed her eyes, suddenly recalling something she had seen when she had been on one of her recent trips into town. It was a circus flier, taped up in the post office window. She concentrated to remember just what it had said. Or maybe she is, she murmured, as an idea began to form.

What better way to rid Pahwoo of this ridiculous notion, than to have her see a real elephant for herself, up close and personal? Blinky smiled slowly and turned her head to study Pahwoo, who looked down at her suspiciously.

You’re quite right, Pahwoo, she purred in a completely disarming way. "I am a little hard on you sometimes."

Millie blinked in disbelief, and Lily let out the faintest gasp of surprise.

That’s right…. Pahwoo wasn’t sure where this was going. You are. She shifted her position on the rafter, and waited. She knew Blinky had more to say, and she prepared herself for it.

Blinky waved her paw in the air. When I’m wrong, I admit it.

Millie snorted, in an attempt to muffle a giggle, and Blinky fixed her with a hard stare. This served to sober her up quickly.

But if you’re serious about becoming an elephant, Blinky continued, of course you’ll want to have a good idea of what that would actually be like. That makes sense, doesn’t it?

I guess so. Pahwoo was skeptical, to say the least. What are you suggesting?

Nothing too difficult, Blinky said. I just think you should meet an elephant and find out what it’s all about.

Are you going to Africa? Millie shrieked, in great distress, but also excitement.

Blinky gave her a tired scowl. "What is up with you and Africa? she demanded. No one is going to Africa!"

Then how…

There’s a circus in town, Blinky interrupted, smoothly. And along with all the usual things you’d expect at a circus, there are always plenty of elephants.

Pahwoo’s eyes began to shine brightly, and she sighed out loud. Elephants! Real elephants!

But how would I get to the circus? she asked, breathlessly. Where is it?

Blinky flicked her tail carelessly. I’ll be happy to take you there.

I want to go, I want to go! Millie shouted.

Absolutely not, Blinky scolded. Don’t you know that elephants are afraid of mice?

This time it was Millie’s turn to gasp. They are?

Of course they are. Everyone knows that.

Pahwoo paid no attention to this exchange. Blinky was probably just telling Millie that to get her to stay home, and that was fine with Pahwoo. She didn’t want Millie chattering away, while she was trying to talk to an elephant.

Millie ran back down to the hay and nestled deep into her bed, too many thoughts running around in her head to sort them out. To think that a great elephant would be afraid of her! This filled her with a certain amount of pride, and she fell asleep that night dreaming of herds of elephants, running away from her in