Tales From Misty Acres

By Owen ODonnell

Like so many children, Owen O'Donnell's daughters Kristin, Keri, and Rebecca loved to have their dad read to them. This led to a minor problem: they were fixated on one particular story, "The Saggy, Baggy, Elephant and the Tawny, Scrawny Lion." He read it so many times that he could almost recite it without the book. One time, in desperation, he asked them if they would like Daddy to tell them a story. In response to their enthusiastic yes, he invented a community of little animals who had very human flaws and reactions to everyday situations in life.

Much to his pleasant surprise, he discovered that situations in the stories were very, very effective ways of getting all the necessary parental messages across without evoking the usual reactions that such messages often evoke. For years, Tales from Misty Acres was unwritten. Prior to Christmas one year, he asked his oldest daughter what she wanted for Christmas. Her response was, "Daddy, I want you to write two stories. But one has to be a Christmas story." Thus, it was that Tales from Misty Acres became a physical reality.

To help those who may be curious, he set the stories on a farm that was less than two miles from where he grew up.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Apr 29, 2024
• ISBN: 9781685705466

Book preview

cover.jpg

Tales From Misty Acres

Owen ODonnell

ISBN 978-1-68570-545-9 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-68570-546-6 (digital)

Copyright © 2024 by Owen O’Donnell

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Cast of Characters

Introduction

A Christmas Story for Bobby

Dreams Can Come True

Jerome Comes Home

A Surprise for Granny

The Arrival of Artie Mouse

Rules! Rules! Rules!

Love Is What Makes Tears

The Camping Trip

Michael Mole

Responsibility

Love Doesn't Ask, What If?

Bobcats and Forgiveness

About the Author

Cast of Characters

Robert Aloysius Bullfrog

Sammy Squirrel

Jerome Goose

Gillian Goose

Gina Goose

Granny Badger (aka Bernice)

Oliver Owl

Mr. and Mrs. Bullfrog

Elizabeth Bullfrog

Mr. and Mrs. Squirrel

Mr. and Mrs. Mouse (Artie's mother and father)

Michael Mole

Olivia Possum

Sheila Skunk

Roswell and Geneen Bobcat

Peter Bobcat (Granny's attacker)

Julia Bobcat

Joshua Bobcat

Freddie Fox

Carleton Ulysses Duck

Introduction

Tales from Misty Acres began almost thirty years ago when my family and I lived in Germany and my daughters were quite young. Like most youngsters, they loved for Daddy to read to them. Of course, I was only too willing. However, they had their favorite story, The Saggy Baggy Elephant and the Tawny Scrawny Lion.

When they came to me for what seemed to be the four thousandth time and asked that I read to them and presented the book, I asked if they wouldn't rather have me tell them a story. Intrigued by the possibility of a story from me, they all yelled yes. So on the fly, I invented a community of small animals who did very human things and often got into the same problems that young children do. That ultimately led to the retirement of the elephant and the lion.

The stories went on, and as often as not, I would take an incident from my youth and weave it into a story generally built around a bullfrog, a flying squirrel, and a young goose. As time went on, the number of characters grew to include parents, a dog, a cat, a fox, and a few older characters like Clarise the Cow, Granny Badger, and Oliver the Owl.

Quite by accident, I found that these stories were wonderfully effective teaching tools to get across so many of the normal parental messages, like tell Mommy and Daddy where you are going so we don't worry. Without the stories, these admonitions often seemed to go over a child's head. However, when a story was interrupted to ask a leading question like, Why are Bobby's parents so worried? and other associated questions, my girls and their friends quickly got the point and understood why. For example, we wanted them to let us know where they were going.

For years, the Tales from Misty Acres were merely oral recitations. In the early 1990s, I asked my oldest daughter what she would like for Christmas. Much to my surprise, she said, I want you to write me two of the stories, and one of them must be a Christmas story! Shortly thereafter Dreams Can Come True and A Christmas Story for Bobby made their appearance.

About ten years later, I had the pleasure of reading these two stories and ten more to my grandchildren. In about three or four more years, I will have the privilege of beginning to read these stories (and possibly others) to Karin's and my great-granddaughter Olivia Grace (Livy). Wow!

Now for one last piece of information to any of the readers who are curious about the background for Tales from Misty Acres, I grew up in the country in Connecticut and located my stories on a local dairy farm, less than two miles away from where I grew up. I have many fond memories of wandering through the farm's barn and the woods that surrounded it.

A Christmas Story for Bobby

Most frogs hibernate in the wintertime. However, Bobby Bullfrog wasn't just like most frogs. The most his parents could expect is that he might take one or two long, long naps over the winter. As a matter of fact, most people and animals would consider him to be a most unusual amphibian.

His mind was so restless and inquisitive that he couldn't abide doing all the so-called normal things that frogs were supposed to do, particularly that business of catching flies with his tongue and eating them—yuck! You could never tell where their hairy little legs had been. Give him a liverwurst sandwich and some chocolate chip, oatmeal, raisin cookies any day of the week, and you would have an extremely happy young bullfrog.

Since he couldn't convince his sister Elizabeth to bundle up and come outside to play on the ice and snow that covered their pond, it was almost inevitable that Bobby would get bored and would decide to undertake the long trip to the main barn so that he could visit his special friend, Clarise Cow, whom Bobby always politely called Mrs. Cow.

So it was that our intrepid adventurer found himself hopping over and sometimes through the snowdrifts that blanketed the path that led from Misty Acres Pond to the main barn on the farm.

With snow covering many of the familiar landmarks, it became necessary for Bobby to jump high into the air every so often to make sure that he was still on the path. Several times, when he burst clear of the snow, the wind would tumble his body over and over along the top of the snowdrifts.

When it first happened, he got a little scared. However, he soon learned that if he held his arms and legs straight out from his body, the wind would scoot him along the surface of the snow at a furious pace. When the wind stopped blowing, he would sink back down into the snow and continue his trek to the barn at a somewhat slower pace.

The final time that he burst out from beneath a snowbank, he discovered that he was just a short distance from his destination. It was then that he saw something so beautiful that it almost took his breath away.

There in the yard, next to the house where Farmer Brown and his family lived, was a huge evergreen tree covered with colored lights and all sort of things that he had never seen. Some of the lights shone steadily while others blinked continually. At the very top of the tree was something that Bobby knew he had never seen before. It looked like a little person with wings coming out of its back. On its face was the kindest, most loving smile that his little frog eyes had ever seen.

While he stood there in the cold looking at that incredible tree, he heard a voice that he knew, Bobby! If you stand out there much longer, you'll turn into a frogsicle. Come inside and talk to me. I just finished a batch of cookies and I've been wondering who would be available to help me eat them.

Before you or anyone else could blink an eye, Bobby was inside the barn and had begun the task of getting out of his wet, cold, heavy snowsuit. The thought of a fresh batch of Mrs. Cow's cookies was more than enough to make him move fast even though he was exhausted from his long trip through the snow.

After he had eaten six cookies and had gulped down two mugs of hot chocolate, Bobby turned to his friend and said, Mrs. Cow? That tree beside the Browns' house is the most beautiful thing that I have ever seen. Is it something new? I don't remember seeing it before. What is it?

Well, Bobby, from the talk that I have heard around the barn, that is a Christmas tree. The Browns have gone to all the trouble of decorating it because their granddaughter Amanda is coming to spend the holidays with them.

Bobby was quiet for a moment and then spoke, Mrs. Cow, I've never heard of this Christmas business. But if the Browns have gone to all this effort to decorate that tree for—what did you say her name was? Oh yeah! Amanda—it must be something really special. Do you know exactly what Christmas is all about?

Well, dear, I'm not exactly sure. It's either a time for humans to spend a lot of money and to give other humans presents. Or it's a time when humans go to those funny looking barns that they call churches and say thanks for somebody named Jesus being born.

Do you know who Jesus is, Mrs. Cow? asked Bobby.

I'm not totally sure. But I'd bet that with the way that the farmhands are talking about Christmas, we may be able to figure it out, Mrs. Cow replied. Let's listen and see what we can learn.

Oh, I wish that I could stay and listen. It sounds exciting. But I guess that I'll have to head home pretty soon. Bobby was the world champion hinter when he didn't want to come right out and ask for something.

You may just get your wish, Mrs. Cow said. It has begun to snow much harder, and I'm worried about you getting home safely. I think that I'll call your parents and let them know that you will be spending the night, if that's all right with you. Needless to say, she got no argument from Bobby.

A few minutes later, Mrs. Cow came back into her living room with the news that young Mr. Bullfrog's parents were pleased that he wasn't going to try to make the trip home during the blizzard. Bobby! There is one thing that I want to talk to you about. Please, in the future, make certain that your parents know where you are going, even if you are coming to visit me. They were beginning to get worried about where you were. Since you are going to spend the night Bobby, I guess that we had better think about fixing something for dinner.

Having noticed that her young guest was still eyeing the heaping plate of cookies, Mrs. Cow said, Robert Aloysius Bullfrog, don't you think for a minute that I'm going to let you have cookies for dinner! If you are interested, I can fix you a liverwurst, pickle, and lettuce sandwich with mustard on it.

And some cookies too? asked Bobby.

One cookie with dinner, young man. The rest will have to wait until later. I have a surprise planned for you.

What is it? What is it? What is it? yelled Bobby as he hugged Mrs. Cow.

If you can wait for another fifteen minutes, you will find out for yourself, she said.

Just when Bobby was about to ask if the fifteen minutes were up for the tenth time, he heard a quiet knocking at the front door. I'm busy fixing dinner, Bobby. Will you please answer the door for me?