Bart the Badger

  Bart the Badger

  Bart the Badger

  Midpoint

  Bart the Badger by Anne Spackman

  Copyright 2012 by Anne Spackman

  Smashwords Edition

  Cover art by Anne Spackman

  Using public domain picture in Wikimedia Commons

  Long ago, in a place called Thorny Wood, by a thick grove of trees, lived a badger family. The youngest of all the badger family was a tiny young badger named Bart. Bart’s family lived in a deep burrow beneath an old oak tree. Every morning, the young badgers Bart and his older brother Brandon would poke their striped, furry heads out from the burrow to see what the weather was like. On fine, sunny days, they would go out to play.

  The badger family had many neighbors, including a nest of small birds who had made their home in the branches of the old oak tree. Thorny Wood was a lovely place, with many pretty flowers that bloomed in springtime across the neighboring meadow. A stream of running water ran alongside the old oak tree. There, the young badger cubs Bart and Brandon would splash around and play games together in the spring sunshine.

  One afternoon, Bart decided to go on an adventure by himself as Brandon slept in the grass beside the stream. Bart wanted to follow the stream alongside the old oak tree to see where it might lead. And so, without telling his brother Brandon where he was going, Bart headed off alongside the stream for quite some time.

  The sun grew hot that sunny afternoon, and a light breeze stirred. The wind made a soft singing sound through the trees above the stream. Bart trotted alongside it, looking this way and that at all of the strange, new sights to behold. He saw a few brown mice in the field nearby scurry for cover from a big owl circling high above. Bart continued along the course of the stream a while longer. After some time, Bart saw some curious little fish poking their heads up above the water as if to salute him.

  “Gurgle, gurgle,” said the pretty little fish to Bart.

  Bart stopped to look at them. He was delighted by the little fish, and so put his nose into the stream so that he could get a better look at them. But, the fish were afraid of Bart and quickly swam away from him. Bart looked up from the stream. His nose had gotten wet, but it began to dry as he continued along on his journey. After some time, Bart felt his legs growing weary.

  “I am growing rather tired,” said Bart to himself, and he began at last to slow down.

  Just then, a young boy came scrambling loudly though the woods and came towards Bart, who was stunned by this sudden intrusion. As the boy came dangerously close to Bart, Bart froze. He didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t dive into the stream, for he didn’t know how to swim yet. And he was too afraid to move. It seemed Bart would not be able hide in time from the young lad before the lad saw him. Finally, the quick young boy saw Bart crouching by the stream.

  “Wow, what’s this funny little guy doing here? Come here, little guy,” he called to Bart.

  Bart was really afraid now. He wanted to run away and escape from the young boy, but suddenly, the boy ran towards Bart and cornered him against the stream. Bart was trapped!

  What shall I do? Thought the young badger. Bart was so scared. Then, the young boy picked up a stick and swung it at Bart. This was not a nice young boy, after all, realized Bart. Bart dodged the stick by moving to the right a bit. But he was tired and slow, and the boy was young and fast.

  “Come here, little fellow. I want to catch you.” Laughed the young boy, cruelly.

  Bart was now terribly afraid. He missed his older brother Brandon and wished so badly that he hadn’t wandered off alone. Bart knew that his badger family would be worrying about him by now, and he felt so bad about what he’d done. He had learned a very valuable lesson, though, not to wander away from safety and from his home. But could Bart escape from this little boy before the boy struck at him again? Would Bart ever again see his brother Brandon and his badger family?

  With a great effort, the tired young badger Bart darted another blow from the young boy’s stick. The boy reeled a bit from the miss. Seeing his chance to escape as the boy stumbled, Bart sprinted back along the stream as quickly as he could. He just barely escaped from the young lad following him with shouts and taunts.

  “I’ll get you, you little furball, if you don’t run hard!” the boy shouted.

  But, as it turned out, Bart was lucky. The tiny badger hurried as fast as his little legs could carry him back to his home beneath the old oak tree. When Bart finally reached the burrow and Brandon lying asleep on the grass, he heaved a great sigh of relief.

  “I’m home again!” sighed Bart. The young badger collapsed on the grass with a happy smile. And he never wandered off again.

 

 

  Anne Spackman, Bart the Badger

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