The Northfield News ONCE, LONG AGO, when my grandfather was beginning to grow tall in the woods called Big Tupper by the Little Wolf Pond there was a Squirrel who had wings and she could fly. She did not fly through the forest taunting all the little creatures that did not have wings nor could they stand up to her as she flew by with great speed and her constant an annoying chatter. She often stole nuts and seeds from the mice or chipmunks. She was not well liked and had few friends.

"As winter approached, Squirrel was scurrying around, stealing yummy things from others and storing them to eat in the cold of winter. She was very greedy and had large caches of food hidden all over the forest. Since she could fly well she was able to collect foods and nuts from all over the forest and in some of the choicest of places.

"Winter came early one year, before many of the animals had finished gathering enough to eat. As the cold months wore on, many feared starvation. Squirrel only made things worse by terrorizing those who had worked hard to gather food. Sometimes she swooped down on an unsuspecting animal and stole its meal! Worse, her bird's - eye view enabled her to see other animals' food storage places, and she often raided their caches. When the animals asked her to stop, she teased them with a loud 'Churrrrrrrr!!'

"One day, the animals awoke to snow falling. It snowed all day, filling the woods with wondrous white fluff. For days it snowed and snowed. This was good news for the animals because they knew the insulating snow-blanket would keep them warm. Squirrel, however, was not pleased. She could no longer see the animals' dining rooms because everything was hidden beneath the snow! She could also no longer see her own caches, as they to were also hidden. The familiar landmarks she had used to locate her storage places had disappeared.

How will I find my food Squirrel thought to herself. Squirrel started to feel lonely as all the other animals were snug in their warm burrows. She decided she would find a place to snuggle up and get warm herself. The North wind began to blow as the cold drifted around Squirrel. She started to shiver and tried to bury herself in a snowdrift. After a short while she began to feel warmer but still she was very hungry. She soon fell asleep and drifted off into dream land.

In her dream she had no wings at all and had to hop on four legs like the other animals of the forest floor. She was busy collecting some pine nuts when a ferocious Hawk came down and stole her pine nuts from her and right out of her paws. To make matters worse Hawn sat on a branch in a tree and mocked Squirrel. Squirrel tried to scold Hawk but Hawk continued to laugh. Then Hawk flew down and picked up Squirrel with her huge talons. Hawk set her down on top of a nest of sticks. "Who do you think you are shouted Squirrel, who was furious but still terrified. Who do you think you are scowled Hawk. You do the same to others and I am here to teach you a lesson. I am the Queen of all the forest and I will not tolerate your behavior any longer. You were given the gift of flight, but you have abused that gift. First, you will lose your wings. Second you will be forced to search for and store your own food. Finally, if you ever steal from anyone ever again I will scoop YOU up for a meal!

Hawk's eyes blazed and Squirrel understood how serious of a situation this really was. I will do as you say said Squirrel. I will look for my own food and stop stealing from others. Moments later Squirrel awoke suddenly, startled. Had she been dreaming or was this all real? Where was she? All was white around her. Then she remembered. She was snuggled in the snow drift. It had only been a dream after all. But as she struggled to get out of the snowdrift she realized that her wings were gone and so was most of the snow so it could not have been a dream.

Squirrel though about this good, long, and hard, Squirrel started to become very sad. She loved to fly - what would life be like without wings? A heavy sigh escaped her. At least it will be easier to find food now.

"But then a new thought entered her mind. If I am to make new friends then I am going to have to prove myself useful but how? Suddenly she saw a hungry Fox looking for a meal. Realizing she could not fly away anymore she ran and climbed high into a tree and let out a loud 'Churrrrrrrrrr!'

The other animals of the forest knew that sound instantly and they thought Squirrel was trying to scare, distract and steal their food. All the animals on the forest floor ran for cover taking with them any food or nuts they found along the way. Soon however the forest animals realized what she was doing. She had in fact saved all of their lives by warning them about the Fox. When they all felt safe enough, they came out to thank Squirrel. To their amazement, she had no wings. They cheered her boldness with the Fox and they all gathered around her as if she was a heroine.

"So whenever you walk through the forest now you will likely hear the chatter of Squirrel, warning all the others of your presence and since Squirrel can no longer fly she hops between the trees. Look for her tracks in the snow this winter and remember the story of how the Squirrel who was once a bully to all those around her, finally became friends with all the other creatures of the forest.