Chapter 3: The Lion, The Mice, and the Circus

Sam was walking in the dark. He was walking as fast as he could to get away form that terrible place. Sure, it had food, and shelter, and water, but no adventure? Sam just couldn't bear the thought of it. He was walking in every direction. He couldn't see anything except for some lights off in the distance. It was two circular lights side-by-side, and they were coming closer, right at him! He froze and stared at the lights. He heard a rumbling of something and a screech as the lights stopped moving. There was a sound and then a slam and Sam heard footsteps. He was picked up and he heard a voice saying, "You know, Tom, I don't think I can handle it if Berry gets out again." Berry? Who was Berry? "Come on little guy. Let's try not to get out again, okay? Back to the circus you go, Berry." Circus? This man must have been confusing Sam for another raccoon, probably named Berry! The man carried Sam into the car. There was another man driving who was most likely named Tom. They drove for a while and pulled up at a large lot with about seven different tents put up. There were many lights put around the lot illuminating the tents. There were some people rushing around in costume. A man in a suit spotted Tom and the man holding Sam and ran over.

  "There you are! Bert, Tom, is he okay?" The suit-man said.

  "Yes, he is all right, as far as I can tell." Bert said, lifting Sam so he could look at him.

  "He should still probably see the vet, though." Tom said.

  Vet? Sam thought. No, not again! Please, no, no, no, no! Not Annie! Not Picnic! No! He couldn't believe he was back where he had started. He got away, only to be caught again. Annie, or not, Sam didn't want to see a vet.

  But, ignoring Sam's psychic pleas, he was carried to a small white tent. On the inside were about eight tables and a woman in a white dress. 

  "Hello, Berry." She said as she took Sam into her arms. "Are you okay? I was wowied so much about you! You're my favowite wittle patient, yes you are! Oh, yes. Oh, yes you are!"

  "Becky. Please." Tom said. "Just check him over. Opening day is in four hours."

  "Oh. Right. Of course." Becky set Sam down on one of the tables and began listening to his heart, and checking hiss legs. "Well, as you probably know, he was taken in by someone and treated. He had a broken or sprained leg, and he has a cast. He won't be able to do his tricks until at least 20 days after the cast comes off."

  "When does his cast come off?"

  "Well, if the cast was put on yesterday, I'd say about... Oh... Maybe, six weeks?"

  "What?" Tom said, looking alarmed. "But, we need him on four hours!" 

  "I know." Becky said. "But you must do what is best for the animals. You can at least put him in a new stall so he doesn't get out again."

  Bert heaved a huge sigh. Sam noticed that suit-man hadn't said anything. It was then that suit-man began to speak.

  "You know, we should do what is best for the animals." Suit-man said as he turned towards the hatch in the tent. "Turn him loose."

  "What?" Becky said, looking outraged. "You want me to turn an animal loose that was born and raised in captivity?"

  "He can't be used in the show. Turn him loose."

  "I heard you the first time, but he doesn't know how to get food for himself. He would never survive!"

  "It is only one raccoon." 

  Only one raccoon? Sam thought. I may be one raccoon, but every life counts! Maybe I wasn't born in captivity, but I am still a life!

  Just then, another man walked into the tent. He was like suit-man, but he was holding a brief case and he was much, much bigger.

  "I hear you are trying to kill a circus animal?" He said. This man was big-man. 

  "No!"

  "Yes." Becky said as she stepped forward. "Mr Clemens here wants me to turn this raccoon loose. He was born and bred in captivity. I told Mr Clemens that Berry would never survive. Mr Clemens said Berry is only one raccoon. This means that Mr Clemens was trying to kill Berry by turning him loose, and he acknowledges that Berry would die."

  "Thank you, Miss Borderman. How long until he is healed?" 

  "At least eight and a half weeks, sir." Becky answered. Big-man turned to suit-man. "You will keep Berry the Raccoon. You will wait until he is healed; Eight and a half weeks or more."

  "But sir, I-"

  "No buts. You will do as I said. It is called Cilladie's Circus, isn't it?"

  "Yes, Mr Cillidie."

  "All right then. Good work, everyone." Big-man left. Suit-man was absolutely raging. He looked at everyone and stole a loathing glance at Sam and stormed out of the tent. 

  The rest of the goings-on happened while Sam was in a haze. He seemed to drift through it all like it was only a dream. He was put in a stall next of some very exotic animals; a Giraffe, and Elephant, and a Lion. Sam heard the Giraffe and something that sounded like a penguin whispering. He made out a few words. "He looks like a rat... Tailless.... New guy.... Doesn't like him... Turn loose... Birdy told me..." Sam decided to talk to them.

  "Hello." He said. "My name is Sam. I think they confused me with Berry."

  "Obviously." The elephant answered in a droning, bored voice. "We knew it wasn't Berry. Berry has a tail and looks different."

  "Amazing how they could confuse you with Berry." The lion added in a low growling voice. "Berry was much more... Shall we say... Correct."

  "What?" Sam asked. "Do you mean with my leg and my tail?"

  "No," The lion answered, "I mean in the head." The lion issued a growling laugh and put a paw to his head. Then the penguin piped up. 

  "I don't think he's so bad. You know," He said, "It might be better to have a different Berry. He was getting irritating, anyway."

  "Well, anyway," the Giraffe said. "I'm Dorris, that's Benny," she pointed at the lion, "That's Ella," she pointed at the penguin, "And that is Valerie." She pointed at the elephant. There were voices outside the door. 

  The door opened and then closed without anyone coming in. The voices continued. They were very squeaky and small.

  "And that," Dorris said, "Is Myrtle and Muriel, the mice.

  The door opened and closed again. The voices died down.

  "They aren't very sociable." Dorris explained. "Don't take it personal, kid."

  "Okay." Sam said. "Thanks for telling me all of this! But, I will have to leave pretty soon... I need to go on my adventure, so... Bye!"

  "Oh, you can't leave." Benny said. "The stalls are locked. You'll 
just have to wait until morning when the circus is. Hope you learn some tricks, kid. You got three hours."

  Sam didn't know what to do. Sure, the sun was on his side but 

The sun wasn't shining anymore.

Chapter 2: Picnic

I walked well into the afternoon. I didn't know where I was. I was in someone's yard on a dirty street with tipped trashcans all over. It was paradise! I rummaged through the trash for a while, but after finding nothing of interest I gave up the search and continued on. I walked across the road and to a little lake. There were two girls by the lake. I walked slowly up to them. 

  "Like, totally, Jamie." One girl said. 

  "Hey, Kelly, do you like, smell something?" 

  "Yeah! It's like, an animal or, like, something else." 

  "I found it, Kelly! Look! It's, like, a raccoon!" 

  "Ew! Get it away! It smells bad, like, seriously!" 

  "Seriously!" The girls gathered their bags and walked away. "Sis!" Jamie called out across the lake.

  "What?" She called back. "I am trying to finish this book for my book report!" I noticed that she used proper grammar.

  "There is, like, a stinky raccoon over here!"

  "Really?" The girl put down her book and hurried over. "Aw! It is so cute!"

  "Cute? This is, like, a gross animal."

  "Yes, it is cute. Look! It's injured!" The girl examined my back leg. "It think it has a broken bone. You better come home with us, little guy."

  "Come home with us?" Jamie asked. "I don't think so. That animal is going to make me smell bad. I like, totally don't want to smell bad."

  The girl coaxed me into her book bag. It was very comfy. She kept herself away from my head, so she didn't get rabies. I don't carry rabies, anyway! And trust me, I'd know. Anyway, when we arrived at their house, the girl said, "Mom! I have a new patient!"

  A woman hurried out of the kitchen. "Oh, that's great, honey! Who is it?"

  "It is an injured raccoon." The girl opened her book bag to show me to her mother. 

  "Aw, that's a cute little guy." The woman lead the girl over to the kitchen table and put a sheet over it. "Annie, put him right here."

  "Thanks mom." Annie said as she gently set me down on the table. "He has a little smell to him. Maybe, when he heals, we can wash him?"

  "Of course, honey." The mother looked at me more closely. "What do you think is wrong with him?"

  "Broken back leg." She pointed as I crawled around, sniffing the sheet. "See, when he walks?"

  "Oh, the poor, poor creature." The mother got a pitying look on her face. "What do you think happened to him?"

  "Probably fell." The skin isn't broken, so he probably wasn't attacked."

  Yes I was! I thought.

  "What do you want to name him?" 

  "Mother, you know I can't name my patients. Then I get attached to them and can't stand to let them go. You know what happened with Picnic, our other raccoon. She is still living here, isn't she?"

  "Yes, I know, honey. Maybe just a nickname?"

  "Okay. Fine. How about..." Annie looked at me for a while.

  Sam. Sam. Sam. I thought, trying to use my psychic abilities. Name me Sam.

  "What about Sam?" I couldn't believe it! My psychic abilities actually worked! 

  "I like that name." The mother said. "Call me Grandma Sally, Sam." She said to me. "And call Annie, Mother Annie."

  "Mom!" Annie laughed. She had a nice laugh. Then the sister Jamie walked in from the hall.

  "And this," Grandma Sally said, "Is Auntie Jamie." 

  "Mother! Like, I don't want to be know at all by this creature. Seriously."

  "Oh, honey." Grandma Sally said dismissively to Jamie. "Well, Annie, go clean your room."

  "But, it's fine the way it is."

  "Go." Grandma Sally pointed down the hall. Annie scooped me carefully into her arms. She sulked down the hall and into her bedroom. She set me down on a stack of animal encyclopedias.

  "Well, Sam." She said to me. "This is my room. Picnic! Where are you?" A small face poked out of the closet. Woah! I said. I fell backwards onto my back at the sight of the sudden face. "Aw, you poor thing." Annie put me back on my stomach. Then she leaned over and scooped up a smaller raccoon into her arms. "Hello, picnic. Yes, I know. Hello, little Picky." She crooned. The raccoon twisted in her arms to face me. Hello. She said. I'm Picnic. You are?

  I'm Sam. I answered. 

  Nice to meet you, Sam. She said. Welcome to our house. How long will you be staying? 

  Until my leg heals. I answered, and I turned to show it to her.

  Aw, you poor thing. I had a broken bone too. Only, it was my front. Annie found me by the lake.

  Annie found me there, too. Was it only a coincidence? I had a bad feeling about Picnic.

  I don't think you'll be leaving.

  What do you mean? I asked. Yep, definitely a bad feeling.

  Well, has she given you a name yet?

  Yeah...

  Then she is attached to you. She won't be letting you go.

  But she has to! I am going to go on an adventure! 

  Don't hold your breath. There isn't going to be an adventure for you. Better get comfy, Tailless. You'll be here for a long time. Oh! It's feeding time. See you around, Tailless.

  I hate it when animals make fun of my having no tail. I got in a little fight with a pit bull as a baby. I don't like to think about. I looked around as Annie took Picnic to one of the seven baskets lined with blankets. She cuddled her as she fed her strips of bologna. Picnic looked at me smugly and winked. You're next, Tailless. She said to me. I had to get out of here. I had to. No adventure? That was the whole reason I left! I can't let a wannabe veterinarian keep me from living my life how I want. Annie came over to me and scooped me up. She put me into the basket closest to the window and wrapped a cast around my leg. She then fed me some strips of bread and a little dog food. I have to get out of here. An adventurer doesn't let someone feed them dog food. An adventurer finds dog food for themselves. So, later that night, I climbed out of my basket. The cast really helps! I thought. I hoisted open the window and climbed out of it. Tata, Picnic. I said. Picnic just looked at me, bewildered. I'm going on an adventure, Picnic. So long. And I jumped out the window onto the top of a bush, and into the night. I felt the cold air on my fur. I felt the freedom on my mind. 

I was free once more.

Chapter 1: The Sun Is On My Side

It started out as a normal morning. Until those incessant dogs started barking. I was looking out at the morning sunrise that was painted with blues, and yellows, and reds. When the dogs started barking, I toppled backwards around my brach and fell from about fifteen feet. When I hit the ground, I knew my back leg was broken. I opened my eyes to two sets of gleaming white teeth and the sound snarling through the chain link fence. Their owner was yelling, "No! Stop! Get away! No!" and the owner pulled them back from me. He started to take them inside, but they lunged out at me yet again. I thought this was the end of me. But it wasn't. I knew I still had a chance. I struggled onto my stomach and climbed into a standing position. I crawled through the gap in the fence. There were two people looking at me. I stared back, but I soon looked away and climbed into the bush. I was trying to climb the bush but I couldn't. So I just sat there. Later, in the evening, someone put out some strawberries for me, but I couldn't get to them because I was in so much pain. During the night I decided I needed to leave. I had lived in that yard for three years, but I knew that this was my time to leave. Go on my own adventure. So I set off. I walked and walked down the sidewalk. I don't know where I got to. Just when I thought I couldn't go any farther, the morning crept up on me. The sun shined its light on me, cast its warmth down my back. I looked up at the sky. The sky looked down at me. I knew I could do it. I could do anything now. I smiled up at the sky. I had hope. Why?


Because the sun was on my side.

The Day We Found Sam

It was a quiet day on our patio. Until the dogs next door started barking. We heard their owner shouting, "No! Stop! Get away! No!" and we knew they had gotten an animal. We assumed a possum, but we knew better when a small creature crawled through the gap in our fence. It had a strangely thin coat, and no ringed tail, but we knew that it was a raccoon, nonetheless. It stared up at us, with its helpless eyes. It looked as if it were about to cry. Then we noticed its back leg. The raccoon was holding up the back leg and not using it while it crawled. We knew it was broken. It looked away from us and crawled into our bush. All we could see of him was a dark mass that was trying and failing to climb up the trunk of the bush. We named him Sam. We watched him for an hour. Then we went inside to sleep. He was gone the next day. We haven't seen him since, but this is the story of the Sam that is still with me. This is the story of the little adventurous raccoon that lives inside us all. 


This is the story of Sam.