The Visitor

 

Midge was sitting on the front porch watching the little humans on their way to school carrying their little lunch boxes. Booker-T ran along the sidewalk and came through the gate and sat down with Midge on the porch.

“Hi Booker-T,” greeted Midge. “What are you doing?”

“I walked over to see what you are doing,” said Booker-T looking at some more little humans walking along the sidewalk. “Who's that Midge.”

Midge looked up and saw a little human girl walking through the gate. “I don't know,” said Midge. “Does she look lost?”

“I don't know,” said Booker-T. “How do you know if someone is lost?”

“But why is she coming in here?” asked Midge. “I think she is suppose to go to school.”

“Maybe she don't want to go to school,” smiled Booker-T.

The little girl human walked up to the porch and sat down next between Midge and Booker-T and began to pat them each on the head.

“Nice puppy,” smiled the little human. “Nice kitty.”

“She is sweet,” said Booker-T.

“Hey Mary!” called a little human boy from the gate. “What are you doing? We need to go to school.”

“I wanted to see the puppy and the kitty,” smiled Mary. “Do you want to pet them, Jimmy?”

“I will come pet them and then we need to go to school,” said Jimmy. “Mom will not be happy if we don't go to school.”

“I think their mom will be worried if they don't go to school,” said Midge.

“I think you are right, Midge,” agreed Booker-T.

“Lets walk with them to the school,” suggested Midge.

“Here comes Lucy and Jake,” said Booker-T as he saw them walking through the gate.

“Who are your little visitors?” asked Lucy.

“I don't know,” said Booker-T. “I think the little human girl is Mary and the boy is Jimmy.”

“How do you know?” asked Jake. “You can't ask them.”

“They were talking to each other and said their names,” said Midge.

“They should go to school,” said Jake.

“I know,” sighed Midge. “The little boy is trying to get the little girl to go and she wants to sit here and pet us.”

“Do you think we can get them to go to school if we walk along with them?” asked Booker-T.

“It might work,” said Lucy. “Lets go.”

Midge stood up and took a hold of the little girl's hand and slowly walked to the gate and Jake got behind the little boy and nudged him toward the gate. They walked through the gate and started to walk along the sidewalk with the two little humans.

“Are they going to school with us, Jimmy?” asked Mary.

“I don't know,” replied Jimmy. “They can't go to school.”

“But they are walking with us,” said Mary. “Can we take them home after school?”

“I don't think so,” said Jimmy. “We already have a puppy.”

“Maybe CiCi wants a playmate,” said Mary.

“But I think these have a home already,” said Jimmy.

“Can I go visit them and play with them in their yard?” asked Mary.

“Maybe,” said Jimmy as he took Mary's hand and started to run. “Come on we better hurry.”

Marry patted the dogs and the cat on the head and leaned over and kissed them on the heads. “Bye bye,” smiled Mary.

Midge nudged the little girl's hand as the little girl leaned over and hugged her and the others.

They stood and watched the two walk into the school and Mary looked back at them and waved her little hand good-bye. When they went inside, the four turned to walk away from the school.

“What do you want to do?” asked Jake.

“Do you think they will come to play with us?” asked Booker-T.

“They might,” said Midge. “I would like to play ball with them.”

“That would be fun,” said Lucy. “But they are little and they will forget us when they go home.”

“I hope they don't,” said Booker-T. “They were nice.”

“They are little,” said Jake. “They have short memories right now.”

“Maybe you are right,” said Midge. “I know my owner's niece forgets things all the time.”

“Do you want to go see what animals are at the zoo today?” asked Booker-T.

“Okay,” said Jake. “Lets go.”

The four hurried along the sidewalk and stood at the large open door of the zoo transfer building and looked around the room at the 6 cages in the room.

“Look at the last cage over there,” said Midge. “What is that animal?”

“I don't know,” said Jake. “Lets walk over there and I'll read the sign.”

They walked across the room and found the sign hung on the cage.

“Hey you guys!” said the animal in the cage. “Can I come out there with you.”

“We can't let you out,” said Lucy. “The cage doors are locked. “

“Why?” asked the animal. “I want to come play with you guys. Come in here with me.”

“We can't open the cage,” said Midge. “What does the sign say, Jake?”

“It say it is a giant anteater,” read Jake.

“Didn't we see an anteater before?” asked Booker-T. “He looks a lot different.”

“I think the one we saw was also smaller,” said Midge.

“They sure are funny looking,” said Lucy.

“You look funny to me,” said the anteater.

“I guess some look funny to others,” said Jake. “Maybe humans feel the same sometimes.”

“Maybe,” smiled Midge. “But that's okay. We are friends with anyone.”