The Adventures of Topsy and Turvy

THE ADVENTURES OF TOPSY O'POSSUM AND TURVY MCCOON

Chapter 1 – Topsy Meets Turvy

Topsy woke up from his midnight nap hearing a clanking noise. He glanced left and right from his upside-down position, then swung down from his branch and landed on his paws. He heard the noise again. It was coming from Mrs. Beedenbender’s garbage can!

Topsy saw a masked thief running away, clutching something in his hands. What? A thief in the neighborhood, disturbing his regular nap? That will never do! He jumped up and ran after the thief.

“Hey, you, out there!” he yelled, as the thief stopped by a stream. The thief turned around to look. “A raccoon! I should have known!” Topsy mumbled, getting closer.

“The name’s McCoon. Turvy McCoon,” he said with a twinkle in his eyes. He was holding an apple in his paws. It was intact, except for a brown splotch where someone had bit it.

Topsy stumped towards the offender. “Did you know it’s against the law to rummage in humans’ garbage containers?”

“Says who? I ain’t following no dumb sophinstricated laws. My law is called survival, plain and simple.”

Topsy blinked twice, twirled his tail, pinched his lips, and replied, “Sir, as long as you are on my territory, you shall obey my rules.” He assumed a karate pose.

“Hey, cool it, mister… what’s the name?”

“Topsy. Topsy O’Possum.”

The raccoon-thief’s eyebrows sprang up, and he exploded in a heartfelt laughter. Topsy stood there, frowning at Turvy. What an ill-mannered fellow, he thought to himself. Making fun of my name, right in my face!

“Hey, brotha!” Turvy finally said. “We would make a great team, you and I – Topsy-Turvy, get it? Be ma pal, and shake paws.” He held his paw towards Topsy, grinning sincerely.

“I have no intention whatsoever to associate with your kind,” Topsy replied, turning his head away from Turvy.

“Aw, come on, chum! Join me for a snack! D’ya like them apples, Tops?”

“I like clean, germ-free apples from trees. By principle, I never consume anything that has been disposed of in a waste receptacle.”

“Well, have it your way, pal.” Turvy stood on his hind legs by the stream and washed the apple slowly, carefully, extensively, while whistling a little tune. He peeled off the brown part with his claws, and washed some more.

Meanwhile, Topsy observed from a distance, thinking to himself that he never takes time to wash his food.

Turvy finished it up by drying the shiny red apple on his fur.

“Say, Mr. Turvy,” Topsy said with a weak smile, “I do apologize for my previous disapproving comments. I see that you have some class, as far as sanitary habits are concerned. Let us indeed shake paws!”

Turvy transferred his now spotless apple in his left paw and shook hands with his right.

“No harm done, matey. I knows you’ll like my company once you k nows me. Everybody does.” He winked at his new friend and patted him on the back. Topsy swayed slightly forward with the impact.

Topsy gratefully accepted a piece of Turvy’s apple – even though it wasn’t quite snack time yet, according to his schedule.

Chapter 2 - Brownie the Braggy Bear

Topsy was on his way to meet Turvy one sunny July evening, when he was stopped in his tracks by a little voice saying,

“I have a lot more fur than you do. And my fur is warm, chocolate brown, not rainy-day gray!”

Topsy looked down at his fur, and back at the bear standing in front of him. Before he could think of a good come back, Turvy arrived from the other side.

“Seems like we have a new cub in the neighborhood, haven’t we?” he said, in his usual, friendly way. “Hi, the name’s Turvy. Turvy McCoon.” He held out a paw.

“Turvy Mc who?” the bear cub said, ignoring his offer to shake paws. Instead, she eyed Turvy from head to toe. “Don’t you guys have any colors? Or are you all a bunch of skunks?” She laughed and turned around to leave.

Topsy and Turvy looked at each other. “Looky here, Braggy!” Turvy yelled. “Who are you to come instulting us in our own territory?”

The bear turned away slowly and showed her claws. “My name is Brownie and this is my territory now. When I grow up, I will be the biggest, most ferociousest grizzly bear you ever saw!” She growled as fiercely as a baby cub can, and disappeared in the forest.

Topsy shook his head. “Why, what do you know? A grizzly bear in our area! Turvy, we must find a way to make friends with her, or our future will be miserable. I wouldn’t want to cross paths with her mother!”

Turvy sighed loudly. “She had the nerve to call me a skunk! A skunk! Of all the animals…” He punched his paw with his fist, and stumped the ground, making some dead leaves fly up.

The next time they met Brownie, they were quietly picking berries a few evenings later.

“Well, well! If it isn’t Piano Keys and Storm Cloud! You haven’t found your colors yet? Why don’t you rub some smashed raspberries on your face, and roll in that blueberry bush over there? Red, white, and blue would look good on you, Skunky!”

This time, Turvy walked up to her, and stood as tall as he could on his hind legs. “Listen, pal, don’t you go around making trouble, or…”

“Or what?” Brownie interrupted. “Did you ever fight with a grizzly bear? We are the most ferocious bears in the…”

She didn’t finish her sentence. A huge black bear emerged from among the trees. “Brownie, it’s time for bed,” she said in a motherly voice.

“Yes, mama!” Brownie replied sweetly, following her. Before disappearing in the forest, she turned and stuck her tongue out at them.

“Did you see that?” Topsy said when they were out of sight. “Her mother is black, which means Brownie is a gentle black bear, not a fierce grizzly bear!”

“Are ya pulling my paw? She ain’t a black bear; she’s mud-puddle brown.”

“Yes, but she is from the black bear family. Sometimes, for some reasons I cannot explain, black bears give birth to brown bear cubs. It’s very uncommon, but it happens. I bet that’s what happened with Brownie.”

The very next evening, our two friends were washing apples by the stream, when they heard a familiar voice.

“Hey, Domino! Hey, Dust Cloud! Still didn’t find your colors?”

“Hey, Blackie!” Turvy replied, winking at Topsy.

Brownie gave a little start. “What did you call me?”

“I called you Blackie. You’re a black bear, aren’t ya?”

“Don’t be silly. I’m brown, can’t you see? Are you color blind as well as colorless?”

Topsy smiled. “Your mother is black, isn’t she?”

“So? I am brown.”

“Yes, but you are from the black bear family, not the grizzly family. Grizzlies don’t live in this area. They live far more north.”

Brownie tumbled down on the soft moss. “Yeah, you’re right. I am a black bear, but I want to be a grizzly bear!” She broke into tears.

“Now, now,” Turvy said, “there ain’t nothin’ wrong in being a black bear. Just be proud of who you is, and be yourself. Friends?”

Brownie’s eyes lit up. “Friends!” she said, shaking Turvy’s paw.

Chapter 3 - Turvy’s Troubles

“I need your help!” Turvy whispered, shaking Topsy’s upside-down shoulder so vigorously his tail almost let go of the branch.

Topsy opened his eyes and closed them again, covering them with his paws. “It’s not night time yet. Why did you wake me up so early?” He rubbed his eyes, and reopened them slowly, trying to get used to the bright sunlight filtering through the branches of his tree-home. Facing him was Turvy, a few inches from his snout, staring at him with a worried expression on his masked face.

Topsy swung down from his comfortable branch, landing in front of his raccoon-friend.

“Sorry to take you out of dreamland so abrupply, pal, but I’m desperate. Ya have to help me!” He shook his startled friend by the shoulders, making him lose his balance and almost fall over.

“Desperate? I couldn’t tell… Suppose you tell me what is the matter? Then I can decide if I can be of any use in solving your troubled situation.” He wiggled out of Turvy’s grip, crossed his front legs, and waited, tapping his paw on the clover patch.

“Why, here? Now? Are ya out of your mind?” Turvy whispered, a bit louder. “Come with me in that trash can over there, and I’ll tell ya everything. But not here in the open, never!”

Topsy’s hair bristled on his back. “Do you really think that I – Topsy O’Possum – will ever set foot in a trash can? Who do you think I am, a raccoon? … I mean, what I’m trying to say is … Oh, don’t look at me like that! You know what I tried to express – I come from a royal lineage, you know, and just the thought of … rubbish makes me shiver from snout to claws.

“Royal linnage? You?” For a moment, Turvy forgot his troubles and giggled heartily like only McCoons can do. “Not in the trash can, got it. Where then?” he said, after recovering his serious expression.

“Let us proceed behind the bush yonder,” Topsy said, pointing.

“I don’t know what a ‘bush yonder’ is, but I see a regular bush. Let’s go!”

They hurried to the designed spot and sat face to face, ready for confidences. Topsy yawned loudly, but it didn’t prevent Turvy from giving a lengthy explanation of his troubles.

“Well, see, Tops, here goes. It’s kind of embarrassating, but… here goes.” He cleared his throat, took a deep breath, and spoke in a deep, low voice.

“Well, I was trotting along, minding my own business, when I heard grunting noises in a magnolica tree.”

“Magnolia,” corrected Topsy in a yawn.

“Whatever. I was puzzled, see, because the only animal that grunts around here is Brownie, and she is not awaked yet from her hiber… hibernestation, see? So I peeked betwixt two branches of magnolica… magnolia, and what do I see? Brownie, making fun of me! She was disguised as to imitate me, see, with black around her eyes, and black and white fur all over her chubby body. Only thing missing was the stripy tail!”

“I see,” said Topsy politely. “Go on, I’m listening.”

“Now Brownie, she looked at me with a mocking smile, and I yelled at her in such ways as only a McCoon can do, see? I won’t repeat what I said, mind you, since ya come from a ‘royal linnage’ (hee! hee!) It warn’t until she started to cry that I realized it warn’t Brownie. It was a bear all right, that I’m sure of, but don’t aks me where she came from. I was so ashamed of myself I ranned all the way here.”

Topsy became increasingly interested in the story, and by the time Turvy stopped talking, he was wide awake, looking intensely at Turvy.

“Why, Turvy! The only bear that fits your description is a panda bear. She must have escaped from the zoo! We must help her go back immediately.”

“But Topsy, I yelled at that poor thing. How can I show my face again? You go, I’ll stay here.”

“You must come with me, Turvy, for two good reasons: you need to apologize, and I need your help in bringing her back to the zoo. My daylight vision is very poor, and without you I may get hit by a car!”

“I can’t apologitize. It makes my insides all fluttery just thinkin’ ‘bout it.”

Topsy’s convincing voice finally got the best of Turvy and they emerged from behind the bush. The sun was setting, and Topsy’s eyes slowly adjusted to the soft evening light as Turvy guided him safely across the street and they entered the shady woods. Turvy lead the way to the magnolia tree where he found the panda and sure enough, the little black and white bundle of fur was sleeping on a high branch.

Topsy grabbed his raccoon friend’s paw in excitement. “Jiminy cricket! It is a baby panda. Let’s climb up there and talk to her. Wait… I cannot climb that high, but you can.”

“Me? But… I can’t. I won’t. Let’s wait for her to wake up.”

“Turvy, you must climb.”

Turvy sighed under the insisting, stern stare of his friend. He slowly, hesitantly walked to the tree, looked back at Topsy for courage, and started to climb as silently as he could. As he reached the panda’s branch, a twig broke under Turvy’s paw and she opened one eye.

As the panda seemed ready to cry again, Turvy quickly said, “It’s okay, pal, I’m here to help ya.” His sweet voice reassured her and she sniffed back her tears.

“Listen, uh… I’m awful sorry for yelling at ya b’fore. See, I thought you was my friend Brownie – and Brownie, she’s so braggy and so brown it makes me mad just to think of her.”

“But I am not brown!” the panda said in a small voice.

“See, that’s the thing. I thought you was Brownie making fun of me. She always teases me, calling me piano keys, albino, or asking me where my colors were at. I thought you was… Brownie in disguise.”

The panda smiled, then laughed, and soon Turvy joined in.

“Come on, let’s get you back to the zoo where your mama is. But first, we’ll make a little detour…”

And that’s how Brownie woke up, hearing Turvy’s voice. “Brownie, wake up! Winter is over. See how I growed big during winter?”

She opened her eyes, and saw an overgrown Turvy looking at her. She shrieked, and by the time her sleepy mama came to see, Turvy was long gone, along with his ‘overgrown body’, heading for the zoo.

To this day, Brownie is still wondering if the whole thing had been a dream… It seemed so real!