Bailey of the Wild

                                                      Bailey of the Wild

                                                      By Daryl Campbell



         Sunlight peeks through the curtains, shining in Bailey's face. She doesn't want to wake so early and fights off the yellows and whites that chase away her dreams. Auburn hair swings through the air as she flops her head against the pillow.

         “Honey, it’s time to get up.” Mom’s voice sounds. “There’s eggs on the table.”

         Eventually, Bailey comes to the table in green shorts, a pink shirt, and a pair of brown boots. Climbing into a chair, she starts eating scrambled eggs.

         “I see you’ve picked some clothes.” Mom smiles. “You have plans?”

         “Yes,” Bailey answers.

         Finishing breakfast, Bailey helps feed their. The bird, Andy, is colorful, an orange beak, and green, blue, and yellow feathers and lives in a large cage in the living room. Bailey pours seed into a bowl and puts it in the cage while Mom does the same with water.

         “Why does Andy live in a cage?” Bailey asks.

         “Well,” Mom starts, “he’s an animal. Some animals are kept in cages.”

         “Was he always in one?”

         “Probably. I doubt he was ever wild.” Mom walks to the kitchen.

         “Wild?” Bailey follows.

         “Wild means he would’ve been outside, like other birds. He wouldn’t make a good pet,” Mom explains.

         “Oh, where’d he come from then?”

         “His mom and dad were probably caught and then he was born.”

         Bailey smiles. “Can I go outside?”

         “Stay in the backyard.” Mom kisses her. “You hear me?”

         Bailey nods, waiting for Mom to leave the kitchen before putting her plan into action. The pantry door squeaks open and she takes boxes from a shelf: three small ones and one that holds them all. She spreads the boxes across the back porch and starts her search.

         Bailey crawls through the tall grass on her hands and knees so she can sneak up on wild animals. She reaches an oak tree and sees something moving where the grass and dirt meet around it. There are three or eight, she didn’t always get the numbers right, pill bugs. Bailey giggles, but then remembers the boxes. She moves away from the bugs slowly, jumps up, and runs to the porch.

         “This one.” Grabbing a small box, she returns to the tree.

         Movement near the fence gets Bailey’s attention. An orange cat stops to stare at her as she looks down to make sure the bugs are there. She'll catch the cat next.

         Bailey creeps around the tree, ready to pounce on the unsuspecting creatures, and sets the box down. She sees that two, or four, of the pill bugs are heading for the grass. Spinning from behind the tree, she scoops one up with her hand. Dropping the balled up bug into the box, she grabs another. It too, rolls up. Bailey sees that the pill bugs are trying to run away. It's close, but she’s able to grab the rest and put them in the box. She folds the lid shut and dances around the tree.

         “Ha.” She returns to the porch with the box.

         “Now for the cat.” Picking up the largest box, she turns to look. “Where’d ya go?”

         Bailey looks along the fence and her green eyes open wide when she sees the cat in a small tree at the far end of the yard. Box in hand, she runs across the yard, stumbling as grass tangles her feet.

         “It’s okay, Kitty. Come here and say hi.” She puts the box down.

         The cat looks her over before jumping down. It brushes against her arm, purring softly. Slipping one hand under the cat, Bailey lifts and puts it in the box. It struggles a bit before she closes the lid.

         The box tumbles out of her hands twice and Bailey laughs, imagining what fun the cat's having. She puts the box on the porch next to the one with the pill bugs.

         “There’s more to catch,” Bailey says.

         “Did you say something, Bailey?” Mom’s voice comes from an open window.

         “No.”

         “Everything okay, Honey?” Mom asks.

         “I’m okay.” Bailey makes sure the boxes are out of sight.

         “Okay then,” dishes clatter, “let me know if you need something.”

         “I will.” Bailey picks up an empty box and goes around the corner of the house.

         Something flies past her head and Bailey looks up. Blue and yellow dragonflies dart around her. Looking at her slide, she sees she can use it to help catch a dragonfly.

         “I’m gonna need a net. Maybe…” Something moves in the grass. “A frog!”

         Bailey tosses the box and leaps, arms stretched, at the gray frog. It sees her coming and jumps away as she slides past. She turns and the frog freezes, staring at her, attempting to judge what she’ll do next. Faking to the right, Bailey tricks the frog and snatches it from the grass with her left hand.

         “Ha ha, thought you’d get away. It’s okay, David. That‘s your name, David.” Bailey giggles and puts the frog in the box.

         Bailey's face wrinkles when she gets to the porch. The cat’s box is open and empty. Putting the frog's box down, she opens the one with the pill bugs. They’re still inside. Making sure the boxes are shut, Bailey looks across the yard.

         “Kitty! Come here, Kitty!” she yells.

         The cat isn’t near the fence. She goes to the slide, but it isn’t there either. Walking toward the oak tree, she sees a ball of orange scooting through the grass.

         “There you are, Kitty!”

         “Who’re you talking to?” Mom asks through the window.

         “Nobody. I’m just playing,” she answers.

         “You’ll have to get cleaned up in a little while. We're gonna each lunch soon.”

         Bailey frowns. She isn’t done saving animals yet. Suddenly, the cat brushes against her leg. Bailey rubs its neck, wraps her arms around it, and lifts.

         “Back in the box.”

         Bailey puts the cat in the box and folds the lid shut. She grabs an empty box, goes to the slide and climbs it. The dragonflies are still there, flying through low branches above the slide. After a few minutes of not being able to catch a dragonfly, she places the box on the slide.

         Bailey runs into the house, through the kitchen, and to her room. She stops at her closet, swinging the white door open. She finds the pink net she's looking for in all the toys on the closet floor. Without shutting the door, Bailey runs back outside.

         “Ahh!” she squeals, seeing the cat’s box open. “Kitty! Where are you, Kitty?”

         The cat's in the middle of the yard.

         “Come here!” she demands.

         By the time Bailey gets back to the porch, she has an idea. She lifts the orange cat over her shoulder and goes in the house and heads for the living room. The cat's eyes follow every move Andy makes. The door isn’t large enough for the cat to climb in and it takes some wiggling to get it through. After she's done, Bailey smiles and locks the cage.

         “That’ll hold you.” She giggles.

         Bailey gets to the backyard quickly, grabbing the net, and running to her place on the slide. There's more dragonflies now and the swinging net makes them scatter. Bailey was born to be in the wild and these are animals she needs to catch and protect. After all, they’re only animals and she's BAILEY.

         The net swipes the air and dragonflies stay out of reach. Bailey stretches her arm, swinging desperately at the fliers. They don’t understand that she’s here to tame them, care for them. Rising up on her tiptoes, she hits a branch above her. Pinks and oranges lift from the branch as butterflies fly through the limbs.

         Bailey swings the net with the discipline of an excited four year old, catching three butterflies, but no dragonfly. Setting the open end of the net against her shirt, she climbs down the slide and runs across the yard to the boxes. One of the butterflies escapes when she puts them in a box. Closing the lid, she dances on the porch.

         “Bailey, come get washed up. I’ve a surprise for you.” Mom, opens the back door.

         “What is it?” Bailey asks.

         “I thought we’d have a picnic under the big tree.”

         Bailey claps, nodding her head.

         “Go wash your hands now, Honey.” Mom tells her.

         Bailey hurries to the bathroom. When she gets back, mom's unfolding a red blanket under the tree. She flattens it and sets down two plates.

         “Drinks are on the table,” Mom says. “If you’ll grab them for me?”

         “Yep.” Bailey goes in, returning with two cups of red juice.

         She gets to her mom without spilling a drop.

         “Got it.” Mom takes one of the wobbling glasses. “What do ya think?”

         “I like it..” Bailey picks up the nearest plate. It’s filled with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a cupcake, and a pile of potato chips.

         Bailey finishes the chips first. Then starts on the sandwich, which is full of grape jelly, her favorite. When they're done with lunch, Bailey goes to her boxes while Mom stacks the plates and cups and rolls up the blanket.

         “What do ya have there?” Mom walks up.

         “I caught some wild animals so we can keep them safe.” She opens the boxes and shows mom their new pets.

         “Bailey, Honey. They need to stay outside with their families. They’re not pets, they’re wild.”

         “I’m gonna tame ‘em,” she announces.

         “Bailey,” Mom laughs, “we need to let them go. Animals like these don’t make good pets. They need to live outside.”

         “But mom…”

         “They’ll still be around. It’s for their own good.” Mom assures her, setting everything down to help Bailey carry the boxes into the yard.

         “I guess…” Bailey frowns.

         It only takes a few minutes for Bailey and Mom to let the animals go. Bailey watches the pill bugs, all rolled up, open and run. Her mom lets David go. She doesn't pick him up though, dumping him out on the ground. The frog turns to look before hopping away. The last animals let go are the butterflies. Mom shakes the box and they flap their wings and fly away.

         “There you go.” Mom stacks the boxes inside each other.

         “What about the cat?” Bailey asks.

         “Cat?” Mom looks around the yard. “What cat?”

         “The orange cat. He kept getting away so I put him in the cage,” she explains.

         “What cage?” Mom’s voice sounds funny. “What cage, Bailey?” she repeats.

         “In the house. I put him in with Andy and…”

         Mom runs into the house. Bailey’s happy to see the excitement and knows she’ll be able to keep the cat.

         Bailey follows Mom through the kitchen to the living room. Feathers are all over the bottom of the cage and on the carpet. The orange cat’s still there, licking its claws as cats usually do, but Andy’s gone. She looks up at Mom and sees her shaking her head back and forth with tears in her eyes.

         Bailey puts her arm around Mom's leg. “I know, Mama. I felt the same way when the cat kept getting away. It’s okay though. It looks like Andy squeezed out, but we’ll find him. That’s what I do.” Bailey smiles, ready for another adventure.