The Rescue of Fen Moss

         “The water’s coming!”  Tiny people were running in every direction in their village by the bank of the creek.  A flood was coming and the village was directly in it’s path.  Nothing they could do would stop the rushing water from destroying their home.
         “Hurry, Fen, the water’s almost here!” Mrs. Moss called to her youngest son.  She quickly counted her seven children to make sure they were all there before she and Mr. Moss led them away from their home.
         The Mosses had just taken refuge inside a hollow tree when the water flooded past them.
         “Oh, thank goodness we made it out in time!” Mrs. Moss exclaimed.
         “Fen, get away from there!” Pips, the second oldest, yelled at her younger brother.
         “But I wanna see the water.” Fen whined as he climbed out through a hole onto a tree branch.
         “Fen!”          yelled Mrs. Moss, “Get back in here this instant!”
         “But, Mom, I wanna see.”
         “Fenley Moss, you could fall into that water and drown, now get back in this tree at once!”
         “But, Mom…” Fen didn’t get a chance to finish his sentence.  A large stick flew up from the water and knocked Fen off the branch he was standing on right before Mrs. Moss’ horror-struck eyes.
         “Fen!” she screamed and ran forward, but her husband and remaining six children held her back.
         “No, Mom, you’ll fall in, too!” cried Litz.  It took all of their strength to hold her back and nobody was able to see Fen being washed away.
         “Don’t worry, honey,” said Mr. Moss when they’d finally managed to calm his wife down, “As soon as the water goes down we’ll all go out and look for him.”
         “By then it will be too late,” Mrs. Moss sobbed.  Mr. Moss smiled reassuringly, but on the inside he feared she was right.

         Fen was hanging onto the stick that had knocked him off the branch, eyes closed.
         “I’m going to die, I’m going to die, I’m going to die,” he said over and over to himself.
         “Not really a positive thinker, are you, sonny?”
         Fen looked up for the first time since he’d grabbed the stick.  The water was calm.
         “Don’t you talk?”
         There was that voice again.  Fen looked around, but he couldn’t figure out where it was coming from.
         “Look up.”
         Fen did as the voice directed and saw above him, hanging from a tree branch, the strangest creature he had ever laid eyes on.  His mouth dropped open and he tried to speak, but no sound came out.
         “Is that a no, you don’t talk?” The creature had black fur, long floppy ears, and big, bright green eyes.
         “Wh-wh-what are you?” Fen finally managed to find his voice.
         “Me?” the creature asked innocently, “I’m only Dirgis.”  He flashed Fen a sharp-toothed grin.  “Who are you?”
         “Fen Moss,” Fen replied, terrified.
         “Fen Moss?  That sounds extremely,” Dirgis smacked his lips, “Tasty!”
         Fen screamed as Dirgis leapt at him.  With a splash Dirgis landed in the water.  He sat up and looked inside his clenched fist for his prey.  The tiny boy wasn’t there.  Dirgis started splashing around in the water.
         “Where is he?  Where’s my lunch?” he asked himself, annoyed.
         Fen watched Dirgis struggle from the safety of a branch high up on a beech tree.
         “Not too quick, is he?”  The flying squirrel standing next to Fen shook her head at Dirgis.  “Well, come on, young thing, we’ll get you safe and dry in no time.”  With that she walked into a hole in the trunk of the beech tree.
         Everything had happened so fast, Fen wasn’t sure how he’d gotten into the tree or why he wasn’t dead or had been eaten.  He ran after the squirrel into the tree.
         “Who are you?  What happened?  What was that thing?”
         The squirrel was standing in the middle of a kitchen tending a pot on the stove.
         “Sit down there by the fire and I’ll get you some cocoa.  As for your questions, I’m Reddik, I saved you from Dirgis, who is a kind of cross between a sloth and a dog.  Don’t ask me how that happened.  Now, here are some questions for you: What’s your name, where are you from, and why are you here?”
         “You saved me?” Fen still couldn’t quite comprehend the recent events.
         “Yes.  Now answer the questions.”
         Fen just stared.
         The squirrel sighed.  “Boy, I’m getting old here.  You’re very young and you obviously aren’t from around here, so just tell me your story and I’ll return you to your parents.”
         “My name’s Fen Moss,” he introduced himself for the second time that day, “I’m from the village by the creek, but it got flooded.  My family was hiding in a tree, but I got stuck in the water.”
         Hmmm…  Village by the creek, village by the creek,” Reddik thought to herself, “Ah!  I think I know the one.  It’s a few miles from here.”
         “Can you take me back?”
         “Wait a while for the water to go down.  Here drink this cocoa.”  She handed him a mug.  “I’m going to see if old big, wet, and hungry is still hanging around.”
         Fen sat in silence, trying to decide whether he could really trust the squirrel before realizing that he had no choice.  If he tried to escape she could easily overtake him and if she didn’t he would get lost and probably be eaten by Dirgis.
         “He’s gone.”  Reddik popped her head in.  “You done with your cocoa?  It looks like the water’s low enough to find your village.”
         Fen put down the mug he had been holding and ran out.
         “Not so fast,” the squirrel told him, “The quickest way to get there is for you to ride on my back, not just go running off.”
         Reluctantly Fen crawled onto the squirrel’s back.
         “Now grab some fur and hang on.”
         Fen was amazed by the speed at which Reddik glided through the air.  It wasn’t long before they were back to his village.
         Reddik sat in a tall oak tree to survey the damage.
         “Doesn’t look like there’s anyone there.”
         Fen gazed down at the washed out village and tears welled in his eyes.
         “But where are they?  They couldn’t have just left me.”
         “Maybe they’re all out looking for you,” Reddik suggested.
         Suddenly they heard a voice from the ground.  “Fen!  Fen is that you?”
         “Pips!” Fen cried excitedly, “Pips, I’m here!  I’m back!”
         “Mom!  Dad!  Come quick!” Pips yelled, “I found him!”
         “Well, let’s get you down there, then,” Reddik said.  She grabbed Fen roughly and jumped from branch to branch until they reached the ground.
         “On, my baby!” Mrs. Moss burst into tears and held her son close.
         “Fen!  Fen!” All his siblings excitedly gathered around.
         Mr. Moss turned to thank the squirrel who had brought his son home, but she was already gone.  He looked around for a moment before returning to the joyful homecoming.
         Reddik watched the Moss family from the oak tree for a few minutes, hidden by its leaves.  She smiled down at the little boy she’d saved.
         “Goodbye, Fen Moss, be safe,” she whispered.