Gary and Morris Find an Old Treehouse – Part 2

…just as they were sliding under the fence, a pair of headlights pulled into the driveway and illuminated the old house.

Someone was there! But who…?

The animals froze in their tracks to see and hear better.

They heard a door slam shut from the truck, then another, then two humans were talking. They were a little too far away from the animals to be understandable, but they were laughing and sounded friendly.

Gary and Morris noticed a line of shrubs they could easily hide in to get closer to the humans.

“Let’s go see what they’re saying,” said Morris.

“Right behind you,” said Gary.

Terrance volunteered to wait at the fence.

As Gary and Morris got closer to the house, they could hear the men’s voices get louder and louder. They were talking about how rough the house looked, but before the cats could further make out what was being said, the two men entered the house.

“Let’s go to the windows!” said Gary.

“Good idea,” Morris replied.

Some of the windows had cracked and broken – making it easier for two cats to spy on these people.

The men were still standing at the front of the house, looking all over, pointing at things, writing things down in a little book, and laughing in between.

They were talking about the condition of the old farmhouse and trying to determine whether it was worth fixing or not.

“Dad, we just got married, and we aren’t ready to move out to the countryside quite yet,” said one of the men.

“I know, but life isn’t always about waiting until the ideal conditions have been met. Sometimes you have to jump in with both feet,” said the other.

“I don’t even have a family yet!” said the younger one.

They continued chatting and taking notes. One of them took out a measuring tape and started checking out some of the walls.

“It’s been in the family for over a century,” said the dad.

“I love it, Dad, don’t get me wrong,” said the son. “It’s just… big… and a lot of work.”

“A labour of love,” the dad replied.

Gary and Morris were sitting in front of one of the broken windows – watching and listening.

The men were moving through the house, continuing their conversations and measuring things. Gary and Morris followed them through the windows, trying their best not to be seen or heard, but at one point Gary stepped on a ledge that looked a little iffy, and it crumbled. He managed to jump right back up, but it was obvious the humans noticed.

“What was that?” said one of the men as he walked over to the window.

“Must be a raccoon,” said another. “They’re all over the woods here.”

The two cats jumped back down onto the ground and pressed themselves against the outer wall of the house so they wouldn’t be seen.

“Look, Dad, I love the place, but we are still probably three to five years from moving out here – not to mention the cost of renovations as big as this place needs.”

“I was hoping you’d see its potential,” said the other man. “Sure, it’s old and a little rundown, but it has history.”

“A little rundown?” said the younger guy. “The entire place needs to be fixed – not to mention there might be raccoons living in here!”

Gary and Morris crept back up to peer through the windows again.

“What about the old treehouse?”  asked the son.

“It’s still there,” said the dad.

“Let’s go check it out!”

Gary and Morris looked at each other and then bolted back to the shrubs and over to the fence where Terrance was hiding. Bullwinkle was now standing there with him.

“They’re coming to look at the treehouse!”

The animals saw a flashlight come out of the house and wave around in the air.

Gary and Morris weren’t able to get under the fence in time, so they ran into the treehouse.

“Quick! Lay as flat as you can against the ground!” said Terrance on the other side of the fence.

The beaver hit the dirt as quickly as possible, but Bullwinkle, whose body and antlers were never going to be able to hide in time, just froze in place.

They could hear the humans walking over while having a conversation and laughing back and forth – until their flashlight hit Bullwinkle.

“DAD! A MOOSE!” said the younger human.

“Holy smokes! You’re right,” said the dad.

Bullwinkle didn’t know what to do. The flashlight was still on him, and he was standing like a statue, not moving, unsure of what to do.

“Do you think he’s hostile?” asked the younger human.

“I don’t think so,” said the older one. “He looks young. Well-fed.”

Bullwinkle made eye contact with Terrance, who let out a quiet giggle when he heard Bullwinkle described as well-fed.

After a bit of deliberation, the humans decided Bullwinkle wasn’t a threat and went over to inspect the treehouse where Gary and Morris happened to be hiding.

“Boy, she’s a little rundown, but somehow nicer than the house,” said the younger human with a laugh.

“I remember building this for you and your brother almost 40 years ago,” said the dad. “Too bad I didn’t build that house, too!”

The two giggled then started to climb the ladder. Gary and Morris wanted to escape, but as soon as they started moving, one of the humans popped their head up and into the doorway.

“Hello kitties!” he said. “Dad, there are two cats up here.”

“Oh, let’s see!”

The other man popped his head up into the doorway. There were now two humans looking at two cats in the treehouse.

“Hello there,” he said. “Aren’t you two lovely?”

Gary and Morris got a good vibe from the men, who let them have their space and were speaking calmly with them. The cats walked over to the entrance and sniffed the hands of the two men standing on the side of the treehouse.

As they did their little handshake-sniff with the cats, Bullwinkle let out a loud grunt, which caught the attention of everyone and even startled Terrance, who stood up immediately.

The humans looked down towards Bullwinkle and saw Terrance too.

“Are you guys all friends?” asked the older man.

Gary and Morris walked past them and jumped down, then over to Terrance and Bullwinkle.

“Dog gone it, these animals look like they’re a little possie or something,” said the dad.

“That’s incredible,” said the son, who pulled his phone out to take a picture. “I think these are the same ones that were on social media. Back in town, these cats were riding… oh my goodness – I think this is the moose they were riding too!”

Bullwinkle was relieved that they were being treated like celebrities instead of intruders.

“Are you guys using my old treehouse to hang out in?” said the son. “That is so cool!”

“This property has been in our family for over a century,” said the dad. “I want my son to come back and fix it up, and move his family in here, just like I did, and just like my father did.”

The humans pet Gary and Morris for a bit, then Terrance, then held their hands through the fence to give Bullwinkle a rub on his snout.

“You animals are all right,” said the dad.

The son turned to his dad and said, “You know what? Let’s do it. I love this place. It may be run down, but you and I can make it shine again.”

His dad grabbed him and pulled him in for a hug.

“You don’t know how happy that makes me, kiddo.”

“I’m going to leave this treehouse the way it is, too,” said the son. “When we move in here, I’ll build a new one for my kids, so I have the memory of doing that for them.”

He then pointed back at the four mammals by the fence.

“I want you guys to keep enjoying the old one. So long as I am here, you are safe.”

Gary and Morris ran over and rubbed up against the legs of the humans. Bullwinkle let out a happy grunt, and Terrance, unsure of what beavers do when interacting with people, decided he’d follow the lead of the cats and also rub his big, pudgy beaver body against the legs of the humans.

The older man looked over at his watch and pressed a button – lighting it up in the darkness.

“It’s getting late,” he said. “We should get back to your mother before she starts worrying about us.”

“This is just too good, Dad! When are we going to see something like this again?” he said while gesturing towards the animals.

“I know. Grab some pictures, then let’s head back to the truck.”

The younger human snapped a few more photos and pet a few more snouts, then he and his father walked back to their truck, hopped in, and hit the road.

The animals were feeling a mixture of relief and adrenaline overload from such a close interaction with humans. Gary and Morris were used to people, but Bullwinkle and Terrance were wild animals who rarely interacted with them.

“Guys! This is great news!” said Morris. “We got the green light to stay here and make this place our own!”

“What a rush!” said Terrance. “I even rubbed up against the human’s legs! They thought I was a cat! Can you believe it?”

“I hate to rain on your parade, Terrance, but I doubt they thought you were a cat,” said Gary.

“I think I played the part quite well. I stayed in character the whole time,” the beaver replied.

“You did great, buddy; you just have a giant, flat, leathery tail,” said Morris.

Terrance laughed with the cats while Bullwinkle surveyed the area.

“So, you guys found this treehouse? What’s the plan?” Bullwinkle asked.

“Yeah, man,” Terrance replied. “We felt guilty using your cabin all the time for things, so we figured this place would make a great clubhouse in case you want some privacy.”

“Fellas, that is very kind of you. I don’t mind having our friends over to my place – in fact I love it – but there are some days where I would like to have some quiet,” the moose replied.

Gary then pretended to look at a watch and reminded the other animals that it was quite late, and that if they didn’t have excellent night vision they’d be standing in pitch black.

“Mom is probably worried about us,” said Morris.

“Let’s get together tomorrow and plan what we want to do with the treehouse!” said Gary.

Terrance and Bullwinkle loved the idea and agreed that it was getting very late. The animals slid down the hill, back to the forest path, then parted ways for the night.

“Another successful adventure,” said Morris.

“And who knew we were famous?” Gary replied with a grin.

The cats darted along the forest trail and up into the valley where the Foundation property bordered.

“Gary! Morris! Where are you, boys?”

It was Marjorie – she was calling for them from the back porch as she saw their little bodies start to spread the tall grass on their way over.

“Boys! There you are! Let’s go to bed!”

Gary and Morris jumped up into her arms and started purring.

“You guys are covered in leaves. Were you in a bush?”

The cats looked at each other and laughed.