Friday, January 14, 2022 Fig Newton Part 7

Synopsis of the story thus far: Our frog hero, Fig Newton, met a little girl on the river named Lucy, who knitted him a scarf, made him a sailor’s hat, made him a little boat and reluctantly said goodbye to him so he could go see the world. Along the way, Fig was thinking through his trip when he ran across a bear carrying another girl. The bear was Grimpus Leatherfoot and the girl, Miss Agra Glendalough. They decided to travel along with him, walking by the riverside since his boat was too small for them. He spent some time thinking about what he’d want to do and see before returning home. Later, he was singing in the boat by himself and was accosted by a fox named Phineas who stole his boat, leaving Figgy sitting on the riverbank, bereft. When Grimpus and Agra returned, Fig indulged in some self-pity, receiving a much needed rebuke from Miss Agra. Suitably chastened and in better spirits, he told them of the theft. Grimpus recognized the description of the thief as Phineas Fox and recommended that they give chase immediately. (See Parts 1-6 if you want the gritty details).

Fig Newton had thought of Grimpus Leatherfoot as a slow and lumbering old bear, but found that he had a pretty piece of work keeping up with Grimpus, even with his bounding hops on those “springy legs.” They followed the river as best they could, but sometimes the brush was too thick even for Grimpus to crash through, so of necessity they had to take some detours. Miss Agra hung on for dear life, but Grimpus was running on all fours and she wasn’t used to laying down in the carry pouch. With all the bouncing, she began to feel quite ill.

“Stop! Grimpus, stop!” she called out in distress. Neither the bear nor Fig heard her at first, but eventually she threw up on Grimpus’s fur, which had the desired effect. They halted in the middle of a small clearing, Grimpus making apologies for the bouncing and Agra making apologies for the mess in his fur, while Fig stood nearby hopping up and down impatiently. Finally, he could stand it no further.

“All apologies seem to have been given and accepted – let us not tarry here too much longer and lose the trail. We don’t know how long the wretched fox will be staying on this part of the river – if it splits up ahead, we won’t know which direction he’s gone. Let’s go!”

But in spite of Figgy’s sense of urgency, certain realities needed to be faced. They could not go on at the pace that they had been, no indeed. They were still close enough to the river for Grimpus to go jump in and give his fur a good washing, which he did (I dare say you’d do the same). Afterward, they took stock of the situation, noting the strengths and weakness of their position.

Strengths: Grimpus was somewhat familiar with the territory, the party was well motivated to continue the hunt, the fox couldn’t go very fast in the Lucky Lucy, so he probably couldn’t get irretrievably too far ahead of them. Trusting to Providence, they needn’t panic and lose heart.

Weaknesses: They couldn’t outrun the fox at this rate. They would have to be more clever than him, learn of his strategy and “outfox” him. And to do this, Grimpus said, they’d need the help of a renowned denizen of the forest, someone whose influence and contacts spread far and wide, who commanded the loyalty of many others who could be their eyes, ears and feet in this chase.

Fig and Miss Agra listened attentively to this last bit of intelligence, excited and curious. Grimpus paused for effect. Once again, Figgy couldn’t wait. “We’re with you, old bear, but don’t stop now! Just who is this illustrious fellow who can be the balm to all of our troubles?”

A commanding voice came from behind Figgy. “Impatience never won any battles, my young frog. Wisdom comes from listening, planning and waiting for the right moment.”

Fig Newton turned around and beheld the astonishing sight of a rather unimpressive looking hedgehog sitting in a sleigh, of all things. He wore a green tam on his head which gave him a sporty look. At first the frog wasn’t sure by what mechanism the sleigh could move on these trails, but upon closer inspection, he saw four mice harnessed to it. Miss Agra clapped her hands in delight at the whole scene, feeling suddenly much restored and encouraged.

“Good day, Colonel Purslane, sir.” Grimpus came to attention. To Fig and Miss Agra he said, “Nothing happens in this forest that the Colonel doesn’t know about. We shall tell him our story and if he takes an interest, we could not find a better ally. But when he speaks, I’d recommend that you listen and not interrupt.” This last comment he directed to Fig Newton and if frogs could blush, he would have. But they’re cold blooded and have to show their embarrassments in other ways, so he looked down at his webbed feet and wished he could hop away.

That’s all for Part 7, my friends. I’ve been writing this at a snail’s pace, only adding installments as I’ve added more felt creatures to the collection. I’m on a sewing break, so who knows when we’ll find out what happens next?

Fig Newton Part 1
Fig Newton Part 2
Fig Newton Part 3
Fig Newton Part 8

I’ll probably delete this in the morning in a sleigh pulled by four mice. That’s all the rage these days.