Friday, January 26, 2024 Fig Newton Part 11: The Chase Is On!

(To start at the beginning: Fig Newton Part 1)

We shall have to leave Phineas and his river adventure for a moment while we get back to Figgy, as he and his friends continue in their quest to find Fig’s lovely boat, the Lucky Lucy. Colonel Purslane had led them to Clive the Snail Mail deliverer (Clive can deliver!). After some introductions, Colonel Purslane brought Clive up to speed on the need of the hour. At the mention of Phineas Fox, Clive’s eye’s lit up with recognition.

“Ah,” Clive said, “I think I can help you if it concerns Phineas. Just twenty minutes ago I came across Willow Wanderer on my way home and she told me the most diverting story about seeing Phineas in a boat on the river, chasing after something that was floating in front of him. We had ourselves quite a chuckle at Phineas’s expense – apparently, he was running into some turbulence on the “high seas” and was having trouble controlling the boat.” At the memory of hearing this story, Clive couldn’t help laughing again, just picturing it in his mind. Phineas Fox styled himself as a very charming and elegant creature, abounding in confidence and never ruffled or in disarray. Oh yes, the picture of Phineas flailing about in the boat was a satisfying picture, indeed.

Fig Newton was not nearly so amused at this story, however. “My boat! My beautiful little boat! If that fox puts so much as a scratch in it, I’ll let him know what it’s like to incur my wrath!” Fortunately, Fig did not notice the little smiles of those around him. The rest of the group found it hard to imagine a little frog tackling a large fox. But out of kindness, nobody twitted Fig about his self-delusion, and instead nodded sympathetically at his impassioned speech.

Colonel Purslane took charge again, asking Clive which fork of the river Willow had seen Phineas on, so that they might continue pursuing him.

“You’ll find him on the south fork of Broken Oak River,” Clive informed them, but added, “If you’re going to go after him, please do take me along. I’d hate to miss all the excitement. Is there room in your sleigh for me?”

Miss Agra was secretly thrilled to make room for Clive next to her in the sleigh. He had the most enchanting accent and seemed to be a lively and interesting fellow. Off they went with Grimpus the bear following along behind them. Fig was feeling rather tired and Miss Agra said he could sit in her lap, which was awfully nice of her.

When they got to the river, they kept alongside it as best they could, with occasional detours to avoid running into heavy brush. On their way, they caught sight of the squirrel, Mrs. Twig, who seemed to be rather upset about something and was also running alongside the river. Clive advised Colonel Purslane to stop for a moment to inquire whether or not she needed help. Fig fought off a powerful urge of impatience, wanting to complain at this delay (don’t deny it – you’d feel impatient, too!), but he said nothing. Purslane called “Whoa,” to his mice and they pulled up to where Mrs. Twig was.

“I’m in a terrible hurry,” she panted, “What do you want?”

Colonel Purslane offered to give her a ride and although the sleigh was getting rather squeezy by now, they found a way to fit her in. Once they got going again and she caught her breath, she began to tell them what had happened to her babies and how Phineas was attempting to rescue them. Before she could go on, Colonel Purslane interrupted. “What? Do you mean to tell me that the old trickster is actually on an errand of good will? What on earth could have convinced him to do someone else a good turn?”

Mrs. Twig grimaced and said, “I’ll tell you what convinced him – I couldn’t get him to agree to help until I had promised to supply him with two eggs per day for the next four weeks! He’s an incorrigible rascal, but if he saves my babies, I’ll…well, I’ll gladly supply those eggs. I might even make him an honorary uncle to the children. That will certainly help reform his character!”

Fig Newton was surprisingly silent at hearing Mrs. Twig’s story. It had never occurred to him that the dastardly fox might be doing something good with his boat. He should never have stolen it, though! Why didn’t the fox just ask to borrow it? Surely Fig would have been glad to lend it to him for an errand of mercy. Or would he? He reflected with some shame that no matter what story Phineas Fox told him, he might have been unwilling to let go of the Lucky Lucy. It was an uncomfortable realization. Perhaps he had grown too fond of the boat…

Will Phineas find Mrs. Twig’s babies in time? Will the rest of them find him soon? Will Fig Newton lose his temper? All kinds of questions! Stay tuned for the conclusion of this story next week.

Next episode: Fig Newton Part 12

Give me a couple eggs or I won’t delete this post in the morning.