There once lived a squirrel in
an enchanted forest high in the boughs of an
oak tree.
She was a merry little thing
and her name was Chippy.
Chippy's Birthday Party
When she was born her parents were delighted and invited all
of their friends to come to a big party to celebrate. They served every kind of squirrel delight,
acorns and nuts and all kinds of delicious little berries. These were either fresh or carefully sun
baked so that every squirrel commented on how good the food was. Everyone brought a little gift of food or
something for their home or for the baby to play with. In the end the squirrel family had more than
they started with and the surplus became their winter stock and so despite the
early winter that year they had plenty and slept the winter in good stead.
Chippy and the Faeries
When Chippy was young she used to go out and play on the
high branches with the faeries of the oak leaves who danced all day long along
the bows of the trees, riding on butterflies or floating along on dandelion
puffs, singing faerie melodies. Chippy
listened to all the faerie tales she could and learned many stories of the
forest from them. Sometimes Chippy would
try to dance with them, but it was
dangerous for her, so her father forbid her to dance with the fairies.
Chippy's Adventure
This made Chippy sad so one day she decided to run away from
home. She packed up a little parcel of
acorns and nuts and took off down Big Branch outside of her happy little home. When she got to First Fork she departed
from where she usually went to play and headed along toward the Bright Leaves
at Sunset. She was scared to go where
she had never been, but also excited to see something new. After she had gone on for a ways she was
hungry and sat down for a bit of lunch which she munched merrily singing a
little tune to herself. An old Crow as
sitting nearby and said to her, "My little dear, aren't you far from home
out here on Bright Leaves at Sunset?"
Chippy, who had never met a Crow before, said that she was on an
Adventure to find the Golden Acorn, which she had learned of from the faeries
of the Branch in the Shade, and the Crow nodded sagely. He told her the story of how the Golden
Acorn was once seen high in the bows of the tallest oak of the forest, old
Grand Daddy Oak, and that for nothing in the world would he let that acorn fall
from him. The little squirrel was not
daunted but said that she would find it herself and ask old Grand Daddy Oak for
it and he would surely give it to her, and so she begged the Crow to tell her where to find it. Crow said that he
would guide her to it if she wanted.
She happily agreed. So the Crow
told her to hang on to his neck and he would fly little Chippy across the sky
to the great tree. She climbed on his
back and wrapped her little arms around his neck and they flew high up on the
winds of the summer morning. Chippy was
so frightened at first that she almost let go, which would have been the end of
her, but after a time she grew accustomed to the sight of all the trees below
and had great fun flying along. Finally
below them they saw a great big old oak tree and the Crow lighted down on a
high branch. Chippy was
overjoyed. She left the Crow with a great
big thank you hug and headed on high up the trunk to the highest branch. And as the sun was setting there she
suddenly saw a golden sparkle and beheld the Golden Acorn. Quickly she ran up to it, but when she got
near it she found that it was really but a large nugget of rock made of shiny
golden metal, and not a real acorn at all.
It looked like an acorn, but it didn't have a smell, and when she
nibbled at it her teeth could not so much as nick a sliver off of it for
flavor. Then she was very sad, and
hungry and tired and she began to cry.
Old Grand Daddy Oak heard her lament and said to her, "Little
squirrel, why are you crying in my branches?
You have seen the Golden Acorn, and though you can't eat it, it is still
a goodly thing to see, for all who see it become true friends of the Oak People
and will never be hurt so long as they dwell in an oak tree. You have my blessings, little
one." But Chippy was homesick and
was scared because it was getting dark and she was hungry and tired and had no
idea how to get home. So old Grand
Daddy Oak called an Eagle who lived with him and was a great friend of his and
asked him if he could help little Chippy get home. The Eagle, who was ever vigilant, had been
flying high in the upper airs that day and had seen exactly where Chippy had
been flown in from, and he said he would take her home, except that it was
already dark and it was time for everyone to go to sleep for the night. So old Grand Daddy Oak, who was very kind,
found an empty nest that had been left by a bird family recently departed and
asked one of the acorn faeries to bring her there. It was a long ways off, by Squirrel
reckoning, and she almost slipped once, but she eventually made it there,
guided by the red feathery plume in the faerie's hat. There Chippy slept the night and in the
morning the great Eagle came to fly her home.
Chippy climbed aboard and the great Eagle took off flying higher than
ever the Crow could have done. Within
no time she was home at her own branch.
Having spent the entire night searching high and low branches for her in
a state of parental squirrel panic, her parents caught sight of Chippy being
flown to them on the wings of an eagle and they were amazed. Chippy lighted down on the branch near her
parents, thanked the great Eagle heartily, gave him a gift of an acorn (which
he gracefully accepted, but of course eagles don't eat acorns), and then he
said to her parents, "Lady and Sir Squirrel, your little daughter Chippy
has come back from an Adventure where she found the old Grand Daddy of the
Oaks, bravely climbed upward until she beheld the Golden Acorn. Hence she is a friend of the Oak People and
no harm will come to her or to you while you live among the Oaks. So decrees old Grand Daddy Oak." And then with a majestic nod he turned and
flew off high into the sky and disappeared.
This made her parents very proud, and Chippy became a little bit famous
among the squirrel tribe of that region of the forest, but never did go on
another Adventure, saying only that, "I learned from my Adventure that
being home is the best place to be."
And so Chippy became a very contented little squirrel and never strayed
far from Big Branch again.
Chippy's Suitors
When Chippy grew to become a very pretty young lady squirrel
she acquired many suitors, mostly because all the other squirrels of the glade
had heard that she had seen the Golden Acorn, and they presumed that she must
be very wealthy in secret. They imagined
that she had a horde of golden acorns, or that the old Grand Daddy Oak had
given her some secret treasure. And so
her suitors would gather daily on and near her branch and compete amongst
themselves for her attention. She on
the other hand knew all about their intentions and cared not a twig for any of
the lot. She had her mind on finding a
brave and honest young squirrel who would love her for her ample teeth, not for
rumors of her money, which of course she didn't have. One day a bright young lad by the name of
Chibble-Dee came along the branch and he was new in the neighborhood having
traversed a wide span of glades and forest seeking a new home. His old home was burned down in a fire, and
he was the only among his clan to survive.
When he came by he passed Chippy who expected even a stranger to know
all about her and her supposed treasure,
she was surprised as he didn't try to impress her with acrobatics, or
with gifts of acorns, or with his ability to count leaves, or dance with
faeries. He just sat down next to her
and asked her if she knew if there were and open space anywhere on the tree at
that time. Well, she took a liking to
the strange Squirrel, and soon after she introduced him to her parents. They also liked young Chibble-Dee and
offered him a room in their little dwelling.
It wasn't long after that that Chippy and Chibble-Dee were married and
had little squirrels of their own. The first of their children was named
Ribble-Dee, and it is of him that the rest of our story is told.
The Story of Ribble-Dee
Ribble-Dee was a handsome, honest and brave young
squirrel. He lived a rather ordinary
life for a squirrel, seeking acorns and chestnuts and playing with
faeries. One day, a great old owl saw
him as Ribble-Dee was sitting alone on a branch munching an acorn, and
stretched his wings with a famished gleam of malice in his eyes and sped
forthwith down upon silent wings toward his prey. However, the old Grand Daddy of the Oaks
remembered his promise to Chippy and just as old Owl was about to snatch his prey
by the throat in his razor sharp talons, all of a sudden a large branch smacked old
Owl right on the head so that he missed young Ribble-Dee altogether. Ribble-Dee didn't know what had happened and
even helped himself to another acorn while old Owl hooted his annoyance as he
fell some branches downward before righting himself. It was after this that old Owl decided to
make a lunch out of Ribble-Dee somehow.
Old Owl remembered the story of Chippy's Adventure, and he was wise
enough to see that so long as Ribble-Dee lived in the branches of the oak, old Owl had not a chance of getting at
him. And of course Chippy had most
certainly made a habit of never leaving the security of her tree, and had told
Ribble-Dee and the other children about her Adventure and how the Old Grand
Daddy of the Oaks had decreed that she and her family be protected among the
Oaks.
Ribble-Dee's Adventure
Ribble-Dee, however, whose father Chibble-Dee From Far Away
and had traveled much, didn't wish to spend the entirety of his life in one
tree only. And so one morning he set
out on his own Adventure to go beyond Big Branch and Far Leaves and made a
mighty leap through the air to Chestnut Tree on the Brook, their nearest
neighbor, so that he could rustle up some chestnuts which he loved more than
any other nut. Old Owl had figured,
being wise and having thought much on it, that Ribble-Dee would some day leave
the oak tree, and on this day he was watching from his airy perch as Ribble-Dee
made his way around the branches of Chestnut Tree on the Brook. Again his eyes narrowed with a malicious
gleam as he waited very patiently until Ribble-Dee was loaded up with Chestnuts
and waited longer until Ribble-Dee had come to the edge of Chestnut Tree on the
Brook so as to leap back to his oaken home, and then, without a sound, spread
his wings and flew straight as an arrow down as Ribble-Dee was in mid
leap. Swap! Ribble-Dee cried out in pain and terror and
old Owl caught him up in his razor sharp talons. And away flew old Owl with Ribble-Dee for
lunch, for he was patient and wise and knew what he wanted.
It was a sad day for Chippy and Chibble-Dee and their
family, but thereafter they remained quite resolutely and quite securely rooted
in the branches of their old oak, and ne'er more did any of the Chibble-Dee
family stray further than Far Leaves, and so they lived their remaining years
merry little squirrels high in the boughs of the old oak tree.
I started working on Elthos in 1978. I did a light skim of Men & Magic, and took it from there. Here were my three primary design goals.
