Socks Without Matches
By Bobby A. Troutt
Copyright 2013 Bobby A. Troutt
Table of Contents
Owl’s Hoot
A Fox Named Sly
Thirteen Pumpkins (A Spoof Depicting the Life of Some Pumpkins)
Rooster, Pullet, Hen
Tooty’s Necktie
Chicken-n-Dumplin
What’s Good for the Goose
Slippery When Wet
The House on Cemetery Street
The 9 Lives of Randolph Hensley Gwathney, III (The Private Eye)
*****
Socks Without Matches
Owl’s Hoot
“Me, me, me, me,” sounded Charlie Swallow.
“Me, me, me, me,” sounded Cindy Sparrow as she and the Rocky Creek Bird Choir was warming up for practice.
“Mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm,” hummed Esther the Hummingbird.
Suddenly, tap, tap, tap went Professor Jay’s wand as he tried to get their attention.
“Quiet now,” he stated. “We only have a few more days to prepare for the Annual Rocky Creek Talent Show. We want to sound good and look good as well. The competition is going to be tough this year. Several choirs from the nearby forests and woods are coming.”
Tap, tap, tap went his wand again.
“Be alert, ready and do your best. Okay,” he said. “Is everyone here?”
“Yes, sir,” cried out the choir.
“Oh, no, I’m not,” yelled Al the owl as he rushed in. “But, I am now, sir.”
“Okay, quiet,” instructed Professor Jay. “Let’s see what you can do. On the count of three, ah one, ah two and ah three,” he said.
The choir sang on cue. Charlie’s voice flowed like honey, sweet and smooth. Cindy reached high for the high notes and Esther harmonized with her; together they sounded like two canaries. Robby Robin, Big Red and Bob White chimed in with three-part harmony. Professor Jay directed the choir with a big smile on his face. It was like music to his ears until out of the back of the choir was an awful and disturbing sound.
“HOOT, HOOT!” it sounded.
The singing came to a sudden stop. When the choir looked around, they saw Al. Professor Jay cleared his throat.
Al blinked his eyes, twirled his head around and whispered, “Uh oh.”
“Al,” yelled Professor Jay. “What on earth are you doing?”
“But, but, but,” replied Al.
“But, but, but nothing,” said Professor Jay. “That hoot of yours is awful.”
“I just want to be a part of the choir,” he replied. “I want to sing.”
The whole choir started laughing.
“I hate to say it. But, you can’t sing,” said Charlie.
“I can too,” replied Al.
“Oh, no, my feathered friend,” said Cindy. “You just don’t have what it takes.”
“Whoo…oo doesn’t,” he responded. “I can sing as well as any of you.”
They all started laughing again and whispering.
“Al can’t sing,” whispered one.
“Al can’t sing,” whispered another.
“Oh, leave me alone,” he cried. “I can sing.”
Tap, tap, tap sounded Professor Jay’s wand.
“Okay, guys, let’s give Al a chance. Let’s see what he can do,” said Professor Jay.
“Are you sure?” yelled Al.
“Yeah, I’m sure. Let’s see what you got,” insisted Professor Jay.
Professor Jay gave Al his part in the song. He grabbed his wand and tapped it on the podium.
“Okay, choir, on three. Ah one, ah two and ah three,” directed Jay.
Charlie led off again, followed by Cindy and Esther. Then the three-part harmony chimed in. Just as Chip, the woodpecker, was about to chime in that awful hoot sounded again. It caused everyone’s notes to go flat. Everyone looked around at Al. However, they never said a word. They looked back and forth at Al and Professor Jay.
“This definitely isn’t going to work,” said Cindy. “There’s no place in this choir for him and his awful disgusting hoot!”
“That’s right,” shouted Esther. “He goes or I go.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” sounded the choir. “That goes for us to.”
“But…but,” pleaded Al.
“I think we should vote on it,” cried Charlie.
“Yeah, let’s take a vote,” said Bob.
Tap, tap, tap went Jay’s wand again as he tried to regain order.
“Okay, choir. Okay, calm down,” he stated. “Are you sure that’s what you want, a vote?”
“Yeah,” they all cried out.
Poor old Al just closed his big bright tear-filled eyes and dropped his head. He knew what the outcome was going to be.
“There’s no need for a vote,” said Al. “I’ll leave the choir on my own.”
Then Al flew off into the forest and disappeared. Silence filled the choir room.
“Well,” said Charlie, “I didn’t…”
“But, it was an awful hoot,” explained Cindy.
“He probably couldn’t help it,” said Esther.
“Well, it’s too late now,” said Professor Jay. “The decision has been made. Let’s get back to rehearsal. Try it once more from the top, ah one, ah two and ah three.”
“Maybe later,” they all said as they turned and flew off in different directions.
“Maybe we were too hard on him,” said one.
“Maybe,” replied another.
“Do you think we could get him to come back?” asked Cindy.
“I don’t know,” replied Charlie. “I doubt it.”
For the next several days, the choir practiced and practiced. During the breaks, they asked each other if anyone had seen Al; no one had. The choir didn’t seem as important to them as it did at first. The high spirit they once had wasn’t there anymore. The loss of their friend was more important and they had to figure out how to make things better. Professor Jay knew the choir had the ability, talent and potential. But, he also knew it was nowhere near perfection and so did the choir members.
“Professor Jay, what can we do?” asked Charlie and Cindy.
“I don’t know,” replied Professor Jay. “If he comes back, his hoot is going to throw the whole choir off key. And if he doesn’t come back, we’ll still be messed up. It’s a no win situation.”
“Do you think he will even come back if we ask?” asked Esther.
“I don’t really know,” replied Professor Jay. “He is a wise old bird. He doesn’t want to be the one to cause us to lose.”
“The talent show is in two days,” said Charlie. “Do you think we can still pull it off?”
“It doesn’t look or sound too good for us right now,” replied Professor Jay. “Let me think about it overnight and I’ll let you know.”
It wasn’t long before night fell in the forest about Rocky Creek. All was quiet except for a few croaks and ribbitts coming from the frogs in a nearby pond. There were also some crickets chirping as the night wind whipped about the trees. All of a sudden, some leaves started rustling and there was a faint hissing sound coming from up in one of the trees. It was Slithering Pete, the snake, and he was slowly moving toward Cindy in her nest. Then from high above, in a nearby tree, two big bright eyes could be seen piercing through the darkness.
“Whoo, whoo, whoo,” came the sound in the dark night.
“Ssssss,” hissed Pete as he slowly crept toward sleeping Cindy.
With a screech and a hoot, hoot, hoot, Al shot out from the tree and glided down through the trees to Cindy. Just as she awoke, Pete was about to strike.
“Hoot, hoot, hoot!” screamed out Al from the night. Startle
d, Pete looked up and Al knocked him off the tree limb. Cindy panicked; she flogged her feathers and cackled about. She was scared to death.
“Oh me, oh my, oh thank-you, Al, thank you,” she cried.
Al quietly flew off into the night. In the far off distance, you could hear hoot, hoot, hoot.
“He saved my life,” exclaimed Cindy. “His hoot saved my life,” she said right before she fainted and fell back into her nest.
The news of Al saving Cindy spread quickly throughout the forest; Al was a hero to them all. His hoot didn’t seem so bad to them anymore. Everyone accepted his off-key hoot. As days passed, Professor Jay and Al flew in for choir practice. Everyone started cheering.
“Hooray, for Al,” they all shouted.
“My hero,” said Cindy as she leaned over and laid her head on Al’s shoulder.
“Are you coming back to the choir?” asked Charlie.
“We want you to,” said Esther.
“Why, sure he is,” stated Professor Jay.
“Hooray,” they all chirped as they pecked and flapped their wings.
“Okay, choir, that’s enough of that,” said Professor Jay. “It’s time to get back to business.”
Quickly, everyone flew to their position.
“Let’s take it from the top, ah one, ah two and ah three,” directed Professor Jay.
Charlie led off; he was followed by Cindy and then Esther chimed in.
“That’s great!” shouted Professor Jay. “Keep it up.”
The three-part harmony blended in and turned the forest upside down.
“That’s it, guys. That’s pitch perfect. Now, show me what you can do, Chip” cried Professor Jay.
As Chip sang, Al flapped his wings and squawked out a big hoot! At the time Al hooted, Wendy Wren sang to high Heaven and softened Al’s hoot. As the choir sang on, Professor Jay gave Wendy an okay sign and Al’s smile stretched from one side of his beak to the other. Professor Jay had worked it all out between Al and Wendy. They agreed that when Al hooted, Wendy would soften his hoot with her voice and create sweet harmony; and it did. It was magnificent! Al was officially a part off the choir. Everyone was happy and Professor Jay had put together a top act, class one, singing choir.
Finally, the day had come and everyone gathered in the open meadow for the talent show. Everyone was excited. But no one was more excited than Al. It was his big debut and they all had a ball. It was the best talent show ever.
Oh, yes, by the way, did I forget to tell you whooooo…won? Guess! Do I need to say more?