NC2 - Bucky Beaver (standard:adventure, 1939 words)
Author: hvysmker	Added: Jun 10 2005	Views/Reads: 3671/2281	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
A young beaver grows up, just a little, maybe, I think.

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story


“And you go out back and wash your paws before eating.”  Since he had
permission to visit and didn't want to ruin it, Bucky did as 
instructed, just went out to the creek and scrubbed his paws. 

The Beaver family sat down for supper.  The talk was mostly about winter
coming in a few months.  There was little they could do in winter.  
Like their friends the squirrels, beavers took it easy during that 
season.  They kept a little busy repairing the dam and helping Thelma 
make clothing for the family.  Things like sharpening tools for the 
next spring occupied a little time. 

Contrary to popular belief, beavers did use tools, Joseph even had a
computer and wireless internet access.  They just kept the stuff hidden 
from inquisitive humans.  Why, Bucky even had one of those new human 
GameBoys.  He had saved his allowance and gnawed human lawns all summer 
to earn the money.  He had the only one in the colony. 

“I wish I could help you, papa,” Joseph mentioned for the twelfth time
that day, “but I just can't.  Not without incisors.”  During most of 
the season, Papa bore the brunt of the dam work.  Bucky was too young, 
still having his baby teeth, and Joseph, well Joseph just couldn't do 
much.  Thelma had plenty to do in the house. 

After supper Bucky, as silently and unobtrusively as possible, went to
his room, put his GameBoy in a plastic bag, and snuck out of the house. 
 As soon as he was out of sight, he ran like hell, over to Sammy's 
house. 

“Where's Sammy, my mother said it was okay to come over?”  He asked
Sammy's mother.  She was outside hoeing the vegetable patch. 

“Out in the shed, I think.” 

“Thanks, mam.”  Bucky ran out back to the shed.  He wanted to see all
that human stuff.  “Junk”, grandpa called it. 

“We got two knives, papa's cleaning and shining them right now,”  Sammy
told him.  Sammy was playing with a big axe with a busted handle.  He 
couldn't even lift it, but it was shiny and he could see his furry face 
in the side.   A big machine lay on it's side in the dirt. 

“What's that, wanna play with my GameBoy machine?” 

“Dunno, neither does my father.  It uses gasoline, that's all we know. 
The old human said it still works good but he has a new one,”  Sammy 
told Bucky, “guess we'll just find someone to trade it to.”  They went 
inside to connect Bucky's game machine up. 

While Bucky was connecting it to the television, Sammy leafed through an
old magazine.  Both of the boy beavers were too young to read but liked 
to look at pictures. 

“Here, Sammy.  This looks like the one in the shed.”  When Bucky was
finished, he went back to look at the magazine.  It showed a big human 
with a much bigger version of the thing in the shed.  He was cutting 
wood with it.  The picture showed a big pile of wood, he was swinging 
the machine like a sword, right through a big tree.  Bucky could tell 
because it was halfway through the trunk of the tree. 

While they played games, Bucky's mind was on other things, namely the
human thing in the garage.  If it worked, it would be perfect for his 
brother Joseph.  Joseph could cut wood without his teeth. 

When Sammy's father came into the room to rest, Bucky approached him
cautiously.  Although being a friend of Sammy's, he hardly knew Sammy's 
father, whom was a large burly adult. 

“Uh, can I talk to you a minute, sir?”  The big beaver swung his eyes
down at the youngster, scowling. 

“What you want, kid?” 

“Uh, you see, sir.  I, well, what —.” 

“Spit it out kid, I ain't got all day.” 

“I want to buy or trade for that thing in your shed, the human thing.” 

“What you want with a axe, kid?  Sammy here can't even lift it, you
can't neither.” 

“No, not the axe, the other thing.  The one that needs to have gasoline
dripped in it to work.” 

“An who's gonna buy, or even keep that dangerous stuff around?  That
human pulled some crap on me.  I don't know any beaver that would touch 
the thing, why would you want it?” 

“My brother, Joseph.  You know him?  Maybe he could use it, as a
present, sir.” 

“Yeah, I know Joseph, poor boy.  Would make a good woodcutter, iffen he
still had his teeth, damn environmentalists.”  His brow furrowed as he 
thought over the offer.  “What you give me for it anyway?” 

“Dunno, sir.  Uh, maybe chew some trees for you when I get bigger?” 

“Na,” the big beaver laughed, “I got Sammy here, planning to work his
little butt off when his teeth grow in.” 

“I dunno, I don't have anything much,” Bucky felt defeated.  He didn't
notice the father look over where Sammy was happily playing with the 
game machine. 

“How bout that thing?  Gimme it for Sammy and you can have the worthless
whatchacallit?”  His offer put poor Bucky in a bind.  He had worked so 
long and so hard for his GameBoy, and now to lose it for a gift that 
might not even work.  That Joseph might never like or use.  It was a 
big decision for the young beaver. 

“Okay, if the gasoline comes with it, and you have to lend me a cart
too.” 

So the deal was made.  Bucky now owned a chainsaw.  It was only a light
one by human standards.  It couldn't cut down the big trees in the 
magazine, but Joseph was a big, full grown, beaver and would be able to 
lift it, at least for awhile.  But would it even work?  That was the 
question, and what would his father say? 

*** 

“Where the hell did you get this thing, and you traded your perfectly
good game machine for it?” 

Both his father and Grandfather were angry.  Of course his Grandfather
would be mad at having anything human in the house.  He barely 
tolerated eating cooked greens.  Thelma had more sense though, and so 
did Joseph. 

Joseph could barely lift the thing.  He spent hours that night keeping
the family awake while trying to start the chainsaw.  Father Thomas 
wouldn't let them bring dangerous gasoline into the house, so he had to 
work out back without even a lamp. 

Luckily it was a full moon and beavers have good night vision.  Joseph
finally got the saw started but could hardly hold it with all the 
vibration.  When he put the blade to a little tree the saw was jerked 
out of his paws.  It was just too heavy to use.  Disillusioned, Joseph 
went to bed and lay awake thinking through most of the night. 

The next day, after supper, he started building something using the few
tools and nails they had.  It took a week of evenings and he used an 
old beat up cart, strapping the chainsaw tightly onto a heavy wooden 
arm.  But Joseph finally had the contraption ready to try out. 

If he pulled the cart up to a tree, Joseph could stand in it and swing
the blade against the tree trunk.  It not only worked, but it was much 
faster and neater than using his missing teeth. Less waste meant it was 
also better for the environment, something beavers were always careful 
about, unlike humans. 

Soon Joseph was pacing his father in tree cutting, a little later he was
pulling ahead.  Thomas changed his mind about the saw.  He now had time 
for other things, even rest.  Bucky was happy too, considered a hero 
for having the idea.  It just goes to show that human technology isn't 
all bad.  It's just in the way you use it. 

Charlie


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