The Scourge Of Rock Island

“When I catch up to that Russell, he is going to get a serious chewing out by me!” said Mavis Earwig out loud. She was steamed. “He knows I have a hard time keeping up with him. If he thinks I’m going to be speaking to him after leaving me behind for the umpteenth time, then he’s got another think coming.” Mavis doesn’t take this kind of inconsiderate treatment lightly.
Mavis kept trudging along….up over dirt clods and then down into the depressions made by the rain dripping from the trees that lined the river. Going through the rough terrain didn’t improve her disposition any, either. “Boy, is that Russell going to get it!”
Russell was almost to the top of the big log by this time. He stopped just short of the summit and looked back towards the trail from which he had come. “Oh, man,” said Russell, “Mavis is nowhere in sight! I’m really going to hear about this later, I’ll wager. Well, it’s her own fault……always stopping and gawking at everything along the trail. I guess there’s no sense in worrying about it now, I’m already in trouble. I might as well go on and wait for her at the feeding grounds.”
He couldn’t wait to get to the feeding grounds. That’s where all the tender areas were in the log…..easy to get at some good soft wood to chew on. “Mmmmmmm!” He was getting those rumbling sounds in his tummy. “Well, Mavis will just have to be mad….I’m hungry! If we don’t hurry up and get there before the crowd gathers, it’s going to be pincer to pincer.” And with that he started moving even faster towards his goal at the other end of the big log.
“”Finally, the Big Log!!” Mavis said sarcastically. “Big deal! There are about a hundred other logs in the woods that are just as good as this one, and about ten times easier to get to. I don’t know why Russell insists on coming to this one every time we go out to eat. When I catch up to him, I’m going to give him such a pinch!!”
“Well, I might as well get started up this stupid log. If I don’t beat the crowd to the feeding ground, He’s going to say I’m to blame for being late, and that would take the edge off me being mad. I can’t have that, so I’d better hurry.” Up and up she climbed, past the same twigs and mossy areas that she always passed when they came up here.
She finally reached the top and started on the long walk to the other end where the GOOD SPOT was. Whoopee, she could hardly wait. She was really in a sarcastic mood now. And, she was going to take every bit of it out on Russell.
As she neared the end of the log, she noticed a large wet area that sometimes appeared on this portion of the log. It usually happened on hot summer days, although she didn’t know why. It didn’t hamper her progress any…..that’s how mad at Russell she was. But now, along with the wet spot, she also felt the presence of a twig moving in her direction. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw it just before it struck her in the side and sent her rolling towards the end of the log.
She caught herself just before she tumbled over the brink and into the great unknown below. “Wow! That was lucky that I grabbed hold of this piece of bark! Oh, no!!! Here it comes again!” It stopped short of hitting her and instead just pushed up against her and flicked her out into space. She fell for a long ways but didn’t pick up a lot of speed because she was so light. “Thank goodness for that,” she thought just before she hit the water.
Well, she had finally found Russell…here he is down here treading water with a large variety of other bugs. She started paddling towards Russell. “Boy, is he going to get it this time!!”
“I’m getting bored with this.” thought Little Bobby. Flipping bugs off the log was fun for awhile, but not as much fun as being in the water on a hot day. Little Bobby had been in the water earlier but his inner tube had gotten a hole in it and now lay lifeless beside the big log. He knew there was a tire patch kit in the garage, but he had used all the glue playing with some ants.
“I know!!” he exclaimed, “I have half a tube of airplane glue left from my last model. If that stuff can hold on a bandage, it should hold on a tire patch.” Little Bobby grabbed the inner tube and started trudging back home to try out his theory.