Squirrels Charlie and Charlene got fed up with their leaking roof in the sycamore tree and decided to find a better home for their upcoming babies. The nearby shed in their yard was too low, and the pine-oak they used to hang out in was removed by those unsocial humans they had to put up with. The sycamore tree had one advantage, though: a branch reaching to the humans’ roof.

“Come on Charlene,” Charlie said one early morning, shaking off raindrops from his tail. “Let’s go over there and take a look. Maybe we’ll find a hole somewhere.”

Charlene found this a great idea. The two rushed over the branch and hopped on the roof, the branch still waving up and down after they landed.

“Shoot,” Charlie said. “They covered the chimneys.”

“Over here,” Charlene squeaked, putting her claws on the gutter and looking down. “You see that vine on the wall? Next to it is a vent. Try to get in.”

Charlie studied the vine.  Then he hung off the gutter and dropped into it. “It’s holding,” he squeaked. “I’ll jump over.”

With an athletic swing, he landed on the vent and peeked in between the louvers. “It’s an attic,” he said. “Nobody there. Only a noisy machine and lots of dust.”

“Can you get in?” Charlene pressed, getting impatient because the clouds were turning dark, announcing another rain storm.

“Easy, girl, I’m trying.” Charlie put his claws on a lower louver and pressed his back against the upper one but there wasn’t much movement. “It’s hard,” he complained.

Charlene dropped into the vine. “Move right,” she said. “I’ll come over and we’ll try together.”

“Don’t!” Charlie warned, seeing the gardener coming with his loud sputtering mower. “Hang in there, I’ll come back.”

Both hung in the vine, hiding until the mower was gone. Charlie swung back to the vent, making room for Charlene. She followed and both pressed their shoulders in between the louvers and created a suitable opening to sneak inside.

“Not bad,” Charlene said. “Enough room to squat on the wood.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Charlie said. Just at that moment, a thunderclap blasted and a violent shower clattered on the roof and against the vent. The squirrel couple sat high and dry, hearing the gardener cursing and shutting off his mower.

“This is great,” Charlene said. “I can have my babies here.”

The night approached and Charlene gave birth to three little squirrels. Nicely protected from birds of prey and cold showers, Charlie and Charlene enjoyed peaceful family life. Early mornings Charlie ventured outside to get food from the yards.

Then one night the attic started getting spooky.

“Do you hear that, Charlie?” his wife asked, concerned.

A little cloud appeared and two mice peeked out.

“Hi,” one said. “I am Maxie, and I lived here before.”

“And I am Maxine,” the other mouse said. “We both lived here before, but we’re dead now. “

“What!” Charlie said, worried. “Are you ghosts?”

“They poisoned us,” Maxine said. “Me, Maxie and my babies. So mean.”

“Would they come here to kill us, too?” Charlene asked, looking scared at her babies.

“When they hear you squeaking, gnawing or grunting as you do, they’ll come after you,” Maxie said.

“Oh no!” Charlene cried. “Not now, the babies are too small yet to carry them outside. And that rotten weather.”

Suddenly the little cloud covered the mice again. “We’ll be back another time,” the squirrels heard. “We only get so much time.”

Charlie and Charlene shivered, hovering over their little ones, and tried to be as quiet as possible.

* * *

“Hi, John,” neighbor Kevin said. “Do you know you’ve got squirrels in your attic? Look up there.” Kevin pointed. “They creep through your vent.”

“I’ll be damned! We thought we were hearing noises.”

“You better get them out before they chew your wires.”

“The rascals!”

* * *

That night, my wife screamed. “John, John, the mice are back!”

Fast asleep, I woke up with a shock. “What, what, where, where? Can’t be, I killed them all.”

“There,” she hollered. “On the dresser!”

True. Maxie and Maxine sat there, enveloped in their half-open little hazy cloud, staring at us.

“I thought we killed you,” I said, in awe of seeing micey spooks.

“Murdered, you did,” Maxie emphasized.

“Our whole family,” Maxine whined.

“You weren’t paying rent, remember?” I tried to justify, feeling guilty. They looked so sweet. “And you were messing up things big time. Droppings all over, toilet paper chewed off, rice bags torn, sofas sullied, and I can go on.”

“Why not treat us more humanely?” Maxie asked. “Why leave us in the freezing cold while you’re happily warm inside?”

“Don’t do the same to those squirrels up there,” Maxine said. “They just had three lovely babies.”

“That’s why you came back spooking to tell us that?” my wife asked.

“We have to go now,” Maxie said. “They give us only so much time.”  The little cloud closed over them and they vanished in the dark.

“I think I had a nightmare,” my wife said.

“Me too,” and we went back to sleep.

* * *

The next day our favorite carpenter, painter, construction specialist and handyman, Yimy Romero, and I opened the attic door and looked in. And, yes, we saw them sitting up, their silhouettes visible against the outdoor light streaming in through the vent.

“We can take care of them,” Yimy said. “No problemo.”

“Let’s give them a month, their babies are still blind now,” I said. “I’ll send them an eviction notice.” I laughed.

“Oh, yeah? How’s that?” Yimy grinned.

“I think we have a communication channel.”

“Better throw some mothballs,” Yimy advised. “That’ll kill them.”

* * *

The following night, my wife poked my side. “I hear some rustling,” she whispered.

I sat up and the darling mice couple appeared again on the dresser, the little cloud surrounding them slowly opening up.

“What are you going to do?” Maxie asked.

“Chase them mice out!” my wife screamed, horrified.

“Okay, Maxie, Maxine, tell them four weeks, no more,” I said. “Now beat it and don’t come back next fall!”

* * *

A month later, Yimy came and we looked inside the attic again. Empty. Charlie and Charlene had moved out with their offspring. I cut the vine and Yimy’s grandson (his faithful help) pulled it down. With a long ladder, Yimy covered the vent with a thick mesh.

Charlie and Charlene now sit in the backyard, close to the high Holly shrubs, loving each other, nibbling on nuts, their babies roaming nearby.

Credits: David Gylland  (picture left); Val Vesa (picture right)

This story was inspired by Mark Spencer’s delightful book Ghost Walking. (Mark did some editing too)

https://amzn.to/2xcINKS. (Kindle)

https://amzn.to/31WFk17 (Paper)

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“A beautiful story — full of suspense, drama, and enduring love centered around music. John Schwartz has created a whole world and a wonderful escape. The characters jump off the page with such personality and imagery that this book could make a great movie. Enchanting the Swan is a very enjoyable read, and I recommend it highly.” Neal Cary (Cellist -Professor – William&Mary)

“Enjoyed the book. Well written book. A very heartbreaking love story.” Vera Wilson

“Enchanting the Swan was a nice read, and a deviation from the predictable boy meets girl and falls in love formula. There were many turns in the book that are reminiscent of life in that they were off the path to the end result. The writing was very image evoking and it all made for a good story that kept me reading until the end. Looking forward to more from this author!” Amy

“A lively composition! The various moneyed people, their elaborately appointed living quarters, and their high-wheeling lifestyle add a dash of pizzazz.” Kirkus Reviews