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Goint To Memaws
Papa Whit found Maisie sitting beside the creek with both front paws in the water.
“Maisie.”
She looked over her shoulder.
“Yeah, Papa?”
“Why are your paws wet?”
Maisie looked down at them.
“The creek did it.”
Papa raised an eyebrow.
“Did it?”
Maisie nodded.
“It splashed me.”
Papa smiled. “Funny. I didn't see it move.”
Maisie tried not to laugh. Then she shook her paws.
A spray of water landed right on Papa's nose.
He blinked.
Maisie covered her mouth.
“Did you do that on purpose?”
“No.”
Papa wiped his nose.
“You're getting very good at that word.”
Maisie giggled.
“Come on,” Papa said. “We have somewhere to go.”
“Where?”
“It’s a surprise.”
Maisie stood up.
“I don't like surprises.”
“You love surprises.”
“I like surprises after I know what they are.”
Papa laughed. “Fair enough.”
They headed down the woodland path, with Maisie hopping over roots and stopping every few minutes to investigate something.
“Papa, look!”
She pointed at a feather.
“I see it.”
A few steps later, she spotted a beetle.
“Papa, look!”
“I see that too.”
Then came a mushroom.
“Papa!”
“Yes, Maisie. I see the mushroom.”
Maisie crouched beside it.
“Do you think it's good to eat?”
“No.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I know mushrooms.”
Maisie stared at it.
“I think we should ask Mama.”
“That is probably the safest plan.”
They continued through the trees.
After a while, Maisie noticed they were heading farther from home than usual.
“Papa?”
“Hmm?”
“Where are we going?”
“I told you. It's a surprise.”
“You've said that three times.”
“And you're still asking.”
“Yes.”
Papa smiled.
“We're going to visit your grandparents.”
Maisie stopped.
“My grandparents?”
“Papaw and Memaw Whit.”
Maisie hurried to catch up.
“I have grandparents?”
“You certainly do.”
“Why haven't I met them?”
“They live on the other side of the wriver. It's a long walk.”
Maisie thought about that.
“What are they like?”
“Papaw likes to climb trees. He used to climb higher than anyone else in the woodland.”
“Higher than me?”
Papa laughed. “Much higher.”
Maisie looked determined.
“I'm going to beat him.”
“I wouldn't tell him that.”
“Why?”
“He'll make you prove it.”
Maisie grinned.
“And Memaw?”
Papa's smile grew.
“Memaw makes honey treats.”
Maisie stopped walking.
“What kind?”
“The best kind.”
“That's not an answer.”
Papa chuckled. “Honey cakes. Honey biscuits. Sometimes little honey candies.”
Maisie suddenly had much more energy.
“Come on, Papa.”
“I thought you were tired.”
“I'm not anymore.”
By the time they reached the far side of the woodland, Maisie had asked enough questions to fill the entire walk home.
Then she saw the house.
It was in front of a giant windmill, surrounded by flowers and tall grass.
An old male fox was waiting outside.
Papaw spotted them first.
“Well, look who finally made it!”
Maisie moved closer to Papa.
Papaw walked over with a wide grin.
“You must be Maisie.”
Maisie nodded.
“Are you Papaw?”
“I am.”
Papaw crouched down in front of her.
“I've been waiting a long time to meet you.”
Maisie studied him.
“You're bigger than Papa.”
Papaw burst out laughing.
Papa shook his head.
“Here we go.”
“Don't worry,” Papaw said. “Your father wasn't always so tall.”
Maisie looked at Papa.
“Really?”
“Don't listen to him.”
Papaw grinned.
“I've got plenty of stories about your papa.”
Maisie's eyes lit up.
“Tell me one!”
“Not yet,” Papa said.
“Why not?”
“Because we just got here.”
Maisie looked at Papaw.
Papaw looked at Papa.
They both smiled.
Memaw stepped out of the house.
“And who is this little fox I've been hearing so much about?”
Maisie turned toward her.
“I'm Maisie.”
Memaw opened her arms.
“Well, come here, Maisie.”
Maisie ran over and hugged her.
Memaw held her close for a moment before looking her over.
“Oh, those ears look just like your papa's.”
Papa smiled.
“I told you.”
Maisie looked at Papa's ears, then her own.
“Mine are better.”
Papaw laughed.
“I like her already.”
Papa sighed.
“I may have made a mistake bringing all of you together.”
Memaw reached into the house and came back with a small basket.
Maisie immediately noticed it.
“What's that?”
Memaw held it behind her back.
“Hmm. I don't know. What could it possibly be?”
Maisie narrowed her eyes.
“Is it honey?”
Memaw smiled.
“Maybe.”
Maisie peeked inside.
“Honey treats!”
She reached for one, then stopped.
“Can I?”
Memaw nodded.
“Of course.”
Maisie took a bite.
She chewed thoughtfully.
Papa waited.
“Well?”
Maisie looked at him.
“They're better than yours.”
Papa put a paw over his chest.
“That hurt.”
Memaw laughed.
Papaw shook his head. “You'd better get used to it, son.”
The afternoon disappeared faster than Maisie expected.
Papaw showed her his favorite climbing tree. Maisie tried to race him to the top and made it farther than he expected.
Memaw took her berry picking and showed her which ones were sweetest.
Papa mostly watched from nearby, smiling whenever Maisie looked back to make sure he was still there.
By the time the sun began to dip behind the trees, Maisie's legs were tired.
She curled up beside Papa while Papaw and Memaw talked.
Papa looked down.
“Getting sleepy?”
“No.”
“You've been yawning.”
Maisie yawned again.
“That wasn't a yawn.”
“What was it?”
“I was practicing.”
Papa smiled.
“Practicing what?”
“Being sleepy.”
“I think you're very good at it.”
Maisie closed her eyes for a moment.
Then she opened them again.
“Papa?”
“Yeah?”
“Can we come back?”
“Of course.”
“Tomorrow?”
Papa laughed.
“Maybe not tomorrow.”
Maisie thought about it.
“The next day?”
“We'll see.”
Maisie sighed.
“That's Papa talk for no.”
Papa smiled.
“Sometimes.”
Maisie snuggled closer.
“I still want to come back.”
“You will.”
A few minutes later, Maisie was asleep against Papa's side.
Papaw quietly walked over and looked down at her.
“She’s a good one.”
Papa smiled.
“She is.”
Memaw placed another honey treat beside Maisie's paw for when she woke up.
Papa noticed.
“You're going to spoil her.”
Memaw smiled.
“That's what grandparents are for.”
Papa looked at Maisie, then at his parents.
For the first time, the long walk home didn't seem quite so important.
They could stay a little longer.
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