Father's Day

by MullerLowLife

A (belated) Father's Day tale based on my Raccoons future stories. Ralph feels that his young son Michael doesn't love him as much as Melissa, so on Father's Day, he decides to take his son fishing with him. However, Bert becomes involved and ropes the father and son into joining him on a rafting trip instead! Will Ralph have a good Father's Day, or will everything fall apart?

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well, I've finally finished chapter 4 of Melissa's story, "Growing Up!"...I've been in a real writing funk, lately, but somewhere along the line I finally got enough of a jolt to finally finish the re-write of that chapter (since my first draft looked sucky to me) and I hope to have that up real soon (actually, it'll probably be up by the time this story is up)! Finishing that most recent chapter has put me in a bit of a writing adrenaline rush, and seeing how much I enjoyed writing "Lost In The Wilderness"...I thought it would be nice to write another little family adventure starring Ralph and Melissa and their son from my stories, Michael. Seeing that Father's Day has just recently passed (it was Father's Day when I started writing this), I thought it would be nice to write a story featuring Ralph bonding with little Michael. Here, we see poor Ralph feeling doubtful of his parenting abilities as he feels that Michael prefers Melissa over him, and Melissa encourages him to spend some quality time with his son for Father's Day. Ralph has a nice peaceful fishing trip planned for him and Michael...but things don't go exactly as he planned when Bert gets himself involved and takes them rafting instead on the Companion-Ship...I imagine Michael here is seven, so this would be taking place a year after "Lost in the Wilderness". Not much more to say, other than this should be another nice family-friendly story (although as I've said, I DON'T want kids reading my stories)! So anyways, I'll hope you'll enjoy this (belated) Father's Day tale...

"Father's Day"-A Raccoon Family Adventure

It is a beautiful mid-June day in the Evergreen Forest. There's not a cloud to be seen in the sky. It appears to be a very typical late early summer day in the Forest. The children are happy as they have recently gotten out of school, and now they are free to spend their free time in any way they please: fishing, hanging out with their friends, flying kites...While the adults of the Forest still have their jobs to attend to, they are also pleased that summer is in full swing, as that means more opportunities to spend their free time enjoying the outdoors, by themselves or with their loved ones.

But, tomorrow marks a very special day for some of the Forest's residents. You see, tomorrow is the third Sunday of June...otherwise known as Father's Day. It's a day many of the Forest's fathers have been eagerly anticipating for quite a while. It's a day when their children show their appreciation for the men who helped give them life, and show them how much they love them by spending the day with them. But...not every Forest father feels excited about the holiday...

At the Raccoondominium, Ralph Raccoon was sitting at the kitchen table, lost in his thoughts. It had been a very long day at the Evergreen Standard, so he and his trusty wife Melissa were both glad to finally get home from their jobs. Melissa had decided to make a stop at Willow's Store to pick up some groceries after they got home. She had asked Ralph if he'd join her, but Ralph wanted to be home alone with his thoughts. "She'll be back soon," Ralph thought to himself. Meanwhile, his son Michael was over at Sneer Mansion with his friends Cecil and Sylvia, as Sophia Sneer had volunteered to look after his little son for the day as she had nothing better to do. Surely, she would show up soon to drop off Michael...

Speaking of Michael, Ralph's thoughts were currently focused on his little kit. "I still remember when Melissa and I first decided we wanted to have children," he thought to himself. It had been nearly ten years since his wife had first approached him with the idea of having kids. The couple had been married for many years without having any children, as they hadn't really put a lot of thought into becoming parents as they were too busy with their careers and just enjoying life together. But when Sophia had announced to the couple and their friends that she and Cedric were expecting, Melissa began to feel depressed and eventually approached Ralph asking him if he would like to have children. "I can't believe I rejected her at first..." It was true; at first, Ralph had turned down her wish to have children, as he felt they were simply too busy with their careers to put aside the time needed to have and raise a child. To add to that, he also wasn't certain if he was cut out to be a father. Melissa had been quite upset to hear that, but he at the very least promised her he'd keep his mind open on the matter. "To think, if I had stuck with my decision for us to not have children..." Ralph said aloud to himself. "What would our relationship be like then? Melissa would probably always be feeling sad deep down inside..."

Eventually, with a little help from his friends and loved ones, Ralph realized he was being selfish and decided that his wife's long-term happiness was what was most important to him. He even came to realize that perhaps fatherhood wouldn't be so bad after all. When the couple went on a canoe trip for their anniversary, Ralph finally agreed with his wife and promised her he would do everything he could to give her a child. "I still remember just how happy she was when I told her that," Ralph grinned to himself in the present day. It had taken them a while, but finally, in December of that year, the couple's efforts paid off as Melissa finally became pregnant. The pregnancy experience had been a little rough on both of them, but Ralph had stuck by Melissa throughout the whole nine months and helped care for her every step of the way. He'd felt the experience had helped them grow even closer as a couple. Finally, after nine long months, Melissa gave birth to Michael at Evergreen Hospital. "And he was born on my birthday, too..." Ralph warmly smiled, remembering that special day. "What a great birthday gift." He still remembered the sheer joy and excitement he felt upon getting to hold his child for the first time.

That had been nearly eight years ago, and time had flown by since then. Now Michael was seven, going on eight, years old. Ralph could hardly believe how much his little kit had grown. "To think, he once fit in the palm of my paw..." Michael is a generally sweet, curious, and sometimes shy child, and both Ralph and Melissa love him dearly with all their hearts. It was sometimes difficult for the two raccoons to juggle their full-time careers, quality time together as a couple, time with their friends, and family time with their little son, but they had managed to make it work. He felt that Michael had a very positive effect on his and Melissa's relationship, as he felt that raising a child together had strengthened their marital bond and brought them that much closer as a couple. As demanding a job as being a parent could be at times, Ralph had not once ever regretted becoming a father. "There've been so many little things that have made it all worth it," Ralph continued to warmly smile. "His first smile...his first words...his first steps...all those piggyback rides I gave him...the first time we played ball together...What a wonderful experience it's been. How could I have ever been afraid to have become a father?"

But for all those special little memories Ralph had, he couldn't feel particularly excited about the upcoming Father's Day. "I know I hate to admit it..." Ralph sighed as his mind drifted off to less happy thoughts, "...but it's pretty clear Melissa's a better parent than me." It seemed pretty obvious to him. Whenever something was wrong or he needed help with something, Michael always came to Melissa first. "He only comes to me when she can't help him..." Ralph sighed again. He always seemed more eager to participate in activities with Melissa rather than him...it wasn't too uncommon for Melissa to play ball with him while he stood on the sidelines watching them play together. It seemed clear to him that Michael liked Melissa more than him. "I understand that she and Michael have a very special bond...after all, he spent nine months inside her and she nursed him when he was just a baby..." Ralph continued to think to himself. "But I just wish Mikey and I were a little closer." Melissa was well aware that her husband felt sometimes that Michael didn't like him as much as her, and often tried to help by setting up opportunities for the two of them to bond with one another. But they didn't seem to help much...

"And I still can't believe Michael forgot Father's Day last year..." Ralph sadly sighed again. He still remembered that day quite well. Michael had completely forgotten that Father's Day was coming, so when Father's Day came around, he had nothing to give to his father-not even a card. Ralph had felt saddened that Michael had forgotten his very special day, and it had made him feel quite bummed out when Mother's Day had recently rolled around. Michael had no trouble remembering Mother's Day, and had bought Melissa some special gifts he'd gotten at school, as they'd been having a sale on Mother's Day gifts. "He forgot my special day, yet he remembered hers...It's clear to me who he loves best..." Ralph sadly sighed once more.

It looked like it was going to be a very unhappy Father's Day for poor Ralph...

---

Suddenly, Ralph was interrupted from his thoughts by the sound of the Raccoondominium's front door opening. He heard an ever-so familiar voice call out to him.

"Ralph, sweetie, I'm home!" Melissa called out to her husband. Ralph just sat at the kitchen table as Melissa came in, her arms filled with grocery bags.

"Hi there, sweetie," Melissa warmly smiled.

"Hello, honey..." Ralph said in a rather glum-sounding voice.

Melissa had noticed her husband had seemed rather glum most of the day, so she decided it was time to ask what was wrong. "What's the matter, Ralph? You've been looking a little down today. Is something bugging you?" she curiously asked as she placed down the groceries on the kitchen counter, hoping he would tell her.

"Oh, it's nothing much, dear," Ralph sighed, trying to brush it off. He was never particularly fond of discussing his doubts in himself with her. "I've just been sitting here waiting for Michael to come home."

"Sophia hasn't dropped him off yet...?" Melissa asked. It seemed to her that she should have brought their son home by now.

"No, but I'm sure she'll be by here soon," Ralph trailed off.

"Ralph, c'mon. Tell me what's wrong. You know it's not good to keep your problems and worries to yourself...I always share mine with you!" she encouraged him.

Ralph knew she wasn't going to let it go, so he figured he might as well talk to her about it. "It concerns Michael, honey..."

"Michael? What about him?" Melissa pondered. But then it quickly dawned upon her why Ralph might be feeling down on himself. She knew her husband had always had doubts on whether or not he truly was a good parent. Sometimes it frustrated her seeing Ralph feeling worried about that, but she knew she couldn't really blame him for it. Melissa was well aware Ralph had a rather unhappy childhood and this had led him to have constant nagging self-doubts on whether he was really worthwhile for much of anything.

"Well, you know, dear..." Ralph sighed as he placed his paw on his chin, "...between you and me, I think it's pretty obvious Michael thinks you're a better parent than I am..."

Melissa's hunch had been right. "Ralph...why do you say that? I've never thought of myself as being a better parent than you. I've always thought of us as being equally good parents!" she proudly smiled.

"I don't think Michael sees it that way..." Ralph shook his head in disagreement.

"And what makes you say that?" Melissa wondered.

"I mean, look at him, Melissa. Look who he always come to first when he needs some help with something. Look who he always wants to play with more often. Look at who he always runs to first for a hug...it's you, not me," Ralph sadly replied.

"Well, I've already explained that to you, Ralph...Michael and I have a very special bond that only a mother and child can share. I mean, he did grow inside me for nine months, after all! You can't really get any closer than that," she fondly smiled. Melissa had found that experience a rather uncomfortable one back then, but now that time had gone by, she looked back on the time she was pregnant with Michael a lot more fondly. She felt it was rather special that she'd been given the opportunity to help bring a new life into the world...

"I understand that, Melissa," Ralph nodded. "I just wish Michael were more close with me...I mean, you spend more time together with him than he does with me," he sighed again.

"Ralph, you're being a little silly," Melissa admitted, although she did try her best to not sound like she was making fun of him. "I know you are a good parent. Look at all those times he was sick when he was a baby; you always used to hold him in your arms while he cried until he finally went to sleep. Look at the very first time you two played ball with each other. Look at all those little things you've done for him so far. When the day comes that Michael's fully grown and it's time for him to leave us, you'll look back at all those years you spent together and you'll realize what a good parent you really were and how much of a difference you made in his life. You'll look back and laugh at yourself for constantly thinking you weren't a good enough parent, I'm sure," she encouragingly smiled as she placed her paw on her husband's shoulder.

"I know I'm probably being more than a little silly about this," Ralph admitted, laughing a bit at his own self-doubts. "But I just want to spend a little more time with him...I mean, he's my boy after all; without me, he wouldn't even be here..."

Melissa thought for a moment. Suddenly, it dawned upon her what tomorrow was; she'd nearly forgotten what it was. "Say, Ralph? Isn't tomorrow Father's Day?" she gave Ralph a very warm smile.

"That's right, Melissa," Ralph nodded. "Third Sunday of June."

"There you go, sweetie!" Melissa beamed as she gently placed her arm around her husband's shoulders. "That's a perfect day for you and Michael to spend together bonding with one another."

"I'm not sure about that, honey..." Ralph shook his head once again. "You remember he forgot Father's Day last year...and then he turned around and got you some flowers and a heart-shaped balloon for Mother's Day," he stated as he pointed at the mostly deflated balloon in the living room that Michael had gotten Melissa for Mother's Day.

"That made me feel upset too...I reminded him over and over again that Father's Day was coming up and that he should do something nice for you, and he forgot," Melissa shook her head. "That was very thoughtless of him. But, you have to remember he's still young...he's still growing and maturing, after all. I'm sure this year he'll remember."

"I hope he does..." Ralph sighed. "But what if he forgets again...?"

"I'll make sure he doesn't," Melissa smiled at her husband. "I will remind him to do something nice for you tomorrow."

At that very moment, a knock came on the front door. "I'll get it!" Melissa said as she quickly raced to the front door, with Ralph slowly following behind her.

Sure enough, Sophia Sneer was standing at the front door with Michael.

"Oh! Hello there, Sophia!" Melissa brightly smiled at her friend.

"Oh, hi, Melissa," Sophia smiled back.

"Mom!" Michael happily smiled as Melissa extended her arms and he dashed into them for a hug.

"Welcome home, Michael...we've missed you today," Melissa smiled warmly at her son.

"I missed you too, Mommy..." Michael smiled back. He then noticed his father, who extended his arms as well. Michael jumped out of his mother's arms and ran into his father's arms for another hug.

"I missed you too, Dad," Michael smiled up at his father.

"It's just great to have you home again, son," Ralph cracked a smile, while deep down, he felt this only proved his point that Michael preferred Melissa to him..."Cecil and Sylvia are back at home, I take it?" Ralph asked Sophia as he let go of Michael.

"Oh yes, I asked the pigs to look after them while I dropped off Michael," Sophia confirmed. "They're not all that fond of the pigs!"

"That must be quite a scene over at Sneer Mansion," Melissa giggled. "So, was Michael good?"

"Oh, he was very good! He's a very sweet little child. He played with Cecil and Sylvia in the hedge maze while I watched them. Isn't it just precious seeing our children getting along so well?" Sophia fondly smiled.

"Oh, it is, it is," Melissa happily smiled as well. It made her smile knowing that the Raccoon family and the Sneer family might well be friends for generations to come.

"Well, I've got to get going. Cedric was in a business meeting today; he should be home soon. I don't want the twins to worry too much about me!" Sophia smiled as she turned to go.

"Bye, Aunt Sophia!" Michael smiled as he waved goodbye to her.

"Thanks for looking after Michael today, Sophia," Melissa called after her.

"No problem; I'd be happy to look after Michael anytime!" Sophia said as she closed the door behind her.

"Michael, we're proud of you for being good for your Aunt Sophia," Ralph smiled as he placed his paw on his young son's shoulder.

"Well, I'm always good for my babysitters!" Michael smiled.

"You are," Melissa cheerfully nodded. Her face then took on more of a serious expression. "Michael...do you remember what tomorrow is?"

Michael couldn't remember off the top of his head. "...Sunday?" he shrugged.

"It's Father's Day, Mikey," Ralph said, his face looking a little stern. "You forgot Father's Day last year, son..."

Michael did feel quite bad about forgetting his father's special day the previous year. "I'm sorry, Daddy...I really am..."

"We know you are," Melissa said in a more upbeat voice. "Your father would really appreciate it if you did something really nice for him this year..."

"I don't think I have any money for a present..." Michael admitted. "I wish I had some..."

"That's okay, you don't have to get a present," Ralph cracked a smile. It didn't really matter to him whether his son got him a present or not; all he wanted was to spend time with him. "A card would be good enough for me. What I really want is for the two of us to spend the day together tomorrow."

"Spend the day together...?"

"Yes," Melissa nodded at her son.

"Mom, it's been a while since Dad and I have done something together..." Michael admitted.

"Mikey, I do like spending time with you, but it would be nice of you to spend a day with your father every one and a while. I think that's what he would like most for Father's Day."

"That isn't too much to ask, is it, son?" Ralph smiled at his son.

Michael thought for a moment, then a smile lit up across his face. "Okay, Daddy," Michael cutely grinned. "What do you want to do tomorrow, Dad?"

"Well...I haven't though about that yet," Ralph admitted. "I'm sure it'll come to me..."

"Okay," Michael continued to smile. "Mommy, can I play video games now?"

"Sure, Mikey. But you remember what we said, alright? Don't forget your father's special day!"

"Alright, Mommy, I won't!" Michael said as he turned for the stairs and headed up to his room.

"See, Ralph, I reminded him," Melissa warmly grinned at her husband. "I'm sure he won't forget this year. I have a feeling you'll be pleasantly surprised tomorrow..."

"I sure hope you're right..." Ralph sighed. He hoped tomorrow would turn out to be a happy Father's Day for him rather than the sad one he felt he was in for...

---

The next morning, Ralph and Melissa were fast asleep, snuggled tightly together in their bed as they usually were. It was a quiet, peaceful morning...and since it was a Sunday, it looked like it would be the perfect morning for the couple to sleep in. That is, until something leaped onto the bed and tapped Ralph on his nose.

Ralph gradually stirred in his sleep as his eyes slowly opened. As his vision gradually focused, he heard the sound of a very familiar voice. "Daddy! Daddy! Wake up! Wake up!"

Ralph rubbed his eyes as his vision became fully clear. Sure enough, Michael was sitting right on top of him, a big smile planted on his face. "Huh...you're up awfully early, son," Ralph yawned as Melissa began to stir in her sleep as well.

"Happy Father's Day, Dad!" Michael continued to smile as he wrapped his small arms around his father's neck and hugged him. Ralph couldn't help but instantly smile himself as he gently wrapped his paws around his son as well.

"Thanks, son," Ralph beamed as he gently let go of Michael.

Melissa, who had fully woken up by this time, looked on at the happy scene before her. "What do you know...he did remember this year..." Melissa thought to herself.

"Daddy, I made something for you," Michael cheerfully stated to his father, as he picked up something that he'd placed on the side of the bed next to Ralph.

Ralph was curious to see what his son had made for him. "You did? What did you make me, Mikey?"

"Here, Dad," Michael smiled as he handed the mystery object to his father. Ralph took a closer look at it and his face lit up as he instantly realized it was a card his son had hand-made for him. "Happy Fathers Day, Dad!" it said on the front.

Ralph quickly glanced inside the card to see that Michael had drawn a picture of the two of them playing baseball with one another. Michael's drawing abilities had gotten better over the years, but his art still was far from spectacular. But Ralph still thought it was a sweet little picture. He quickly read the text written below it. "Happy Fathers Day! Your the greatest Dad I know! I love you! Your son Michael."

Ralph warmly smiled as he quickly hugged the little kit again. "Aww, Mikey," Ralph happily gushed. "That was really nice of you, son."

"I thought you would like it, Dad..."

Ralph let go of Michael as he patted his son on the head. "Well, I do. Thanks again, Mikey."

"You're welcome, Daddy..."

"Michael, that was very thoughtful of you to do that for your father," Melissa grinned as well. It pleased her to see her hubby and their kit bonding with one another.

"I know, Mom. I remembered what you said, and I thought that Dad might like it," Michael beamed, feeling proud of what he'd done. He then turned his attention towards his father again. "Dad, Mom said you and I were going to spend all day together. What are we gonna do together today?"

Ralph placed his finger to his chin. He couldn't think of any good ideas off the top of his head, but he didn't want his son to know he couldn't really think of anything. "You'll see, son. You'll see..."

"Okay, Daddy," Michael continued to smile as he climbed off the couple's bed. "I'm going to get dressed..." he idly remarked to himself as he headed out of his parents' bedroom for the family bathroom.

Melissa gently grabbed her husband's paw and gave Ralph a warm smile. "See, Ralph?" she chirped as she rubbed her hubby's paw. "I told you Michael wouldn't forget you this year. That was very nice of him to make you that card..."

"Oh, I know, I know," Ralph nodded as he placed the card on the dresser next to their bed. "Maybe today will be a good Father's Day after all." At the very least, he felt more optimistic and hopeful about today than he did yesterday.

"I'm sure it will," Melissa replied. "Well, Ralph, what do you plan to do with Michael today? You seem to have something special planned."

Ralph's smile vanished from his face as he scratched the back of his head. "Er...honey..." Ralph admitted to her, "I'm actually not sure what Mikey and I are going to do today. I'm sure I'll figure out something soon enough, but right now it's not coming to me..."

"Remember, sweetie," Melissa encouraged him. "You and Michael can do anything you want to do together...so long as it's within reason. It's your special day, after all. You don't have to worry about me-I'll be out of your fur today," she smiled. "You know, it's kind of nice to have a day to myself every once in a while!"

"Well...what are you going to do today, honey?" Ralph curiously asked. He figured he might as well know what his wife would be up to while he and Michael were gone...

"Oh, I was thinking of visiting Bert and Maxie today," Melissa informed Ralph. "You remember she called the Standard's office yesterday to tell Bert she'd had to go home from work because she wasn't feeling well, right? We let Bert go home early so he could be there with her."

"Yeah, I remember. I hope she's feeling better today..."

"I figured I'd go drop by and say hello to them and see how she's feeling," Melissa finished.

"Sounds like a good idea," Ralph nodded as he changed the subject back to their original conversation. "I wonder what Michael and I can do today..."

"Hmm..." Melissa placed her finger to her chin as she thought of something fun her husband and their son could do today. Then, it dawned upon her. "Ah-ha! I know," Melissa smiled as she glanced back at Ralph. "Ralph, have you ever taken Mikey fishing?"

"Fishing...?" Ralph had never taken his son fishing before, as unlikely as that might seem. "Er...no, I haven't, honey..."

"That might be something you two might both really like. The two of you sitting on the dock by Evergreen Lake, catching fish and talking with one another while the time passes by. Does that sound fun to you, dear?" Melissa hopefully smiled.

"Honestly, Melissa, I don't think my heart is into fishing much anymore. Not since Milton Midas destroyed our old fishing hole all those years ago..." he sighed, remembering that sad day when everyone found out the old fishing hole had been destroyed by toxic waste.

"But lots of fathers go fishing with their sons, Ralph," Melissa informed him. "It would be a really good opportunity for the two of you to bond with one another..."

Ralph had to admit, his wife was certainly right. It would be a great opportunity for the two of them to do something peaceful and fun together and get to understand one another a little better at the same time. The more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea. "Well...Now that I think about it, honey, taking Michael fishing with me sounds like a really good idea," he smiled.

"See? I thought you would like that idea," Melissa proudly smiled.

"I've got my fishing pole buried in the closet somewhere," Ralph remarked as he got up and climbed out of bed, stretching his arms as he did so.

"Do we have any little fishing poles that Michael might be able to use...?" Melissa wondered as she climbed out of bed as well.

"I think I have my old fishing rod from when I was a little kit up in the attic somewhere," Ralph nodded. "We can go up there and check...But first, let's get dressed..."

It was later that afternoon as Ralph stood at the foot of the stairs, a blue cap on his head and a pair of fishing poles in his right paw. He and Michael were about to go fishing for Father's Day. Ralph had discussed the idea with his son at breakfast, and Michael seemed receptive to the idea. He'd mentioned that Bert had wanted to take him fishing once, but it had rained and they hadn't been able to go. Ralph was just waiting for his son to come downstairs...

"Hey, Mikey!" Ralph called out to his son. "Are you ready?"

"Yes, Dad! I'll be down in a second!" the voice of his son called back.

A few moments later, Michael came down the stairs, wearing a small green cap on his head as well. "I'm ready, Dad," Michael smiled as he glanced up at his father.

"Alright. We'll stop at Jerry Fisher's Bait-and-Tackle store first, alright, Mikey? We can't go fishing without any bait..."

"I understand, Daddy," Michael nodded his little head.

"Oh! Son, I've been meaning to give you this," Ralph remembered as he handed his little son his old fishing pole from his childhood days. "Here, your very first fishing pole."

"Wow, my first fishing pole," Michael smiled as he glanced at it. "It looks a little old, Dad..."

"Well," Ralph explained, "that's because it was my fishing pole from when I was your age. When I was a little kit like you Mikey, your Uncle Bert, Uncle Cedric and I used to go fishing all the time."

"Wow, Dad," Michael smiled. "You're handing it down to me?"

"Yeah, I guess I am, son," Ralph smiled as he rubbed the top of Michael's head.

"Thanks, Daddy," Michael smiled up at his father.

"No problem, Mikey..." At that moment, Melissa walked into the Raccoondominium's living room.

"I guess you two are all ready to go, huh?" she asked.

"Yeah, I think we're about ready, honey," Ralph smiled. "It should be a fun few hours for the two of us."

"I'm sure it will," Melissa beamed at the two as she stooped down to kiss her son on his cheek. "Mikey, you be on your best behavior for your father, okay?"

"Don't worry, Mom...I will," Michael smiled back. He usually was good for his parents.

"Ralph, be back before sunset, alright? I'm sure you two will have a lot of fun, but I would like the both of you home before dark," Melissa asked her hubby.

"No need to worry, dear," Ralph chuckled. "Mikey and I will be back with plenty of daylight left to spare!"

"Well, I'm about to head over to Bert and Maxie's," Melissa informed the two male raccoons.

"We're about to get going too, Melissa," Ralph smiled as the family headed out the Raccoondominium, Melissa locking the front door behind her. "See you later, honey."

"Bye, Mom!" Michael cheerfully waved goodbye to his mother.

"Bye, you two. You guys have fun!" Melissa waved as she headed off towards Bert and Maxie's house.

Ralph and Michael made their way towards Jerry Fisher's Bait-and-Tackle, which wasn't all that far away. Ralph had high hopes that today would present a great opportunity for him and his son to bond with one another, plus he was just hoping for a nice, peaceful Father's Day. But he did have a nagging worry that something could go terribly wrong...

As the father and son walked together, Michael decided to strike up a conversation with his Dad. "Daddy?" Michael curiously asked his father.

"What is it, son?"

"So you, Uncle Bert, and Uncle Cedric used to go fishing at Evergreen Lake when you were my age?" Michael found it a little hard to believe that his father and his "uncles" had all been his age at one time, but he'd seen pictures of the three of them as kids, so he knew that they'd all been kids at one time...

"Well, sometimes," Ralph admitted. He felt a bit hesitant on whether or not he should tell his son about the old ruined fishing hole, but he felt it was for the best. "Most of the time, though, we used to visit a very special place...our old fishing hole."

"Oh, Uncle Bert told me about your old fishing hole once, Daddy," Michael smiled. "He told me about Old Tom the catfish."

"Yes, we always used to try to catch Old Tom back when we were little, but we never caught him," Ralph admitted.

"Can we go there to fish? Maybe we could catch Old Tom..."

Ralph sighed. "I'm afraid not, son."

"Why not?"

Ralph hated to talk about what happened to the old fishing hole, but he figured he might as well explain what happened to his son. "Because a bad man destroyed it by dumping sludge in there. He killed all of the fish there, including Old Tom," Ralph explained, referring to Milton Midas, who was currently incarcerated at Evergreen Prison for fraud.

"A bad man...?" Michael repeated.

"Yes, a very bad man," Ralph solemnly nodded. "That was a few years before you came into our lives. Your mother and I used to really love going there when we were younger to watch the stars together. We would have loved to take you there...but because of that bad man, there's nothing there but sludge."

"But why did the bad man ruin the fishing hole, Dad?" Michael wondered. He couldn't really understand why someone would do that. He'd seen plenty of TV cartoons featuring bad guys, but he didn't always understand why they would do the things they did.

"Because he didn't care about the beauty of the Forest at all. All he wanted was an easy place to dump his sludge," Ralph explained to his son. "You know I've told you that sometimes Daddy has to write about the things that the bad men and women of the Forest try to do."

"I remember," Michael nodded. "That has to be pretty brave of you, Daddy."

"Well, I always try to be honest in my articles," Ralph humbly smiled. "I just don't want to see anything bad happen to our Forest home. I want you and the rest of the kids to have a beautiful Forest home to play in...for many years to come."

"I hope nothing bad happens to the Forest, Dad..." Michael loved his Forest home; it saddened him to think that there could be people living here who wanted to turn the place into a dump.

"Don't worry, son. As long as I and other people keep a good lookout, you won't have to worry about that," Ralph warmly smiled.

Michael decided to change the subject. "What do we use as bait for the fish, Dad?"

Ralph smiled; the answer to that question seemed an obvious one to him. "Well, some people prefer to use more fancy ways to catch fish, but I think we'll be buying some good old earthworms. That's why I've always gone fishing with. There's something that just feels right to me about fishing the old-fashioned way..."

No sooner had Ralph finished his sentence than he heard a familiar voice calling from behind him: "Hey, Ralphie boy! Fancy seeing ya out here, huh? I was out looking for ya!"

"Bert...?" Ralph said aloud to himself. Sure enough, he and Michael turned around to find none other than Bert greeting them. Ralph was understandably confused-he knew Maxie was sick and he figured that Bert would be at home helping care for his wife.

"Yeah, it's me!" Bert exclaimed as he turned his attention towards Michael. "Hey there, little guy. Out here with your Dad today, huh?"

"Yes, Uncle Bert," Michael smiled. "Daddy's taking me fishing. It's Father's Day."

"Ah, I understand. You two are spendin' a little father and son time today...good for ya!" Bert smiled. "I remembered to call my Dad this morning, so he wouldn't feel like I forgot him..."

Ralph was still scratching his head as to what Bert was doing out for a walk when Maxie was ill. "Bert...isn't Maxie sick? Shouldn't you be back home helping her out while she gets better?"

Bert knew Ralph was going to ask about that. "Well, Max's doin' a little better today, but she's still not feeling so hot. She's not throwing up anymore, so that's at least good. She's just been lyin' on the couch all day..."

That didn't answer Ralph's question. "Bert, that's nice to know she's feeling better, but I asked you what you're doing out here when she's sick."

"Oh, well," Bert tried to explain, "Ralphie boy, I think I told ya about this, but Max and I were planning on taking a little rafting trip today up Evergreen River."

"I remember," Ralph nodded. "You told us about that a few days ago."

"A rafting trip...?" Michael curiously asked. Bert had told him about his occasional rafting trips from time to time, and he'd been fascinated by them...this really caught his interest. "I would like to go on one someday, Uncle Bert."

"Heh, maybe you will," Bert chuckled. "Anyways, I fixed Max some soup this morning, and I figured I was going to spend the day helping care for her. But she told me," Bert's voice increased in pitch as he tried to imitate his wife's voice (and failed miserably at doing so), "'Bert, hon, don't worry about me. I'll be fine by myself. I don't want to get in the way of your fun...you go on your little rafting trip.' I figured if she was alright with me goin' off by myself," Bert grinned as his voice returned to normal, "that there was no harm to it. I've already got my raft packed with some supplies!"

"I guess you're right that there's no harm if she's alright with it," Ralph shrugged. "Though had it been me with Melissa, I would have stayed home with her anyways just to keep her company."

"I think Melissa's over there right now," Bert remarked.

Michael remembered something that Bert had told him the last time they played together. "Hey, Uncle Bert? Isn't Aunt Maxie's birthday this week?"

Bert's eyes lit up. "Yeah, you're right, little guy! My wife's birthday is this Wednesday. I'm still lookin' for a present for her...haven't found a good enough one for her yet. Y'know, I hope she gets back on her feet really soon because..." Bert's voice lowered to a whisper as he leaned towards his old friend's ear, "I've got something really special I'm cookin' up for her, Ralphie boy. If ya know what I mean..." he mischievously winked as a cheeky smirk went across his face.

Ralph instantly became more than a little uncomfortable. He knew exactly what his old pal had meant, and he certainly couldn't blame Bert for wanting to do something to that effect with Maxie. He'd always made those kinds of plans for Melissa's birthday; he knew any sensible married man would want to share themselves with their wives as a birthday present. But it most certainly was not an appropriate topic to discuss with Michael around. "I understand that, Bert...but...there is a seven-year old child standing right here next to me. I don't think he needs to know about that...he might start asking questions, and he doesn't need to know about that yet..."

"I just thought I'd let ya know, Ralphie boy!" Bert silently chuckled. "I'm sure he didn't overhear us."

"Urrggh..." Ralph groaned as he rolled his eyes. While his friend had definitely matured over the past few years since he'd gotten together with Maxie, Bert could still be quite immature in some ways. One thing Ralph particularly did not like was how open Bert was when it came to discussing his and Maxie's love life when the two of them were alone together. He never shared details about his and Melissa's love life with Bert, so he didn't understand why Bert would want to keep him up-to-date on his own love life. "I wish Bert wasn't such an open book sometimes..."

At that moment, Michael glanced up at his father and his friend. "Uncle Bert, I heard you say you have something special planned for Aunt Maxie. What are you going to do for her birthday?"

Ralph immediately glared a Bert, giving him a "See? I told you so!" look.

Bert nervously chuckled. "Heheh, well, little buddy...you're not old enough to know what I've got planned for your aunt," he smiled at the little kit. "Trust me though, when you're our age, you'll understand!"

Michael was confused, but he decided to accept Bert's answer. "Oh, okay, Uncle Bert." Both Bert and Ralph breathed a sigh of relief as that topic was dropped.

"Anyways," Bert changed the subject, "it's kind of a funny story; I was lookin' for ya, Ralphie boy, as I figured you and Michael might want to come along with me on my little river adventure! But I see you two have other plans for Father's Day...I guess I'll get out of your fur," he sighed. He didn't particularly like going out and about on his own...

This caught Michael's interest even further. "Did you hear that, Dad? Uncle Bert wants us to go on his rafting trip!"

"I heard that, Michael, but we already have plans. You and I going fishing, remember?" Ralph smiled at his son.

Michael really wanted to go rafting. It wasn't that he didn't think fishing would be fun, but he'd wanted to take a ride on Bert's raft for the longest time. He just couldn't resist the chance. "But Daddy, we can go fishing any time! When are we going to have another chance to go rafting?"

"If it's what your boy wants, maybe you should consider it, Ralphie boy!" Bert chimed in. "It sounds like your boy would rather go rafting than fishing."

"I see..." Ralph sighed. He had a feeling today wasn't going to go as he'd planned it... "But I just want to spend time with my son, Bert..."

"Well, you and Mikey can still spend time having fun with each other...with me!" Bert slyly grinned. "It can be a guys-only bonding adventure! Don't you think that sounds like a blast, Ralphie boy?"

Ralph wasn't sure this was a good idea at all. "I don't know about this, Bert..."

"Hey, c'mon! We gotta have some guy time together! Can't spend all our time with our girls now, can we?" Bert chuckled. "Besides, I've got peanut butter..."

Michael's ears immediately perked up as his eyes grew big. He couldn't resist the promise of peanut butter, his favorite food. "Oooh, peanut butter!"

Ralph realized he was about to be roped into taking his son on a rafting adventure with Bert...he knew he was pretty much trapped. "Mikey, are you sure this is what you want to do?"

"Sure, Dad!" Michael beamed at his father. "We can still spend time together on the raft!"

Ralph sighed; he knew he was beat. "...Okay, Mikey, Bert...I guess we're going to go rafting together," he gulped. He was well aware Bert had a reputation for being reckless out on the river, so he had a feeling something bad was going to happen. But he didn't want to disappoint his son.

"Yay, Dad!" Michael cheered. "This is going to be so much fun!"

"That's the spirit, Ralphie boy!" Bert enthusiastically threw his fist up in the air. "Now come along, you two! My old raft is up by the riverside. It's a few miles away from here!"

"Okay, but before we go," Ralph asked his friend as he took Michael's fishing pole from him and took the pair of poles apart, "can you please store our poles on the raft? Melissa locked the door when she went to go see Maxie, and I don't have my keys on me on the moment...Besides, I gave Mikey my childhood fishing pole to use and I don't want to lose it..."

"No problem, Ralphie boy! Hand 'em here," Bert broadly grinned as Ralph handed him the parts of the poles so he could safely store them away when they boarded the raft.

Ralph had a nagging feeling that this would end badly, especially knowing that Bert had been in quite a number of wrecks over the years. But at the very least, he felt a little hopeful knowing that he and his son could still bond with one another on the rafting trip...

---

Soon the three raccoons reached the riverside, where they were greeted by the sight of Bert's raft, the Companion-Ship, which was tied by a rope to a tree stump.

"Well, here we are, guys!" Bert proudly smiled as he pointed to his raft. "My trusty raft."

"Wow, that's your raft, Uncle Bert?" Michael smiled, his eyes lighting up upon seeing the raft.

"Sure is, Mikey!"

"Does it have a name...?" Michael wondered.

"Well, I call her the Companion-Ship," Bert explained to the young kit. "A fine old raft, she is. Your Uncle Cedric and I built the first version of her twenty years ago! I've had this baby for fourteen years," he laughed, remembering all the previous Companion-Ships. He remembered when he and Cedric had built the first one to search for hidden treasure, and how they'd run into the late Cyril Sneer along the way, who wanted the treasure for himself. He remembered how all the previous Companion-Ships had been wrecked, and all the adventures he had with this particular raft...

"Wow, she's that old?!" Michael exclaimed. "She's even older than me!"

"She is," Bert chuckled.

Ralph couldn't help but feel a little nervous. The Companion-Ship didn't particularly look all that safe. The raft was fourteen years old and was really starting to look it to boot. The sail was a little bit tattered and the wood was starting to rot a bit. He wasn't sure he wanted his son sailing on that if there was a good chance it could come apart out in the river...

"Uh, Bert," Ralph tapped his friend on the shoulder. "I don't mean to offend you, but are you sure she's safe...? I don't want anything happening to us out there..."

"Ah, she held up fine last year! I'm sure she hold up a-OK for her first trip of the year!" Bert grinned. "You gotta admit, she sure is a fine little raft, isn't she? This particular raft's held up a lot better than some of the old ones did!"

Ralph had never been particularly impressed by the Companion-Ship, or any of its incarnations. "She's no Kon-Tiki, Bert," he sighed. "But I guess she'll have to do."

"When are we going to get on the river, Uncle Bert?" Michael asked Bert.

"As soon as your Dad's ready, little guy," Bert replied as he stored his friends' fishing poles safely away.

Ralph still didn't feel all that eager about this rafting trip. He knew Bert had a bad habit of being reckless and this was not the first Companion-Ship; several previous Companion-Ships had been destroyed in accidents over the years and he knew that Bert had damaged this particular raft several times over the years...Bert was not exactly the best captain. "Bert, I'm just curious. How many accidents have you been in over the years? Knowing you, you've probably kept count..."

"Ah, well..." Bert's face flushed a little as it was embarrassing for him to admit his poor safety record, "Well, this is Companion-Ship Mark Six...and I've wrecked this particular raft...uh...twelve times over the years! Luckily, I've always been able to fix this particular baby!"

"Mark Six?! Twelve times...?" Ralph gulped. That just about clinched it for him. He had a terrible feeling about this rafting adventure. "Great...I'm going on a rafting trip with Captain Crash as our captain..." But it was what his son wanted, he couldn't back out of it now...he was willing to do anything to spend a little time bonding with his little kit...

"Uncle Bert, are you a bad captain...?" Michael curiously asked.

"Of course not! I'm sure I told ya this, little guy, but sailing is in my blood! My grandfather Alexander Raccoon was a great sea captain back in the day," he proudly smiled.

"Didn't your grandfather's freighter get lost in a storm with all hands when you were a kid?" Ralph asked. He seemed to remember Bert's grandfather going missing from his childhood days...

"Yeah, they never found anything of his ship," Bert sighed. "But he was still a heck of a captain...and so am I! Like Grand Skunk Railroad once said, 'I'm your captain'!" He proceeded to hum that old song to himself for a moment.

Ralph remembered that song and that band quite well from his younger years. He'd never particularly cared for that band..."Whatever you say, Bert," he rolled his eyes.

"Uncle Bert, what was Grand Skunk Railroad?" The name meant absolutely nothing to his young mind.

"It's the kind of music aunts and uncles listen to," Bert chuckled. "They were around before your time! You'll understand more when you're my age..." He then turned his attention back to Ralph. "Well, Ralphie boy? Are ya ready? Your son sure seems eager to go!"

Ralph let out a sigh. "Okay, Bert...I'm ready..."

Soon the three raccoons had piled onto the Companion-Ship. Bert was almost ready to untie the rope from the tree stump to send them off on their adventure together. "Well, this is gonna be a blast, you guys! C'mon-"

At that moment, Ralph interrupted him. He was still feeling worried about what could go wrong and wanted to make sure this trip would be a safe one for him and his son. "Bert, I know you can be a little wild and reckless out on the river," Ralph interjected, "but please...Promise me you won't do anything dangerous on this trip. Michael's with me and I don't want to see him get hurt because of something that was your fault..."

Bert understood his friend's concerns...were it his child, he wouldn't want to see him accidentally get hurt, either. "Don't worry, Ralphie boy! I'll be good. Nothing's gonna happen to you or your boy!"

Ralph still wasn't sure. "I'd feel safer if Mikey had a life jacket with him...You don't happen to have any small life jackets that might fit him, do you...?" he hopefully asked. "Michael can't swim very well..."

Bert shook his head. "Sorry, Ralph. I have some that might fit you and me, but I don't have any little ones that might fit him...But don't worry, ya won't need 'em. I'll be careful!"

"I just hope you're right..." Ralph trailed off. "All I want is a nice, peaceful opportunity to bond with my son..."

"You'll get that, Ralphie boy..."

Michael was feeling anxious and eager to go. "C'mon, Uncle Bert! I'm ready! Can we please go now...?"

"Sure thing, Mikey!" Bert ecstatically beamed as he untied the rope from the tree trunk and they slowly began their trek up the river. It looked like it would be smooth sailing for the raccoon trio...

Soon the Companion-Ship had made its' way up the river a good ways. Ralph was impressed...for once, Bert wasn't trying to do anything reckless. He was just letting the river carry the raft, and it had been a smooth ride so far. Ralph sat down on the raft's starboard side and decided to put his feet in the water. Michael sat down beside him and Ralph took the opportunity to place his arm around his son.

Bert turned back to look at the father and son sitting down together. "Ya know, Ralphie boy, there are a lot of interesting sights to see along Evergreen River. I remember you said you wanted to teach your boy more about the Forest. Maybe you want to point some things out to him?"

Ralph couldn't argue with that; that seemed like a pretty good idea. "Say, Mikey? Do you see that thickly wooded place over there on the shore?"

Michael saw what his father was talking about and nodded. "I do, Dad. What's over there?"

"That's Beaver-Bite Swamp, Mikey," Ralph explained.

"Beaver-Bite Swamp...?" Michael immediately clenched his little nose. He'd been wondering why he was smelling something rather rotten... "No wonder that place smells so bad!"

"Eh, it's not all that bad of a place, son," Ralph chuckled.

"Yeah, an old friend of ours lives there!" Bert chuckled as well.

"An old friend...? But who would live there?" Michael wondered.

"Herman Stroll. He lives a quiet and peaceful life there. He keeps to himself and doesn't really bother anybody," Ralph explained.

"He's had a lot of run-ins with businessmen," Bert added.

"You mean the bad men?" Michael asked. "But what do they want with the swamp?"

"Well, Herman's land happens to have a lot of oil under it. Oil is very valuable, Mikey," Ralph continued to explain to his son. "The bad men want to buy the land from him because they want the oil. They want to make a lot of money off his land."

"But if they buy his land, won't he lose his home?" Michael curiously asked.

"Yeah, he would," Bert nodded. "He almost lost his home because he didn't know how to read."

"Didn't know how to read?" Michael was confused. "Doesn't everyone know how to read?"

"Well, not everyone," Ralph fielded his son's question. "In the past, some kids didn't go to school at all. They either didn't have the money to go, or their parents needed them to help out around the house. If you'd have been born a hundred years ago, you might already have a full-time job by now."

"You mean they made kids work back then?!" Michael was rather shocked to learn that.

"They did," Ralph nodded. "But you don't have to worry about that. Times have changed a lot. You have plenty of years left before you have to worry about finding a job," he smiled reassuringly at his son.

"Daddy, does our land have oil on it? I don't want any bad men trying to buy our house..."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that, Mikey!" Ralph laughed. "We don't have any oil on our property...At least, not as far as I know. The bad men wouldn't want anything to do with our home."

Michael felt relieved; he didn't want to lose his home, as he heard terrible stories about the plight of homeless people. "Can Mr. Herman read now, Uncle Bert?" he wondered.

"Well, I helped teach him, and he can read pretty well now," Bert replied. "He still has a little trouble reading bigger words, though..."

Michael decided to change the subject, as Beaver-Bite Swamp had passed out of sight by now. "Daddy, I know this isn't what you wanted to do with me today, but are you having fun?"

Ralph had to admit, this rafting trip had been pretty enjoyable and relaxing so far. It wasn't what he wanted to do, but so far, he was having fun spending time with his son and his oldest friend. Considering Bert could be quite reckless and daring, that was certainly a surprise. "You know, Mikey, this rafting trip has been pretty fun so far. At least we're spending time together, right?"

"You're right, Dad," Michael smiled.

"I was afraid that you wouldn't want to spend today with me...I know you and your mother are really close," Ralph admitted. "Sometimes I feel like she's a better parent than I am..."

"Mommy's not a better parent than you," Michael sweetly smiled as he gently hugged his father. "You two are both great! I love you both very much..."

Ralph returned his son's embrace. Those were words that he'd been hoping to hear from his son for quite a while. "And we both love you very much as well. It's been tough raising you at times," he admitted. "But I wouldn't trade any of those times for anything. I'm glad you're my son."

"And I'm glad you're my Dad...you're the best Dad in the whole world," Michael smiled up at his father.

Ralph couldn't help but beam hearing his son say that. "You really meant what you wrote on that card, huh...?"

"Of course I did, Daddy!" Michael chirped.

Ralph was pleased with how things were going so far. So far, it looked like today would be a great Father's Day for him. But things were about to go bad in a hurry...and his fears of what could go wrong were about to come true...

---

As Ralph and Michael continued to talk, they jumped up as they heard the sound of a loud bump. Almost immediately, water began spouting right through the wooden planks of the Companion-Ship.

"What the-?" Ralph gasped, realizing that they must have hit something.

Michael felt more than a little frightened. "Daddy, what was that?! Why is there water spraying all over the place?"

"I think we hit something, son..."

"Ah, shoot!" Bert groaned, realizing what had just happened. "I think we just hit an underwater rock, guys..."

"Underwater rock...?" Michael repeated.

"Bert...I think that's enough fun for one day! If we keep going the Companion-Ship might sink. Don't you think we should head for shore...?"

Bert vehemently shook his head. "Uh-uh, Ralphie boy! It's just a little leak...I think I can patch it up!"

"Just a little leak?!" Ralph groaned. "Bert, look at this! That's an awful lot of water..."

Bert knew that the Companion-Ship was in trouble, but he felt he could fix the problem and continue on their way. "It's not that bad, Ralphie boy...Just give me a minute to patch it up and we'll be on our way!"

Ralph scowled at Bert. He just had this gut feeling that everything was going to go wrong the moment Bert got involved, and it looked like he was about to proven right. "Bert, please think of Michael. I don't want anything bad happening to him...what would Melissa say if he got hurt, or worse?!"

Bert didn't even have the opportunity to respond, as at that moment, the Companion-Ship reached the Evergreen Rapids. Ralph had been so engrossed in his conversation with his son that he hadn't even realized they'd been getting awfully close to the rapids...exactly where he didn't want to go as it posed a ton of danger to the Companion-Ship...

"Bert, we're going through the rapids!" Ralph shouted as the raft was instantly tossed about.

"I must have lost track of where we were going!" Bert embarrassingly admitted, as he was immediately thrown to his feet.

"You should have paid attention!" Ralph shouted at his friend, feeling upset that they were in this predicament. "Now we might very well be wrecked!" At that moment, Ralph was tossed to his feet as well, as he was nearly thrown off the raft completely while it was being buffeted by the strong currents.

While Bert and Ralph were being thrown around, Michael was a bit bemused by the odd feeling he got from being tossed around as the raft was thrown up and down by the currents. It felt almost like the roller coaster at the amusement park his parents had taken him to last month...

"Michael!" Ralph called out. "Michael, get towards the center! You're too close to the edge!"

Michael couldn't hear his father clearly over the roar of the rapids. "Daddy, what's going on?! Why is the water so rough? What's happening?" he called out.

Ralph realized his son couldn't hear him very well, but he just hope Michael got away from the edge before anything bad happened.

Bert looked upset; he didn't mean to put his friend and his son in such a dreadful predicament. "I'm sorry, Ralphie boy..." he apologized to Ralph. "I should have been watching where we going...I didn't mean for this to happen...I wanted the two of ya to have fun together!"

Ralph glared angrily at Bert. "Bert, I swear, if Michael gets hurt, I'll..."

But Ralph didn't even have time to finish his sentence, as he saw one of the most horrible things a father could ever see in his life.

All of a sudden, the raft rapidly jerked up and down in the rough currents. As that happened, Michael lost his balance and promptly fell overboard into the harsh rapids below.

"DADDY...!" Ralph and Bert heard the frantic voice of the little kit crying out over the roaring rapids.

"MICHAEL!" Ralph absolutely panicked. This was one of the worst, most frightening scenarios he'd ever been faced with in his life. If he didn't do something very soon...his son would die today. "This is the worst Father's Day ever..." Ralph sadly thought to himself. "How am I gonna tell Melissa that our son died in a rafting accident...?"

Needless to say, Michael wasn't having fun any longer. He now felt instantly terrified, as he knew he was not a good swimmer. That probably wouldn't have helped him much anyways, as the currents were quite strong. Luckily, Michael was able to cling on to a rock that jutted out of the water a good ways. However, he felt quite weak and knew he wouldn't be able to hold on much longer. He didn't want to imagine what would happen if he let go. "UNCLE BERT! DADDY! HELP!" Michael cried out, but it seemed like the situation was hopeless.

Bert was at a complete loss at what to do. "Mikey fell overboard...what are we gonna do, Ralph...Ralph...?"

A look of determination came across Ralph's face, as an idea came to his mind. His son's life was in danger, but Ralph was determined to make sure Michael got out of this frightening situation okay. "I'm not going to let anything happen to my son..." Ralph gazed down at the rough water. "Hang on, Mikey! Daddy's coming!" With that, much to Bert's surprise, Ralph dived straight off the Companion-Ship into the rapids and began swimming straight for Michael. Luckily, he wasn't that far away...

"RALPH!" Bert shouted after his friend. Now it seemed that both his oldest friend and his son would surely perish in the rapids...and it was all his fault. "How...how...How am I gonna live with myself?! What would Melissa think if I told her that her husband and son died today...all because of me?" But his thoughts were interrupted...

...by the sounds of his raft running aground and getting stuck between several rocks.

Meanwhile, Ralph managed to reach the rock that Michael was clinging on to for dear life. He managed to clutch onto the rock and grabbed his son, placing him up on his shoulders.

"DADDY!" Michael joyfully exclaimed. "You...you came to save me!"

Ralph smiled up at his son. "Of course I did, Mikey. You're my boy...I can't let you die out here!" It was only then that Ralph realized what he'd done, and how he probably cost his own life as well as his son's. "Why did I jump overboard...?!"

"At least we're together, Daddy...We'll get out of this, right...? Right...?" Michael was hopeful, but Ralph realized they were probably doomed.

"I don't know, son..." Ralph sighed. "I don't know...I don't know how long I can hang on for..."

But luckily, they saw that the Companion-Ship had gotten stuck on the rocks, and Bert was standing there, waving to the two of them. "Hey, Ralphie boy, Mikey!" he frantically called. "Are you two alright?"

"I think so!" Ralph hollered back. "But I don't know how much longer I can hold on...Bert! Do you have any rope...?"

"I think so, hang on, Ralphie boy!" Bert frantically grabbed a line and tossed it back at the two water-logged raccoons, hoping that the line would be long enough to reach them. Fortunately, it was.

"Mikey, you go first..." Ralph said, as Michael followed his father's order and grabbed onto the rope.

"Hang on tight there, little buddy, I'll pull ya in!" Bert shouted to Michael as he began to reel the line in.

Michael hung on as tightly as he could as he was pulled back towards the Companion-Ship. He was very tired from his dip in the rapids, but he knew he had to hang on...

At long last, after about a minute had passed, Michael was back on board the Companion-Ship. He felt relieved to be safe once again. "You okay, little guy?" Bert asked, worried his "little buddy" might have been hurt when he'd fallen overboard.

"I think I'm okay, Uncle Bert..." Michael sighed as he shivered. His fur was absolutely soaking wet...and he felt a little lighter as he'd lost his favorite little green cap when he'd fallen overboard...

It was at that moment he noticed his father was still clutching onto the rock, holding on for dear life. It was obvious to Michael his Dad wouldn't be able to hang on much longer, as he was losing his strength. It pained Michael to see his father in such a perilous situation...he didn't want to lose his father, especially not on Father's Day.

"Uncle Bert! Uncle Bert!" Michael frantically cried. "Dad is still out there! Save Daddy, Uncle Bert!" he pleaded.

"Hold on a second, Mikey...I'll have your Dad back up here in a jiffy!"

Ralph heavily panted as he began to lose his grip. He wasn't the finest physical specimen around, so he had become tired rather quickly. It was quite a relief when he saw Bert throw the line back to him, and even more of a relief seeing his little kit safe and sound back on the grounded Companion-Ship. "Thank goodness Mikey's okay..." Ralph breathed a sigh of relief as Bert began to pull him back in. "I was anticipating getting wet today, but I wasn't anticipating taking a dip and getting absolutely soaked..."

Soon, father and son were re-united again, safe aboard the stranded raft. "Daddy! You're safe!" Michael chirped, delighted to see his father again. "I thought I was going to lose you for a minute..."

"I thought you were dead when you fell overboard, son," Ralph sighed as father and son embraced. He remembered having to write a tragic story in an edition of the Standard the previous year when one of little Michael's school classmates had been in a canoe accident in the rapids...the kid's parents had survived, but the unfortunate child had drowned. Ralph was glad Michael had not suffered the same fate. "I was so afraid I was going to lose you that I lost my mind and jumped overboard after you. I'm just..." Ralph let out a heavy sigh. "I'm just glad we're alright..."

"I thought you two were goners for a minute!" Bert let out a hearty laugh. "I was just imaginin' having to tell Melissa that the both of you drowned on this raftin' trip, and how heartbroken she'd be...I'm glad the two of you are alright!"

Ralph let go of his son, and immediately glared at his old friend. He was most definitely not pleased with what had just happened. "Bert, you almost got me and Michael killed..."

Bert loudly gulped; he fully understood why Ralph would be mad at him. "Like I said...I'm sorry, Ralphie boy...I wasn't paying attention and I really should have been...there's...There's no excuse for what happened there. I damaged the heck out of my raft and I almost got the both of ya killed. I'm really sorry...Ralph..."

"You need to use your head sometimes, Bert," Ralph scolded his friend. "I know you've matured quite a fair bit over the years, but there are sometimes where I still wish you'd use your head more. I swear, Bert...I saw my life flash before my eyes out there. You almost got me killed out here over twenty years ago, remember? I felt a real sense of deja vu..."

"Ooh, how could I ever forget about that..." Bert groaned as he remembered the canoe accident he caused back in his college years when Ralph was still getting to know Melissa; Ralph had nearly been killed as a result of that accident. "I wish Max hadn't been sick...She always helps keeps me alert and tells me what obstacles to look out for."

"Well, we probably wouldn't have even been on this raft with you if she'd been feeling well..." Ralph mumbled. "Bert, you have got to pay attention more often...Look before you leap..."

Bert sighed; he knew he probably deserved the chewing out Ralph gave him.

Ralph turned his attention back towards his little son. "Mikey, you're alright, right...?" He was afraid his son might have been hurt...

Michael nodded his little head. "It's alright, Dad. I'm fine...I think. I'm just all wet..." he shivered a little. "Am I going to catch a cold...?"

"Hopefully not..." Ralph lightly smiled. "That must have been really scary for you..."

To Ralph's surprise, a bright little smile came across Michael's face. "Actually, Daddy, that was kind of fun! Until I fell in the water..."

Ralph was surprised-his son had found the experience of being tossed around on the raft fun? "You though that was fun, Mikey...?"

"It was kind of fun! It was like the roller coaster you took me on when we went to the amusement park," Michael grinned. "Can we do that again...?"

Ralph was more than a little bemused by that...he just didn't know what to say. "I guess he really does take after his mother..." Ralph knew that while his wife was one of the most sensible people he'd ever known in his life, she also always seemed to enjoy a really good thrill from time to time. There was a part of Ralph that wondered if Melissa was a bit of an adrenaline junkie...It seemed to him that Michael had inherited that from his mother. While he was a sweet and somewhat shy kid, it seemed like he liked a good thrill as well...

Bert interrupted Ralph's thoughts. "I don't think we want to do that, little buddy. You were lucky the raft got stuck so I could get the two of you outta there. Next time around, you might not be so lucky..."

Ralph agreed with Bert. "That's right. You do know what would have happened had Bert not gotten you out of there, right? I'm sure you remember what happened to Billy Entwistle last summer, right...?"

Michael nodded. "I do, Daddy..." He still remembered hearing about how his classmate had drowned the previous year...he remembered that it had been that moment in his life where his mother and father had decided to teach him about death, and that Billy would not be going back to school with him next school year. "I'm just happy I'm alright!"

"Me too, son..." Ralph quietly whispered. "Speaking of being stuck...Bert...it looks like we're stuck between these rocks pretty tight. How do you think we're going to get out of this?" It looked like they weren't going anywhere any time soon...

Bert scratched his chin as he tried to think of a solution "Hmm, this is a tricky situation..." he thought aloud. "Remember what Sir Malcolm Havelock said in his books...Ah-HA! Maybe if we-"

But Bert didn't even get to finish his sentence, as it was at that moment that the Companion-Ship suddenly broke free from the rocks. The trio of raccoons shuddered at the sickening grinding sound that they heard as the raft scraped along the rocks and became adrift again.

"Hey, what do ya know!" Bert boldly grinned. "We didn't have to do that after all! Looks like we got off the rocks on our own!"

Ralph was immediately concerned...there was far more than just one leak in the Companion-Ship now. Four geysers of water were now spouting up through the raft's wooden planks. "Bert...I think we're in trouble..."

"Hey, at least we're out of the rapids!" Bert chuckled, trying to look on the bright side.

"But Bert...look at all the leaks..." Ralph alerted his old friend.

Sure enough, Bert saw the geysers of water coming up through his old raft. "Well...that's not good!"

"That's an understatement," Ralph remarked.

"Uncle Bert...are we gonna...sink...?" Michael worriedly asked. He didn't feel like taking a dip in the river again, considering he wasn't a good swimmer...

"Nah, I think we should be able to make it," Bert shrugged, even though he knew it was a pretty tough situation to be in..."I'm gonna be in for hell tryin' to fix this baby..." Bert thought to himself.

Things looked bad, but as they drifted a little farther up the river, things quickly got worse.

"What was that...Daddy?" Michael wondered as he heard a loud roaring sound steadily growing closer.

"I don't know, son..." Ralph shrugged. But then, he realized what the source of that sound was, as he saw a large amount of spray being kicked up and the river ending up ahead...

"BERT!" Ralph frantically shouted. "We're heading for a waterfall!"

Bert knew that the three of them were in some serious trouble. "Aw, crap..." he muttered under his breath.

"Uncle Bert, are we gonna die?!" Michael cried out. He knew that going over the waterfall would surely mean the end of all three of them.

"Don't worry, little guy," Bert tried to reassure the little kit. "I'll think of something!"

"Well, hurry, Bert!" Ralph frantically waved his arms about in the air. "The waterfall's coming up awfully fast!" Sure enough, the horizon and the spray of water were growing closer, closer, closer...

Bert knew he wouldn't be able to get the Companion-Ship to shore in time...the old raft would go over the waterfall first. But luckily, they were close to the shore...

"Jump for it, you guys!" Bert shouted as he dived into the water and swam for shore, motioning for Ralph and Michael to follow him as he did so.

"Alright, Mikey...we're going to have to swim for shore..." Ralph gulped. He knew if they didn't make it in time, they were both sure to meet their demise...

"But I'm not a good swimmer!" Michael protested. He didn't feel like taking a dip twice in one day...

"We've got no choice, Mikey!" Ralph shouted as he grabbed Michael's little paw. "Hang on tight, Mikey...JUMP!"

Ralph and Michael both jumped off the doomed Companion-Ship together and Ralph slowly but surely began pulling his son towards the rocky shore. Bert was already standing there, waiting for them to reach the shore as well.

Just as Ralph and Michael reached the safety of the shore, the raccoon trio heard the sound of a sickening crunch as the Companion-Ship went over the waterfall and was smashed to pieces on the rocks below.

Bert let out a very sad-sounding sigh. "There goes the Companion-Ship Mark Six...You had a good fourteen years, but I guess you've gone up to that great river in the sky..."

"It's alright, Bert..." Ralph tried to cheer up his friend. He knew the Companion-Ship meant a lot to Bert...he'd always hated to see its' previous incarnations destroyed, and it had to be a little hard on him seeing another raft getting smashed. "At least we're all okay!"

"Yeah, at least there's that..." Bert sighed. "Look, Ralphie boy, I'm sorry this whole rafting trip turned out to be such a disaster. I guess I kind of let my mind wander and didn't pay attention to what was goin' on...Like I said, if Max had been here I'm sure she'd made sure I kept my head straight. I know ya just wanted to spend Father's Day with your boy..."

"It's alright, Bert..." Ralph repeated himself. "I just knew today was going to go wrong...I just knew it...I can't spend any time bonding with my boy without something going wrong..." he sadly thought to himself.

"Uncle Bert...are all rafting trips like this?" Michael wondered, as he shivered a little.

"Not all of them, little buddy..."

"Dad...maybe we should have gone fishing like you wanted to," Michael admitted. "Hey, maybe we could still go?"

"We can't, Michael," Ralph sighed. "We lost our fishing poles when the raft went over the waterfall. Remember? They were stored safely away..."

"Oh..." Michael lowly replied.

"And I gave my boy my own fishing pole from when I was a kid...and he never got to use it..." Ralph sighed.

"That was your old fishing pole?" Bert felt even worse about what had happened today. "I'm sorry, Ralphie boy. Had I known that I would have been more careful..."

"Today was the worst Father's Day ever..." Ralph sighed.

"No, it's not, Daddy," Michael smiled as he leaned in closer to his Dad. "At least we got to spend today together, like you wanted!"

Ralph did manage to crack a smile as he realized his kit was right. "You're right, Mikey. At least we're spending it together."

"I wonder what we're going to do now?" Michael wondered. "It's not close to being dark yet..."

Suddenly, Bert had an idea. "Hey, I know! Maybe you two can go fishing after all!"

Michael's little ears perked up. "We can?"

"Sure!" Bert enthusiastically grinned. "Ralphie boy, I can lend you my fishing pole and the two of us can take turns fishing. And Mikey...I can give ya my fishing pole from when I was a kid! We can drop my place and go get 'em! How does that sound?"

Ralph warmly smiled; it was an awfully nice gesture for his old friend to make up for the mayhem he caused and voluntarily salvage their day. "Bert, that sounds like a great idea. Maybe today won't turn out so bad after all..."

---

It was late in the evening. Bert, Ralph, and Michael had spent the rest of the afternoon fishing. Michael hadn't caught anything, but he'd had a good time talking with his Dad and his "uncle". Ralph and Michael had a lot of explaining to do to Melissa when the both of them had come home...among other things, what had happened to their fishing poles. But in the end, it had turned out to be a decent day for the father and son.

Ralph was in Michael's bedroom as he was tucking his little son into bed. He figured it was a good opportunity to discuss things with his son...

"Son, I'm sorry things didn't turn out like you might have hoped they would today," Ralph sighed. "I wish things would have gone better myself..."

"That's okay, Daddy!" Michael smiled. "The rafting trip with Uncle Bert was fun...except for me falling in the water and the raft going over the waterfall," he admitted.

"I know, I just wish that could have gone better," Ralph sighed again. "I know your Uncle Bert meant well, but I just wished he'd been using his head. Everything would have turned out better then..."

"I still had fun today, Daddy..." Michael continued to innocently smile up at his father. "And you saved me from the rapids! If you hadn't jumped in after me...I couldn't hold on to that rock for long..."

"You're right, Mikey," Ralph warmly smiled. "I couldn't let anything happen to you, son. I mean...you're my boy. You're too special and too important to me...I can't let anything happen to you. I would never live with myself if anything ever happened to you. Plus," Ralph nervously chuckled, "your mother would probably kill me if anything bad happened to you on my watch."

"I understand, Daddy," Michael cheerfully nodded. "Thank you for saving me..."

"Anytime, son...anytime," Ralph softly replied.

"And...at least you got what you wanted, Dad. You said you wanted me to spend the day together with you. That's what we did today!"

Ralph had to agree with his son. "You're right, Michael. That's all I really wanted today...Now that I look at it, I guess it was a good Father's Day after all."

"I'm glad you had a good Father's Day, Dad..." Michael smiled as Ralph patted him on his head. "You know, I meant what I said, Daddy..."

Ralph was a little confused. "Meant what you said what...?"

"That you're the best Dad I know and that you and Mommy are both good parents..."

Ralph leaned and down and gently hugged his son. "Those words mean a lot to me, Mikey...You know, I may be strict with you sometimes and you might not like some of the things I do, but I do it only because I care about you. I don't want to see anything happen to you..."

"I know that, Daddy..." Michael softly whispered.

"Son...remember...no matter what happens, I'll always be behind you. No matter what it is you want to do with your life, whether it's taking over the Standard from me or becoming a pilot or an auto mechanic or whatever, I'll always support you..."

"Thanks, Dad..." Michael whispered as he yawned and closed his tired eyes. "I love you Dad...Good night..."

Ralph leaned down and gave his son a gentle kiss on the forehead. "I love you too, son. Sweet dreams..." Ralph then headed out of Michael's bedroom, making sure to turn out the lights and close the door behind him as he left.

He walked into the family bathroom, brushed his teeth, washed himself up, took off his scarf, and threw on his pajama shirt. He then went into his and Melissa's bedroom and crawled into bed. Melissa was already there waiting for him, dressed in her nightgown. She had been reading one of her romance novels, but when she saw her hubby crawling into bed with her, she took off her reading glasses and placed them and her book on the dresser beside the bed.

"You and Michael had quite a day, huh?" she asked Ralph as he scooted closer to her.

"Well, we certainly did," Ralph chuckled as he wrapped an arm around his wife. "I wasn't anticipating Bert taking us on a rafting trip from hell, though..."

"Well, at least everything turned out alright in the end, though I agree with you that he should have used his head more," Melissa cheerfully smiled. "You got what you wanted, didn't you? You wanted to spend Father's Day with your boy, I remember...that is what you wanted, am I right?"

"That's right," Ralph nodded as he pulled her a little closer. "It wasn't how I was hoping things would turn out, but at least we did spend the day together. And Michael seems to have had a good day...I guess everything turned out alright in the end," he grinned.

"I'm glad to hear everything turned out alright..." Melissa replied. "I heard from Michael about what happened in the rapids..."

Ralph felt a little embarrassed to talk about it. "It wasn't the smartest idea for me to jump in after him..." Ralph shook his head. "I know you could have lost the both of us right then and there...But I couldn't bear to see my son in such a helpless situation. I had to do something..."

"I'm proud of you, Ralph," Melissa kissed her husband on the cheek. "You were willing to risk your own life to save your son's..."

"I wouldn't have minded giving up my own life if it meant that I could save Michael..." Ralph admitted.

"That reminds me why I married you, sweetie," Melissa warmly smiled as she nuzzled Ralph's cheek.

Ralph raised an eyebrow as he was a little confused by his wife's statement. "It does...?"

"Of course it does. Ralph, you are one of the most caring and devoted people I've ever met in my life. You're dedicated to those you love," Melissa continued to smile. "You would do anything for me or Michael. You'd go to the ends of the Earth for us if you had to..."

"Of course I would, honey," Ralph nodded.

"See, Ralph, you are a great father," Melissa encouragingly beamed at him as she gently hugged him. "You care about Michael a lot. I know he knows that, and I'm glad he has a good father figure like you to look up to. When our little Mikey is a grown man, I'd love to hope he'd be a lot like you..."

"Of course I care about Michael; he is my boy after all. He's my only son; I'd do anything for him. I hope he'll grow up to be a lot like me too," Ralph fondly smiled, imagining how his son might turn out when he was an adult.

"He's very lucky he has two loving parents like us in his life to help guide him every step of the way," Melissa happily cooed.

"I know," Ralph agreed. "It saddens me to think that there are some children right here in this very Forest whose parents don't love them and live in broken homes...But at least our little Michael will never have to worry about that."

"And I'm glad to know that," Melissa chirped. "He'll always have us to look out for him. I'm glad you had a good Father's Day, Ralph."

"Me too, honey, me too..."

"Like I said, Ralph, you're a great father," Melissa whispered in her hubby's ear as her voice took on a more seductive tone, "and I think a certain good father has earned himself a very special treat tonight..."

Ralph's ears perked up as he had a good idea what was going on. "A special treat, huh...? What kind of special treat?"

"Let me give you a little hint..." Melissa cutely giggled as she wrapped her arms around Ralph and gave him a tender, loving kiss. "I think you get the idea, don't you, sweetie...?" she winked at him.

"I certainly do..." Ralph chuckled as he took Melissa in his arms, gently pulling her on top of him. "Come here, dear..." With that, the raccoon couple shared a passionate kiss as they lovingly embraced one another...

As they did, Ralph thought about how today had gone. Even if things hadn't turned out like he hoped they would, he was at least pleased that he'd spent Father's Day with Michael like he'd wanted to in the first place. And at least Michael had enjoyed spending time with him like he'd hoped he would. Ralph had already faced many challenges as a father, and he knew that there would be plenty more facing him ahead in his life as a parent. But he felt he could reasonably handle all of them. Michael may have many problems growing up, but Ralph felt satisfied knowing that he and Melissa would always be there to help see him through those tough times. He could always depend on them if he needed them.

"It's great being a Dad," Ralph happily thought to himself.

THE END

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well! That was my second Raccoon family adventure, "Father's Day". It didn't turn out as well as I THOUGHT it was going to, but overall I think this was still a nice family-friendly (family-friendly for the most part) story. Just a few notes this time...

Ralph's worries about his parenting abilities will end up being a recurring theme in future Raccoons stories I write taking place after "Beat the Clock". While Ralph will ultimately do a very good job of parenting Michael and Melissa will end up being proven right here (I can say that without spoiling anything), he has self-confidence issues that will always stick with him in my stories, and thus, no matter how good of a parent he is to Michael, he'll always have nagging worries that he isn't a good enough parent or that Melissa is the superior parent to him.

Bert's mentioning of "Grand Skunk Railroad"...This is an obvious reference to Grand Funk Railroad, a band that was hugely popular in the early-to-mid 1970s (and was the top selling North American band of 1970). They were well-loved by audiences and average joes...while critics and most intellectually minded people UTTERLY hated them and wanted nothing more for them to fade away and disappear. Some modern day critics have called them the Nickelback of the 1970s, which is a comparison I don't think is entirely just as I think Grand Funk Railroad were FAR more talented than Nickelback could ever hope to be (just my opinion). They weren't a great band and had quite a number of lyrically dumb songs to their credit, but they happen to be somewhat of a guilty pleasure band for me. (I actually have their first three albums, On Time, Grand Funk, and Closer To Home on CD.) They're also notable as the second ever band my mother saw in concert (after Mott The Hoople) in 1975, and for being the great Homer Simpson's favorite band (I can still remember Homer being astonished that his kids had absolutely no knowledge of Grand Funk at all, claiming that they influenced Jefferson Airplane (a band that came along several years before GFR), and promptly demanded that Bart and Lisa go to their school library to check out GFR biographies to learn as much as they could about them :D) No doubt Bert and Ralph would have heard the Raccoons universe version of them if they were teenagers in the 1970s...

And while Bert may be maturing a fair bit in my future storylines...no matter what, he'll always be his goofy and often chaotic self deep down. He can't undergo that drastic a change in his personality...otherwise he'll pretty much become Ralph Mark II. He may end up getting married and settling down in my timeline, but he'll always be that lovable goofball at heart.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this belated Father's Day tale (I wish I'd thought of this story ahead of time so I could have had it ready for Father's Day!). There will probably be more Raccoon family adventures in the near future...But in the meantime, it's onto the next chapter of "Growing Up!"