A mother's affection


The chipmunks are falsely accused of taking a priceless artifact from the museum. With the entire town angry at them, the chipmunks race off to live with their mother Vinnie once again. Once everyone discovers they're NOT the culprits....it's too late. Can Dave gets his sons to come home, or is a mother's love too enticing?

Quote:

"Her love is like an island
In life's ocean, vast and wide
A peaceful, quiet shelter
From the wind, the rain, the tide.
'Tis bound on the north by Hope,
By Patience on the West,
By tender Counsel on the South
And on the East by Rest.
Above it like a beacon light
Shine Faith, and Truth, and Prayer;
And thro' the changing scenes of life
I find a haven there."


Dave groaned, face in his hands.

"But....but....Dave!"

"The security guard said it himself-and on the security camera....." Dave buried his face again and shook his head.

"Why, boys?"

Alvin stomped his foot.

"WE. DIDN'T. TAKE. IT!"

Simon nodded frantically.

The entire town had suspected the three four days when three figures had stolen a priceless, oriental bamboo sword from the museum.

Three little figures...

In red, blue, and green.


Despite the chipmunks' indignant protesting, it was a matter of time before the officers issued an arrest warrant...

Dave had no idea what to do.

"To your room."

"But-!"

"TO YOUR ROOM. MARCH!"


Theodore had long since buried his face in his pillow, the tears pouring down like the rain pattering on the window.

Simon was staring out the window, refusing to let anyone see his face, and Alvin was beside his bed, head buried in his pillow.

PLUNK.

Simon jumped a bit, clunking his head on the windowframe. Growling and rubbing his head, he turned his head inside, frowning, to see what the

commotion was about.

Theodore was also raising a tearstained face in the direction of the closet, looking utterly bewildered.

Alvin shoved another backpack onto the ground, rubbing at red eyes.

"Uh....Alvin?"

"I don't know about you, but I want out." He turned to stare at his brothers, trying to look angry, but only pulling the expression of a dog that's

been repeatably kicked.

Theodore blinked.

"...Out?"

"YES." Alvin began shoving clothes in his bag, not looking up.

"If no one in this town is willing to believe us, I say we LEAVE."

"Oh? And go where?" asked Simon snidely, pointing out at the driving rain.

Alvin paused. It was clear he had thought this out very well.

"....With Mom."

Theodore was so surprised, he abruptly stopped crying. Simon blinked, astonished.

"....back home? With Vinnie?"

"Who else could I mean?"

Simon paused for a moment. It was clear he was doing some very quick thinking.

"If.....if you're going no matter what, Alvin," he said quietly.

"I'll go too."

"Really?" Simon hardly ever jumped aboard with Alvin.

"Count me in, toooo-argghh!"

And Theodore fell off the bed onto the floor with a flump.


The chipmunks had packed everything.

Now, with large packs and apparel, they hung uncertainly by Dave's door.

"I wish we could say good bye," mourned Theodore uneasily.

Simon simply shook his head.

"He'd never let us go, Theodore."

Alvin nodded miserably.

"Goodbye, Dave," was all he could say to the whitewashed door as they headed towards the window, Simon dropping a note in his wake.

And the three slid out the window.

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In a way, Theodore thought, this was like that one story Dave used to read to them.....Theodore shuddered as they quickly skipped across to the

street in the driving rainstorm.

No...if he thought about Dad, he'd turn around and run back! Theodore bit his lip, but not in time to stop a fresh stream of tears.

Alvin gripped his hand. Theodore gratefully squeezed back.

How did that one passage go....the one with the gypsies?

The Big Wheel was folded.

And the tent....

And they packed their wagons and away they went.

You see, Gypsies never like to stay.

They only come-to go away.

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Dave tossed and turned in his sleep, muttering a bit.

"Simon....Theodore....

....Allllllvvvvvvviiiinnnnn....."

Something was wrong. He didn't know what....but SOMETHING was.

Ah, well. Dave murmured again, turning again to dream uneasily in the darkness.


* * *

The rain continued, all the more intensely as they reached the wood near the old cabin where Dave once lived.

Luckily, the train ran late....and they were able to convince the ticket lady at the station that they were one person by standing on each other's

shoulders and wearing a trench coat. ^^

Finally, after marching wearily for an hour or two, they reached nearby Eagle's Peak.

"I guess we camp here," sighed Simon, dropping his bag to the ground with an exhausted THUMP.

Alvin was too tired to even argue. He and Theodore simply nodded as they dropped their bags onto the muddy earth.

Underneath a large pine tree, the three crouched in their sleeping bags, the only sense of warmth coming from each other's shivering prescence.

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Unbeknownst to them, a pair of large, bright eyes was watching them in the leafy underbrush, looking utterly amazed.


Vinnie sighed as she stirred the steaming acorn mixture a bit more with a wooden spoon.

It certainly was raining out there.....hopefully, her neighbors would take shelter....and the water storage wouldn't flow over. It could ruin the

stores of almonds and acorns that had been saved up for winter. She didn't like having to ration food to the point that the little ones had to go

hungry in this cold...

The old didn't eat much anyway, and it was cruel to deprive them of food when they had been working hard all our their lives.

And the young adults needed all their strength for the harvest...

Vinnie sighed. The steam of the broth was causing her glasses to mist over. Well, if it was a fairly mild winter, everyone could stay in their nests

and abodes, some in hibernation, warm, full, and content.

That would be a splendid happiness for Vinnie....if it did not have a profound flaw. She sighed, and began wiping at her spectacles with her apron.

How wonderful it would be....to have her babies with her-!

Vinnie vigorously shook her head. That would be far too much to hope for. Mr. Seville seemed to earnestly care for the boys. He could offer what

she could not-A male role model for the boys, a bed for each of them, what city folk called.....ah....what was it? Sool or Skool?

More food...at least more that the boys liked....

A drop of salt joined the steaming mixture on the stove. Vinnie blinked.

Oh....she must of had.....something in her eye...

Vinnie desperately added the basil and nutmeg to the mixture, doing her absolute best not to look at the baby clothes she kept with her as a

gentle reminder of the triplets that were hanging out to dry in the kitchen-she had to seize the washing that was hanging outside on the line

all inside when it had begun to drizzle in the afternoon.

She had been so puzzled when she had started getting so large around the first weeks of her pregnancy...until one of the Forest physicians,

Briarroot the Owl, had given her an examination and told her that she was expecting not one, but three-yes, three-babies.

The forest had been positively abuzz with the news. Vinnie herself had been quite happy and aglow...

Until, well....the children were born two months premature.

It had been so frightening....AND painful....

Everyone had all wanted to focus upon saving Vinnie....but she had begged them, over and over again-to save the little ones instead.

They had been most reluctant...But she finally made them agree.

Luckily, they all survived. The little ones were a little undersized...but no harm done.

At least...until the Great Winter had come...

She'd had no choice but to drop off the little ones at a kindly musician's home.

And when she had come back for her children....they looked so happy with Dave in the window...

How could she seperate them?

Vinnie wiped at her glasses again and stared morosely at the window.

Wait....

What was that fuzzy figure out there? Vinnie hastened to put her glasses back on.

Oh....it was Allie! Vinnie smiled and tasted the soup thoughtfully.

Yes...perfect. All it needed was a little toasted bread here....she eagerly reached for two wooden bowls.

At least she would now have a companion to enjoy a nice, late evening supper and pleasant conversation.

Allie was a kindly squirrel who lived alongside Vinnie as an apothecary and often housesitter. Vinnie herself was a trained Healer and physician of

the wood.

But....oh, dear, she was moving very slowly.

And....was she carrying something big?

Oh, no....there must be a family that had been flooded out in this weather? Perhaps seriously injured?

Vinnie hurried to the whistling tea kettle and lifted it off before running to the old oak, heart carved in the middle door and swinging it wide open.

"Allie?"

Allie hobbled to the door, face looking, for some reason, rather grim for a change. Vinnie grasped a beeswax candle and held the lantern out,

squinting.

"Hallo, Vinnie. I think....you might recognize these little 'uns."

And Allie stepped into the light, chest heaving up and down.

An unconcious figure was draped in red in her arms, hat askew.

A figure was facedown on her shoulder, draped in green. And a crooked figure covered in blue was in the other arm, glasses hanging haphazardly

off his face.

Vinnie went hot, then cold, as she seized the only piece of finery she owned she kept around her neck and, with shaking fingers, opened it.

Three infants beamed charmingly at the photographer, frozen forever in time.

Tears burst to her face as she rushed forward.

"ALVIN! SIMON! THEODORE!"

Whew....first AATC Fiction. Please review! I might update!