Chapter 113: Another Miracle on 34th Street.


Jake takes his boys and their friends to watch the Mousy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.


"Well, it's Thanksgiving weekend once again," the fox in the blue police windbreaker sighed out in frustration before he sipped from his cup of coffee. "So if I don't get out of here soon, I won't make it in time to be where I am supposed to be stationed along the parade route and I will never hear the end of it from Fangmeyer and Wolford."

The raccoon sitting at the table rubbed his eyes with his paws before he gave a toothy yawn. "I can't believe that I promised to take the boys to the big Mousy's Thanksgiving Day Parade downtown this year," Jake finally mumbled out. "What was I thinking?"

"You didn't have much of a choice since the Coyote Cultural Center has some traditional dancers in the parade this year and Marie has already been down there for a few hours with the dance group helping them get prepared."

"So where is Chief Bogo going to be this year? Let me guess, he is still going to be in his bed!"

"Where he is every year, sitting aboard one of the huge police blimps which are floating over everyone. That way he can keep an eye on everything and everyone."

"That actually sounds fun!" Jake laughed as he pulled on his jacket. "Well, let us roust our motley crew and head down to the subway."

He followed the fox from the kitchen into the den where Nicky, Freddie, Cheri, and Billy were watching cartoons. "Time to go kits," Nick called out. "Has everyone gone to the bathroom?"

All eyes turned towards the young thin coyote. "Yes, I have gone twice," Billy answered.

"Go again!" Jake called out as he began tossing jackets to everyone. "Hurry!"

A few minutes later the coyote returned. "Did you wash your paws?" Nicky asked as he gave his best friend a knowing grin. Without a word, Billy quickly turned around and returned to the bathroom where after a few moments, there was the sound of running water.

The sun had not even risen in the sky when they boarded the already packed subway train. "Hey poppa, do you think we are going to find any place that is good to see the parade?" Freddie asked.

"I took care of that already," Jake replied.

"How did you do that?" Nick inquired as he looked down at the raccoon.

"I hired Jerry Jumbeaux's two college-age grandchildren to hold our spot and the boys spent last night on the side of the curb."

"You paid someone to hold your spot? How much is that costing you?"

"Let's put it this way, hiring two eighteen-year-old elephants to just sit around on their tails while playing games on their cell phones for several hours is not that cheap."

The fox just let out a small groan.

"What?" the raccoon objected as he gave his best friend a grin. "Did you see the price they wanted for the VIP Bleacher Seats in front of the store this year, it was outrageous?"

The spot Jake had picked out was still a little crowded even after the two very large elephants had left, but it was still a fantastic place to watch the parade as it passed by.

Even as the sounds of a marching band's holiday tune filled the air and a huge float shaped like a pirate ship rumbled by, the ever-vigilant raccoon caught a strange movement from the corner of his eye and turned to watch a greasy looking weasel weaving through the crowd. The smaller mammal's eyes were furtively glancing around before the thief's paw reached up and deftly swiped a wallet out of the back pocket of a large moose standing not too far away. The large bull was so enthralled with talking to his young wheelchair-bound calf that he had not realized that his pocket had been picked.

Jake gave a groan as he watched the pickpocket slowly work his way back through the gathered watchers. He looked back up at the bull, he saw that the tall father's jacket was well worn and it was very evident that the moose did not have much money. Together the small family cheered and laughed at the antics of a few clowns who passed by unaware of what had just happened. "I want you boys and Cheri to stay here together," he said softly to Nicky. "I'll be right back." Slipping into the crowd, he followed the weasel into a nearby alleyway. "Come on Weaselton, it's a holiday!" the raccoon called out to the thief. "Give the wallet back."

"Runnel!" the weasel growled back in surprise when he saw the raccoon. "You should know how things are? You gotta make a living even if it isn't an honest one." His paws were digging through the wallet and then in apparent disappointment, he pocketed the few bucks he found inside before tossing it aside. "I should have picked a better mark, that guy didn't even have a credit card to swipe."

The raccoon watched as the small thief quickly disappeared down the alleyway before he leaned over and with a long sigh, picked up the discarded wallet. Flipping through it, he found a bank ATM receipt where the moose had withdrawn forty bucks. The balance left in the account was just over a few hundred bucks more. "A hell of a way to spend the holidays," Jake muttered as he looked at the receipt before he slipped it back inside. Pausing, he looked back at the happy crowd where he could barely make out the tall bull's antlers. Reaching into his own coat pocket, he pulled out a wad of cash and peeled off several large bills, and put those back into his pocket. Then he stuffed the remainder of the cash into the wallet. "Now comes the hard part."

Jake wove his way through the crowd and slipped behind the bull, there was cheering when the float with Santa Paws came by and as the excited crowd jostled around waving, the raccoon deftly returned the wallet back into the father's pocket without its owner even knowing.

"Poppa, you almost missed Santa Paws!" Freddie exclaimed as he hugged his father. "This was so much fun."

"I'm happy you had a good time," Jake chuckled as he hugged his son back.

"Hey pop, I'm hungry!" Nicky called out. "Can we have breakfast?"

"I'm hungry too!" Billy added.

"You're always hungry!" Cheri snickered.

"We can, right after we find your mother," Jake replied. "Now get a hold of each other's paws, so no one gets lost in the crowd."


Later that morning, the tall moose wheeled his daughter's chair over to a table at a cheap fast food restaurant before he tenderly bopped her on the nose with his hoof and she giggled back. "So one hay muffin for my little princess?" he loving said to her and she nodded. "I'll be right back." Standing in line, he placed his order for the pastry and a small carton of milk, choosing to forgo anything to eat for himself once again and he just asked for a free cup of water for himself instead. But when he reached into his wallet to pay, he was astounded to realize that it was now mysteriously full of money. Taking his order, he sat down and looked inside the overstuffed wallet once again in surprise.

"Daddy is there something wrong?" his daughter asked.

"No, I don't think so?" the father replied as he looked around before he pocketed his wallet again. "When they claim this is a season of miracles, I think that they might just be right."


A Miracle on 34th Street is the name of a famous Christmas movie and 34th Street is the route which the world-Famous Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade takes in front of its celebrated Herald Square store. It is going to be virtual this year because of the virus.

Happy Thanksgiving y'all!