Skippy left to go live with his aunt only two days later. During those two days of waiting, he had watched some of the old cartoons that Slappy was in. She seemed to be witty and sarcastic, and seemed to like to use explosives.

"That's basically the way she is in real life," said one of the squirrels. "In these cartoons, she wasn't really acting, she was just being herself."

"Has she changed any since then?" asked Skippy.

"She's gotten a lot older," said the squirrel.

"Older, as in she's attached to tubes 24/7 and can't go to the bathroom by herself?"

The squirrel sighed. "Look, if she was like that we would have found you another guardian. It's probably time to get you settled in with her. Remember that she's cranky. Don't give her any lip."

The squirrels jumped on the top of a California-bound car and somehow managed to stay on. In a couple of days they had reached their destination. By that time Skippy was so nervous that he was shaking. So many questions were racing through his mind. ~Will she be nice? What if I don't adjust? Will she be like my mom? What if she gets hit by a car too? What if she doesn't like me?~

"Here it is," said the squirrel. Skippy grabbed his bag of belongings (and since he was a six-year-old squirrel, he didn't have much) and timidly followed him to the door (yes, a real DOOR, not just some hole!) of a huge tree. The squirrel knocked on the door.

Slappy answered it. "Yeah?" she asked.

"Here's Skippy," said the squirrel. "I'll have to ask you to sign some papers."

"What are those for?" asked Skippy.

"They're to give your Aunt Slappy legal guardianship of you," said the squirrel. Slappy signed the papers and handed them to the squirrel. The squirrel tore the papers apart, since they were those papers that when you wrote on one piece of paper, it showed up on the others, too. He handed one of the copies to Slappy.

"Alright, I guess that takes care of things," he said. He hugged Skippy. "Good luck, Skippy. I'll come back in a month or two to make sure you're settled in."

"Okay, bye!" said Skippy. The squirrel scampered up a nearby tree and vanished from sight.

"Alright, Skippy, take yer bag and come inside," said Slappy.

"Why don't you take it?" Skippy asked.

"Because it's YER bag, and besides, it's probably too heavy fer someone my age."

"It doesn't weigh very much, though… how old are you, anyway?"

"Too old," said Slappy, and it became apparent to Skippy that that would be the only answer he could get out of her. They walked inside.

It was different than any place Skippy had ever seen. That was because it had real furniture. Not just benches hollowed out of the hole that the rooms were in. There were actual couches, chairs, and tables. There was even a TV! The only place where Skippy thought that there were TVs was a court tree.

Slappy watched Skippy take everything in. He looked very astounded, probably because there wasn't these kinds of things in Nebraska. "Now turn around so I can take a look at ya," she commanded.

Skippy turned around and faced his aunt. Slappy looked at him. He looked quite a bit like her father, his grandfather. Especially that tail! If all that she saw of him was his tail, he might look like her father. She didn't recognize his eyes, though. He probably got his eyes from his father's side.

Skippy, meanwhile, was investigating Slappy. She looked pretty much the same as she had in her cartoons, except that she was older. She didn't really look like his mother. She was skinnier, and sharper, almost. Finally he got the courage to ask her, "So you really didn't want to take me in, did you?"

Slappy shrugged. "You were unexpected. I don't mind, actually. I never pass down a challenge." She smiled. It was the first time Skippy had seen her smile.

"Raising a kid is a challenge?" asked Skippy, raising an eyebrow.

"Just wait till yer a teenager," said Slappy, chuckling a little. "C'mere. I'm starved."

"Ditto," said Skippy. "What's for supper?"

"Well, I was thinking cold mush and rancid water."

"You're joking, aren't you?" asked Skippy, looking a little startled.

Slappy couldn't help but laugh. "Of course! My cooking isn't very good, though; that's what it might taste like."


As they ate their supper, Skippy asked Slappy, "So what do you want me to call you?"

Slappy raised an eyebrow. If both the squirrels were to go in front of a mirror and raise their eyebrows, then they would discover that they do it almost exactly the same. It was one of their only similarities, looks wise.

"I'm yer Aunt Slappy, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then that's what ya call me, alright?"

"Good. I was worried that you might make me call you Mom." Skippy's face fell slightly.

Slappy sighed. "No, I would not make ya do that. I'm not yer mom."

"I only have one mom, even if she's dead," said Skippy quietly. "I could never call someone else Mom."

Slappy took a deep breath. "Skippy, now that yer livin' with me ya might wanna know the number one rule in this house."

"And that is…?" asked Skippy.

"Never, EVER go down into my vault, especially by yerself!"

Skippy's eyes lit up. "Awesome! What's down there?"

"Yer just like I was when I was yer age," said Slappy. "Knowing that, I'm not gonna tell ya, cuz that'd make ya wanna go down there even more."

"Curiosity would send me down there too," said Skippy. "Maybe, if you told me what it was, I wouldn't wanna go down there, since I already knew what it was."

Slappy sighed. "It's my explosives, alright? And if ya don't know how ta handle them yer liable to kill yerself! And even if ya do mess with them but don't get killed, I'd kill ya myself! Ya got that?"

"Yes, Aunt Slappy! Where's my room?" asked Skippy, quickly changing the subject.

"C'mon, I'll take ya up there."


"Wow, a real bed and everything!"

"What did you squirrels sleep on in Nebraska, anyway?"

"We had beds made out of leaves and stuff."

"Hmm, no human influence?"

"No, I guess not." Skippy pulled the covers down and jumped into bed. "Can you tuck me in, Aunt Slappy?"

"Aaauuggh, the things I hafta put up with." She pulled the covers around him.

"Goodnight, Aunt Slappy," said Skippy.

"Goodnight, Skippy," said Slappy. "Cripes, I'm tired. I think I'll turn in."

Skippy lied down in bed, sadness in his eyes. Slappy saw it. "What's the matter?"

"I miss my mom," whispered Skippy. "Do you… ever miss yours?"

He felt kinda stupid asking her. She probably didn't. She didn't even want him.

He was surprised when she answered, "Sometimes. I've been living without her long enough so I'm kinda used ta it. Yer only six. I would be surprised if ya didn't miss her." Slappy gave him a sideways hug. "Now, go ta sleep."

Skippy snuggled down in the covers, feeling much better.