Chapter Three: Whistle While You Work

"I really feel quite happy now." Jean said with a smile. "I'm sure I'll get along somehow. Everything's going to be alright… But I do need a place to sleep at night."

She petted the bunny by her leg.

"I can't sleep in the ground like you." Jean said. She then looked at the squirrels. "Or in a tree like you do, and I'm sure I'd never fit in a bird's nest." Then she got a brilliant idea! "Maybe you know where I could stay in these woods!"

The birds and other animals all made their respective ways of saying yes.

"You do?!" Jean said with a smile. She wasn't sure if that would really work. "Will you take me there?"

The birds and dear then led Jean to a small cabin. When she saw the cabin, she noticed that it looked quite modest.

"Oh it's adorable!" Jean said in delight. "It looks just like a dollhouse!"

Jean then walked up to the house.

"I like it here." Jean then looked into the window, but she couldn't make out anything inside. "It's dark in there."

Jean then knocked. Nothing happened. Maybe no one heard her. She knocked again, but it had the same result.

"Well, I guess I should try the handle." Jean suggested.

She went in with the animals.

"Hello?" She called out. No one answered. "I guess no one's home."

Jean walked around and figured that she could just stay and wait for the people to come home. She noticed several toys on the ground and thought, Maybe I could be their nanny and take care of their child… Or children.

Jean then called out with delight as she saw a small chair. She looked down at it as the animals came in too.

"What a cute little chair!" Jean said. She then noticed that there were several more. "Wait a moment, there are seven little chairs. There must be seven little children here." She then looked at a very messy table with cups, plates, and all manner of left over garbage on the table. "And from the look of the table seven untidy little children."

She walked over and saw what was on there.

"Toys at the table." Jean said as she picked up a very poorly carved wolf sculpture. She then saw a sock. "A sock too?!" Jean then opened a pot and took out, "A shoe?"

Jean whistled with the birds. She then walked to the fire place.

"Covered in dust, of course." Jean blew, and several chipmunks sneezed. "And cobwebs everywhere. A pile of dirty dishes in the sink, and just look at that broom!"

The broom laid there as if it hadn't ever been used.

"I doubt they've ever swept this room." Jean said. "You'd think their mother would-" Then she stopped as she realized something. "Maybe they have no mother. Then they'd be orphans. Oh, those poor little children. Maybe we should clean the house, and surprise them when they come back from… Whatever they're doing… Then maybe they will let me stay."

Jean then looked around, and her new friends did as well.

"Alright, squirrels, you wash the dishes." Jean said. "And rabbits, tidy up the room. Deer, clean the fireplace, and I'll use the broom."

The birds then whistled to commence the large project Jean had suggested.

Just whistle while you work.

And cheerfully together we can tidy up this place.

So hum a merry tune.

It won't take long when there's a song to help us set the pace.

The singing actually did keep everyone lively enough to keep on track. Jean was easily sweeping the room and using a step ladder to deal with the cobwebs. The squirrels used rags and their own tails to wash the dishes, and the dear used their tails to dust the fireplace, and the stags used their antlers to help the smaller animals make Jean's job easier by dusting the walls and everywhere they could reach.

And as you sweep the room

Imagine that the broom is someone that you love

And soon you'll find you're dancing to the tune.

"Oh, no, no." Jean said as one of the fauns was trying to clean a plate by licking it. "Those go in the tub."

Jean then handed a plate to the squirrel, and he put it there.

"Why don't you help your parents?" Jean asked.

The dear smiled and cleaned the fire place with his mother.

As a rabbit was pushing dirt under the rug, Jean caught them.

"Nah-uh." Jean said kindly but firmly. "Pushing dirt under a rug isn't cleaning."

The rabbits then moved the rub and pushed the dirt out of the house.

"Yes, that's much better." Jean said with a smile as she scratched behind the rabbit's ear.

Jean and a few of the squirrels then got to work cleaning a large organ. She figured she could learn to play it for the children. The birds then brought in flowers to liven up the room and used a pouch they'd brought to water the flowers.

With the house cleaned up, everyone then helped put away the clothes and the toys. As the toys were put away, the stag helped Jean take the clothes she couldn't carry, which wasn't very much, and she and several raccoons began washing the clothes, and Jean hung them to dry. She noticed that they were very odd clothes. One shirt was gray with a black bat on it. There was a long red cloth that Starfire figured must be for drying the children off. She shrugged and guessed that they had a range of different tastes in clothing.

So whistle while you work.

After finishing cleaning, Jean relaxed by the wall and found a book entitled, The Magician's Nephew by CS Lewis.

Is there anything Disney animals can't do?