CHAPTER 3: ON MY WAY TO THE WOODS
At the Brown household, Charlie Brown was packing up some clothes into a suitcase. Meanwhile, Snoopy was also gathering some of his belongings and stuffing them into a big sack. Woodstock watched as he did that. Meanwhile back inside the house, Sally walked into her brother's room.
"Where in the world are you going?" she asked. "I know it's too cold to go to camp."
"Snoopy and I have been invited to spend Christmas with Frieda and her family at their cottage up north," said Charlie Brown.
"Doesn't she have a cat?" Sally asked. "Faron I think its name is."
"Yeah she does," Charlie Brown replied. "But Snoopy agreed to try to get along with Faron and with me and Frieda dating, we will both make sure they hold up to that."
"Okay," said Sally. "I guess I'll spend some time with my Sweet Babboo over Christmas."
"Don't count on it," Charlie Brown muttered under his breath. Sally still didn't know that Linus and Eudora became an item.
"Anyway, with you being gone, big brother…"
"No you cannot have my room, Sally," interrupted Charlie Brown. "I'm only going to be gone for a few days tops. So don't start moving your things in there, don't try selling my stuff on eBay, and don't change the locks. And to make sure you don't do all of that, mom said she would keep an eye on you."
"Oh good grief!" sighed Sally.
Charlie Brown proceeded to check on Snoopy. He saw a huge sack filled with Snoopy's belongings. Charlie Brown just shook his head at the spectacle.
"Good grief, Snoopy!" he said. "We're only going to Frieda's cottage for a few days. You don't need all of that stuff."
Snoopy then proceeded to empty half of the stuff out of the sack. He still had quite a bit left in it. Charlie Brown sighed in disbelief.
"I guess that's a little better," he responded. "It's still a lot of stuff, though." Then they heard a horn honk. Frieda and her parents came to pick them up. Snoopy growled and barked orders at Woodstock to watch over his house while he was gone. Woodstock gave a salute and signaled for his bird friends to help out. They all flew over and marched around the perimeter of Snoopy's house. Charlie Brown rolled his eyes and he and Snoopy went to meet Frieda.
A little while later, the Rich's van travelled along a highway as the snow started falling. Frieda was singing some Christmas carols along the way there. Snoopy even pulled out his Jaw Harp and twanged in rhythm. Charlie Brown and Faron, Frieda's cat, bobbed their heads to the makeshift music. Frieda's parents enjoyed the happy scene, as well. They were proud of their daughter and her singing talent. And they took a liking to Charlie Brown as well. Her father was great friends with Charlie's father and he often cut Mr. Rich's hair at the barbershop. It made for a pleasant trip to the woods.
Once everyone got there, Charlie Brown was amazed at the cottage. It wasn't a typical small house-style cottage; it was more like a mini-deluxe house.
"This is your cottage?!" he asked with amazement.
"Yep, it sure is," said Frieda, with a smile.
"As far as cottages go, this place is a palace!" Charlie Brown said.
"Wait till you see the inside," Frieda responded.
Snoopy grabbed all of his belongings and went towards the backyard. He saw a fire pit, which made him happy. He could cook some breakfast, lunch, and dinner on that fire pit. He set up a tent and grabbed some firewood from a pile under a tarp that kept the wood dry from the snow. Then he placed the wood in the fire pit and started it, and grabbed a stick and started to roast some hot dogs over the fire.
Charlie Brown and Frieda looked at Snoopy's makeshift camp and shook their heads. "I think he'll be all right, hun," said Frieda. "Let's go inside."
Inside the cottage it looked very rustic with polished wood floors and walls. There was a bearskin rug on the floor in the family den by the fireplace. There were three bedrooms. One was for the Rich's, one for Frieda, and one for guests, where Charlie Brown would be. The dining room had a vintage oak table with matching chairs. And the kitchen had a nice country feel to it as well with iron skillets hanging down and a real wood-burning stove. Charlie Brown was in awe.
"My daddy and I sometimes stay here when we go rabbit hunting," said Frieda. "That's why I always try to get Snoopy to love the sport of the hunt."
"This is a spectacular place, Frieda," said Charlie Brown. "I look forward to spending time here."
"You should see it in summer," said Frieda, with a smile. "Just up the path in the backyard there's a lake with a small beach for us. I like to go swimming in that lake during the summer. Go ahead and relax, sweetie. I think we will be having dinner soon."
Charlie Brown sat on the couch in the den and turned on the TV. He thought the cottage was excellent. Outside, Snoopy had already prepared his dinner. In addition to the hot dogs he roasted over the fire, he also had potato chips in a bowl, a mug of root beer, and an ice cream sundae for dessert. Both he and Charlie Brown were going to have fun over Christmas.
NEXT CHAPTER: A LITTLE CHRISTMAS EVE CATCHING UP