Chapter 1: The Tiny Grove

Out of an unknown, faraway land came Seedler, a squirrel who was just and fair. He wanted to make the world a better place. During his travels he entered a Tiny Grove and came across three munks. One was named Plujo, and he was gathering acorns. Seedler watched Plujo work, and saw that he had many acorns he was storing in his burrow under a tree. He could tell that Plujo was happy.

The other two were named Cuffy and Carol, who scampered and played in The Tiny Grove. They had no acorns.

Plujo was too busy hunting to talk to Seedler, so Seedler said to Cuffy and Carol, “I am Seedler the Squirrel, and I am just and fair. How are you today?”

“Not good,” said Cuffy.

“It’s late,” said Carol.

“We’ve been playing all day...”

“but we have no acorns…”

“for dinner.”

“Yes, no dinner.”

“We will go to bed hungry…”

“and miserable…”

“again…”

“Why is that?”

“No idea…”

“Me neither.”

Seedler considered what they told him. He saw that Plujo had many acorns, while Cuffy and Carol had none. So Seedler stopped Plujo as he brought another acorn to his burrow.

“Excuse me, Mr….”

“Plujo,” the busy munk replied.

“Good day, Mr. Plujo. I am Seedler, the Squirrel, and I am just and fair.”

“Pleased to meet you, Mr. Seedler.”

“Tell me, Mr. Plujo, how many acorns have you gathered today?” asked Seedler.

Plujo thought the question was a little odd. “This one makes nine, and I found a chestnut too. They’re as big as three acorns. Why do you ask?” replied Plujo.

Seedler answered, “Because Cuffy and Carol have none, and they will be hungry tonight.”

Plujo was kind, and didn’t want Cuffy and Carol to starve, so he replied, “Don’t worry, I always give them one of my acorns. I don’t want them to starve.”

Seedler thought about this. It still seemed unfair. There were three munks, and nine acorns. Plujo was going to give Cuffy and Carol one each. He would still have plenty of nuts for himself. He couldn’t possibly need that many.

“Mr. Plujo,” said Seedler, “wouldn’t it be fairer if you all had three acorns each? Why don’t you give me all your acorns, and I’ll divide them up evenly?”

Plujo thought about this for a minute. He was a little confused, but didn’t want to seem greedy. “Okay, I can do that,” he agreed.

“And, if you don’t mind, good sir, I have nothing for dinner myself. Do you think you could spare that scrumptious looking chestnut?”

Plujo eyed Seedler reluctantly for a moment, but he reckoned that Seedler was indeed just and fair. He also saw that Cuffy and Carol seemed much happier now that they would have acorns too. Everyone seemed to be happier, because of Seedler. So Plujo gave him his big chestnut.

Cuffy and Carol thanked Seedler, and they devoured all their acorns that same night. They had never had three acorns to eat in one day before.

Every day afterward, Plujo gathered nine acorns and a chestnut. Cuffy and Carol played every day. They dreamt up new games to play to pass away the days, while Seedler watched over The Tiny Grove. At the end of each day, Plujo gave all his nuts to Seedler, who carefully counted them, and gave each munk three acorns each. He always kept the chestnut for himself. Everyone got the same amount. All was just and fair.

This continued for some time, when one day Plujo was out busily gathering the nuts for the day, and he passed by Cuffy and Carol who were playing a game. They were having so much fun that they accidentally knocked him down, causing him to drop an armful of nuts he was bringing back to Seedler.

“Please be careful! I’m trying to work.”

“Oh, we’re very, very sorry,” giggled Cuffy and Carol, but Plujo could tell they didn’t mean it. They went back to playing their game, while Plujo, frustrated, gathered up the acorns he had dropped. It took him an extra hour to gather the acorns for the day, because of the delay.

That night, after dividing up the nuts, Plujo went to talk to Seedler, because he was just and fair.

“Mr. Seedler, sir?”

“Yes, Plujo.”

“Mr. Seedler, is their any way Cuffy and Carol could help me gather up the nuts for the day?”

“Why, Plujo?” the squirrel asked. “It seems that everyone in our little grove is happy. We all have all the acorns we need.”

“Well, yes, Mr. Seedler. Yes, that’s true. But it occurred to me that Cuffy and Carol get to play all day, while I do all the work. Couldn’t they help me gather the nuts, so that I can have some play time, too?”

“I don’t know, Plujo. Why don’t we ask them? It’s only just and fair that they have a say in the matter too.” Seedler answered.

Plujo knew how this was going to turn out. Why would Cuffy and Carol want to change, and start gathering acorns themselves? Right now, they just played all day, and got their acorns anyway. Nevertheless, he agreed to ask their opinion, because Seedler was just and fair. So Seedler called Cuffy and Carol into his tree, and asked them if they’d be willing to help Plujo gather nuts every day.

“Excuse me?” said Cuffy and Carol together.

Seedler repeated the question, “Plujo would like for you to help with the gathering.”

Cuffy and Carol looked at each other, confused, then at Seedler, incredulous, and then, finally, at Plujo, infuriated.

Plujo could see that they were very angry, and explained, “Every day I go out to gather all the nuts, and every day I see you two playing games. I’d like to play too, but I never have enough time. I’m always working! So I was hoping that you’d help me, just a little. That way, we would still have the same amount of acorns…maybe even more…but I could have some time to play too.

Cuffy and Carol considered Plujo’s reasoning, and responded, in unison, “No!”

And then they explained why, together, finishing each other’s sentences in perfect harmony.

“Why would we do that?”

“Right now…”

“We can play all day,”

“And we get three acorns.”

“Now you want us to work…”

“And we still only get three acorns?”

“Sounds like a bad deal to me.”

“Yes, a very bad deal.”

Plujo pleaded, “But I’ve worked so hard for The Tiny Grove! I was only thinking about…”

They interrupted him…rudely,

“About yourself.”

“Yes, about yourself.”

“You are one greedy munk.”

“Yeah, greedy and selfish.”

“Now see here, you two! I am not…”

Seedler, who had been listening to the entire exchange carefully, cleared his throat with a loud, “Ahem!” so that everyone there understood that he was prepared to speak. The tree went quiet while everyone prepared to listen.

“I think the only way to be just and fair is to vote on it. I will hold an election.”

Cuffy’s and Carol’s eyes lit up, and they looked at each other with evil grins. Plujo slapped his own forehead in disgust. Cuffy and Carol began speaking in turns again.

“Yes,”

“Let’s vote on it.”

“It’s only just…”

“And fair…”

With that, Seedler stated the question, “The question is, ‘Should Cuffy and Carol be required to gather nuts, so that Plujo can have time to play’…All in favor say Aye.”

Plujo raised his hand timidly and muttered, “Aye.” He was the only “Aye” in the room.

Seedler continued, “All opposed, say Nay.”

Cuffy and Carol both raised their hands, much higher than Plujo had, flailed them wildly, screaming “Nay! Nay! Nay!”.

Seedler looked consolingly at Plujo, and said, “I’m sorry Plujo, the Nay’s have it, two against one,” and behind him, Cuffy and Carol danced arm-in-arm in celebration.

Dejected, Plujo dragged himself out of the tree and back to his burrow. He was miserable. He thought about The Tiny Grove before Seedler had come. He had been happy, while Cuffy and Carol were not. Now, they were both happy, but he was not. The Tiny Grove was, technically, a better place since Seedler the Squirrel had arrived. There were more happy munks now than there were before. The problem was that, now, it was he that wasn’t happy.

Plujo peeked his head out of his burrow once more before the sun went down for the night. He saw Seedler perched on a low branch of his tree, looking very content with himself, gnawing on the chestnut Plujo had given him because he seemed just and fair. He looked over at the other burrows. Cuffy and Carol were tossing an acorn back and forth, singing an annoying tune, each taking a bite from the nut when they caught it, and then gleefully tossing it back to the other. Plujo thought that they might be getting fat.

Plujo ducked into his hole and tried to take solace in his own acorns. He now only ate one acorn each day, and set aside the other two for the winter. He used to be able to eat two or three every day with no fear of running out. But at the rate Plujo was saving now, he was going to run out of acorns before the winter was half over.

Oh no! he realized. Cuffy and Carol weren’t even saving that much. They were used to eating three acorns every day, and they had already decided they didn’t want to help gather. If this continued, their little community was going to run out of nuts, and there was nothing he could do about it. Seedler was indeed just and fair, but he did not seem to understand the way the world really worked. If Plujo did nothing, they would all die of starvation. There was only one thing left for him to do.

The next day, Seedler awoke to the sound of Cuffy and Carol playing outside. He stretched on a low branch and surveyed The Tiny Grove. Something is missing, he thought. He hopped down from the branch and approached Cuffy and Carol.

“Good morning, you two,” mused Seedler.

“Good morning, Seedler.”

“Have you two seen Plujo this morning?”

“We haven’t seen him.”

“Maybe he’s out hunting already.”

“Maybe he is…”

“Yes…”

“Maybe…”

Seedler hopped back on his low branch and scanned The Tiny Grove. For three hours there was no sign of Plujo. He asked Cuffy and Carol again, “Are you sure you haven’t seen him. Surely he would have brought a few acorns back by now.”

“No, we haven’t seen him at all today.” Then they looked at each other with concern. No Plujo meant no nuts.

The two munks gathered at the base of his tree, looking up at Seedler. “Maybe he’s sick.” Cuffy deduced.

“Sick? Plujo can’t get sick. What’ll we have for dinner tonight?”

“It’s a concern.”

“Yes, it is.”

“Certainly.”

They both gazed up at Seedler, and looked to him to solve the problem. Their helpless eyes asked him, what do we do?

Seedler reassured the two frightened munks, “Don’t worry. I’ll find him. We’ll start at his hole.”

So the three scampered over to Plujo’s modest burrow. It was a small hole that only went a few feet down. There was a welcome mat at the foot of the hole, along with a small mailbox made out of an empty acorn shell.

“Plujo…” called Seedler, “Are you there, my friend?”

There was no answer. Cuffy and Carol fidgeted around the hole nervously, but didn’t get too close.

“Plujo?” Seedler called again.

Nothing.

“PLUJO!!!”

Silence.

Seedler casually nudged closer to the hole, so that he could begin to get an angled view of the first few inches of the inside. He tiptoed closer and closer, and he saw a small munk bed and a small munk table in the one-room burrow.

“Come on, what do you see?” asked Cuffy.

“What’s in there? Is he there?” asked Carol.

“I still can’t see in very well,” Seedler complained, still standing upright.

Carol stuck her paw in front of Seedler, and Cuffy rushed behind him and pushed, tripping him over Carol so that Seedler crashed to the ground. His face landed perfectly in the hole so he could get a good view of the whole room. On the small table there was a letter.

“Hmmm, looks like he wrote a letter,” Seedler reported.

“A letter?”

“To whom?”

“Yes, to whom?”

“Just hold on.”

Seedler reached into Plujo’s hole and pulled out the letter.

Cuffy and Carol continued jabbering…

“I didn’t know munks could write…”

“Neither did I. Can you write?”

“No, I can’t read either,”

“Neither can I.”

Seedler announced, “Fear not, I will read the letter!”

The two munks gazed at Seedler, impressed with his brilliance.

“Ahem,” Seedler began.

To whom it may concern:

This morning I left The Tiny Grove. I am miserable, and couldn’t go on. Nobody likes me or cares about me, even though I’ve been nice and have given everybody nuts that I’ve gathered all by myself. I am off to The Woods to work hard and find a way to survive the cold winter.

Best Wishes,

Plujo

The two munks were stunned.

“Oh, no!”

“Oh, dear!”

“Oh, dear!”

“Oh, no!”

“What’ll we do!”

“We’ll starve!”

“We’ll freeeeeeze!”

“We’ll be…urp…snake bait!”

Seedler was upset too, although he managed to hide it. He hadn’t expected this. Plujo was The Tiny Grove’s most productive munk. Now he was gone, along with all the nuts he gathered. Why? Didn’t he want to share? Didn’t he want to spread the wealth? Didn’t he understand?

Cuffy and Carol looked longingly at Seedler. He needed to say something before they realized that they’d actually been better off before Seedler had arrived. He composed himself and addressed them.

“My dear munks, look to me and have hope!” reassured Seedler. The two munks listened intently.

“I will travel to The Woods to find Plujo.”

As Seedler continued, they began to get excited.

“And I will return, with other hard-working munks!”

“Yeah!” they shouted again.

“And they’ll bring acorns!”

“Yeah!” They chanted together.

“And, um, they’ll dig us burrows, and fight off snakes!”

“YEAH!!!”

“And there will be justice and fairness for all!”

And with that, Seedler hopped away, in search of The Woods, where many munks lived and ate well.

Seedler didn’t get his chestnut that night.