A True Story
by Heidi Carson
1995
To my Grandparents John & Violet Melvin for always supporting me, loving me and making me feel special. I love you. "Always remember."
An intreiguing true story of an abandoned child's desperate search for true love and happiness. And adventure filled with love and laughter, heartache and tears, compassion and a real life hero. How a groundhog brought joy into the lives of three people, teaching them a few lessons in life along the way.
** Some facts have ben altered for the sake of the story.
As her paretns pulled out of sight heading for their new home in Quebec, young Heidi quickly brushed her tears away and headed for the back door. Walking along the bovlestone pathway she was greeted by her grandfather who was bent over their lusious green garden.
"Welcome home Heidi" he said, "you're grandmother is upstairs making up our room."
Heidi waved and tried a brave smile, heading up the wodden stairs with her small patched up bag to her new home. She immediatly went up stairs to her room in the back of the house. This room has always been called "Heidi's room" because it was where she always slept when she stayed over, but she never dreamed that one day it really would become hers. Sh walked down the narrow hallways finding her grandmother in making the bed. She smiled and laid her bag down beside the large oak dresser.
"Hello Heidi how are you?" her grandmother asked looking over the bedsheets.
"Fine Nanny, tank you." Heidi answered, staring inot the mirror over the dresser, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her grandmother came over and sat down on the bed, patting the fresh sheets beside her, "Come here Heidi, and sit down.: heidi walked over to the bed and sat down wiping the tears from her cheeks.
"You'll have a lovely home here Heidi", her grandmother said pickig up the silver brush from the banity set on teh dresser and brushing her hair into tiny ringlets. "Your grandfather and I love you very much and will take much better care of you than those rotten parents of yours anyway. You're much better off here, with us."
****
That night at supper the table was rather quiet. Grandfather was having his usual onion sandwich an dno one really knew what to say.
"Violet!! Look at that!" Grampy suddenly yelled over a mouthful of onions and bread. "That dirty rascal's back at it!"
Heidi, nanny and Grampy all croweded around the kitchen window pushing back the cotton blue flowered curtains. Sure enough there was a large fuzzy groundhog crawling through the garden.
"I can't believe he's back! I'll get hims this time!" Grandfather said as he headed down to the cellar.
"What will Grampy do?" heidi asked, scaredfor the groundhogs life.
"I don't know Heidi, sit down and eat your supper." Nanny said, too wondering what Grampy's ingenious idea was this time.
He'd tried everything to get this groundhog and it wouldn't have suprised Heidi or Nanny if he'd come up from teh cellar with a shot gun in his hand. Heidi was on teh very og tears, it was obvious that the groundhog was just hungry, maybe he too had rotten paretns who had abandoned him, he probably didn't want to hurt anyting. Heidi knew other men had told Grampy just to kill it, she knew she couldn't was as Grampy tried.
"Johnny! what are you doing?" nanny yelled as he started up the cellar stairs and then outside. Heidi tried to eat her vegetables.
"Get me an apple iolet!" He said as he started off to the corner of the yeard where the groundhog had just disappeared.
"Grampy wait!" heidi yelled coming after him "please don't kill the ground..." But to Heidi's suprise her grandfather was setting a life trap.
"Johnny what are you doing? is that old groundhog back again?" Barb from next door came out to join in the little escapade.
"We're going to trap this feller and set him free." Grampy said.
"Oh Grampy this will be so fun. He'll get to go back out with his friends in teh woods where he can find food--back to his hom!" Heidi was very excited. Surely this groundhog would leap at the opportunity to go home. She knew she would, even if her parents didn't love her.
"Seems like an awful lot of bother to me, for a little old groundhog." Barb said heading bak inside, "seems to me we should just call the SPCA and let them take care of it."
"Come along Heidi, I can't believe we left our supper to go cold for this little guy. oh well we should have him soon and then, well, it'll all be taken care of. Come on back in Johnny and finish your supper." Nanny hereded them back in to finish their supper while staring out the window wondering if the groundhog would return for his treat of apple that night.
******
The next afternoon after school Heidi hurried home, home to her grandparetns who were working in the garden.
"Seen the groundhog today Grampy?" Were Heidi's first words.
"Nope, not today Heidi, you wait and see though, we'll get him. He'll be back. Your grandmother is in the kitchen making supper you better on and get ready." heidi hurried in teh bright sunny kithen to tell Nanny all about her day at school. She had told eeryone at school all about her Grampy and how he was going to save the abandoned, starving groundhog, and how Nanny got a pieve of bright, red apple all ready for him eery day. Heidi's grandparents were her heroe's and everyone wanted to come over and see the groundhog.
"Tell you what Heidi, if we catch him, we'll take a picture for all of your friends, okay?" nanny said while setting the table. "I don't know if I've ever seen your grandfather so ecited over a rodent before." she mumbled under her breath.
That night at supper noone could sit still. They kept jumping up from teh table to run to the door or the window, but the groundhog didn't show. Heidi was rather disappointed, as was Grampy if he admitted it. They finished up their supper dishes and Grampy headed in the livign room to watch the news. heidi sat down at the kitchen table to attack some of her homework, eery now and again starting out the window hoping to see Mr. Groundhog.
"Grampy! Nanny! Come quick!!" heidi yelled excitedly just as the sun was starting to slip beneath the clouds for the day. "Look! it's Mr. Groundhog!!!"
"We'll I'll be, it is!" Grampy said.
"Do you think he'll go in the trap Grampy?"
"Well if he know's what's good for him he will!"
"Look, look!" Nanny gasped. "Look at him now, showing off! He know's we're watching him!"
Mr. Groundhog was defintely showing off. he had crawled on top of the wire trap and leaded way up against teh baby barn streatching out, fill of pride, showing off. He strethed and reached way up half the side of the barn.
"Wow, he's big." Heidi mumbled under her breath. And then after the show was over Mr. Groundhog crawled away.
***
"Look at him now!" Barb said. She had come over to watch the groundhog now. Four days had passed and Mr. Groundhog still hadn't gone intot he trap. Every evening around supper time he ame aroudn for his show, standing on top of the cage, stretching up against the barn, even reaching in the cage and taking the food, but never actually going in and being trapped. heidi as starting to loose faith he'd ever go in. Heidi hadn't heard from her family either. Her mother had promisd to call this last night but still no word.
"Well we must finish supper, I don't imagine he'll ever go in." Grampy said. "I called the rangers today, they said to try apple with peanut butter."
"Peanut butter for the ground hog?" Nanny asked exasperated. "Why this is almost worse than a pet!"
Grampy continued right on "I don't know what else to tru so I'll go put a new piece of apple in later and try the peanut butter. I don't know if he'll ever....ever..."
"Well I'll be! heis' in, isn't he?" Barb asked. Heidi, Barb, Nanny and Grampy all jumped fromt eh table, their supper left once again, for the fourth night in a row to this little creature.
"Yup, he's in alright." Barb said
"Let's go see nanny!" heidi cried slipping into her sneakers without even tieing them.
When they arrived at the back of the lot they saw that for sure Mr. Groundhog has actually gone in the age. "Maybe he suddenly realized we're trying to help him." Heidi thought to herself.
"Well Johnn, now what are we going to do with him?" nanny asked.
"Set him free of course!" Heidi replied.
"How are we going to get him out there to the country though Johnny?" Barb said.
"We'll borrow a truck." Grampy said matter of factually. "Taht'll work just fine. Violet go call Adrien and see if he'll drie us out. Oh and get a hanger while you're there."
Nanny headed back for the house.
"He doesn't look very happy Grampy." Mr. Groundhog was snarling and showing his teeth.
"I can't believe we finally caught the darned old thing." Grampy said.
"Oh, my picture!" Heidi raced back into the house. "Nanny, Nanny my picture!" Heidi cried entering the house.
"Adrien isn't home, now what are we going to do?" Nanny was talking to herself with the phone in her hand. "Oh, the camera is over there Heidi, yes do get your camera, we have quiet a story to tell!"
"Try calling Doug, he's got a truck." Heidi said, scrambling out the door.
"What's taking her so long in there?" Grampy asked impatiently.
"Mr. Kennie isn't home, so she's trying Doug." heid said trying to get a good angle of their "Mr. Groundhog. "Smile, Mr. Groundhog." Heidi said, slightly frightened.
"Yes, you must be careful Heidi, he's got sharp teeth and claws."
Nanny stepped out on teh back steps. "Doug and Adrien aren't around Johnny."
"We could take my van." Barb put in. Well just have to put something down so he won't tare everything apart."
"Sure, that's what well do." Grampy went over to Barb's steps and piced up a turned over salmon coloured crate. "Is this any good?" he asked Barb.
"Well not overly, "Barb said. "I just use it for hanging out my clothes 'cause I can't reach the line."
"Alright, hand me a hammer..." And Grampy took to the crate taking off one side. "Get me some bricks...Heidi careful those nails sticking out...." And in a minute or two he had another type of cage all ready. he cery carefully picked up the wire cage with Mr. Groundhog in it and set him inthe new cage in teh back of the van. "Violet you got that hanger?"
"Yes."
"Well lets go then. You might as well come too, it's all our adventure." Grampy humped in teh drivers seat, Barb in the passegers seat and Nanny and Heidi in the back after locking up the house, keeping watch that the bricks onteh top of the cage didn't come off in teh travelling.
Everyone was excited and talking rushed as the van headed out the highway. nany and Heidi would look at each other as Mr. Groundhog scurried around best he could in his clost corners. Finally grampy pulled off the side of thehighway. Here should be good as any." he said as there were forests on either side of the highway. He got out and opened the trunk of hte van.
Barb, nanny and Heidi stayed inteh van in case the groundhog ran over their toes or something. Grampy took the hanger and bent it, then set the groudhog down inteh cage facing the woods. he then took the hanger and used it to push open the door. "Goodbye Mr. Groundhog." heidi said, perhaps he would find his famimly and friends again.
At first Mr. Groundhog simply stood there stunned and tehn atonce as if realizing his freedom he ran off into the woods. The van seemed to sigh as they watched him run into the woods. Grampy got back into the van, he truly was a hero. Then Barb yelled, "Look!" And pointed out the front window. There the groundhog came up over the ditch and and the van helpd it's breath anxiously as he reached the other side of the highway and ran down the ditch into the woods.
A nervous laughter rippled through the van, then suddenly he reappeared and headed again across the highway.
"A truck!" Nanny yelled. Everyone turned to look out the back window and sure enough a truck was coming full speed ahead. The air was tight in teh van, noone moved or breathed as they wathed the groundhog run across the highway making it safely to the other side, yet again, and then in confusion, start back across the road.
Nanny's scream seemed to echo through the van. Everyone sat in silence as the truck carried on and Mr. Groundhog did not.
***
Everyone was rather silent and sober onteh drive home. All that for wht? Barb chuckled, "now wouldn't that be the way." Heidi sat in silenve and Grampy just kept saying "that's the last time I go to all that bother for alittle rodent!"
When they arrived back home they sat int eh living room, Grampy watching television, Nanny wiht her knitting and Heidi curled up in her pajamas onteh big navy couch, all of them were awaiting Heidi's mothers call. The night passedon and it got ery late, Heidi fell asleep on the couch and the phone didn't rign and didn't ring. Finally at ten minutes to twelve the phone rang and Nanny answere it. After a few abrupt words, she hung up and looked at Grampy, "they aren't coming back."
***
The next day dawned clear and pink the sun shining but the modd in teh ouse slightly gray.
"They don't want me for sure, do they Nanny?" heidi bit back tears as she asked the question.
"No dear." Nanny said quietly.
Heidi knew that although the adventure of Mr. Groundhog had turned out badly, Grampy would do it again, even though he said he wouldn't. Nanny and Grampy would always take care of the lost, loving them and trying to set them free. Heidi knew. Heidi knew.
