Smokey the Squirrel

“Come on, Koko,” Erin O’Malley told her little dog. “You better hurry!”

A hurricane was on its way. This could be the last chance to go outside for a while. The sky was already darkening and the trees danced wildly in the wind.

“What are you doing?” Erin asked Koko, who was sniffing excitedly under a palm frond. When Erin looked closer, she saw a tiny, pinkish-grey body curled up in a tight ball.

“No, Koko,” Erin scolded the curious canine. “Leave it alone!”

She pulled her dog back home. “Mom, come quick! There’s a baby squirrel that needs help.”

Mrs. O’Malley was shocked when she felt how cold it was. She held it close to her body until it was warm. “Let’s see if the mother will come back for it, Erin,” she said.

She gently placed it back under the old palm tree. They watched from the window, listening to the baby’s shrill cries. Koko was whining her replies back to the little squirrel. She was expecting her own babies soon.

"Let's give it two hours," Mrs. O'Malley said. "The best place for him is with his mother." She tried to distract Erin with some popcorn and a board game, but the girl kept scrambling over the sofa to peer out the window.

“Okay," Mrs. O'Malley said with a sigh. "Let's hurry and bring it inside before the weather gets any worse. Doesn't look like the mother is coming back."

They emptied out a small plastic container and placed a blanket inside. The little squirrel snuggled against the soft cloth.

“Oh mom, he’s so cute! Can we keep him? I want to name him Smokey,” Erin said.

“No, squirrels are wild animals. They don’t make good pets,” she answered.

She picked up her phone. “We have to call the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, Erin.”

Mrs. O’Malley began writing down things as she talked. Then, holding the phone between her shoulder and chin, Erin saw her lightly pinch the skin on the back of Smokey’s neck. “He may be a little dehydrated,” she whispered in a worried voice. When she hung up the phone, she said, “The bridge has already closed because of the storm. We need to take care of this baby until we can take it to the center.”

She opened the front door and peeked outside. The wind was picking up, but it still hadn’t started to rain.

“The wildlife doctor told me that squirrels should not drink cow’s milk...or even our plant-based kind. In an emergency, it can only drink a human baby’s special formula,” she said.

“Like what Lily drinks?” Erin replied. Their neighbor Mrs. Taylor had a baby a month earlier.

“Exactly. Go put on your jacket and get your umbrella,” she said.

“Is Smokey going to be okay?” Erin asked.

Mrs. O’Malley looked at the sleeping Smokey in the box on the dining room table and replied, “He should be fine. I am just afraid that if the storm lasts a long time, he may need some liquid. So, I think it’s best to go get some.”

“Bye, Koko and Smokey. We’ll be right back. Don’t be scared!” Erin said as they stepped out into the storm.

By the time they reached Mrs. Taylor’s house, the weather made a turn for the worse.

“Look, the rain is coming!” Erin pointed down the street. They could see sheets of rain traveling quickly toward them.

Mrs. Taylor opened her door just in time to save them from being soaked to the bone.

When they began to tell their neighbor what they needed, lightening crackled through the dark sky. Thunder boomed. And then all the lights went out. Mrs. Taylor grabbed a flashlight and went to check on Lily. Erin and her mother listened to the howls of the wind and the torrential rain beating on the tiled roof. They knew they couldn’t get back to their house now.

“Oh, Mom,” Erin cried. “What about Koko and Smokey? We can’t leave them there by themselves! They will be so scared!”

“There’s nothing we can do until this lets up,” she replied, pulling her into a comforting hug. “They'll be fine.”

Hours later, when the worst of the storm was over, they were able to go home.

The power was still out, but Mrs. Taylor had lent them one of her camping flashlights along with the formula for Smokey. They carefully walked down the street, as Mrs. O’Malley swept the light back and forth. The whole neighborhood was flooded and littered with debris that looked eerie beneath the green glow.

They unlocked their front door, and Erin began to call out for Koko. It was strange that she didn’t greet them when they came in.

Erin ran to the dining room table and looked for Smokey, but the plastic container was empty.

“Oh no, Mom! Smokey’s gone!” she cried, bending down to search under the table and chairs. “And I can’t find Koko!”

“Erin! Come in here,” her mother called from the family room.

Her mother was standing over Koko’s dog bed. She had a soft smile on her face.

Koko was there, curled up with five salt-and-pepper schnauzer puppies. Some were drinking her milk. Some were sleeping in contentment.

“Mom, that one looks different,” she said, pointing to the one sleeping on the left side.

“That one is not a puppy, Erin,” she said with a laugh, directing the light on it. “That’s Smokey!”

The next day everyone was sad when they brought Smokey to the Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic. But Koko had her own pups to care for now. And on Monday, Erin had to go back to school and Mrs. O’Malley to work. But they knew it was the best thing for Smokey. Baby squirrels need constant care.

Months later Dr. Miller called the O’Malley family to tell them that Smokey was all grown. He was ready to be released back into the wild.

The family went to see their furry friend one last time. They all watched as Smokey scampered out of the container. At first he seemed scared and unsure. His nose twitched, taking in all of the new smells.

He took one last look at his human friends and then ran up the nearest tall tree.

“Goodbye, Smokey,” Erin yelled. “Have a terrific life!”