Slim's Place - Racqui Raccoon's Christmas Gift

Racqui Raccoon's Christmas Present

Racqui Raccoon may sound like an unusual name to some of you but Racqui's Daddy came from Quebec, where he lived as a little guy, and he always thought the French version of names was more classy. Being a very classy raccoon, he gave all his children unique names.

Racqui Raccoon was a very happy little guy. His Mommy and his brothers and sisters all loved him, and thought he was very smart because he always seemed to be able to find the best treats when they were all out collecting their dinner. His Mommy sometimes became a little upset with him because he didn't always remember how dangerous it could be when he took chances like he did, but he suspected she was secretly proud of how he seemed to just KNOW where to find those treasures.

He did try to always be careful, and to check very, very carefully before moving into strange territory where those BIG people might see him and come after him. He never could understand why those funny looking characters his Mommy told him were humans seemed so annoyed all the time! He wasn't going to bother them ! He only wanted to find treats for his family. Fish from the stream near where the Raccoons made their home got sooo boring as a steady diet.

Racqui's Mommy had told him that most of their relatives lived where there weren't those darn metal and plastic pails with the lids which seemed so hard to open. They lived in the country. They were not city folk like Racqui's family. Mommy always said the relatives had a safer way of life but that food was harder to find there when the snow came so she had moved her family into people territory, even if it was more dangerous at times. Being hungry wasn't any fun at all, and at least where there were people there was always all that perfectly good food that people threw away. Racqui could never quite figure out one thing however. Why in the heck did humans get so angry when he and his family helped themselves to what the people didn't want anyway?

One night (because the Raccoon family only went food shopping after it got dark) Racqui found an absolutely wonderful cache of goodies. And the lids of the pails didn't even make much noise when he pushed them off onto the ground so he could get at those wonderful smells. He had wandered away from Mommy and the kids and wasn't too sure just where they were. He decided to store as many of the goodies as he could in this really great hiding place he had found until he could round the family up and offer them this scrumptious feast. They were all going to think he was sooo smart - and he would be their hero!

This hiding place was a bit scary, he had to actually go in a big door where this strange looking metal thing was standing. It had big round rubber circles holding it off the ground and he was smart enough to know that no way should he hide the food under it. If the round things ever moved then maybe that huge tin box would fall on him! Racqui was too smart for that! He carefully piled the food in a dark corner of the building and was about to retrace his steps for another load of goodies when suddenly the big door came rolling down to the ground all by itself ! He looked all round for another way out but there WAS no other way out! He was trapped ! And now he could hear human voices ! He had to find a place to hide !

Racqui quickly found some wood where he could get a grip and he could climb, and scurried up as high as he could go to a corner way up above. He scrunched himself all up into as small a ball as he possibly could so he wouldn't be seen. And, just in time! The door was opening again all by itself, and he could hear footsteps. Human footsteps. The footsteps became louder and suddenly there was a man opening up that strange metal box on the rubber circles and that box started making the strangest noises and moving! It was moving out of the building! And now the door was closing again! He had no way out.

As soon as it became quiet again Racqui searched and searched for a way out. He just couldn't find one. His Mommy was going to be so worried ! He had lots of food, but he wished so much he could share it with the others. Racqui tried all night to get out, but the building was simply too well sealed. There were NO openings at all. Not even a wee one which a little boy raccoon could squeeze through. Finally Racqui fell asleep. When he awoke it was daylight. He could see the sun under the door so he ate some more of the food and settled in to wait for that door to open again. When it did he was going to have take a chance and run for it! But it seemed as if Racqui's luck had really run out. It got dark again, and then light again, and dark again, and still that big door didn't move. He had food so he wasn't hungry, but he didn't have much of an appetite anyway. He wanted his Mommy! Finally on the third night the big door finally opened! There were bright lights and a really loud sound coming towards him but he had to take a chance and run for it! He crouched and took a look, peeked around the edge of the door and saw humans not very far away, but he had to do it! He ran as he had never run before, and he made it ! He was free! Now he must find Mommy and the others.

Racqui searched and searched for days, but couldn't find his family. They had disappeared completely. He remembered Mommy saying that they were going to have to move as humans had found their home just the day before he was trapped. But where could they have gone? He didn't even know where to begin looking.

He continued his search for weeks and weeks, and found no sign of them. They were gone. Racqui was on his own. He wanted to be with his family so much. He really missed the love and closeness of his brothers and sisters. Mommy had always said the day would come when he would have to set out on his own. He just didn't want that day to be so soon ! Finally, he decided he better face it, and get on with getting used to being alone. But he was very, very lonely. Being brave was sure no fun at all when no one was watching!

Months went by and Racqui was managing. He had a new home, he had lots of food, but he was all alone, and he wanted so very much to have someone to love. He had been watching this one human's house for a long time. There were a lot of little humans in that house ( it always had really neat goodies in that food pail he visited each night). He would see them playing together and they always reminded him of his family and how much fun it was to have brothers and sisters. They seemed to be nice too. Not scary or dangerous as his Mommy had always told him all humans were. Maybe little humans hadn't yet learned how to be dangerous?

Racqui decided one day to try an experiment. He waited until one of the littlest ones came near where he was hiding and he pushed his little nose and eyes just far enough out that the wee human might see him. He wasn't in any danger, he could move much more quickly than the human could if it seemed that the wee human was mean. The little human smiled and whispered so no one else would hear... "Hi.. who are you?" He slowly held out his hand towards Racqui as if he wanted to touch him but didn't want to frighten him away. Racqui decided to take a chance and nudged the wee hand ( which didn't look so very different from his own!) and all the wee human did was say in a very quiet voice, "my name is Matt, what is yours?" But then the Mommy human called and Matt said he had to hurry away so his Mommy wouldn't see his new friend and chase him away.

The next day Matt was back, and this time he had a little girl human with him. He came and sat where he had been the day before, and Racqui heard him say, "Tatum, don't make any loud noises and scare him away, maybe if we are very still he will come to visit us again." Racqui thought about it, he remembered all the warnings from Mommy, but the wee humans seemed so friendly and he was sooo lonely! He decided to take a chance and see. He came all the way out of the bushes this time and the wee humans stayed still and waited to see what he would do. That day they all three just sort of sat and looked at one another until the wee humans' Mommy called them in to take their naps.

Each day Racqui waited, and each day they would return, and as the days passed they all got to know one another much better. This was almost as good as having family! They would always bring special treats, and by now he felt safe enough that he would even snuggle up to Matt. Tatum, he wasn't as sure about. She was bigger.

Matt told him one day, "I want to bring my big brother Jack next time. You will like him and he will really like you. I have told Jack about you and he wants us to show you the house where our dog used to live. He thinks it would make a wonderful home for you when the snow comes. And he will try to convince Mommy and Daddy that we should keep you and make you a family member. Jack's reaaallly good at getting adults to do things. Is it ok with you if he comes to meet you ?"

Racqui thought about it and decided that Matt must know what he was talking about ... Matt would never put him in danger. He was sure of that. He decided if Matt did bring Jack the next time he would take a chance. He did so miss having a family! And this family seemed to be so special.

Matt and Tatum came the next day and they had this other boy with them. He was bigger, but he looked friendly. He certainly did seem to be as nice as Matt had said. Racqui slowly slipped out of his hiding place and came into the open where he could be seen. Jack didn't make any sudden moves, he slowly sat down and started to speak in a quiet voice, as he inched slowly closer to Racqui and reached out to stroke him on the neck. Racqui liked him! Matt had been right ... Jack was neat! Maybe he would have a new family soon! Racqui began to think maybe he had a guardian angel watching over him after all.

For several days the three wee humans came visiting. Each day bringing treats, and making Racqui feel the love he had missed so very much since he lost his family. How he hoped Jack would be able to convince his Mommy and Daddy to let him be a part of their family! They must be nice too. After all, someone had to have taught Matt, Tatum and Jack to be such loving humans. When Jack finally picked him up and said, "don't be afraid, we are going to take you to meet Mommy now," Racqui was only a teeny bit frightened. He decided if he really wanted a family he had to be willing to trust these wonderful new friends of his.

It was getting so cold now, and soon would be snowing. It always was harder to find food once winter came.The lids on the pails would often be frozen shut, making it impossible to get at the food. He really didn't like being alone when it was cold ! At least when he had been with his family he had always been able to snuggle up to Mommy or his brothers and sisters when it was cold. Unless he was brave enough to take a chance he would have no one to snuggle with this winter.

This was the biggest chance Racqui had ever taken, but the chance of having a family again was worth it. At first, his friends' Mommy was quite upset when they all came up to the door and called her outside. But she didn't do anything to hurt Racqui. She even stroked his head and talked to him as she stood there deciding if she would listen to the pleas of her children. Matt had been right ... Jack was a really good convincer! Mommy was weakening. Finally she said, " all right you guys, I'll talk to Daddy and we'll give it a try, at least until after Christmas. But he stays in the doghouse, not the house! Deal?" Of course the kids all agreed, and immediately began cleaning out the doghouse and putting in old rags and blankets for Racqui to snuggle into. This being a part of a human family just might turn out pretty great after all !

As the days passed it got colder and colder, and the snow got deeper each day it seemed. His friends never let a day go by without bringing him treats and spending as much time as possible with him. He still missed his Mommy and brothers and sisters, and all of his old friends, but this new family was really very special.

They even talked to him about Christmas and what a wonderful time of year it was for humans. They told him all about Santa Claus, and Christmas Trees, and the toys Santa brought to good little girls and boys, and about reindeer and Rudolph, ( who they said even had a Red Nose which lit up at night)! Of course, they had no way of knowing that Santa also always made time to drop in on all of his animal friends and bring them a christmas treat.

They were all excited as Christmas drew near, and each one told him secrets about the presents they were going to be giving one another. He wanted to have presents to give to them too! But what could a raccoon possibly give to humans? They wouldn't like the food scraps out of the pails which his other family had so enjoyed. Whatever could he do to show them how much he loved them ?

And then one day he had a really great idea. Sometimes in those pails along with the food he had seen toys and other stuff which looked like things with which he had seen his new family playing. What if he went looking and found some of those, and managed to bring them home for them ? He really did want to give something to them to show how much he appreciated everything they gave him. He would do it ! He would find a way.

And so, as Christmas approached he prepared. One day Matt told him .. " Santa comes tonight and we all must go to bed early as he won't come till we are asleep." Matt brought him the usual treats and then said goodnight and went in the house. Racqui waited, and watched. As the lights finally all went out in the house he saw the funniest sight! Matt had been right! The reindeer leading the sleigh DID have a big RED NOSE and it GLOWED in the dark! And Santa WAS a jolly fat man in a red suit carrying the biggest bag Racqui had ever seen! And then, as quickly as he had appeared, Santa and the sleigh were gone, and the night became silent again.

Now Racqui had work to do. He had to take all those gifts he had gathered and put them right at the door of the family's house, so they would see them as soon as they opened the door in the morning. He had a lot of hard work ahead of him. The gift he had found for Mommy was a shiny thing which showed you a reflection of yourself, which he thought she might like as he had seen her with one many weeks ago, before the snow came, which she dropped, and which shattered into pieces as it fell. He didn't know Daddy very well because he was always at work, so he had only some nuts he had gathered for him.

Liam was only a baby still so he really had trouble with that one! What do you give to a teensy weeny human? Maybe that little stuffed horsey he had found? The tail was missing but maybe Liam wouldn't notice. Racqui's Mommy had always told him, back before his family went away, when he used to worry if he hadn't found any treats for them, that it was the thought that counted anyway.There were gifts as well for Tabitha, Tiffany, Billy, Tracee and Christian ( these were the other bigger humans in his new family) and special gifts for Matt, Tatum and Jack.

He had found the neatest one for Matt. It looked like a choo choo train, ( Matt told him that was what you called it when he showed him a picture once). Do you have any idea how much work that was for a tiny raccoon? But he loved Matt and he would find a way! For Tatum he found a puppy dog in a box. She would like that. Jack's was a different story. One day in the grove of trees at the end of the yard he had come across a little elf who had been hanging around ever since. The elf reminded him of Jack as he had the same impish expression on his face as Jack always did. The elf had agreed to be Jack's special magic friend, and to let Racqui give him to Jack for Christmas.

Before morning everything was in place. And he snuggled in his house to sleep, worn out but happy. He sooo missed being a hero to his family, as he had always loved being before he lost them. Maybe his new family would think he was a hero when they saw their gifts!

Racqui had worked so late and was so sound asleep that he didn't hear Matt's Mommy approaching his house when morning arrived. He didn't hear a thing until she crouched down, looked in and said," Racqui - you belong with your family. I've come to take you there." And with that, she reached down, picked him up, and carried him into the big house, and right in to the room where they were all gathered around their tree. She said to everyone... " Racqui lives HERE now, and here is his new bed. Santa brought it and it was under the tree this morning. No more sleeping in a cold old dog house. He sleeps right here by the fire. He is family."

Racqui couldn't believe it ! He really, truly, had a new family ! He was safe and warm, and with those he loved. He REAALLLY, REAALLLY liked Christmas !! He must be the luckiest raccoon in the whole world !Just look at the neat new family he had found ! And they all seemed just as happy about it as he was, which made everything extra perfect! Why, he bet they would love him even if he hadn't given them all presents. But he was still very happy that he had, because the funny thing about giving presents ....... somehow it made you feel even happier giving presents than getting them.

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Updated December 2 2000