Virgil's Big Mistake

#####Virgil’s Big Mistake

Virgil was a mean old buzzard. Nobody liked him much. He came rushing into the trading post last Spring shouting and hollering about how clever he was.

“I’m going to catch every animal on that there mountain,” he cackled. “Then you’ll all want to buy me a drink and slap me on the back and take my photograph.”

“Have you bought yourself a new gun then, Virgil?” someone asked.

“Nope,” he said. “I took my penknife and a piece of wood and I whittled myself a musical pipe, that’s what I did.”

Everyone in the store laughed at the thought of Virgil playing music to the wild animals on the mountain. But he glared around him.

“When I blow through that there pipe, I can make the noise of any animal you name-deer, racoon, beaver …”

“Skunk,” said somebody. And Virgil stormed out of the trading post and stomped off into the Smoky Mountains with all his food and his musical pipe.

Well, they say he went deep among the maple trees before he took out his pipe and made the noise of a deer.

Sure enough, a little red deer heard the sound and came out of the trees.

Calm as you like, Virgil loaded his gun and aimed at the little critter.

Bang, he took a shot at it. And he missed.

But the deer was not the only animal to hear his deer-call on the pipe. A big bobcat came down through the trees, licking his lips and thinking of deer for dinner. And when he saw old Virgil, he grinned with all his teeth.

Now, Virgil’s gun was empty. But quick as a flash, he blew down the musical pipe and made the noise of a mountain lion. And he frightened that bobcat so much that he took off through the trees as fast as if a real mountain lion was on his furry heels.

But the bobcat was not the only animal to hear his lion-call on the pipe. A big hungry mountain lion came down through the trees, thinking that her mate had found something tasty for dinner. And when she saw old Virgil standing there, she grinned with all her teeth.

Quick as a flash, Virgil blew down the musical pipe again and made the noise of a great grizzly bear. And he frightened that mountain lion so bad that she took off through the trees as fast as if a real grizzly was on her furry heels.

But the mountain lion was not the only animal to hear his bear-call on the pipe. A huge lonely grizzly bear heard it and came down through the trees with love in his big grizzly heart.

But he did not find a mate. All he found was Virgil. Still, he grinned with all his teeth. And ate him up.

Well, he always was a mean old buzzard, that Virgil.