Hi! Welcome to Peg Tales. My story idea this month was sent to me by Nathan, one of my readers. So, to Nathan, his friends and classmates, here is:

"A SUMMER ADVENTURE"

Nathan and his sister, Kelly, were country kids. They lived on a farm where there was always something to do. Work and play filled the days of 9-year-old Nathan and 7-year-old Kelly.

There were two baby goats to feed, and two baby geese that followed them everywhere they went. Jake, Nathan's Golden Retriever, was always at his side. Nathan had a pony, Smokey, and Kelly had a pony, Midnight.

One summer night a huge clap of thunder woke Nathan from deep sleep. Lightning filled his room with eerie flashes, and the wind whipped through the open window. The shades banged and the curtains flapped.

Somewhere in the house Nathan heard a door slam and the voices of his parents. His mom hurried into the bedroom to close the windows.

"Nathan, are you awake?" she asked. "Get your blanket and come downstairs. We're having a heavy thunderstorm and Dad wants us all in the kitchen."

Nathan jumped out of bed, grabbing his blanket, and hurried downstairs. Kelly was already in the kitchen wrapped in her blanket.

"Is the storm a bad one?" Nathan asked his dad.

Dad said, "There is a severe thunderstorm warning out for our area, and a possible tornado. We need to be ready to go to the basement. We'll be very safe there. No need to be frightened. We just want to be prepared."

Nathan rushed to the kitchen door and began to open it.

"What are you doing Nathan?" Dad asked. "You can't go outside now."

"I want to let Jake in the house. I don't want him to be out in the storm."

"Okay, but let me open the door," said Dad. "The wind is very strong."

Jake came rushing into the kitchen soaking wet. He wagged his tail and shook water all over everyone. Gusts of wind and rain tore at the house. Then, as quickly as it began, it was all over.

The next day, Nathan and Kelly saw what the storm had done. Big limbs were down, and the old coop where the chickens and geese stayed had fallen over. Right away Kelly began looking for the baby geese.

"Nathan, the geese are missing. Help me find them, please," Kelly cried.

Nathan, Jake and Kelly searched the barnyard and the barn, but could not find the geese.

"Come on, Kelly," Nathan said. "We'll saddle up the ponies and ride into the field. We'll look there first, then head for the woods. I'll tell Dad where we're going."

They soon found the baby geese safe and sound. A noise from up above, "Kyree...Kyree," made Nathan look up. He saw two Red Shouldered Hawks circling over the field at the edge of the woods. "Kyree...Kyree," they kept calling. Then he saw the Turkey Vultures flying low over the field.

He knew there must be a dead animal somewhere in the field where the Vultures were flying. His dad had told him how they are the clean-up-crews. They get rid of the dead animals and birds in the fields and on the roads.

Nathan pointed out the Vultures to Kelly. "The Turkey Vultures are after something in the field by the woods. The Hawks are screaming and acting wierd," Nathan said. "Let's ride down there and see what is wrong."

Jake was the first to see what the Turkey Vultures were after on the ground. He began barking and growling at them as they swooped over his head, daring him to get them.

When Nathan and Kelly came closer, they could see two baby Hawks on the ground. Their fuzzy yellow heads were bobbing around. They were too young to fly, and they hopped around excitedly, screeching.

"The storm must have blown their nest out of the tree," said Nathan. "Those baby Hawks must have blown out with the nest."

"What's that thing by the babies," Kelly asked. "It looks like something dead."

"I don't know what it was," said Nathan. "Something their parents brought them to eat. We should try and save those babies, Kelly."

Jake chased the Turkey Vultures away from the babies, but they kept on circling overhead. Nathan got off of Smokey and, holding the reins, walked closer to the baby Hawks. He could see the Vultures had been eating a dead bird meant for the babies.

Kelly suddenly screamed, "Nathan, Nathan. Look out! The Hawks!"

Nahan looked up just as the mother Hawk dove, spread her wings, then threw out her claws to strike at Nathan as he neared her babies. Jake quickly ran and jumped, barking and snarling, at the Hawk, knocking Nathan down.

Smokey, frightened by the screaching bird, reared up and whinnied. He reared up again. Midnight, also frightened, reared up throwing Kelly to the ground.

Nathan got up and rushed to his sister. "Kelly, are you hurt, are you okay?" he cried.

"Ooh, I don't know," Kelly moaned.

Nathan put his hand on her face. "Kelly, I'm going to get Dad. Don't move. Jake will stay with you. Jake...stay with Kelly," Nathan ordered. "Stay, Jake!"

Jake ran to Kelly and sat beside her as she lay on the ground.

Nathan rode into the barnyard yelling for his dad. "Hurry, Kelly fell off of Midnight, Dad. Come on, I'll show you where she is."

Nathan quickly led Dad, followed by Mom, across the field. When they got to Kelly, she was sitting up smiling, with her arm around faithful Jake.

They were happy to find she had no broken bones, only a slight bump on the head. Now, they were faced with the problem of the baby Hawks.

Dad could see their nest high up in a big oak tree.

"We need to think of some way to put those babies back into that nest," said Dad. "We need Joe Parker and his Cherry-Picker."

"What's a Cherry-Picker?" Kelly asked.

"It's a bucket-like carrier that holds a person. It's on an arm that can be guided up or down, or, back and forth by the person in the bucket. They are used for working on telephone lines and trees. Joe has one for his tree trimming business. I think I'll go and give him a phone call."

"Can I stay here and guard the baby Hawks while you get Joe," Nathan asked.

"Me, too," Kelly said. "I want to stay, too."

"Okay, kids. Mom and I will head back. You two watch the babies."

Dad found Joe Parker right near the farm working on a fallen tree. He agreed to try and put the baby Hawks back into their nest as soon as he finished his tree job.

Mom made a picnic lunch and hiked back into the field. The three of them sat in the shade of the trees at the edge of the field eating their lunch. They watched the mother Hawk bring food to her babies on the ground.

"Yuck, yuck," Kelly groaned. "That looks like a dead mouse they're eating."

"Ooh, don't spoil my lunch," Nathan begged.

Mom smiled and said, "She's being a good mother. She's feeding her young just as I feed you."

They no sooner finished their lunch than Joe Parker, and his Cherry-Picker rig, appeared crossing the field. Dad was showing him the way.

Joe pulled his rig over close to the oak tree where the nest rested high up on a limb.

"I think I'll take a trip up to look at the nest and see how close I can get in my Cherry-Picker. I'm just worried the baby Hawks will be so frightened I can't hold them. Maybe I can wrap them in something," Joe said.

"How about a pillow case, Joe," Mom asked.

"Now, that would be perfect," Joe said.

Nathan rode Smokey back to the house and returned with a pillow case. Joe rode his Cherry-Picker up into the tree to see how close he could get to the nest. When he came down he looked sad.

"I can't get close enough to put the babies safely into the nest. I need to climb out on a limb that isn't strong enough to hold me."

"Maybe I could climb out," Nathan offered. "I could do it."

"Oh, no, Nathan," Mom said. "You might fall. The nest is up so high."

"Wait," Dad said. "I have some rope in the barn. We could tie it around Nathan mountain-climber style. Then, Joe could throw the rope over a limb above the nest and hoist Nathan and the bag of babies over the nest. That way he wouldn't fall."

"Great idea," Joe said. "Nathan, are you brave enough to go up there with me?"

Nathan looked up into the tree. "It's kind of high, but I'll try."

"Good boy," said Dad. "I'll get the rope from the barn."

They moved quickly. Dad tied the rope under Nathan's arms and across his chest. It was knotted in the center of his back. His arms and legs were free to climb onto the limb.

Dad carefully put the squawking babies into the pillow case. They grew very quiet. Nathan climbed into the Cherry-Picker with Joe.

"Here we go, Nathan," Joe said. "Keep looking up, that's the secret to being in a high place." Up, up they went. Nathan clutched the pillow case to his chest.

"Here we are," Joe said. "Now I'm going to move this bucket as close as I can to the limb the nest is on. Then I'll throw the rope, that's attached to you, over that limb above the nest. I can then hoist you out of the bucket. You can climb out on the limb and across to the nest. I'll be holding you by the rope, Nathan. You won't fall, I promise."

Nathan felt himself being lifted up. He swung across to the limb and Joe carefully lowered him onto it. With his legs wrapped around the limb, he inched his way over to the nest. When he was next to it, he put the pillow case inside the nest and slowly eased it off the baby birds.

Squawking and crying, they popped out and snuggled down together. Home again!

Nathan began inching his way back to Joe, who was holding the rope tightly. He lifted, then lowered, Nathan into the bucket.

"Wow, that was really cool," said Nathan with a big smile.

"Cool is right," Joe said. "Nathan, you did a man's job. Let's head down."

On the ground everyone shouted and cheered. Their celebration was stopped for a moment by the cry of the Hawks, "Kyree...Kyree." They watched as they flew back to their babies, now in the nest.

"That was some exciting, summer adventure," said Nathan.

And that's the end. Share a story with a friend...it's a gift!

See 'ya...bye,

Peg

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