What A Brilliant Idea...

​​"You do know that we are close to the old oak tree right?," Squirrel told Arnie.  Arnie just shrugged and answered "So?"

​ ​"So... why not help me break open this nut?" asked the squirrel as he continued to fiddle with it.

A look of confusion crossed Arnie's face.  "Squirrel, what are you talking about?  Quit trying to crack that nut and help me figure out what to do..." ​

​"You're being a tough nut to crack too," snickered the Squirrel.  "It's simple - you could always go and put the tablet back."  The look on Arnie's face made Squirrel laugh even harder.  He could tell that his friend was still under the thrill of this latest 'find'.  Usually the attraction of a 'find' left Arnie within hours, but this new one was holding on to her longer than normal.  "What is it about this one that is different from anything else?" he asked as Arnie stared into one of her many pockets on her coat.

​It took a few minutes and at first Squirrel did not think his friend would answer, but finally Arnie looked up and whispered.

"It is the first thing I truly have found that was not somebody else's first.  The Dragons are all gone and there are none to claim the tablet as their own so it truly is mine," she continued.  "I have never really had anything that was mine and now I find that I don't want to lose it.  Does that sound silly?" 

Squirrel had never heard his friend talk like this before and he was not sure what to tell her.  His life was easy in comparison to Arnie's.  All he needed to do was gather and store nuts while climbing up and down trees, but being Arnie's closest friend he knew he had to say something.  "You told me that when you fell down the hole that it really was a tunnel going up and down.  Did you explore the other direction?"

Arnie's eyes lit up.  "Of course," she thought.  "What a brilliant idea! Why didn't I think of that," she muttered aloud. 

​"What was that?" asked Squirrel. 

"Oh, you truly are my best friend," Arnie told Squirrel as she gave him a big hug.  "Do you want to go exploring with me?"

​​Squirrel shrugged his shoulders as he continued trying to break open the nut. 

"Nope, I still don't have my winter stores stocked up and if all of the nuts I find are like this one, I'll starve before I get them cracked open."

​Arnie just laughed as she jumped up and started off towards the old oak tree.  "Good luck" whispered Squirrel as he bit down once more on the nut.