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MAGGIE'S WORLD STORY...

"HITOP, THE REDWOOD HOTEL"

Pack up your excitement boys and girls...we're taking a trip to Maggie's World...that magical place where animals do talk, but people don't always listen!

Maggie is a beautiful cocker spaniel who lives with her human friend in a cabin at the edge of the great forest. Maggie is a friend of all the creatures in the forest and they were celebrating when she went to visit them today...

...Deep in the great forest is the largest tree in the world, and it almost reaches the clouds! It is 350 feet tall and 2,500 years old!....And its name is HITOP.

HITOP is a redwood tree that is a safe place for many creatures of the forest. All around its great big trunk the creatures have built dens and nests and make the giant tree their home. There are vacant dens and nests for other creatures to stay when they are on vacation. Creatures everywhere call HITOP the Redwood Hotel.

There is a kind of speaker in every den and nest--a hollow place that brings sounds down to the creatures. When the wind blows, there is soft music everywhere.

When the nights are cold and the creatures are all snug in their dens and nests, HITOP tells about the days long ago when there were just a few people in the land and the forests were thick with trees and many animals roamed free. All of the creatures love HITOP and their dens and nests in the Redwood Hotel.

JOJAK, the bald eagle, has a penthouse nest on HITOP's highest branch. JOJAK flies high above the forest and is always on the lookout for anything that might harm HITOP. Once there was a terrible fire in a nearby forest. JOJAK soared over the mountain and swooped down on the Ranger Station to attract attention. He flew low through the trees and led the Rangers to the fire. The Rangers called in smoke jumpers on the radio and the jumpers came down in parachutes to put out the fire.

DAN'L COON is a special raccoon who has a store in the Redwood Hotel. DAN'L is always collecting things to stock his storehouse.

"Oh, I'm so glad I found this....I'm sure someone will need it."

No matter what any of the creatures need, they always find something at DAN'L COON's.

One of the most famous residents of the Redwood Hotel is AMELIA, the flying squirrel. AMELIA always wears her goggles and helmet because she flies every place she goes. Of course, she can't fly like JOJAK, the bald eagle, because she has no wings...Just a web of skin from her front feet to her back feet. AMELIA flies more like a glider, sailing through the air like a fur-covered Frisbee.

There is a special kind of library in the Redwood Hotel. The librarian is a very smart owl named WISE GUY. There is only one book in the library and that is WISE GUY's diary ..."Whoos.. Whoos?....Mine, of course." In it is all the information about things that happen in the forest. So if the other residents need to know something, they just ask WISE GUY.

LILAC the skunk lives in the basement, down among the roots of the big Redwood tree. The other creatures do not like the strong perfume that LILAC sometimes uses. "Pew!!" "Pew!!" They run and hide when they see LILAC coming, and that makes LILAC feel sad. She just wants someone to be her friend.

...One day, JOJAK was soaring high above the forest when he saw woodcutters heading toward HITOP. AMELIA was gliding from tree to tree nearby and JOJAK swooped down to a tree just ahead of her.

"Amelia," he yelled, "stay close to the woodcutters while I fly back to warn HITOP. We cannot let them cut down the greatest tree in the forest!!"

"What can we do to stop them?" AMELIA asked.

"No time to talk...I must hurry!" JOJAK answered. JOJAK flapped his powerful wings and flew as fast as he could toward HITOP, while AMELIA kept up with the woodcutters.

DAN'L COON was gathering berries for his store when he saw JOJAK zooming over the treetops. DAN'L knew something was wrong, so he hid his basket of berries and scampered back toward HITOP.

JOJAK flew down to the library and called WISE GUY. "The woodcutters are coming," JOJAK screeched. "What can we do to stop them?"

WISE GUY turned his head, looked up and down and all around. Then his eyes grew even bigger...."Where there is a will, there is a way!"

"Come on, WISE GUY," JOJAK said, "We can't stop them with words."

"We shall see about that!" said a determined WISE GUY.

WISE GUY ruffled his feathers and flew down to HITOP's basement. He took a deep breath as LILAC came out to see if someone had come for a visit. "Some people are coming to visit," WISE GUY whispered to LILAC. "Why don't you go out to greet them?" "Oh, I love visitors." LILAC squealed with delight. "Maybe they will be my friends!"

WISE GUY's big eyes were watering from LILAC's special perfume. He took another deep breath and flew quickly up to the library.

In the meantime, AMELIA arrived just ahead of the woodcutters, while DAN'L COON was climbing up to his store. All of the residents of Redwood Hotel watched as the woodcutters approached HITOP. The men began to sharpen their axes and saws.

"Well, boys," the leader of the woodcutters said, "This big fella is going to make a lot of lumber. Let's get busy. I want him down before dark!"

"Is there nothing we can do," AMELIA asked the other creatures.

"I can fight them," JOJAK screeched. Maybe, I can frighten them away!"

"There are too many of them," DAN'L COON whispered, "and you can't scare them all."

"Where there is a will, there is a way," WISE GUY declared.

"Come on, come on," the others said, "we can't stop them with words."

WISE GUY rolled his head around and looked down at the woodcutters.

"We shall see about that... We shall see!"

Just then LILAC rushed out of HITOP's basement. She was so excited to see all the visitors that she used a "LOT" of her special perfume.

....LILAC could not understand why the men screamed and rolled on the ground, and ran away without their saws and axes. After all, she had used "plenty of her special perfume" JUST FOR THEM.

...JOJAK, AMELIA, DAN'L COON and WISE GUY all agreed that LILAC had certainly won their friendship, as well as HITOP's gratitude. They told her that she didn't need to use her special perfume around good friends. LILAC was so happy that she cried, and DAN'L COON invited all the creatures to a celebration supper of nuts and berries at his store.

That night, when the wind blew through HITOP's branches, there was soft music in all the dens and nests. And HITOP thanked all the residents, especially LILAC, for saving Redwood Hotel from the woodcutters.

(THE END)

Maggie's World Animal Adventure Series Stories

Written by - M. P. Marshall,

(c) A Lingovista Production