Snail Mail

 

Chapter 5-

The Arrival of Snail Mail

 

 

                  After sunning themselves, the girls sat waiting in the shade of a large broccoli stalk. Thus providing enough shade for the two to relax and cool off. Herman and K.C. kept busy with their work, but every so often they would stop to check on Sherman. There he was pacing and mumbling to himself. They still weren't real sure what had got him so riled up either.

 

        Finally Herman stopped digging holes, and went over to the girls to ask if they had any clue?

 

          Clearing his throat he said, “ Um......excuse me ladies, I have something to ask you?”

 

      Suzee and Katy looked up and with bright smiles, said “ Yes, what is it?”

 

            Since they both said it at the same time, they looked at each other and began laughing.

 

            “What..... oh never mind” Herman said and started slithering away.

 

                 Katy jumped up and said “ Sorry Herman we weren't laughing at you. What did you want to ask us?”

 

                   Herman paused, then replied while turning around “ Well, Sherman seems to be very upset. I was just wondering.... perhaps by chance, you might know why?”

 

                      Just then Suzee started buzzing around Herman's head, and said “It could be from the mail I gave him- the snail mail!”

 

                   Katy-Did looked over at Suzee and she burst out laughing again.

 

                   Herman squinted his eyes, then asked “ What's so funny Miss Katy-Did? Why are you laughing at me?”

 

                           Katy looked at Suzee then back at Herman, and replied “ Oh I'm sorry, it's not you that I was laughing at. It's the snail mail bit. See Sherman's a snail, and Suzee called it snail mail. Don't you get it Snail-snail mail!”

 

                     As she said that both girls began to giggle all over again. Suzee buzzed over and over while laughing, and Katy flapped her wings excitedly.

 

                    Herman looked at them, then said “ ha ha, a barrel of laughs. That doesn't explain why it has upset him so much. Did you happen to see who it was from Suzee?”

 

                    Suzee buzzed around a few times, then landed on a plant next to Herman. She smiled and batted her eyes as she looked at him, and said “ Well I do believe it said Sammy Slug! Yes, and come to think of it the letter felt slimey.”

 

                  Herman yelled “ Oh no, oh no, oh no,” and he started pacing back and forth in the same manner as Sherman.

 

                 K.C. came into view and saw Herman acting just like Sherman. As he got closer to him he could hear Herman's mumbling “ oh no” over and over. He shook his head then walked over to the girls.

 

              He sternly asked “Alright girls, what did you guys do to Herman?”

 

            Katy looked surprised at what K.C. said, and remarked “ I......we did not do anything.”

 

                Suzee piped in with, “ Well, we didn't do anything that's true. But when we told him about the letter Sherman got, it seemed to upset him a lot.

 

                K.C. asked “ Hmmmm, who was it from?”

                     Suzee happily answered “ Sammy Slug!”

 

 

                         K.C. replied in thoughtful way, “ Well, well now we're getting somewhere. Let's see if I can go calm Herman down enough to devise a plan to thwart this before it gets worse. Now Suzee you fly around and find Sherman, tell him we may have a solution to this problem. Katy you will be on look out duty and watch for Nikki, he needs to be in on this too.”

 

 

           As Suzee flew off to find Sherman, Katy began looking out for Nikki. She couldn't wait to see him and talk with him again either. K.C. strutted off to where he left Herman going back and forth. When he got to him he noticed that he had started wearing a ditch in the ground. Just as Herman turned around K.C. stood in his way making him jump.

 

                       “ K.C, WHAT DO YOU WANT?” Herman yelled.

 

                K.C. jumped back and fell down. Upon getting up he replied, “ Hey I know what is bugging you, we can get through this alright. I sent Katy looking for Nikki, and Suzee is on the lookout for any outsiders. So calm down Herman, we got to keep a level head right now.”

 

             'Yeah you're right K.C., it just freaked me out. You know how slugs are, and what Sherman said about his relatives. All they do is slime up everything, let alone eat all the good plants” Herman ranted.

 

 

                   “Well we must work on a plan to stop this, so pacing back and forth wont help. Besides all you're doing is making a ditch in the ground!” K.C. remarked as he pointed to the spot Herman was.

 

               Herman looked down to see a good sized ditch for a worm to make. If you were a human it wouldn't look like much, but for a bug it was huge.

 

             They soon heard voices coming toward them, so K.C. turned around. He saw Katy hovering over Nikki, as he crawled his way over to them.

 

                   Nikki began saying “ Alright boys what was so serious that you needed my presence? I was deep in meditation when Katy dude found me.”

 

                “It's Katy-Did, not dude- Nikki!” she replied snootily.

 

                 “Whatever girlie” Nikki nonchalantly said.

 

                 Then Herman piped in with “ Now, now be nice to each other. We have a major crisis coming, and to stop before it gets worse. K.C. go and see if Sherman is ready to talk..... and tell him Nikki is up too. We will wait here, then work on a plan to prevent the destruction of our home.”

 

                 As K.C. ran off to find Sherman, the other three stood talking about the impending doom that was going to occur in the near future. After a few minutes they heard him say “ Sherman's coming, Sherman's coming.”

 

                      They all replied “yeah” at the same time.

 

             K.C. said “ On the way to find Sherman, I thought ' What about that human, the one who owns this garden?' I wonder if he would do anything about the slug family?”

 

 

                  Herman's eyes got really big, then replied “ Yes...... if he sees any slime lines he will find the culprit and kill it. We just have to keep Sherman away from the stuff, because he will be a goner for sure.”

 

                                    Katy-Did shrieked “Eek!”

 

                   Nikki just yawned, and said “ so what's the plan- do we hide out? Just ask her how good I am at that. Well up to now- guess I 'm getting to old for this game.”

 

                      Herman answered “ That's alright Mr. Catz, we all get slower as we age. But that's a subject for another day. Right now we have to keep our attention on the disaster Sherman's family might be causing!”

 

 

 

                      Sherman finally came up behind Herman, and said “ Yes such destruction my cousin will bring to this fine garden. That's why I left the last one- he practically ate all the plants. Nothing was left for the others to eat, so we all headed for greener pastures, and left Sammy without saying a word.”

 

            Nikki slapped Sherman on the back of his shell, and said “ A snail after my own heart, you did exactly what I have been doing for years.”

 

                Sherman blushed and said, “Yeah, thanks, but let's just hope we don't have to do that anymore!”

 

           K.C. piped up and said, “Well it'd be a whole lot easier without that house you carry!”

 

           Herman laughed and replied “Then we would have a slug problem already K.C.”

 

 

                 Sherman angrily replied “ Well nobody is gonna use a salt shaker on me. That's why it's a good thing I have this house!”

 

           When K.C. heard that he fell over and began laughing hysterically. You heard him say in between his laughs the words: salt shaker- house and good thing.”

 

           Nikki had been dozing off, and was startled awake when he started laughing. Then shockingly said “ Good gravy what's going on? Is K.C. having a seizure or just freaking out?”

 

                 “ No Mr. Catz he is laughing at something I said” Sherman replied.

 

                    Herman remarked “ Well it was a bit humorous Sherman. But we need to get back to the matter at hand.”

 

               Sherman then said “ yes we must devise a plan to get rid of Sammy before he wreaks havoc on our fine home!”

 

             Just then Katy chimed in with “ Speaking of salt, I believe I noticed a box just outside the garden gate. Maybe we could knock it down and it will block the walk way.”

 

           By then K.C. had calmed down, and said “ Whoa girlie- who would have thought you had a brain inside that pretty little head of yours.”

 

               Nikki snickered and Katy gave him a mean look. Herman jumped in and said “ Well let's get that box pushed over real quick so it's ready. Then Sammy will know this garden is off limits to his kind. You did say he isn't to bright, right Sherman?”

 

 

 

 

           “ That's right Herman, it's just mush up there” Sherman said.

 

           “ Now how will we do it, we're just bugs?” Katy asked while looking around at them.

 

 

                   “Hmmmm.....I guess Herman can dig under the box until it tips over. Then Katy you can fly and direct K.C. to kick the box until it falls over, and enough salt falls out” Sherman said with authority.

 

                           Nikki laid there and said, “ I'll just rest over here under the broccoli plants.”

 

                   Herman replied “ Not much you can do anyway Nikki, so that's fine. Suzee is on the look out, and hopefully we can get the trap set up before Sammy arrives.”

 

               They all headed for the garden gate, and where Katy said she saw the box of slug killer. When they arrived, they began to assess the situation and how to get the box tipped over.

Since Herman was an expert digger he figured he would get right under the front part of the box. Then if he did it right, the box would spill out covering the entrance to the garden.

 

                     Soon they had things in place, and were heading back to where they left Nikki. He was back sleeping peacefully, so they decided not to wake him. Sherman went inside his home, and turned on some soothing Jazz music, while everyone else sat down and talked. Herman looked around and thought to himself , ' Boy I would hate for anything to happen to my fine home. Who would have thought I could be friends with a snail, an ant, and the famous Nikki Catz!'

 

                 He looked around again, and upon seeing Katy. He thought about the girls ' I wonder if they will stay around or leave.'

 

                Katy looked at Herman and smiled, then asked “ Are you alright Hermie?

 

               Herman blushed and said, “ Oh yeah everything is peachy keen, Miss Katy.”

 

 

Reviews

[Tim H]

Cute story with nice dialogue.