Otter rushed outside to join his friends, the "Incrediboys", in their special secret adventure mission. The secret mission for the day was to explore a mysterious trail in the woods on Otter's property. The boys hoped the trail might lead to a great new sledding hill, or a nice pond with fresh smooth ice for skating and playing hockey. The boys felt sure danger lurked everywhere along the trail, and that only the most brave would attempt the journey. It was the ultimate test of strength, courage and adventure. The boys couldn't wait to get started!
Otter has a reputation for wandering and getting up to mischief. His friends must watch him closely to keep him out of trouble. Though Otter is the smallest boy in the group, keeping track of him is the biggest job! The boys spend so much time trying to find or rescue their little friend that they created an official “Otter Patrol" to keep an eye on him.
The members of the Incrediboys have a few simple rules to follow. The boys are expected to have fun, be helpful, and test their bravery and strength. And for those on Otter Patrol duty the most important rule is to do all that without losing Otter!
The boys scrambled down the trail full of enthusiasm, but Otter struggled to keep up in the deep snow. He started falling further and further behind. The harder he worked to keep up the more exhausted he became. All the boys disappeared into the distance but one, Connor, stayed behind. Connor walked beside Otter and reached out his mitten to take hold of Otter's hand. Otter ignored Connor's offer of help.
“Come on Otter, take my hand. The other boys are so far ahead of us now. We're all a lot bigger and we take much bigger steps than you can. I'll help you catch up.”
“Connor, I'm not little. I'm the same age as you. I can make it on my own.”
“Yes Otter, we're the same age but you are very small. I don't want you to fall behind and get lost out here. I want to protect you and keep you safe. Take my hand.”
Otter felt determined to show that he's just as big as the rest of the boys so he refused to let Connor help him.
“Otter, I can't leave you behind. I worry about you. At your size, if you wandered off the trail you'd get stuck in snow over your head! Nobody would be able to find you until Spring.”
“Goodness Connor, am I really that little? I think I'm just as big as you. I can make it on my own.”
“Yes Otter, you really are that little. Who knows what would happen if you stepped into deep snow out here. But I can keep you safe. Take my hand.”
“Don't worry about me Connor. I am safe. Nothing could possibly happen to me out here.”
“But Otter, something might happen to you if you're alone on this trail. If the Tyke Tramplers Snowshoe Club came through here it could be a disaster for you. They wouldn't see you down there. They'd just trample right over you. And if I tried to run back to save you they'd push me out of the way,...because that's what Tyke Tramplers do. Think about it, if you got stuck to the bottom of a snowshoe like a piece of gum who knows where you'd end up!”
“Goodness Connor, am I really so little that people will step on me?”
“Yup, I see it happen to you all the time. Now take my hand.”
Otter thought about it for a moment,“Gosh Connor, if I got trampled by snowshoes I'd probably strain something.”
“You'd be totally strained Otter!”
Otter began feeling uneasy about the dangers of walking alone, but still resisted holding Connor's hand.
“Connor, I feel just as big as you. And I'm not sure if Tyke Tramplers are real anyway. I've never seen any groups of snowshoe zombies around here.”
“But Otter, Tyke Tramplers might be real. It is better to be safe than sorry, so take my hand.”
Otter carefully kept his hands out of Connor's reach as they continued walking on the trail. Suddenly Connor stopped and guided Otter to look up in a tree.
“Otter, do you see that big owl up there? I think he's looking at you. You're lucky I'm here. If you were alone on the trail that owl might swoop down and carry you away like a little bunny. If you got carried away by an owl who knows where you'd end up!”
“Goodness Connor am I really so little that an owl...” but before Otter could even finish his sentence Connor replied “Absolutely you're so little that an owl might take you away!”
Otter stood quietly looking at the owl, “Connor, what would the owl do with me if he took me away?”
“Otter it would be awful! He'd probably take you to his nest for dinner with his family of little owlets!”
“You know Connor, that really wouldn't be so bad if the owl is serving pizza for dinner. When pizza is involved there's no reason to be afraid!"
“But Otter, think about the pizza toppings owls like: MICE! Now please take my hand.”
“Well that's just silly. I feel just as big as you! I'm almost certain no owl is going to take me away to his nest to eat pizza topped with mice.” Otter said defiantly.
“But Otter, it might happen. It's better to be safe than sorry, so take my hand.”
Otter imagined sailing through the air on his way to an owl's nest. He imagined sitting around an owl dinner table looking at a pizza slice covered with mice. He knew he'd have to take a nibble to be polite to his host. He thought about how he could slip the pizza slice to one of the owlets. Or, he could pretend to eat it, but hide it behind his back and then drop it out of the nest when nobody is watching. Otter knew that owls are always watching so this would be a very tricky mission!
Otter also thought about wandering off the trail and getting stuck in deep snow until Spring. And he thought about the strain he'd experience if Tyke Tramplers were real. Getting stuck in snow, stepped on, and snatched away started to weigh on little Otter. On this hike he wanted adventure, and a chance to show his strength and bravery as an official member of the Incrediboys, but this much danger was more than he had bargained for.
“Goodness am I really that little? I don't feel too little. I'm just as big as you Connor.” Otter mumbled quietly.
The boys walked on without speaking another word. Connor sensed that Otter had become withdrawn and overwhelmed with the terrifying stories he had been told. The uneasy silence between the boys lasted a whole two minutes. Connor couldn't take it anymore. He bent down and put his hands on Otter's shoulders to comfort him as he spoke.
“I'm sorry Otter. To tell you the truth, you aren't too little at all. It's just that you're the one person who makes me feel so big.”
“Connor to me you're already pretty big. If someone my size can make you feel even bigger then I must also be pretty big to be able to do that.”
“Otter, I think you're right. I'm big, and you're big in your own way too.”
“That's what I've been trying to tell you all along Connor! Now take my hand. I don't want you to bump your head on the trees up there, or have an airplane fly into your hair. I'm down here ready to protect you and keep you safe.”
Hand-in-hand the boys continued their walk on the winding trail that seemed to circle back all over the place. They soon reunited with the rest of the Incrediboys. The boys saw some hills and ponds but the greatest success of the day was finding an old hunter's cabin in the woods. The boys decided to make the cabin their official Incrediboys headquarters. They immediately got to work on organizing the cabin.
Though it took a long hike to reach the cabin it was nice, dry and in pretty good shape. Oddly enough it was filled with Otter's bicycles, skateboards, some toys and a few garden tools. The boys wondered how Otter had managed to already discover the cabin and fill it up with stuff. Otter wondered how the boys hadn't noticed yet that their hike had taken them back to his house, and that the hunter's cabin they played in was just his garden shed.
Otter's dad came out to see the boys playing, and thanked them for bringing Otter home safely. “I always know that when Otter goes out to play with you boys he's in good hands" he said.
Connor proudly waved his arms to show his blue mittens "Yes sir, these good hands kept him safe alright,”then raised Otter's arms and said, “and Otter is a lot bigger than he looks. His good hands kept me safe too!”
