Almost Losing Ziggy

          Even if the moon had not been shining through the thick trees that night in Misty Forest,

Paw Possum would have spotted Ziggy thrashing about on the pine-needled forest floor. “Ziggy, what’s wrong?” he hollered. When he ran to his side, he saw the bulge in his throat, “You’re choking!” He grabbed Ziggy’s throat with both hands, forcing the object out. Something white fell into the leaves beside them. Then Ziggy went limp. Next thing you know, Paw had Ziggy wrapped around him and he ran toward the road behind Miz Maddie’s house.

      Miz Maddie was taking in the bedspread she had hung on the clothesline last night to air. The radio was reporting scattered showers and she could already smell rain when Paw yelled, “Miz Maddie, call Doc and tell him we’re on our way! Ziggy’s choked and gone limp!”

She was on the phone quicker than rabbits can hop, and thankfully, Do Deer answered.          “They’re on their way. They just left my back fence,” she shouted breathlessly.

“Who’s on their way, Miz Maddie?”

“Paw Possum’s got Ziggy wrapped all around his shoulders.  He said Ziggy choked and is limp!”

   Before Paw ever knocked,  Doc Deer’s office door flew open. “Bring him over here, Paw.” The doctor checked for a pulse, “He’s unconscious but he’s still alive. What did you say happened?”

   I found him writhing in the forest; I saw the big bulge in his throat. I used both hands to force it out. That’s when he went limp.”

          Two rainy days later Ziggy still remained in a coma. Doc Deer had asked everyone to pray and they did.  Most of the townspeople gathered on the doctor’s front porch in an all-night vigil.

      The next day: Ziggy woke up! But he couldn’t utter a word.

                             ………………………………………………..

         Meanwhile, Paw went back to the far side of Misty Forest where he had found Ziggy three days earlier and began a systematic search among the leaves, logs, bushes, and pine needles to find what Ziggy had swallowed. “There it is!”   A small white ball—-a hard ball. A golf ball, for sure. He hurried back to Doc’s office with his evidence.