"Mommy, Mommy," Jennifer yelled as she ran into the house. "Guess what I found in the barn?"
"Let me think," her mommy said. "Is it a kangaroo mouse?"
"No," Jennifer giggled. "Guess again, Mommy."
"Is it a turtle?" Her mommy said. "I bet it is a turtle with green spots on its back."
"No, it isn't," Jennifer said, jumping up and down. "You have to guess again, Mommy."
"What could it be?" Her mommy pretended to frown. "I know it's a huge triangle spider web."
"You're wrong again, Mommy," Jennifer said, clapping her hands. "Do you want me to give you a hint?"
"Yes," her mommy said. "I've guessed everything that I can think of."
"Well," Jennifer said. "There are six of them and they're in a nest in the hayloft."
"That's a good hint," her mommy said. "It has to be a barn swallow's nest."
"You're still wrong," Jennifer said excited. "One has stripes like a tiger."
"I've never seen a bird that color," her mommy said. "What does their mommy look like?"
"It isn't birds," Jennifer laughed. "Their mommy is black and she has short hair."
"What is black and has short hair that lives in a nest?" Her mommy said. "Are you sure it isn't a bird with short feathers?"
"I'm sure, Mommy," Jennifer laughed. "Do you want me to tell you what it is?"
"Yes," her mommy answered. "I give up. What is it?"
"It's our cat, Babe," Jennifer said. "She has a whole nest full of kittens in the hayloft."
"I would have never guess," her mommy said. "Let's go to the barn to see them. Would you like to give them names?"
"Yes, Mommy," Jennifer said, skipping toward the door. "I'll call them Tiger, Crystal, Flaky, Boots, Smoky and Polka Dot."
Copyright © 1995 Jo Ann Lovelace. All Rights Reserved.
