Verónica Huacuja

"Chachis, or a Strange Visit to Chapultepec Park"
by Verónica Huacuja

Some animals are very lucky because they have owners who love them. Chachis, the little squirrel, was a doubly lucky. Not only did Julio, her twelve-year-old owner, shower her with affection, she lived in one of the prettiest parts of Mexico City, close to Chapultepec Park. Chachis lived in a great big pine tree that shaded the beautiful house and a good part of the yard around it.

One day, Chachis woke up with a tingling sensation in her stomach.
"Something strange is going to happen," she told herself. "Every time I feel a tingling in my tummy, strange things happen."

And so it was. Let's see what happened that day to Julio Mendoza's pet squirrel Chachis.

Like most mornings, it was sunny; though maybe a little hotter than usual. The birds chirped in the trees and the newspaper, having "flown" out of the paperboy's sack, lay on the sidewalk. Chucho the gardener, who was missing some teeth, was watering the plants. The damp soil gave off a sweet smell, which Chachis breathed in slowly and deeply.

And, like every other morning during the week, Julio ran out of the house in his crisp school uniform. Reaching the gate the boy shouted, "So long, Chachis. Have a nice morning!"

"Oh, there goes Julio off to school," thought Chachis as she chomped on some acorns. "He's so nice." She answered him with one of those winks the boy liked so much. Julio laughed and turned to the gardener. "Chucho, please don't spray Chachis with the hose. Remember, she could catch a cold."

The old man smiled and pointed the hose away from the tree Chachis lived in, toward the pond with the water lilies.

The first few hours of the morning went by peacefully. Suddenly there were footsteps and laughter. It came from the maids Petra and Nicolasa, who had been told to give Chachis a bath that day. They were carrying all kinds of odd-looking things to do the job, too.

"Hi, Chachis," Petra, the younger of the two said affectionately. "I bet you can imagine what this stuff is for, can't you?"
"To make you even more beautiful," Nicolasa, the chubby one, added.
The little squirrel could see that they had a bowl of warm water, soap, a brush…but no towel! A hot bath without a towel?!?! "You won't find that in any beauty manual," thought Chachis. "Why, I'll freeze to death!"

And with that the little squirrel started to look very unhappy.