WORDS TO USE: cupid – eggplant – gopher – sing – green

Gerald needed to get back in Gracie’s good graces, since this was the height of their breeding season. She was royally upset with him this time. If he didn’t do something soon, she just might not let him into her nest chamber. And he really, really wanted in there with her.

 Lately, he’d spent a lot of time not being her favorite pocket gopher. He had a special knack for screwing up, which she pointed out quite often.

She liked to keep a clean home. He appreciated that, really; he did. His own nest chamber was… Well, less than clean. His style tended to be messier. He had bits of green leaves and stems scattered from his entrance, clear through his whole burrow system.

He couldn’t get close to her home without having mud on his long claws, or dried grass somehow attached to his forequarters. Gracie was always neat, clean. And when she shook that sweet backside as she moved, sexy.

Yeah, he wanted to spend some up-close-and-personal time with Gracie. Soon.

He’d spent all day yesterday thinking and thinking and thinking about what he could do to win her over again. He’d even appealed mentally to the imaginary Cupid. Which is how he’d come up with this unique plan and gift.

Getting this special gift of an eggplant all the way from the nearest garden wasn’t easy. He was sweating from the effort. But Gracie loved eggplants. So this ordeal was worth it. Or so he hoped.

Stopping just outside the main entrance to her extensive tunnel, he took a minute to suck in air. Guess he was out of shape for this much exercise.

He nudged the eggplant closer and then sat back on his haunches and launched into his best effort at singing. Even to his own ears, it sounded a little screechy. But he hoped Gracie…

She popped out of her tunnel and blinked at him in surprise, confusion, maybe horror.

Gerald kept on singing.

She put her paws over her ears and begged, “Please stop. Please, please, please.”

Feeling crushed by her reaction, he stopped singing and his shoulders slumped.

Her gaze landed on the big eggplant, and a smile slid into place. Then she reached out and gently touched his arm. “Oh, Gerald, what a wonderful gift!” Her smile grew, and she nodded toward her home. “Want to come inside and share this with me?”

She didn’t have to ask him twice. He straightened his shoulders and tried to nudge the eggplant closer to her entrance. Then she helped him move it.

As they moved together, he inwardly did a very happy dance.