Baby Acorn's Arc

Chapter 1 of 1

Baby Acorn stood on his porch, the blue cape tied around his shoulders. He gripped the railing with both hands. The cape looked right. It moved in the breeze like a real hero's cape should. But something was missing. The Acorn Avenger needed a weapon or a tool, something that would make squirrels think twice before raiding his oak grove. He spotted the binoculars on the small shelf beside the door. They were heavy. They were official. A superhero needed to see threats from far away, didn't he? Baby Acorn shuffled sideways along the railing, keeping one hand locked on the wood. He reached out with his short arm. His fingers brushed the binoculars. Just a bit farther. The binoculars fell. They clattered against the porch boards and rolled. Baby Acorn lunged forward, both hands leaving the railing for half a second. His fingers closed around the leather strap. He scrambled back to the railing and pressed against it, breathing hard. The ground looked very far away. Very hard. He lifted the binoculars to his eyes. A squirrel appeared in the lens, huge and sharp, digging near the tree roots below. Baby Acorn's hands shook. He lowered the binoculars and looped the strap around his neck. There. The Acorn Avenger had his weapon. He could watch every squirrel in the grove without moving an inch from this spot. That was strategy. That was what heroes did.