The jackalope just laughed... "Fast as fast can be, you'll never catch me!" And ran back into the woods.
The girl and policeman bonked heads and fell into the door of the car and then fell flat on their tushies. The girl rubbed hers. She wasn't quite sure what hit her. The policeman looked at her with a growl. That jackalope wouldn't get the best of him. He knew right where that jackalope went and motioned to the girl that he was going to look back in the woods.
Most of the fog had melted away as the morning sun arose in the sky. The cover of the fog had been a good thing for the jackalope but now that the sun was out he would have a harder time escaping his would be captors. He watched as the policeman and girl got up from the ground and headed straight towards him. He found a safe spot in the thicket but he wasn't sure he would not be spotted. That girl had eagle eyes. He sat motionless as she glanced his way.
The policeman was looking frantically in every bush shining his flashlight has he looked. The jackalope watched as he passed right by his hiding spot. But the girl... that girl was looking straight at him. Their eyes met as the jackalope crouched lower into the hole he dug at the base of the thicket. He'd picked a prickly bush on purpose. Maybe she couldn't reach him before getting poked. But that girl had skinny arms. And her coat protected her from the spikes. She yelled to the policeman.
"Over here officer. I found him." She looked at the jackalope and spoke to him softly. "I've got you now little jackalope. I will take you home with me and give you a good home."
The policeman flashed his light at the jackalope. "He's in there all right. He's picked a fine spot too. The prickers will poke us," he said to the little girl. She nodded in agreement.
"My arms are skinny. I can reach him if you keep your light on him." She carefully stuck her hand then her arm into the thicket. It pricked her coat but she didn't stop. The jackalope was helpless. He was cornered in his own hole that he dug. He crouched even deeper but her fingers were touching his fur. She almost had him. There was no where for him to run. As she lifted him out of the thicket his body went lifeless. She had him by the scruff of his neck. Darn that girl was clever.
He couldn't move... he just hug lifeless as she dropped him into a box the policeman had in the back of his car. They stuck the box in the trunk and the policeman took the name and address of the girl and promised to take her home. She said a few words to the jackalope and then the trunk lid was slammed shut.
The girl ran and grabbed her umbrella where she had dropped it. Her grandmother would be angry she took it. It was almost noon and by now the girl was sure her family was wondering where she was. Wouldn't they be surprised when she returned home in a police car?
Poor jackalope was trapped! There was no way out of the box let alone the trunk of the police car. He had no plans. He had no ideas. Nothing came to mind as he layed there in the box. How was he going to get out of this mess? The next few moments he would have his answer because the girl had made them for him. She had won!
Home now safe and sound the girl had her prize. Little did the jackalope know what her plans were. When the lid of the box was finally opened he hopped out to find himself in a cage. With fresh water and food. There was a big bowl of food. The biggest bowl he'd ever seen. And it was filled to the brim. Under his paws he felt fresh bedding. His paws had never felt so pampered. In the corner of his cage was a wood box with a hole in it for him to hide. He sniffed around. This wasn't a bad place after all.
The girl fed him daily and took him out of his cage and gave him lots of hugs and kisses. One night she gave him a special kiss and whispered in his hear. "Fast as fast can be... I caught thee!"
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