What happens when a cat (Dewey), a Barn Owl (Odessa), and a Jackalope (Jaxon) decide to live together on an empty farm and be friends? What happens when Joshua (eventually named man-servant by Dewey) fulfills his retirement dream of buying a little farm out in the country, totally oblivious to the fact that he will not be alone? That scenario forms the basis of many short stories in “The Odessa Chronicles” (stories for children ages 4 to 104). The following is an extract from one of the stories:

*****

The man-servant came out of the kitchen. “Dewey, your breakfast is ready!” Then he went back to prepare his own breakfast. Once it was all set down on the table, he happened to look over to Dewey’s bowl, and there was no Dewey. He once again called out, “Dewey! Your breakfast is ready!”

Jaxon then came into the kitchen. “What’s wrong with Dewey?” he asked the man-servant.

The man-servant turned to Jaxon. “Nothing that I know about, but I’ve called him twice now for breakfast, so I guess something is up.”

“Well,” said Jaxon, “when I came into the farmhouse, he was still curled up asleep on his cushion near the fireplace.”

They both went into the living room, and there was Dewey. He was still on his cushion, but was certainly not asleep. The man-servant looked at him. “Did you not hear me call you? Your breakfast has been ready for a while now. What’s wrong?”

“Oh, I heard you. I’m not very hungry,” said Dewey.

The man-servant smiled. “You’re joking, right? You have never missed an opportunity to eat since I moved in here.”

Dewey smiled, but it was a rather weak smile. “I don’t feel hungry. I don’t feel very energetic, although that is normal for me, I suppose. I don’t feel … well … like me!”

While they had been talking, Jaxon had run over to the barn to get Odessa. When they both returned, Odessa flew down to right in front of Dewey. “Okay, Dewey,” she said. “With me being the closest thing around here to your species, as well as having a working brain … what’s up?”

The man-servant turned to Odessa. “It’s really simple, Odessa. Dewey doesn’t feel like himself today.”

Odessa stared at the man-servant. “Who does he feel like?” she asked.

“Well, I really don’t know,” said the man-servant. “I hadn’t thought to ask that.”

Odessa turned to Dewey and repeated, “With me being the closest thing around here to your species, as well as having a working brain … what’s up?”

Dewey looked at Odessa. “I don’t feel like me today.”

“Understandable, living here with the man-servant,” she said. “Confusion must be expected, but if you don’t feel like you, then who do you feel like?”

Dewey stretched and curled up again. “I don’t know, Odessa.”

Odessa jumped up and down. “Of course you know Odessa. That’s me. You’ve been living with humans for much too long. I think that what you need is an adventure.”

Dewey just stared at Odessa. “I think I’ve got the Dewey farm-cat blues!”

Odessa’s eyes were wide open. “You’ve got the what?”

Jaxon then interrupted. “He said he’s got the Dewey farm-cat blues.”

“I heard him,” said Odessa, “but I don’t understand him! Dewey, would you explain this ailment to me?”

Dewey looked at the three of them. “I don’t feel right. I feel sluggish. I want to sleep, even though I already slept a lot. I think I’ve got the Dewey farm-cat blues … oh yeah.”

Odessa once again looked confused. “What’s with the ‘Oh yeah’ business? I need more information if I am going to help here.”

Dewey looked at Odessa and then started what, to a cat, was singing. To anybody outside of Moonbeam Farm, it would have sounded something like “Meeeoooow … Meeeeeeeuw … Miiiiiiaeo … Meeoweeeo!” However, what Odessa, Jaxon, and the man-servant heard was this:

You know I live on this farm,
Listen to Odessa ramble on.
Have a Jackalope for a friend,
And the man-servant? Let’s not pretend.
He leaves a lot to be desired.
Probably should never have retired.
Have you heard the news?
I got the Dewey farm-cat blues.

***

It rained all yesterday.
I mean … what else can I say?
I wanted to stay in and eat.
I am simply surrounded by treats,
But they’re locked away, I wonder why.
I know where they are … but they’re up too high.
I got the Dewey farm-cat blues.
I got the Dewey, I’m putting on weight and feeling lazy, farm-cat blues.

***

Then Man-Servant asks, what is wrong with me;
Steps over my empty bowl. Why doesn’t he see?
There’s a hungry cat on the floor,
Who has emptied one bowl and wants more,
But I just get ignored.
I’ll lay here and be bored.
I got the Dewey farm-cat blues.
I really got the Dewey farm-cat blues … oh yeah!

The farmhouse went very quiet.

Jaxon eventually spoke. “Notwithstanding your singing shortcomings, Dewey, I really do think that you need an adventure, as Odessa suggested. I believe that I have the adventure that would work for you.”

Dewey looked at him. “Really? What kind of adventure would that be?”

Odessa was also looking interested now. “Yes, Jaxon, now I am curious. What do you have in mind?”

Jaxon was shuffling his feet, which he always did when excited. “I am not going to tell you, but I can guarantee that you will not only enjoy it … you will never ever forget it.”

The man-servant was also intrigued. “Can you give us a clue, Jaxon?”

Odessa jumped up and down. “Of course, he can, Man-Servant! Why can’t you humans ask logical questions? What you should be asking is, ‘Will you give us a clue?’”

*****

Of course if I gave out the whole story here, nobody would buy the book! With Christmas fast approaching, please keep “The Odessa Chronicles” in mind as a gift possibility.