Eight-year-old Jimmy is not like most boys his age. He has seen the inside of a hospital more than anyone he knows; even so, he is still curious, happy, and unaware that his doctor has painted a bleak picture of his future. Jimmy has no idea he has leukemia. Innocent of the reason for his parents' gloom, Jimmy seeks out companionship every evening from a small owl who perches in the oak tree outside his apartment. Even though Jimmy knows owls cannot talk, he can understand Pippy perfectly. It is not long before Jimmy's nightly chats with Pippy lead to dreams of remarkable adventures where he can fly and perch in a tree-just like Pippy! As the tiny owl and the vulnerable little boy fly over churches, rooftops, they laugh, scream, and become best friends in no time at all. Now all he has to do is convince his parents that his dreams are not dreams at all. In this adventurous and inspirational tale, a boy and an owl soon discover the power of friendship and the glory of miracles as dreams and reality unexpectedly meet and cause an unforgettable chain of events.

Pippy

The Miracle of a DreamBy Robert Wilson

iUniverse, Inc.

Copyright © 2011 Robert Wilson
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4620-6633-9

Chapter One

In the courtyard of the apartment complex grew a very old and majestic oak tree; its limbs forming a tremendous umbrella over the courtyard and pool. Underneath this living shelter of leaves and intertwined limbs, stood a skinny eight-year old boy with curly brown hair. The boy seemed two sizes too small for his age, apparently missing his last few growth spurts. Jimmy peered up into the foliage of the oak tree, searching for something hidden within the branches and leaves.

Light from the swimming pool illuminated an outstretched limb of the tree just enough for the boy to see a small owl perched there, the object of his search. The owl was tiny, no bigger than a toy football, but with a head too large in relation to the body. It sat still as a statue, staring down at the slight boy with its large, black eyes. He knew this to be a screech owl, like one his father showed him recently in a book; his father liked to refer to these as pipsqueak owls because of their small size.

Jimmy saw the owl as he returned from his "garbage duty," as he called it. The small owl, perched on a limb just a few feet above the ground, surprised the boy. He walked towards the limb cautiously, attempting not to scare the bird away. The owl looked down at him with its large dark eyes, showing no desire to fly off.

Jimmy tiptoed closer and closer, hoping it wouldn't fly away, finally stopping almost directly beneath the owl. He was fascinated at the beautiful design of feathers on its breast ranging in color from deep brown to a much lighter tone. "Hello Mr. Owl. You sure are pretty." He said softly in greeting to the visitor. "My name is Jimmy and I live right over there." Jimmy pointed to a sliding glass door leading to his apartment. The owl continued to look down at the boy, apparently unafraid of his presence.

Jimmy talked to the owl for a few minutes and then scurried home, knowing his mother would be mad if he took too long.

The next evening he stalled until late to do his chore and again found the little bird perched in the tree. "Well hello again, Mr. Owl. How are you today?" He asked with a smile. It looked down upon the small-framed, wispy-haired youth and cooed in reply; a deep yet gentle sound, pleasantly invading the boy's ears as if to say 'Hello' in reply.

"Are you always here, Mr. Owl? I looked this afternoon but couldn't see you. Do you live in this tree?" Jimmy asked and again received a very pleasant cooing in reply.

"Mr. Owl, you need to have a name. My dad says you are a Pipsqueak Owl so I am going to name you Pippy. Is that okay with you?" The boy looked up, waiting for an answer.

In response the owl cooed, actually something of a deep whistle and a pigeon's coo combined; a pleasant sound for certain.

"Good, it's settled. You are Pippy and I am Jimmy; but of course you already knew that!" Jimmy smiled up at the owl which continued to look down at the boy.

The small boy walked back and forth underneath the limb on which the owl perched. "Where do you live, Pippy? Do you have a family? I do, I live in that apartment." Jimmy pointed to the sliding glass door that led to his home. "Someday, we are going to move back to a big house in the country where I can have a dog or maybe a cat. But first I have to get well so my parents don't have to worry about me all the time. I am tired a lot but sometimes I feel good and I don't know why they are always worrying."

"We used to live outside of town and my mom promised I would get a dog on my eighth birthday. But then I got sick. For a long time I was so sick I couldn't stand up for very long. No one knew what was wrong with me. I had to quit going to school because I was so weak!"

Pippy coo'd in understanding.

"Then the doctors met with my mom and dad and didn't tell me anything. After a long meeting, my parents just told me I was sick but I would get better. They put me in the hospital for a long time. I hated being there and I couldn't stay awake. My mom and dad both cried; they tried to hide it from me but I could tell they had been crying.

A doctor said I might lose all my hair but I only lost some. Everyone was really nice but I didn't like being there at all. Some days I would receive a treatment and then I would feel even sicker. I told the nurses that and the doctor too but they said it was normal for me to feel sicker after the treatments. My mom would come in and I could tell she had been crying. I told her I was okay but she would start crying and sometimes leave the room."

Jimmy smiled up at the owl whose gaze never left him. "After a long time, they let me come home from the hospital. I am getting better now. I am not so tired anymore. I still get tired sometimes but not like I used to be."

Jimmy talked on and on for almost an hour, telling the owl of his life, his family and his school. The boy talked and the visitor to the courtyard listened, sometimes responding with a coo or a whistle. Just the two of them were present with no one to interrupt their peaceful companionship.

Chapter Two

This continued for several nights, with Jimmy looking forward to completing his chore and finding his new friend who seemed to be awaiting the arrival of the boy.

Another evening he spent well over an hour chatting with this new friend. Realizing how long he was out, he scampered back to his apartment.

This time, his extra time outside of the apartment wasn't unnoticed and his mother changed everything. When he came in his mother said worriedly. "What took you so long? We were worried about you."

Jimmy didn't know what to say. "I'm sorry mom. I was out in the courtyard looking around."

"Was there anyone else out there?" She asked protectively of her petite son.

"No, just me. It's nice outside and I was just walking around."

"Well, I don't want you going out so late anymore. Take out the garbage early and come right back."

His mother's orders meant he would have to do his chore as soon as dinner finished or possibly before dinner. This upset Jimmy for he wasn't sure his new friend would be waiting for him so early.

Jimmy came up with a plan; deciding to go to bed as early as possible, wait for his parents to go to their rooms and then to sneak quietly out of the apartment. Then he could find and talk to his new friend, Pippy for as long as he wanted.

The next night, he was very excited about this new plan; he could hardly wait to see if the owl would be in the tree. A full 30 minutes before he normally went to his room, he climbed into his bed, "Mom, come kiss me good night." He called waiting for his mother to kiss him as she did every evening. She opened the door to see her son already in bed which surprised her. "Are you feeling okay, honey?" She asked in a soft, gentle voice.

"Yes, just tired." He replied, not knowing what else to say to fool his ever-cautious mother.

A cloud of seriousness crossed her face and she placed the back of her hand on his forehead searching for signs of illness; when she could not find any, she kissed him softly in the same area. "Goodnight, my love." She said and walked softly out of the room.

Jimmy closed his eyes, pretending to be going to sleep. He listened to his mother's footsteps as she went down the hall, hoping she and his dad would go to their room early and read as they often did.

Finally hearing her open and close the door...