Dusk Encounters of the Friendly Kind

Feral is feeling festive and has brought a treat to share!  Will he finally impress Kitten with his thoughtfulness or will this be strike 3 on his gift giving escapades?  Tune in to find out! 

Can you believe how much we packed into such a short episode?! 

 New words in this episode: 

• Autumnal
• Jaunty
• Tolerable
• Filberts
• Debacle
• Inferring
• Pizzazz
• Wringing
• Gesundheit!  
• Immigrated

French Words:

• Salut mes amis - Hello my Friends
• Absolutement - Absolutely 
• Exactement - Exactly
• Zut alors - Shucks!
• C’est pas possible! - It’s not possible
• Mais oui! - But Yes!
• Salut - Hi

Latin Words:

• Tamiasciurus douglasii - Douglas Squirrel
• Pseudotsuga menziesii - Douglas Fir Tree
• Felis catus - Cats
• corylus avellanas - Hazelnuts
• Canis lupus familiaris - Siberian Husky
• Ursus americanus - American Black Bear
• Bubo scandiacus - Snowy Owl
• Strix - Owl

Scottish Words: 

• Heid - Head
• Din - Racket
• Hurkle durkle - linger in bed longer than necessary
• Samhain - Scottish Holiday

Themes: 

• Friendship
• Kindness
• Halloween
• Vocabulary expansion
• Accepting Others
• Cultural Differences
• Language exploration

Questions to ask your Listener:

• Have you ever given a gift that was not received well?  
• Before this episode, had you heard of the Latin Language?  
• Do you like to hurkle durkle?  
• Do you know anyone who has immigrated?  Where did they immigrate from? 

Songs:  

• Trick or Treat song by Feral

Transcript

EPISODE 3: DUSK ENCOUNTERS OF THE FRIENDLY KIND

FERAL:

Trick or treat, smell some feet, give me something good to eat. Not too big and not too small, just the size of Montreal! Salut mes amis! How are you all doing today on zis fine autumnal day?

CLUCKY:

Hey Feral, it is a nice autumn day isrn’t it? It smells like fall instead of rain today!

KITTEN:

Hi Feral. You’re in a good mood. What’s that you were singing? What brings you by so late in the day? It’s almost dusk.

FERAL:

Ah mon cher Kitten, I am always in a good mood when I am on my way to see you. Zat little song is something zat the Canadian children sing for Halloween. I come bearing a treat for all of you!

BRIGITTA:

Oh Feral, isn’t that darling of you.

BRIDGET:

Don’t count your chickens yet Brigitta, Feral isn’t exactly winning in the gift giving department. Aren’t we 0-2 right now?

BELLA:

It’s the thought that counts isn’t it Bridget? 

BRIGITTA:

Oh don’t mind Bridget Feral. And look at you. You have a jaunty little new vest on.

FERAL

 It is not a vest! It is my new harness. If you will notice, I don’t not have zat tracker around my collar anymore. My owner got tired of me always trying to take it off, so she has given me a new harness with some sort of small location tracker inside.

KITTEN:

Oh! So your owner won’t be able to beckon you home any more? (nervously)

FERAL:

It has a small beeping noise but it’s nothing like ze old one. But ze good thing about this new harness is that I can store little present and carry things much easier instead of taking everything in my mouth. It makes the tracker much more tolerable.

KITTEN:

Oh that’s a relief.

CLUCKY:

So you mentioned a gift for all of us? That’s exciting!

FERAL:

I admit my gift giving has not been terribly successful. I made the mistake with Miss Peckham and have sworn off birds now, but of course there was that debacle with the flower and poor Humphrey the hummingbird. But zis time, I am absolutement sure that zis cannot go wrong. I bring you….. nuts! 

(SFX OF SACK OF NUTS FALLING ON GROUND) 

I believe you call zem filberts (pronounce as fill bears)

CLUCKY:

Nuts that you fill with bears?? What kind of bears would you put in those? Maybe those little gummy bears that Xander likes to eat sometimes.

KITTEN:

I think he means “filberts” Clucky… but he’s French and they pronounce b-e-r-t-s as bears.

FERAL:

Ah my Kitten, you have been learning some French? Ze language of Love?

KITTEN:

Not exactly Feral. Just been inferring over the time that I’ve known you.

CLUCKY:

Is it because the French like furs?

KITTEN:

What’s that Clucky? What do you mean?

CLUCKY:

Well you said you’ve been in furs during the time you’ve known Feral. I’ve actually only ever seen you in fur.  Can you change out of your fur?  Oh! You should try feathers if you want some extra pizzazz.

KITTEN:

Wait, what?!  Inferring means to figure out something from evidence or reason. I’ve figured out that Feral usually pronounces all words that have b-e-r-t  as bears but it’s probably because of him learning that sound in french as opposed to english because in our conversations he usually uses that sound instead of bert. anyway…. those nuts are also called hazelnuts.

FERAL:

Ah, well then I would like you all to have some of these hazelnuts!

BRIGITTA: 

Oh how lovely. I love a good hazelnut! What a treat!

FERAL:

Yes! Exactement!! I have brought them to you to celebrate Halloween! Happy Halloween! Trick or Treat, I give you Treat, not tricks!

BELLA:

That is very kind of you Feral.

CLUCKY:

Feral! What a nice fella you are! We’ll definitely enjoy this treat! Kitten, do you like nuts?

KITTEN:

Umm, actually, cats don’t eat nuts, although a good source of protein, I prefer salmon.

BRIDGET:

Let’s call this gift giving attempt .5 to 2.5, win for the chickens, not for Kitten.

FERAL:

Zut alors! While I have never tried any nuts myself, I thought perhaps it was just my personal distaste for them. I have failed my kitten once again.

HAZEL:

Umm….excuse me, I thought I heard…were you calling…for me?

CLUCKY:

Well hello little lady! And who might you be? You’re a squirrel aren’t you?

HAZEL:

Ummm…. Well, uh, my name is… oh…. Uh Hazel. I came down because I thought I heard my name called. And oh, uh yes, I’m a squirrel. A Douglas Squirrel to be exact Tamiasciurus douglasii.

KITTEN: 

Oh is that latin? Nice to meet you …. Are you ok? Why are you wringing your paws like that? We’re friendly. We won’t hurt you.                                                                                         

HAZEL:

Of course not…I mean, I know. Um I’m familiar with all of you because I’ve observed…I mean watched, oh uh seen you here and well, sound travels up! (pause silence). I live just up there in the douglas fir tree, Pseudotsuga menziesii.  

CLUCKY:

Gesundheit! Are you coming down with a little cold?

HAZEL:

Oh no, I don’t think so. I hope not. Oh dear.  I just like to be precise when I name things, so I always list the latin name so there’s no confusion. Does it sound like I’m coming down with something?

KITTEN:

I think Clucky just misheard you and thought you sneezed when you told us the latin name for the Douglas Fir tree. 

HAZEL:

Oh yes, I’ve seen him do that before. Um, well, I was excited to hear my name, were you calling for me?

KITTEN:

Feral was offering the chickens and I some Hazelnuts as Halloween Treats, however, neither Feral nor I actually eat them. 

HAZEL:

Oh! 

(GIGGLES) 

Well I do eat hazelnuts, Corylus avellanas, They are my very favorite. I think that’s why my Mom called me Hazel 

GIGGLES

It takes a long time to gather so many nuts like you have, and winter is coming. I am wondering since Kitten and Feral, both of which are Felis catus are not able to eat the hazelnuts, corylus avellanas, could I perhaps have a few of them? But I completely understand if not, that’s ok too. I don’t mean to intrude…I’ll just go then.

FERAL:

But of course! I don’t mind sharing them with you, especially if they are your favorites. I don’t think the chickens would mind.

LOKI:

MIND?? Why would they mind?

SFX- SHRIEKING AND EXCLAMATIONS FROM THE OTHER ANIMALS

CLUCKY:

He’s done it again! Loki, what have we said about pouncing in like that. 

BRIDGET: 

Bawk! For a large husky you are unbelievably quiet on your approach! 

FERAL:

Look it is Surprised.

LOKI:

Hey Feral. You’re just not going to let that Surprised thing go are you? If anything I surprise all of you, especially Clucky.

HAZEL:

Whatever does he mean? He is not surprised, he is a Canis lupus familiaris, but more specifically he looks like he’s a Siberian husky if I’m not mistaken. I mean I could be mistaken. It’s happened before. Not very often. But totally possible. He could be a um….

BRIDGET:

Hazel, no need to get so worked up. Feral likes to call Loki Surprised, because the first time they met, Loki made a comment about calling him surprised. And yes, he is a Siberian husky.

HAZEL:

Oh…. So does he go by both names? Oh dear. Which one should I use?

LOKI:

Loki is fine. Who are you?

HAZEL:

Oh, um, yes, I’m Hazel. A Douglas Squirrel, Tamiasciurus douglasii. I live up in that Douglas Fir Pseudotsuga menziesii. I’ve seen you around before. I notice you don’t prey on small animals such as myself that the Canis lupus familiaris frequently do.

LOKI:

Well, that’s quite a mouthful for such a little animal such as yourself. No, I don’t hunt small animals to eat. Although huskies frequently do. I find small animals fun! Fun to play with and chase and sniff out, but I much prefer the food my humans give me. Sadly most small animals run off in fear when they see me though. So what’s new? Whatcha sharing?

BRIGITTA:

Oh Loki, Feral here brought us a gift of some hazelnuts. 

BELLA:

They’re also known as filberts or something to do with bears. 

LOKI:

Bears eat nuts I think.

HAZEL:

Oh yes. The American black bear, Ursus americanus is known to wander this area. I’ve seen one from time to time. 

CLUCKY:

You’ve seen a bear around here? Where? You don’t see one right now do you? 

KITTEN:

It’s unlikely Clucky. Black bears are very skittish and tend to stay away from noises and any kind of commotion. We’re not exactly a quiet bunch.

OLIVIA:

Well I could’na agree with you more!

BRIGITTA:

Who said that?

CLUCKY:

Sound the alarms. Show yourself!

LOKI:

I’ll protect you guys. (Growl)

OLIVIA:

You need to keep your heid. You all been makin a regular din. I’m just here trying to have a hurkle durkle and it's near impossible with all you chattin away.

LOKI:

I think I see a white owl up in the tree. 

OLIVIA:

A white owl I am. A snowy owl to be precise. 

HAZEL:

Oh… a Bubo scandiacus. Oh and they hunt small rodents like me…. Oh dear. Where can I hide? Oh, no, I’m much too out in the open. 

OLIVIA: 

Not sure if I’m a bubo or not, but definitely a snowy owl and you don’t have to worry your little head and stop wringing your paws, you’re going to rip those right off! I had quite a feast last night with some field mice which is why I was trying to have a hurkle durkle because my belly is still quite full. 

KITTEN: 

Snowy owls are not native around here and you’ve got quite an unusual accent. And what exactly is a hurkle durkle?

OLIVIA: 

A hurkle durkle? Well it’s an old Scottish term to linger in bed longer than necessary after waking up. My name is Olivia. My family is originally from Scotland. They immigrated and ended up in northern Canada. I was born there but when I set out on a little adventure, I found myself down here in Washington. Looks like a nice place with these big forests and mountains.

FERAL:

C’est pas possible!

LOKI:

You thinking what I am Feral? That there are 3 Canadians here!!!

FERAL:

Mais oui!! Zat is exactement what I was thinking. How did you know?

BRIDGET:

We’re surrounded by rocket scientists, clearly.

CLUCKY: 

We are definitely becoming more international here. This is a crazy Halloween. My name is Clucky, and these are the hens Bella, Brigitta and Bridget. 

(SFX OF THE HENS SAYING HELLO). 

This here is Kitten and our friends Feral and Loki 

(SFX OF KITTEN, FERAL AND LOKI SAYING THEIR GREETINGS) 

and we just met Hazel the Douglas squirrel this evening!

HAZEL:

Um… hello?

OLIVIA:

We Scots love Halloween, well we call it the night before Samhain (Sah-win) which is November 1st.

HAZEL:

This is my first Halloween here. I don’t think I’ve ever spoken to an owl, Strix, before.

BRIGITTA:

Streaks? Is it because they fly so fast?

KITTEN:

I believe that Strix is the latin term for all owls, but then each type has its own name. Is that right Hazel?

HAZEL:

Yes. You are indeed very clever Kitten. I’m always amazed when I listen to your conversations and how much knowledge you have.

KITTEN: 

Oh Hazel, your latin knowledge is very impressive!

FERAL:

That is my precious Kitten. She is not only beautiful but intelligente, kind, has great courage…

BRIDGET:

Oh here we go again….

KITTEN:

Oh Feral, you’re too kind and exaggerate. It is getting quite dark out though. We all should be getting back to our homes. We don’t want another encounter with any predators like Red the Raccoon. 

LOKI:

Especially not on a spooky night like Halloween! Owooooo! 

CLUCKY:

It certainly has been an eventful night already. We’ve met two new friends, Hazel and Olivia, and got to see with some good old friends Feral and Loki as well!  I’d say this night was a perfect Halloween full of treats and maybe one trick.

KITTEN:

What trick would that be Clucky?

CLUCKY:

Loki jumping out of the bushes like he always does.

LOKI:

Happy to provide the trick for Halloween Clucky!!! Happy Halloween everyone!!

CHORUS (Hens, Feral, Hazel, Olivia, Kitten and Clucky): 

Happy Halloween!!

End Credits and Bawking