Critter Train For Babies

The children in the countryside lived a free and comfortable life. They were not too materialistic, but their parents still provided them with ample toys. Hopper and Honey each had their own cherished bathtime toys and stuffed animals along with some communal birthday gifts. Meanwhile, the older children had much fun playing with neighbors, friends, and cousins.

But, any game, no matter how good, loses its fun after a long while of repeated play. That had been the way with a long line of games, including hopscotch, hide and seek, and tag. The one exception might have been the critter train. The game critter train has existed for a long time already. There was an age about it that made Lily and Rose curious. After all, the game critter train existed long before the twins came to live in the countryside.

It was a great game. Everyone could lead at the front of the train at least once. The goofiest shapes could be made with the right coordination between the long snake of critters.

So, Rose decided to ask Bell and Bellia how the game came into existence.

“So, how did this game get invented in the first place?” Rose asked. Bell and Bellia proceeded with a very lengthy explanation.

“Oh, this story is a good one,” Bell started. “It all started when there was a bored critter in the south part of the countryside…”

“No, it was the southwest part of the forest!” Bellia challenged.

“I’m pretty sure it was the southern countryside. How else did she have such an accent?”

“Everyone knows the woodland people have the thickest accents!”

“Are you sure?” Bell retorted. “Last I checked, the southern people are very unique.”

Some details were varied since their accuracy was lost to time. In fact, after such a lengthy conversation, neither sister could answer who was the original creator in the first place. All Rose learned was that it had been invented by an unnamed female critter somewhere in the countryside. But, it didn't matter. The game was still a lot of fun.

Grace, capable of walking well already, could not help but peek out of the living room window. She saw all the taller, older kids laughing about it. It seemed like a very fun game, but they towered over her small height. Grace decided that she would organize a game of critter train for the babies, too. It would be fun for all, and leadership was an obvious big girl skill. Plus, the size would be a factor. The babies’ similar size would work well. So, she walked back up the stairs and ladder to the Nightlight Nursery, where the babies were playing.

Honey and Henry were babbling to Teddy, while Hopper rocked about on the rocking horse.

It was yet another idle afternoon for these young babies.

“We play train!” Grace proclaimed. “Line up.”

Honey, Hopper, and Henry could barely make out all this verbal information. They formed a very crooked shape that looked no where like a train.

“No, not straight!” Grace scolded in frustration. “Have to be straight!”

Still, the very young babies did not understand. Hopper went up to the front of the line to fix things. But, a change in the head of the train was not what Grace had wanted.

“No more, just play other things.” Grace, giving up, just walked off. It seems that the game of critter train was too sophisticated for her younger peers. Hopper eagerly resumed rocking on the rocking horse.

Skip, having just come back inside the house, was in a great mood. His body was warm from activity, and his spirit was joyous from the fun. Yet, he could not help but notice Grace’s mood. She seemed crestfallen.

“What’s the matter, Grace?”

“Nothing,” Grace tried to hide her failure. It was too much to face.

“Hey, you know you can tell me everything. Whatever it is, I’m sure your big brother has a solution,” Skip said lovingly.

“Babies can’t play critter train,” Grace said bluntly.

“Well, that’s not true. Everyone can play. It doesn’t matter how old you are.”

“They won’t listen. Come see.” Grace’s small hand wrapped around Skip’s big paw as she anxiously led Skip to the nursery.

Skip followed his little sister back up the ladder to investigate what was going on. He was determined to fix Grace’s problem.

Grace told all the babies, “We play train again. Line up.”

Once again, the babies were utterly terrible at forming a straight line. Hopper lost his focus after about twenty seconds. Honey faced the wrong way, too. Skip now understood what Grace had been so sad about. It was obvious that the four year old had been disappointed by the babies’ lack of proficiency.

“Well, this isn’t so bad. We’ll show them how,” Skip reassured. So, as a kind older brother, Skip led all the babies and Grace outside the house to explain. They sat obediently as Skip explained the situation to his other playmates.

“Oh, what a great idea. I’ll go get Olive and Ginny,” Rose responded.

“Now, babies, pay attention closely,” Bellia ordered to the huddled crowd of little ones. They crowded around confident Bellia with big, curious eyes.

What could Bellia possibly be teaching them?

The children demonstrated as simplistically as they could what critter train was all about. First, the critters were to all line up in one perfectly straight line. Then, they started walking unanimously, as one. There were figure eight curves, outright circles, and jagged zig zags. As the train moved in these cool paths, the critter at the front would move down to the end, giving the second critter a chance to leave. This ensured that everyone would have a chance to lead. It was plenty of fun with opportunities for creativity.

Grace, simply captivated by what the older kids could do, was determined to have the babies try it out. Slowly, upon the instruction and guidance from the older kids, the babies successfully formed a straight line. Or, almost as straight as could be. Little Henry, for whatever reason, always wanted his left ear to line up with the middle of the line.

Then, Bell showed the babies some very simple curves to try out. It went smoothly. Soon, the older kids were imparting some combinations onto the babies. It was nothing too fancy. (They left out some of their favorite combinations, like the butterfly dance. In the butterfly dance, the lead would alternate the sides they left to the back for).

By the end of the week, the babies had mastered walking in a straight line, picking up the pace to a speed walk, and very simple curves. They looked adorable when they walked synchronized. Even little Luke, living all the way away in his tree, was curious. Eventually, he joined the parade, too.

Yet, oddly, Skip walked past the window on a separate day and saw a miraculous site. Shockingly, he saw the babies playing a much more sophisticated pattern. The lead was hopping to the back of the line! Hopper, who loved to jump, was just about bursting with joy. David, also walking past the living room to call his father on the phone, also noticed.

“Oh, my. They have quite the amount of energy,” David remarked.

“I taught Grace everything she knows,” Skip boasted just before Bell and Bellia came down the stairs to see what the boys were watching.

“Well, I wouldn’t say everything, brother. I taught Grace how to curve.” Bell claimed.

“But we all know I taught Hopper and Honey what a straight line looks like!” Karen butted in as she came down the stairs.

Before long, the living room was a hot mess of arguments. Heidi, in the kitchen, could hear it. All the noise was interrupting her biscuit making.

“Quiet down now! Today’s too fine a day for you all to be arguing,” she ordered.

The obedient children stopped at once.

“We’ll have to call it the Grace hop,” Bellia settled.

“What a perfect name!” David excitedly agreed.

And, just like that, the ambitious little Grace had done it. She had made some new critter train history. She invented the latest combination: the Grace hop. When Harlin got home from a day at work, all he could hear from Grace was about her new hop pattern. That night, when Grace had been put to bed in the Triple Babies Bunk Bed, Harlin approached his son Skip to have a private talk in the balcony.

“Skip, we can all see how happy Grace is about her new game. Why don’t you and your friends make her a little more happy? Let her teach you all the game tomorrow. I know you probably would get the hang of it after observing her for a minute, but make her feel even better.”

Skip, such a kind older brother, knew what his father meant.

“Of course!”

The very next day, Grace found herself explaining the new Grace hop to her older siblings and their friends.

“You walk normal. Then, leader hop. Hop, hop, hop to the back.” Grace instructed.

The older critters were very good students. They listened intently and understood instructions right away. Grace felt so accomplished!