"Vinky? I have a question."


"When DON'T you have a question, Vobble. That's all you are—one big never-ending question. What do you need to know now?"


"Well, I've been wondering. What is 'ageless' and how do you get that way?"


"Ageless? Why would you want to be ageless?"


"Well, I look at all the problems folks have when they get old. And then I think about growing up and getting a job and getting married and having kids and a house and chores and . . I don't wanna!"


"I kinda like me just the way I am. I like my fuzzy white feathers and I like being a kid. I don't wanna grow up. I just wanna be ageless. Now tell me how to do that."


Vinky cocked her head to the side and thought for a moment. "Ageless, huh? You know, Vobble, you may be on to something. Let me think for a minute." She closed her eyes, deep in thought.


Then, suddenly, her eyes popped wide open. "That's it!! We just need to . . . "


"grow up, lay eggs, have babies, feed them and slave over them and work and work and work and help them fledge and learn how to be owls in the wild and and and . . . "


"STOP!!!" shrieked Vobble. "What are you saying? It's the OPPOSITE of what i was asking, duh!"


"No, no, hear me out, Vobs, my dear. Then, we just age and age and age and our bones get creaky and we hork very slowly and we fly more noisily and our eyes need specs."


"UGH!!!" shrieked Vobs again.


"But I have a secret," said Vinky.


"A secret? A SECRET?" exclaimed Vobs who was all ears now.


"Yes, Vobz, I have found a secret. It was sent to me many months ago and I have been keeping it here in this little Molly & McGee Keep Sake Box. Here. Have a look."


Vobbled fluttered excitedly as he hopped like Tauntz over to the little box with the lid.


With his beak he pecked at the box until the lid flew backwards and inside he saw an amazing crystal.


Vinky turned to Vobble with a gleam in her eye. "Vobz, touch it," she whispered.


"I'm skeered," said Vobble


"Go ahead. You know you want to," said Vinky, quoting Mrs. Danvers from "Rebecca."


Vobz carefully lifted one of his wings, talon outstretched as if ready to stroke it when . . .



When there was a loud knock at the owlbox door.
Vobs and Vinks jumped like Tauntz again. Vobble's head nearly hit the ceiling of the box, and poor Vinky, well she dropped the the little Molly and McGee keepsake box onto the floor and the box broke into a gizillion pieces, and the crystal fell out of the broken box and rolled out the owlbox door.


"Hey! What's happenin! Whoa, what was that shiny bauble?" Zorro jumped (like Tauntz of course) and got out of the way of the crystal as fell to the ground.


"Zorro! You've ruined everything!" Vinky was crying uncontrollably. Zorro was Jargogled (new old word). "What's the matter, Vinks, it's not like you to be the crybaby."


Zorro scurried down Polez and grabbed the crystal. He carried it in his mouth back to the box and dropped it at Vinkys feet.


"There," he said. "Now, will you stop blubbering?"


Then all of a sudden Zorro said, "Whooooa! What's happening here. I feel funny. What did you do to me?"


Zorro was feeling a little dizzy and he was having trouble focusing and walking around the box. Vinky and Vob ran over to Zorro to help get him steady on his feet but he was still acting goofy and asking what was happening. He dropped the crystal on the floor and all of a sudden he was feeling better. "Hey", he said, "I think that crystal has some magic powers."


He picked it up again and once again began acting goofy, goofier than usual that is, and once again, he dropped the crystal and he felt fine. Everyone was afraid to touch the crystal, but all of a sudden . . .


out stepped a snowy owl named Snowbell who said, "My, my, what is all the fuss here? For heaven's sake have you all never seen a magic crystal before? This is ridiculous." Her yellow eyes gleamed and glittered.


She picked the crystal right up in her talons and sheltered it within her snowy wings, placed her beak gently on it and suddenly they were all swept away to Youthland.


"Is that like Disney World?" asked the dude in an aside to his wife, Marydude.


"NO! NO! NO!" yelled Snowbell. Despite her soft and poetic name she had a fierce streak. They all stood at attention.


"Youthland is not as it sounds. Look closely and observe and report back to me in 30 minutes what you have seen."


Vinky, Vobz and Zorro stood on the grounds blinking their eyes and feeling a bit apprehensive. "What does Snowbell mean? Not as it seems?" asked Vobz.


"We need to observe as instructed," replied Vinky and with that the little trio began to flit from tree to tree and scurry across the grounds.


First they came to a young owl who was laughing and pushing anotheer owl off a swing. Then another owl in a little pink dress sat on a rock boo hooing.


"My! Where are their mother's," asked Vobz?


But there were no adult owls at all. A third little owl caught sight of Zorro and began to circle around as if to pounce on him when . . .


when Vobble stepped in front of the little owl "This is my friend, Zorro the mouse."


The little owl was jargogled (old new word again). "Your friend? Why, he looks like a meal to me."


"I'm telling you, if you eat this mouse you will feel Crapulous (old new word), and never want to eat a mouse again" And besides, this one is likely to be quite tough."


The little owl gave Zorro and the owlets the stink-eye and flew off, not wanting to battle Vobble for a tough old mouse.


"Well, we got rid of that guy, what's next?" Zorro stood tall and ready for whatever came his way.


They heard Snowbell calling to them, "Are you ready to return and tell me what you've learned about Youthland?"


Zorro and the owlets magically appeared before Snowbell, and were relieved to be rescued from Youthland. Vinky spoke up first, "I learned . . .


being a kid all the time can be fun, but you kinda need grown-ups too."


Vobble piped up and said, "I learned that they don't have a CC's here! I wanna go home!"


Zorro said, "I agree! Take us home."


Snowbell said, "Fine. I guess the lessons I have to teach are wasted on all of you. To CC's it is."


In the blink of an eye, they all found themselves sitting around a table at CC's with full platters of Crystal cookies, Gingerbread Kids, and an assortment Ageless (instead of Aged) cheeses.


When he finally came up for air, Zorro asked, "So what is all this youth stuff about anyway? You gutz are kids. Why do you need a crystal that makes you young?"


Vobble said, "I don't wanna grow up. I wanna stay a kid."


Zorro said, "Listen kid, let me tell you what I've learned . . . "


Zorro said, "You are only as young or old as you feel and think. You can be old at 3 or young at 83. You just have to 'think' it."


Vobble thought about that for a second or two. "I guess you're right, Zorro, but it's scary to think about getting older."


Zorro continued, "All the baby owlets will come to you for advice. You will be considered the wise one, and I know you'll enjoy being their hero and mentor.


"I guess youre right, Zorro. I guess I just need to think about it some more. But right now, I'm gonna concentrate on this food."


They all moved their focus from Youthland to the food in front of them. A long time went by before any of them came up for air. When they did, they found they were so full, they could hardly breathe.


They each made their way home, slowly. Zorro kinda rolled on his round belly. The owlets flew, but only in short little hops from resting place to resting place.


Vinky and Vobble settled into the owl box, their tummies stuffed full of good stuff from CC's. Vobble looked around him. "Vinky?" he asked. "How old are we?"


Vinky thought for a moment and said, "You know, Vobble. I don't really know. For some reason, time here in the owl box moves at a different pace from the rest of the world. Why, sometimes, it feels like a months go by in the blink of an eye and then other times it feels like a day can last weeks.


I think we'll just go with what Zorro said. "We're only as old as we feel."


Vobble thought for a moment and then answered, "Well, right now, I feel like a little bitty baby. My tummy's full, I'm happy and warm and I want a nap! (And, I'm not gonna grow up, no matter what!)"


The End