Sophie Marmot and her two daughters,Nikki and Zoe, had moved into a large new burrow at the beginning of last summer. It was at the edge of the woods near some large rocks. She had wanted to burrow toward the woods, but the Homeowners Association (HOA) had said that burrows could not be pointed in that direction. Maurice, the head of the HOA, gave Sophie a binder full of rules regarding what she could and couldn’t do with her property.

Regardless of the restrictions, Sophie and the girls loved their new home. The door was well-hidden under a rock, and there was plenty of space for living and sleeping. They happily settled into hibernation in October and passed the winter peacefully. As they slowly began to come out of hibernation, they were startled awake by a loud pounding.

Zoe: Mama, what is that?

Nikki: It sounds like it’s coming right into the burrow.

Sophie: Don’t worry. I’m sure we’re safe in here. It just sounds very loud.

They huddled together and waited for the noise to stop. Suddenly, with a loud bang, a rod came through the ceiling of the tunnel. It barely missed Nikki. She screamed.

Sophie: That’s enough. I’m going outside to see what is going on.

Zoe: We’re coming too. I’m afraid they won’t miss us if they do that again.

They quietly crawled along the tunnel until they reached the door. Sunlight was streaming into the tunnel.

Nikki: Where’s our rock, Mama? Did a badger try to get in to eat us?

Zoe: Or a wolf or a coyote?

Sophie: Don’t worry girls. I’m sure we were much too far in the tunnel for anyone to come hunting for us.

They cautiously crept out of the tunnel and looked around. There were beavers everywhere, working on what appeared to be a large building. Sophie walked up to one of them and asked who was in charge. He pointed at two beavers talking to each other at the edge of the woods.

Sophie: Excuse me, the beaver said that you are in charge of what is going on? Who are you?

Beaver: My name is Jacques, and this is my brother Marcel. We own J&M Builders.

Zoe: I know you. I’ve seen you on AniGram. You have those, “We build til you’re thrilled” videos.

Marcel: Yep, That’s us.

Zoe: Why are you here?

Jacques: We’re building a clubhouse for the Marmot Meadows subdivision.

Sophie: Why are you building it on top of our burrow? You almost killed us.

Jacques: Sorry, Ma’am. We’re just following orders.

Sophie: Who hired you?

Jacques: Let me check. It looks like the paperwork was signed by Maurice Dupree. Do you know anyone by that name?

Sophie: Yes. He’s the idiot who told me I had to dig my burrow here. You can’t put a building over my burrow.

Jacques: I think you need to take it up with Mr. Dupree. We can’t make any changes unless he tells us to stop what we’re doing.

Sophie walked away chittering to herself. She was so angry, she almost ran into a large black bear.

Sophie: I’m very sorry. Please forgive me.

Bear: Not a problem. I’m Rafael. Are you a marmot by chance?

Sophie: Yes I am. Why do you ask?

Rafael: I’m looking for a Marmot named Maurice. Do you know where I might find him?

Sophie: I’m looking for him myself. He seems to have authorized those beavers to put their building up over my burrow.

They had reached Maurice’s door. Sophie knocked, and Maurice came to the door.

Maurice: Rafael! Good to see you. How are things going?

Rafael: Can’t complain. I just wanted to thank you for moving your clubhouse away from our den. I’m sure it will be a lot quieter at our end of the woods now.

Sophie: On the other hand, I’m here to complain. Your clubhouse is going to be directly over my burrow. The girls and I aren’t going to get any sleep. And they put a pole right through our dining room. It’s not safe.

Maurice: Sophie, dear. Just let them finish. I’m sure it won’t be as bad as you expect. The rest of us hibernate at the same time you do. You won’t be disturbed at all.

Sophie: I paid a lot for that spot. I should be able to enjoy it.

Maurice: Perhaps you didn’t read the special assessment you signed last fall. It said that we would be building a clubhouse for all members and it would be centrally located. There really isn’t anything I can do for you.

Sophie was furious, but she walked off.

Next week: Can Sophie get her privacy back?

Pictures courtesy of Google Images.