This is the entry page to 10 short stories to tell kids before they sleep.

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In the tent of TinCup the chief of Bannock Shoshones, his little daughter PondLilly , was complaining about "why do we need to make pennicam of nuts and berries it was so much work to knead and dry the little cakes. And her whole summer of fun was ruined she had to pick the berries and nuts every day. And today she also had to help make the smokey venison from the deer her father had brought back from the forest". TinCup picked up his little daughter into his arms then went over to the fire, he sat down. His wife LittleBird gave him a wink as he gave his daughter a hug and set her upon his knee. "Let us be as chiefs in council and speak of such things", he said. "Would you like to hear the story of little Lester?" Her little pig tails bobbed as she nodded and they watched her mother kneading the berries and cracked nuts together as she sang quietly to herself.

Lester was an orphan his family had been killed all on one day by the mighty Bruno the Bobcat. Lester was a brown squirrel and just a small one. In fact he was the runt of the litter the tiny baby squirrel of his family that is how he came to survived Bruno, he had run out on to the tiny branches where Bruno could not get to him. Lester survived because the branches were two small to support the weight of Bruno's body. Bruno had fallen and been hurt when he hit the ground. Lester had run away deep into the forest to get away from where Bruno lived and he was now into a strange part of the forest with lots of large trees. The forest floor was dark and the trees tall with much shade. Lester however found the forest floor full of nuts from the chestnuts, acorns, and pine nuts that had fallen from the large trees. This was a food paradise for Lester and he started to eat right away but watching carefully. While he was eating he saw another squirrel scamper along the forest floor. He came over and introduced by himself in the squirrel fashion by rubbing noses as Willey. Willey was an old squirrel and his coat had turned gray under his brown fur. They dined on succulent chestnuts and Willey listened while they ate and Lester talked. Lester told him about his sad tale and how he had just escaped being eaten. Soon both were filled of sweet nut meats. Willey said come along little Lester I will show you an old wood pecker home you can make for a fine home of your own. So Lester bound forward toward the nearest tree but turned when he saw the Willey was gathering a good large nut within his mouth. He came back and said I thought you were going to show me a new home. Willey put the nut down and said you better find an emergency nut for when the white blankets come. I know you have not lived when the white blankets come. Your mother and father would have taught you had they lived, but you need to be prepared for sometimes the whiteness comes early and sometimes late but it always comes. So I always carry an emergency nut back to my home and my treasure holds to store for when there is no nuts to be found because of the white blankets. If you have to hunt in the white blankets for nuts you be easy to eat by Bruno or his kind for they live every where, even here, and you can not run far enough away from them. The secret is however that Bruno and his kind will not catch you high in the trees and with sweet meats stored in your home you can keep away from him safely. So Lester picked the largest nut he could carry in his mouth and followed Willey who gathered his nut and off he scampered. Soon they found a great tall tree Willey led the way to where he came large hollowed out knot in the tree trunk and this was Willey's home. He asked Lester to wait in his little parlor while he hid his emergency nut away from even Lester. Willey disappeared and run up the trunk of the tree to another branch far above his home and disappeared. Lester saw that the little home was stuffed with nuts even the furniture was made of them. He heard Willey returning and Willey said pointing to another great tree next to door. He said that tree can be your home just above this spot is an old woodpecker home that I used when I was small but would be just right for you. See how this branch and that great branch of that tree almost touch we can run over from here. So off they scampered and it was a bit scary making the small jump but even with the nut in his mouth Lester made it easily. Sure enough up higher in the tree Lester was shown the woodpecker hole that became his home. In fact there were many wood pecker smaller holes he could see in the tree above. Willey said they would used to be his treasure holds but the had moved to the other tree and had not kept them stocked but Lester could hide his nuts for the white time there. Willey then went on to explain the white time was over 3 moons and Lester would need one nut for every day between the moons. There was no way he could carry that many nuts so high all at once but if he set aside one nut every time he came home Lester could if he made many trips per day when he ate he could slowly put aside enough of the nuts to last the white time. So Lester cleaned the nice little home out of dust, old nut shells, spiders, and bugs. He placed his nut along the back wall and run down to the forest floor when he got there he found Willey eating and selecting a emergency nut. So it was he always took just one nut back each time he ate. He soon filled his little room and started filling the other small rooms all up and down the trunk. Lester liked living here in his little home and this is how he lived for two whole moons until one day he got up to go to the floor when he heard Willey chatter out a warning, there below on the forest floor was Bruno he was looking up trying to see where the two squirrels were. Lester stayed hidden in his little house for sure. After a while Bruno went away but Willey said do not go to the forest floor today eat one of your emergency nuts today and eat only what you need. The next day both Willey and Lester were very cautious and ran to the forest floor quickly gathering a nut to eat and bringing them quickly back up to the safety of there hidden homes. After a while they could tell that Bruno had not come back so they could eat once again on the forest floor. So it went until the leaves where almost all gone from the trees and the weather was cold. One day the air was white the whiteness had come. Lester ate his little nuts and slept for many days. One morning there was bright sunshine but still cold and the world was covered with a white blanket. He talked with Willey but the branches were slippery and cold. Willey said look below there in the white snow were the tracks of the cat Bruno and they could see he had circled each of their trees. Bruno must have returned many times while they had slept and the white blanket was made. Little one said Willey stay very still inside your home and Bruno cannot find you. Always check before you go out to your treasure holds that he is not near, the white blanket will help you because you can see him easily. You must be cautious for if he sees you he will climb up and we both must scurry away to safety but away from our precious nuts we need to get through the white time. So Lester and Willey spent the winter months sleeping and eating the nuts full of moist meat. Bruno checked back often but never found their little homes and went off to hunt in another part of the forest. But he little treasures of nuts saved their lives and kept them happy year after year even when the cold winter times came or when danger came.

"So it is all creatures have times of plenty and times of scarceness and must be prepared for such times". Continued TinCup, "When there is little or no food and when they cannot get enough to eat. By storing a little each day for those days they can survive during winter or danger. We take and make the little cakes of nuts and berries in the clay jars to eat this winter and the venison we smoke and eat when there is no or little food we can make soup for our little fire pot." PondLilly said "Oh, I see father, let me help mother", and off she went, TinCup took out his knife and started slicing thin slices of venison to be placed on the drying racks over the fire.