Thunder Buys The Ol' General Store

                                                      

           Thunder hung around at Casey's Ol' General Store as he always did.  Casey was an old goat who

needed to sale the store and move on with his life.  So, he offered Thunder Senior the store for a grand

$500.000 saying, "After all, Thunder you are here quite a bit of the time.  I might add you build up 

business by being here too!  What I'm offering you is really a steal.  Baah!

          Thunder just smiled and grabbed his debit card paying Casey $500,001 for the store.  Thunder 

drank a root beer as they signed the contract.  (His sons Thunder & Lightening signed as witnesses.)

Lightening made a record of all this for the Big Woods Gazett.

            Most of the Big Woods was at the store at the time of the sale.  Nevertheless, Thunder still put 

up a under new ownership sign.  Even though the Wise Old Owl suggested a New Owner's Sale. 

Thunder figured the President's Day Sale would be enough.  After all the President's Day Sale would

last for a week.  So, the Wise Old Owl went back to sucking on his Lolly Pop.   Thunder Sr went on to 

say," Same Low Prices, Same Friendly Faces, Only the Owner Changes.  As for the old goat Casey he 

says he is moving to Florida to retire."

              One day the whole gang was at Thunder's General Store, at which time Thunder Jr came in all

upset.  So, Timothy the Church Mouse put down his soda, and asked him what was wrong.  After all 

what could bother a famous therapist?  To which Thunder Junior said, "I was just at a symposium to 

earn CEU's where they were pushing ideas by some knight by the name of Eccles, who stated that only 

men could evolve, animals could not.  He then went on to talk about time and millions of years Before 

Present.' "

              Timothy Church Mouse drank his soda in silence, and then said, "Well I suppose I'd be upset as

well, if someone said, a servant of God, such as myself, could not evolve to the point I had."

               There was a moment of silence as Thunder Senior swept the floor.  Thunder Sr. then broke 

the silence by saying, "It sounds like humankind propaganda to me.  If it was me, I would pay it no 

attention.  After all it is just one man's opinion, so do not let it upset you so much."

                The Wise Old Owl put a nickel down on the counter for a Lolly Pop which he started to put

into his mouth.  Then all of a sudden, a thought on the subject came to him.  So, the Wise Old Owl said,

"I believe the knight you're talking about is Sir John Eccles, who was the father of Biology (as we know

it) and definitely gave us the forefront on the knowledge on the final frontier, the Brain.  Even though 

the man wrote a few books (10 or 12?), he did not always have to be correct.  After all everyone has the 

right to be wrong.  Take carbon dating I know a chemist who believes that some things were just born 

old, and I suspect he may have a point."

                   Everyone looked oddly at the Wise Old Owl.  Thunder Senior then broke the silence by 

saying, "Don't look at me, after all the Wise Old Owl said it, and he is a Professor of Knowledge.

The final word on the subject is it is Closing Time."

                   Thunder turned the opened sign around so that it read Closed, and all the animals scattered 

out of the store.  Thunder Senior turned locked the door and left for home in his little red convertible.

Paul D. Eccles