Charley the Capybara

I did say that the next blog was to be about cars, etc., but unbeknownst to you reading this, I also write children's bedtime stories. I clicked on this one by mistake as I was about to write my new one, so what the heck.

As Monty Python used to say, 'And now for something completely different.'

A friend of mine asked if I could write a story about a Capybara, so I did. Hope you enjoy it. Next time... Cars and things.

Far to the north of England are a set of islands called the Shetland Islands. They are cold, windy, and often wet in the summer time, and cold, dark, and often covered in snow in the winter. Many of the islands can only be reached by boat, and they are very different from where most people live.

However, the people who live there are very happy with the wild beauty of the islands and would not live anywhere else. On one of the smaller islands, there was a big old stone house, and in that house lived an old lady called May.

May had been born in the house and lived there all her life, and when her mum and dad had finally passed away, May had inherited the house and the big old car that her dad had bought many years ago.

The old house did not have electricity or the internet, but May did not mind as she had a big fire, gas lights, candles, and oil lamps for the dark winter nights. May did have a radio that used batteries, so she could listen to it if she wanted to.

May's husband had been killed in the war, so she never had any children, but she had gotten used to living on her own. One summer's day, when it was not raining or windy, there was a knock at her door.

May did not have many visitors and was very surprised to find it was her nephew, Phillip, whom she had not seen for many years.

Phillip was a pilot, and unlike May, he traveled the world. May asked him in and noticed that he had a large box with him. After they sat down for a cup of tea, Phillip explained why he was there and what was in the box.

'Aunty, I wish I could get to see you more often, but I am so busy flying planes, I don't have the time. But I worry about you being alone and I hope you can help me out as I have a problem.'

'The thing is that when I was in South America, I found a small creature by the side of the road who needed help. At that time, I was living there, so took care of him. He is a Capybara, and very friendly, but now my job makes me move all over the place, and I need to find a lovely home for him. I hope you will take him in? He has all his injections and, like people, he had to have a passport so he could travel here.'

May did not know what to say, so Phillip let the Capybara out of the box. As soon as May saw him, she fell in love with him.

'I shall call him Charley,' she said, 'and I will take great care of him.'

Phillip then explained all about how to look after Charley, what he liked to eat, etc.

Now, most people will not have seen a Capybara, but they look a bit like a Beaver without the tail and are considered by many experts to be the most friendly animal on the planet. They are peaceful and quiet.

Later that day, Phillip had to leave, and Charley set out to explore the house. May knew that Charley had come from a hot country and was worried that he would not like the cold, dark winter. So, the next day, she put Charley in her big old car and drove into the local village to see what she could do to keep Charley warm in the winter.

Charley loved going in the car; he put his feet on the dashboard and looked at everything that went past. When they got to the village, everyone wanted to know what this strange creature was, and he soon became a favorite with everyone as he was so cute.

May found the person she was looking for, and the man said he would get her a generator for her house so she could have electric heating, televisions, as well as the internet.

Already, Charley had changed May's life for the better. Within a week, the work had been done, and the house had electric lights and heating. Charley had a bed by the fire at night, even though the house was warm now, and as the dark nights of winter drew in, he and May would sit together on the old sofa, watching the new television.

The highlight of the week was the draw for the lottery, and every week Charley and May drove into the village to buy their EuroMillions lottery ticket.

The first week that Charley had arrived, May had won £5, so she was sure Charley was a lucky omen. After the first week, May was convinced that Charley would bring her luck, so she noted silly things that Charley did and wrote them down. If he was hungry in the afternoon, May would write down the time, 2:45, and use the number 2 and 45. Once May had enough numbers, they drove on their weekly shopping trip and bought a EuroMillions ticket.

They never got one number, but as some people do, every week May put the numbers on, even though they never won anything.

About a year later, on a cold, dark winter's night, when a very bad storm was lashing the house with rain and sleet, May and Charley were cuddled up on the sofa, watching television. After the news, the results of the EuroMillions lottery came on.

This was the high point of the week for May and Charley as they hoped to get more than three numbers, just for fun. But the numbers came up. One after one, May checked them off. The numbers finished. May stroked Charley and said, "Oh Charley, we have won the jackpot, £200,000,000 pounds."

Charley, who did not know about the lottery, just cuddled up to May and went to sleep. The next day, the storm had gone, and May had phoned the people in charge of the lottery to let them know she had the winning ticket.

Within a few hours, helicopters were landing near her house with newsmen who wanted to make a story for the newspapers about the biggest lottery win ever. They asked May so many questions. 'How did you get the numbers?' May told them it was because of Charley. 'What kind of animal is that, where did you get him from, who gave him to you, are they lucky pets?' and all the other silly questions that people from the paper ask just to make a story.

Luckily, another helicopter landed, which had some people who run the lottery, and their job is to give advice to winners and take care of them. The first thing they said was no more questions from the news people and closed the door. The news people were not happy, but gave up and got in their helicopter and went away.

May asked the people from the lottery into her house, and after she had made them all a

cup of tea, they asked her about how she had got the numbers.

May told them all about Charley and showed them the book she kept with silly things that Charley did. One of the men from the lottery looked through the book and found the page for the week they had won. They were amazed.

May told them how Charley had come into her life and how her life had changed, and how he had been a friend to her. May did not care about the money, but now she could buy everything that Charley needed and make him more comfortable. She also said that she wanted to give a lot of the money to help people who were not as lucky as her.

The people from the lottery people stayed for a few hours, and then, as it was now getting dark, they said they would come back the next day with a lot of money for May and that Charley had won a place in the lottery hall of fame as the only Capybara ever to win the lottery.

May was so happy that she and Charley danced around the room. Then May made a big fire, and they sat and watched the television with Charley's big ears on the top of his head, twitching from side to side as he listened to everything.

The next day, after the money people had come and gone, May and Charley went for a drive into the local town to see what they could buy.

They went to the pet shop first and got Charley everything he needed and even some things he did not need, like a large goldfish tank that he could swim in if he wanted to.

May also bought Charley a new bed and some toys. The pet shop was full of people and children who wanted to see Charley. They asked May all kinds of questions, and she loved telling them the story about Charley and the lottery.

Next, May and Charley went to the supermarket. May bought a lot of food and the best of everything. Charley had his own seat in the trolley, and everyone in the shop wanted to know about him and the lottery.

After the shopping, they went to the car park and loaded everything into the car. Just as they were leaving, a man in a big car came over and said, 'Excuse me, madam, could I ask you a question?'

May said, 'Yes, of course, what would you like to know?'

The man said, 'I am from the television station, and we have heard about your win and would like to make a story about you and Charley.'

May said that would be fine, so they made arrangements for the next week, and the man went away happy.

May and Charley got home, and the rest of the week was spent on the telephone talking to people and making arrangements. As it was now summertime, Charley loved lying in the sun and playing in his big goldfish tank. When he was tired, he would go and sit with May on the grass and watch the world go by.

The next week, the television people came and made a big story about May and Charley. The show was called 'The Lady and the Capybara.' It was a big hit, and everyone loved it.

May got letters from all over the world asking about her and Charley. May answered all the letters and sent signed photographs of Charley to the children.

May also started getting letters from charities asking for money, so she spoke to the people from the lottery and set up a foundation to help people who needed it. May had a nice life with Charley, and her days were filled with things to do.

She never cared about money and was always happy to give to those in need. Charley was famous and loved all over the world, and he was even asked to be in a film. May and Charley were happy for many years, and then, one day, Charley died in his sleep.

May was heartbroken. Charley had been the best friend she ever had. The people from the lottery and the television people were sad too, as they had all fallen in love with Charley. A few weeks later, there was a memorial service for Charley, and many people came.

May did not know how much she missed Charley until he was gone. May said that she wanted to be buried with Charley when her time came. A large stone was put up with a picture of Charley and May, and people came from all over to see the stone.

May said that she was happy to have known Charley and that he had made her life so much better. She said she was glad to have had the chance to make other people happy, and she was not scared of dying.

May passed away a few years later, and she got her wish to be buried with Charley. The people from the lottery made sure that everything was taken care of, and they put a picture of Charley and May on the stone.

The people from the lottery said that they had never met anyone like May, and they were happy to have known her. They said that she was one of a kind, and they would never forget her.

May and Charley were remembered for many years, and the people who visited the stone said that they could feel the love between May and Charley. The story of the lady and the Capybara was told to many people, and it became a legend.

And that is the story of May and Charley, who were happy together and brought joy to many people's lives. May they rest in peace.