Chapter 7

Chapter 7 The Chicken Squad rainbow ball came to a stop in a patch of overgrown grass in front of the post office. Sugar, Dirt, and Poppy scrambled out of the ball and onto their feet. "We're definitely in the right place," said Sugar. "How do you know?" asked Poppy. "That giant banner at the end of the block," said Sugar. WELCOME TO BEAR COUNTRY! "I also hear that Ra-Ra-Bum noise, don't you?" asked Sweetie from the yarn ball. "Sounds more like a rat-a-tat-tat, rat-a- tat-tat, rat-a-tat-tat to me," said Sugar. "I'd describe it more like a Ba-Ba-rum! BaBa- rum! Ba-ba-rum!" added Dirt.

"Not Ra-Ra-Bum, Ra-Ra-Bum?" asked Sugar. "It kind of has a nice beat!" said Poppy. "I SEE BARBARA!!" Sweetie yelled suddenly. "AND THERE'S A BEAR RIGHT BEHIND HER!" "Our Barbara?" asked Dirt. "YES!" said Sweetie. "The lady who takes care of us?" asked Sugar. "YES!!" answered Sweetie.

"Tall lady? Brown hair? Blue eyes?" asked Poppy. "YES, YES, YES!!!! Gardenia smell, lactose intolerant, Buffalo, etc.!!" yelled Sweetie. "And I see a bear!!!" "'Big, brown, snarly looking thing with claws'?" Sugar read from her notebook. The squad turned to see a big, brown, snarly bear marching their way and twirling a baton. "Does anybody think the twirling seems out of place for a bear emergency?" asked

Dirt. "Isn't it supposed to be headless?" asked Poppy. "BARBARA!" Sweetie tied the loose end of her yarn ball to a telephone pole, took a running leap, and rolled herself right across the street. When she got to the other side, she pulled the yarn as tightly as she could as the enormous brown bear came closer and closer and closer. Sweetie pulled the yarn even tighter and KERPLUNK!! The bear went down. "Ouch!!" cried the bear, quickly pulling off its own head. "Ah," said Sugar, looking at the giant bear costume head now lying on the ground. "That explains it." Ba-Ba-rum Ba-Ba-rum Ba-Ba-rum

Rat-a-tat-tat Rat-a-tat-tat Rat-a-tat-tat Ra-Ra-BUM! Ra-Ra-BUM! Ra-Ra-BUM!

"Is it just me, or does that marching band seem out of place for an evacuation too?" asked Poppy. Dirt picked a colorful flyer off the ground: Go, Grizzlies! Homecoming Parade! 9 a.m. Main Street "Sweetie was right," said Sugar. "We really should have read all those instructions before we started." "I've been trying to tell them all morning!" chirped a bird right above them. "I know you have, Eunice," said the second bird. "I know you have."