What Is the Secret Code?

Papi Otter teaches his daughter about strangers with the help of some friends.

Once there was a little girl Otter, and her Papi took her to the market one day.

There were fruits and vegetables and sticks and rocks and nuts and people and sounds and smells. It was wonderful. They even had a little playground.

While her Papi was looking over some fish, the little Otter girl decided she wanted to go play in the little playground.

“Papi,” she asked. “Can I go play in the little playground?”

“Sure, sweetie,” he said.

“By myself?” she asked as sweetly as she could.

“Well, OK,” he said to her. “But let’s talk about something first.”

He sat her down at a bench.

“You are old enough to go play by yourself,” said Papi Otter. “But I want to tell you about the secret code.”

Her eyes opened up wide.

“Secret code?” she yelled, then looked around and put her hands on her mouth. “Secret code?” she whispered.

“Yes,” said Papi. “Here’s what I want you to remember: if anyone comes over to you while you are playing and says to come with them, you ask them: ‘WHAT IS THE SECRET CODE?’”

“Oh, wow,” she said excitedly.

“And only then will you know that I sent them to get you or go with them or something. You can trust the person who knows the secret code,” explained Papi. “If they don’t know the code, you scream as loud as you can and run away screaming.”

“Neat,” she said. “Papi?”

“Yes?” said Papi.

“What IS the secret code?” she asked him.

“Well, you can pick it,” said Papi. “And tell it only to me.”

She thought about it for a moment, and then leaned in to tell Papi in his ear.

“COWIE!” she whispered.

“OK,” said Papi. “Go on and play.”

She skipped off toward the playground. After only a few minutes, she came back. She was sweaty and out of breath.

“Papi,” she asked. “No one has come and asked me to go with them.”

“Well,” said Papi. “That’s a good thing. You know, it probably won’t ever happen that I need to use the secret code.”

“Oh,” she said, and skipped back to the playground.

Just then, Skunk walked up to Papi.

“Hello Otter,” said Skunk.

“Hey, Skunk,” said Papi. “It’s good to see you.”

“Same here,” said Skunk. “You here with your daughter?”

“Yes, I am,” said Papi. “Hey, would you mind helping me out with something?”

“Sure,” said Skunk. “What’s up?”

“OK,” said Papi as he pulled out an alligator mask from his back pocket. “Put this mask on and go find my little girl. She’s in the playground. Ask her to come with you, say I told you to get her.”

“OK,” said Alligator…I mean Skunk. And he walked over to the playground.

“Hello little girl,” he said to Little Girl Otter. “Your Papi said to come with me.”

Little Girl Otter’s face got serious.

“WHAT IS THE SECRET CODE?” she said very loudly.

“Uh,” skunk looked around for Papi Otter. “I don’t know.”

And the little girl otter started screaming and screaming and running around and making crazy faces and flapping her arms all over the place.

Papi Otter came running up to her.

“OK, OK sweetie, quiet down. It’s OK. You did good.”

“He didn’t know the code,” she said hugging her Papi.

“You did good,” said Papi.

“Can I keep playing?” she asked.

“Sure,” said Papi. “Go ahead.”

Papi thanked Skunk, who was not sure what had just happened.

Just then, Rabbit hopped up.

“Hello, Otter,” said Rabbit.

“Hello, Rabbit,” said Papi. “How are you today?”

“Oh, fine, fine,” said Rabbit. “Thing are great.” Hey, was that your little girl I heard screaming like a crazy otter?”

“Yes it was,” said Papi. “I’m trying to teach her about strangers.”

“Oh, really?” said Rabbit. “Can I help?”

“Sure,” said Papi with a smile. “Here, take this Gorilla mask and go find my little girl. Tell her that I asked you to get her for me.”

Rabbit put on the mask and hopped over to the playground.

“Hello little otter,” said Rabbit as he spotted Little Girl Otter. “Your Papi told me to get you and come with me.”

Little Girl Otter stood straight up and said loudly, “WHAT IS THE SECRET CODE?”

“Oh,” said Gorilla…I mean Rabbit. “Sticky Claws!”

And the little girl otter started screaming and screaming and running around and making crazy faces and flapping her arms all over the place.

Papi Otter came running up to her.

“OK, OK sweetie, quiet down. It’s OK. You did good.”

“He didn’t know the code,” she said hugging her Papi.

“You did good,” said Papi.

“Can I keep playing?” she asked.

“Sure,” said Papi. “Go ahead.”

Papi thanked Rabbit, who was politely, but quickly leaving the area. He was a bit embarrassed.

Just then, Bear walked up behind Papi Otter.

Papi Otter sniffed the air.

“I’d know that smell anywhere,” said Papi Otter turning around to greet him. “Bear, what’s up, man?”

“Hey Otter,” said Bear. “Whatchadoin’?

“Oh,” said Papi. “Just teaching my little girl about strangers.”

“That’s fun,” said Bear. “Can I help?”

“Sure,” said Otter. “Go find my little girl in the playground and tell her to come with you. Tell her I sent you. She’s going to ask you a question, and you tell her “COWIE”.

Well, as it turns out, Wolf had been watching the whole thing, and was listening intently for Papi Otter to reveal what the secret code was, because he was hungry. And he just happened to have a bear mask in his back pocket.

So once he heard Papi Otter say the secret code, he got up quickly, strapped on his mask and walked over to find Little Girl Otter.

Bear and Papi Otter were still talking, so Wolf thought he had a few moments.

Wolf walked up to Little Girl Otter, put his hand on her shoulder and spun her around.

“Hello, Little Girl Otter,” he said quickly. “Your Papi asked me to come and get you, so you need to come with me, and hurry.”

Little Girl Otter stiffened and got very serious.

“WHAT IS THE SECRET CODE?” she said loudly.

“COWIE!” said the Wolf. “Now let’s go, we’ve got to hurry.”

“Oh,” she said.

Little Girl Otter stood on her tippy-toes and looked around for her Papi, but she couldn’t see him.

“OK,” she said hesitantly. “Let me get my shoes on, I left them at the slide.”

“No time for that,” said Wolf excitedly, and he grabbed her tightly and turned to leave.

Little Girl Otter knew Bear. He had been over to Otter’s house often to cookouts and family nights, but something was wrong with him.

She didn’t let him take her. She dug her heels in the ground.

“Bear, you smell different,” said Little Girl Otter.

“Come on,” said Bear…I mean, Wolf. ”We don’t have time for this.”

“No, really,” said Little Girl Otter. “You smell like Squirrel and Lamb, not fish and berries.”

“Well, maybe you are coming down with a cold or something and your smeller is off,” said Wolf.

“No, I can smell fine,” she said. “What did you eat for breakfast?”

Wolf was getting very anxious. His tail was twitching like crazy.

“Oh, I don’t know,” he said, trying to look like he was trying to remember what he had eaten for breakfast. “I had some, uh, fish and, uh, some berries, yeah, berries.”

“Really, what color were the berries?” said Little Girl Otter.

“What color?” asked Wolf. “White. Now let’s go.”

Now Little Girl Otter was certain something was wrong.

“Do you mean Mistletoe?” she asked. “Did you eat Mistletoe berries?”

“Yes, yes, that’s it,” he said angrily now, but he didn’t even know what Mistletoe was. “Enough questions! Get your shoes. Hurry up.”

“But Mistletoe is poisonous,” she said as she wiggled out of his grip.

Wolf, realizing he had been found out, decided to try to grab her and make a run for it, but just as he lunged for her, Bear grabbed him by the ears.

Bear just happened to have finished talking to Papi Otter and had come over to find Little Girl Otter.

“What’s going on here,” said Bear smelling with his large nose. “Wolf, what are you doing with a bear mask on?”

Little Girl Otter hid behind the slide. Just then, Papi Otter grabbed her and hugged her tightly. He had followed Bear and was planning on hiding behind the slide to watch, and grabbed her as soon as he realized what was going on.

“I’m so sorry sweetheart,” he said to her. “I sent Bear, but that’s not bear.”

“I know it’s not Bear, but who is it?” asked Little Girl Otter.

Just then, Bear grabbed Wolf by the ears to take him outside, and Wolf’s mask fell off.

“I’ll take care of him,” said Bear as he carried Wolf out of sight.

“Papi, how did he know the secret code?” asked Little Girl Otter.

“I was careless, and I didn’t realize who was listening when I told Bear,” said Papi Otter. “We’ll have to pick another secret code.”

“OK,” she said. “I don’t want to play anymore. Can we pick a secret code on the walk back home?”

“Sure,” said Papi Otter. “Let’s go.”

Papi Otter took his daughter’s hand and they left the market.

“What is Bear going to do with him?” asked Little Girl Otter.

“I don’t know,” said Papi Otter. “I don’t know.”

The End