The groundhog that helped me

By Scout, age 9

One day, I was opening up my computer to go to school, as usual. Then I heard a noise. I live out in the country by the state park so I have a big backyard with a leaning tree. I went to check it out. Down by the roots, I saw a den. As I started investigating the den, out ran a little animal!  Instinctively, it ran without question. Then it stopped. I ran to go get my mom. I asked her what she thought it was. She said she thought it was a groundhog. Then I declared his name Fred. Sometimes we would leave out carrots and when we came to look, he was sitting outside his den eating them.

He could finish a small carrot in five seconds, flat. We never really bothered him too much, but we loved him.