"Maria! Maria!"
"Yes, Mother," Maria answered. "I am burying an acorn. I am outside."
Mrs. Squirrel looked out the window. "Wash your paws before you come in," she said. "Please hurry. I have something exciting to tell you."
Maria finished burying the acorn. She washed her paws. She took off her boots. She went inside to the kitchen.
"Yes, Mother," she said. "What do you have to tell me?"
"I have a letter from my sister," she said. "Do you remember Aunt Sally? She and Uncle Sam live in the Smoky Mountains National Park. They have a little girl about your age. Her name is Katie."
"I remember Katie," Maria said. "I remember Aunt Sally and Uncle Sam, too. They moved when I was just a little squirrel."
"Yes," Mrs. Squirrel said. "Well, Aunt Sally writes that Katie's birthday is the second week of April. Katie wants you to come visit her on her birthday. Aunt Sally would like for you to stay for the whole week."
"Oh, Mother!" Maria said. "Could I?"
"Yes," her mother said. "You could leave on Thursday, April 12, and come back on Thursday, April 19."