Deep in the woods of the Seven Mountains, Baby Bigfoot was having a serious problem.

He was bored. Not regular bored. EXTREMELY bored.

Spring had come…and many of his forest friends, now out of hibernation, were away, foraging for food — and preparing for the hot summer ahead. 

B.B. had already raced squirrels. He already cannonballed into the Juniata River — twelve times. And he even tried teaching some raccoons how to line dance.

But now? Nothing.

Baby Bigfoot flopped dramatically onto a giant mossy rock and groaned. 

“I really need… an ADVENTURE,” he thought to himself. Just then…

WHOOSH!

A bright yellow butterfly floated past his nose. Baby Bigfoot blinked. The butterfly circled his shaggy head twice… then began floating down the mountain trail.

B.B. quickly arose to his feet and gave chase, smiling. 

The butterfly fluttered past trees… past streams… past hikers who dropped their trail mix in shock…

…and finally stopped at a big yellow building with butterflies soaring everywhere. 

There, he found a big sign that read: CENTRE CARE. 

Baby Bigfoot tilted his furry head. “What’s this place?” he thought to himself. 

He could hear laughter in the distance. And he could see people. LOTS of people. B.B. crouched behind a bush and peeked out. Wheelchairs lined the garden paths while the older folks laughed and chatted with their children and grandchildren. 

Then, a butterfly landed gently on his furry nose…just as a little girl spotted him.

“MOM!! THERE’S A BIGFOOT IN THE FLOWER BED!”

Everyone turned. Baby Bigfoot froze.

A resident named Martha smiled and waved him over. “Well don’t just stand in the bushes,” she laughed. “Come join us!” B.B. agreed. Martha gave him a hug while introducing Baby Bigfoot to her family.

Just then, another woman appeared. “Well, it’s not every day that we get to have a Baby Bigfoot visit our facility,” she said. “Hi, I’m Betsy, and I help to manage this place.” B.B. grinned from ear to ear, after his friendly, warm welcome. “You came on the right day,” Betsy said as she handed him a butterfly of his own to release. “When you’re done, we’ll go inside for some refreshments and meet some of the other residents.”

B.B. watched his butterfly soar away and began following Betsy towards the building. Before he could knock, the front doors slid open. And there stood a smiling resident named Mary, holding a deck of cards. “Well hello there,” she said calmly. “You’re taller than the bingo caller.”

Baby Bigfoot waved nervously. The whole building buzzed with excitement.

“THERE’S A BABY BIGFOOT IN THE LOBBY!” said another resident. Residents rolled around from every direction.  “Welcome to the spring bizarre,” Betsy told B.B.

Tables filled the hallways with crafts, baked goods, quilts, handmade decorations, and enough snacks to feed an entire family of sasquatches. One man named Frank brought an accordion for absolutely no reason.

Despite the endless photos and speculation on where he came from, Baby Bigfoot became an instant celebrity. He made his way down the hall slowly, greeting residents with a gentle wave and many ‘high fives’

They were happy to see him. And B.B. was happy to be there. With all of this excitement, he’d built up quite the appetite. 

Steve, a Centre Care employee, came by with big plate of brownies. Baby Bigfoot ate six of them. “Quality control,” he thought to himself as his belly started to hurt. 

Soon music started playing in the recreation room.

One resident taught Baby Bigfoot how to do the twist.
Another taught him the jitterbug.
Frank returned with the accordion and played the afternoon away. 

Before long, Baby Bigfoot was dancing through the hallways with residents laughing and clapping along.

Then, Betsy and Steve offered to take B.B. on a tour of the beautiful facility…and to meet some of the employees who care for the residents. 

 

Baby Bigfoot wandered into the laundry room. It was a huge mistake.

He tried helping fold towels… but accidentally launched a bedsheet into the air like a parachute.

WHOOMPH.

Suddenly he was tangled in blankets rolling across the floor like a giant furry burrito.

The workers laughed so hard, one of them snorted her water. Then B.B. discovered the washing machines. 

Round spinning windows.
Buttons.
Bubbles.

This was the greatest invention he had ever seen. Baby Bigfoot stared hypnotically at the spin cycle, watching the clothes go round and round…all while wearing three lost socks on his ears.

Next it was off to the Centre Care Kitchen. 

Which somehow went EVEN WORSE.

Baby Bigfoot offered to help bake cookies.  At first things went well.

Until he sneezed.

FWOOF.

Flour exploded EVERYWHERE.

The counters turned white. The cooks turned white. Baby Bigfoot gasped.

“You CREATED A FLOUR BLIZZARD,” the head chef said. Another cook laughed so hard she had to sit down.

Another handed Baby Bigfoot an apron that said: KISS THE COOK. B.B started stirring the chicken noodle soup simmering on the stove, until it splashed all over the place. 

“You cook exactly like my grandson,” said the chef. B.B. soon realized he belonged in a forest, not a shiny kitchen. 

As the afternoon wined down, Baby Bigfoot made one final trip around the building saying goodbye to his new friends. He sat outside with Betsy and Steve, watching butterflies drift through the evening air.

“And you thought adventures only happened in the woods,” Steve said. 

B.B. smiled.

“The best adventures happen with people, even those who care for you,” said Betsy. 

Baby Bigfoot thought about that for a long moment. Then he nodded, his heart full of love and emotion. 

B.B. quietly slipped one more brownie for his trip back home in the Seven Mountains. Betsy and Steve waved as he disappeared back into the forest. 

As nightfall came, Baby Bigfoot laid on a bed of leaves looking at the stars above, he thought about all of his new friends at Centre Care – and how growing older doesn’t mean you have to be alone.

As he drifted off to sleep, B.B. found himself thinking about those awesome brownies…and what next adventure might come his way.