Jennifer Jessel and Marvin Meerkat's Awesome Adventure

Jennifer Jessel lives on Jackson Street. She loves jalapeno jam and always has it on jaffles with a big glass of jackfruit juice. She enjoys dancing, especially the jive and she often listens to jazz music.

She has a pet, a mild-tempered meerkat named Marvin. Marvin loves mangoes, mulberry muffins with marmalade, and mint chocolate. He likes morning naps, meditation and monkeying around.

Jennifer Jessel’s favorite season is fall. She loves watching the leaves fall, drinking hot chocolate, and baking pumpkin pie. She loves fall so much, in fact, that she decorates her house every fall. The truly terrific thing about Jennifer Jessel’s decorations is that they become alive. She also likes making a costume for Marvin Meerkat on fall decoration day.

On a fabulously fine Friday morning, Jennifer Jessel comes into the living room with an excitement that could only mean one thing. Marvin Meerkat looks up dazedly from his morning nap. She whirls over to the wide windows and pulls the colorful curtains open. “Fall has finally arrived, Marvin Meerkat. That means only one outstanding thing, my magnificent Marvin Meerkat, it is time,” she says with such enthusiasm that Marvin Meerkat fears her tight hair bun might become undone. He knows what it means. “Let’s see what mysteriously magical mask we can design for the one and only mischievous meerkat Marvin,” Jennifer Jessel laughs loudly as she twirls on tiptoes through the house to her crafty crafts room.

Although Marvin Meerkat is more than merry to be a meerkat, he also enjoys the one day of the year that he can be something else. He wonders what he will be this year. He hopes it would be something terrifically terrifying, like an angry alligator, a slimy snake, or an enormous elephant.

Jennifer Jessel comes bursting from her colorful crafts room like a cannonball leaving a cannon while carrying a large lopsided box. She throws it on the dining room table and a cloud of dust fills the space around her for a moment. A couple of clouded coughs later Marvin Meerkat joins Jennifer Jessel at the table. She gives her pet a nice nod as she opens the big box. Both of them peer into the box with gleeful grace only to feel the dang of disappointment. Orange. That’s all there is, the color orange. The inside of the box looks like a pumpkin patch. “Oh, dittity doo, Marvin Meerkat,” Jennifer Jessel says in a soft voice,” looks like you’ll be something orange this year.” Marvin Meerkat, being a good meerkat, doesn’t show his concern, but inside he is conflicted and confused.

What good has ever come from the color orange?

Jennifer Jessel places her glasses on her nose’s edge and eyes Marvin Meerkat thoughtfully. “Ah-ha, Marvin Meerkat,” she says cheerfully clapping her hands happily,” I know what will look great on you.” She gets started. Shards of orange paper fly past her head like bees coming out of a hive. Jennifer Jessel harmoniously hums to herself. Finally she holds it up. “My miniature Marvin Meerkat, look!” She proudly displays a jazzy jack-o’-lantern costume. Being a good little meerkat, Marvin nods his head.

Jennifer Jessel puts the jack-o’-lantern costume on Marvin Meerkat and the most magical thing happens. Marvin starts to turn into a pumpkin. His small and skinny body becomes full and round, so round in fact, that he begins to roll around the room while laughing lively. Jennifer Jessel claps her hands and cheers as Marvin Meerkat turns corners, chases over the carpets, and twirls around her feet. The only problem Jennifer Jessel can see is that Marvin Meerkat is too busy as a jack-o’-lantern. He is rolling all over the place and that’s just no good.

Taking the costume off and deep in thought, Jennifer Jessel jumps back into her costume designing mission. She smiles sweetly as she shows Marvin Meerkat her new masterpiece, a goldfish costume.

Marvin Meerkat has never given being a fish much thought, but now that he is a fish he can tell you, it’s not wonderful. Being stuck in water with a memory of a few seconds and unable to speak seems like a dull life to Marvin Meerkat. Watching her new goldfish swimming in the small cup Jennifer Jessel also feels that fish are no fun, so off comes the costume and onwards with the adventure!

Next Marvin Meerkat is turned into a tiger, a terrifying troublesome tiger. He roars loudly and feels more alive than ever before. The big cats have so much fun. He pounces on the sofas, and lets out a roar so loud that Jennifer Jessel’s glasses fall from her nose in fright. Marvin Meerkat feels sad now seeing his owner so scared of him. Being a tiger isn’t fun if she can’t share it with him. He shakes his big tiger head and she takes the costume off smiling warmly at her meerkat.

Jennifer Jessel thinks hard for a moment before swiftly snapping her fingers. She has an idea that she knows Marvin Meerkat will love. She starts cutting and folding so fast while singing happily. After only a minute or two, she holds up the most perfect costume that Marvin Meerkat has ever seen. It is a small robin costume. “Today you take to the sky, my majestic Marvin,” Jennifer Jessel says as she puts the costume on. Marvin Meerkat has never been able to fly in the sky before. This is a good and glorious gift! Marvin Meerkat starts out with short flights around the room getting used to the feeling of flight while singing a happy little tune. After some time, Jennifer Jessel opens the door and says, “Now, my musical Marvin, take to the skies and see all the beauty outside.” Marvin Meerkat flies out of the house and flies up as high in the sky as he dares. Jennifer Jessel runs behind him laughing loudly. Marvin sees the world outside the house as he never has before. It’s perfectly perfect.

Jennifer Jessel and Marvin Meerkat have an awesome afternoon. Marvin Meerkat flies and flies until his wings become stiff. Now he knows what it feels like to see the world from above. While Jennifer Jessel makes her fall decorations, Marvin Meerkat is ready for a nap, and he knows he will dream of his airborne afternoon as a radiant robin.