Sunday, September 26, 2010

Greetings from a Chipmunk

The following is a short story of my encounter with a Chipmunk on Saturday, September 25, 2010.

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Two creatures meet at the site of a deep, gaping wound in the Earth.

I set down my bike, first intending to lash out at those who had done the damage to the forest. This is when a chipmunk came scurrying onto my bike and the felled trees my bike was propped against.

Forgetting the bag of peanuts normally in my lunch bag, I offered the only thing I could think of to quickly show the creature I meant no harm: a fragment of the sucker from my mouth.

The chipmunk seemed interested but hesistant. I offered my candy freely, not even knowing whether such a sophisticated creature would take such a paltry peace offering.

I don't blame the chipmunk for its reluctance to simply take what I offered as usually humans only offer non-humans death. But in this case, friendship seemed freely offered and freely received.

However, this exchange was fleeting. A human and his canine companion were walking towards us on the trail, which was enough to send my new friend back to his home. I can only hope for the day we meet again; and when this day comes I will be better prepared to offer him/her and any other new friends something more wholesome in exchange for their companionship.

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