A simple story of [NATURE]

He took a step, sniffing the air, and a leaf crunched beneath his foot. He stood stock still, and became invisible to all except the most keen of observers, which after a few moments he soon discerned that there were none.

He twitched his fluffy tail. It was a habit of their kind, a sign to kin that all was clear. They had a language in their tails, one known only to them, because in a world where vocalization could be deadly, they spoke through body language. Talking was reserved for danger. It was the way, taught to them by the trees.

He hopped several times, then leaped, gaining a grasp on a large Oak trunk. The Oak sighed through the breeze rustling it's leaves, and he climbed upwards, towards safety. The trees protected them.

He found purchase on a thick branch, and climbed outwards to survey the world around him. There were Humans on the ground below. The tree told him it was a park, a word he had learned to mean relative safety. He watched them, curious, his tail flicking as they moved. His tail told the story to any watching him, the number of people, where they were moving to, and most of all, anything dangerous. He scurried to the end of the branch, and out of room, he leaped through the air to catch a limb on a nearby Maple. Finding safety in it's bounds, he listened to the tree. It told him where the fresh peanuts were, brought by the picnicking humans. His belly growled, and he scampered through the tree, downwards, to find the feast the Maple told him about.

Wary, tail twitching, his nose caught scent of the food he loved the most. It made him brave, and riven by hunger, he left the safety of the tree and hopped across the picnic grounds. A human family was there, three total, mother, father, and a small child of eight. The eight year old girl spotted him, and squealed in delight, and he froze.

He contemplated leaping back towards his tree, but she held out peanuts, and tossed a few more on the ground ahead of her.

He swooned. He could taste them already. His hunger overwhelmed him, and twitching his tail, he edged closer.

"Don't scare him," the mother said softly, "maybe he'll get close enough to watch him eat." The father watched, remaining silent, knowing his harsh voice would scare the gentle squirrel away.

"Here, squirrelly, here's some yummy nuts for you." The young girl dropped her handful of nuts on the ground, and retreated the ten steps back to the picnic table with her mother, and sat down.

The family watched the squirrel warily approach, then snatch a nut from the ground, sitting upwards, and eating it. The young girl shifted on her bench, excited. The squirrel took several more nuts, stuffed them in it's mouth, and took off quickly towards the Maple, wary of the girl, leaving the family smiling.

The language of the squirrel . Imho squirrels are the keepers of the trees. Nice you included the tree/squirrel communication aspect in your story, seems like a given doesn't it. S&F

reply to post by Iamschist


Thank you for the flag.

I wanted to make it a bit longer, but then also wanted to throw in meeting the humans. I have always thought squirrels are unique.

reply to post by Druid42


This is the one story that has made me think, ohhh, I suck!

You are an excellent writer. One of the problems I am having in writing these short stories is that I feel I am rushing the story rather than telling one. You have just proven to me to keep it small, and not to attempt to tell too much. It appears the only way to keep the heart in the story.

very very nice... S&F

reply to post by OpinionatedB


Practice makes perfect. I am my own worst critic, and really didn't do this one justice.

However, they are just words. Nothing more, nothing less. Honestly, length is not a major factor of quality, but detail is.

Thanks for the flag. I have more ideas running through my head, so this is far from my last entry.

reply to post by Druid42


Nicely done, Druid You really take us into the squirrel's skin and awareness. The squirrel is smarter than we give it credit for, and senses beyond our ken. The squirrel's whole day is feeding and staying alive, and it has to identify all the threats and measure them against the gain. Good job!