A thick coat of snow swathed
the forest, clinging to the branches of pine trees and hiding the lush grasses
of summer beneath pale dunes. A distraught squirrel poked his head out of the
hollow in his tree to peer at the moon.
“Moon, hello, Moon! May I have your attention please?”
asked Squirrel. “Please, I need your advice. You see all, know all; surely you
can help me in my time of need.”
Moon ignored the
squirrel, but his pleas only grew more insistent, until finally she was forced
to take interest in his affairs. “Little squirrel, why do you beg for my
attention?”
Excited now, the squirrel launched back into his hollow
and reappeared a frenzied moment later holding an aluminum can between his
paws.
“What a curious creature
you are. Why do you own such a trite item?”
“I was out
scavenging for acorns, when suddenly I noticed a glimmer hidden beneath a pile
of oak leaves. It was this can. Look how it gleams in your light! It’s so
splendid, yet I don’t know what to do with it.”
“Surely, it is not too great a burden. I’m sure it looks
lovely next to your acorns.”
Squirrel nervously chattered his teeth. “Um, well, er. I
never collected acorns, only cans and caps and coins. All of it, stashed away
in my hollow.”
Moon went dark as storm clouds swirled before her face. “How
foolish of you, for without acorns, you shall surely die this winter.”
“I know, I know. But these treasures are so splendid. I
simply couldn’t stop myself. I had to make them mine. So now I ask for your
help. Please, convince the sun to melt away winter, so that I may collect the
acorns hidden beneath the snow.”
A great gust of wind blasted the pale dunes, churning it
like an enraged ocean. “Little squirrel, look what your greed for all the wrong
things has brought you, nothing but your own demise. I cannot, shall not, will
not help you in your time of need, for you have brought this fate upon
yourself.” And with that, clouds obscured the moon completely.
No comments:
Post a Comment