Editor’s note: This brief item was inspired by true events as described by my niece. – KtE
Stella’s afternoon walk around the block was one of her absolute favorite times of the day since the red-haired human took her on a walk around the block. She waited by the door for the human to come home from the place that smelled like other humans and those things they called books she once destroyed. The older humans were mad, but she didn’t care.
When the red-haired human got home, she perked up her ears and woke up, trotted into the living room and found them waiting for her to come and go outside for the walk.
Stella looked forward to this walk because of the squirrel. This is what the red-haired human called it. All she could think about in those singular moments was this creature that smelled delicious and was technically in her territory. Instinct alone gave Stella reason enough to want to chase it down and make it a meal, but the fact the squirrel had posted itself on one of her favorite spots to pee was enough to justify her disdain.
The squirrel was around for this walk, she could smell it and wanted off this tether the red-haired human had her on before it could get to her spot. Maybe this was an opportunity for an ambush, and she would finally have her fat brown-furred foe within reach of claws and jaw to bring its reign of terror to an end.
Instead when she arrived, the little creature sat as stoic as Buddha right under the snow-covered branches, cracking open an acorn in its tiny jaw and stuffing the meat of the nut into its bulging jaws. Just as fat and happy as could be.
The red-haired human was saying something, but Stella couldn’t hear it over the barking. Her enemy remained out of reach as the human stood still and watched the scene play out once again. Stella finally sat down for a moment while the squirrel finished its meal and scampered up the tree to a nest somewhere up in the branches and the red-haired human complained “Come on! Come ON ALREADY!”
The scent from this spot was ruined as Stella sniffed the place on the tree where the other dogs left markers from around the neighborhood, so she left her own and finally was ready to finish the walk. She shook off new flakes of snow that fell on her ears and head and found a comfortable place to curl up inside as the freezing wind began to blow outside.
Then she fell asleep and dreamed of what might have happened if the showdown had been able to play out the way she wished, her legs kicked in her slumber as she ran down sidewalks in hot pursuit of her adversary. Tomorrow is another day, and the squirrel will be there again to taunt poor Stella once again from underneath the tree.
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