The hawk plunged straight out of the sun. I was on my back, scratching an itch against the concrete. I watch with curiosity as the shadow grew from a small spot on my furry belly, rapidly growing and taking shape. It was funny at first, and I spread my arms and legs lazily.
At first I thought, how funny that some suicidal sparrow was barreling towards me. I smile, as much as a cat can, and had this silly fantasy of simply opening my big mug and swollowing the pour bird whole. It was every predator's ultimate dream. Problem was, I wasn't the predator this time, I was the prey!
I rolled to one side at the last instant. The hawk, as terrifying and large as he was, was stunning and impressive. The instant before rolling away I spied the supreme focus in those piercing green eyes. The sheer speed of his plunge was fantastic. Those terrific piercing sharp claws opened wide. Just as I moved the claws scraped the ground where I had been only a moment before. He was already turning, his wings pounding the air to drag him skyward again. The rush of wind from those mighty wings knocked me sideways off my feet.
Fear flooded through me. It blocked any clear thought, and had my body fighting itself in a desperate rush to survive. from the corner of my eye I could already see the hawk turning for another pass. His wings opened wide, seeming to span the courtyard, as he turned sharply in mid flight. Along the far wall the squirrels and mouse dove for the cover of several nearby flower pots.
I was trapped, with only one small sliver of hope. Several black metal patio chairs were stacked at the far end of the patio. The were turned from the wall offering the only available protection. It wasn't much, but it was the only hope I had. In the window Smudge watched helpless. Our eyes met and I could see she wanted to come to my aid. I shook my head, and felt there was no sense in both of us meeting with ultimate tragedy. Behind me the hawk was completing its turn, and the relative safety of the chairs seemed farther away than ever!
My claws were useless on the concrete, and only succeeded in costing me valuable time. The hawk beat his wings once, the tips almost touching the green grass of the court yard. the sound was like thunder. My heart raced madly. If felt the seconds remaining in my cruelly young life tick away. My ears fell back as I reached of the chairs. I could feel the hawk bearing down. I didn't dare chance a look back.
Showing posts with label education. Show all posts
Showing posts with label education. Show all posts
Friday, March 12, 2010
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Mouse7
The mouse drew a small pair of eyeglasses from his fur and laid them across his pointed nose. His whiskers twitched once or twice, mulling over a thought.It was quite an odd scene, as you can well imagine!
“Let’s review our options in overcoming our, shall we say, impasse.
“As I see things,” I said, “A, I eat you or B, I don’t. Honestly, I’m leaning heavily towards B right now.”
“A simplified way of things,” said the mouse, smugly. “What I would expect from a creature of below average faculties, but let’s not quibble. As you have stated, that is indeed the conundrum.”
“Should I be insulted?” I was thinking that I could simply lean across and, with little difficulty, swallow him whole.
“Never mind.” He waved a tiny little paw. “Rather, let’s examine the pros and cons of each option, shall we?”
“Continue.”
“So you decide to eat me. What is to be gained from that?”
“You’re delicious?”
“Your opinion.”
“Shall I call Smudge,” I smirked, “and we’ll have a vote?”
The mouse looked down his long nose in a scolding sort of way, then continued. “So I am eaten, swallowed and gone. The pro, from your limited perspective is lunch. But what are the cons?”
“Can’t really see any, I’ll be honest.”
The mouse frowned, pacing back and forth in a deliberative manner. “Try and keep up with my keener intellect, my raccoon-tailed predatory friend.”
Again with the insults, I fumed. He may have been stating a strong case, but he sure wasn’t helping it much. Still, I was enjoying this. I loved the role of hunter, feeling as though I was king of the world. As the mouse spoke my thoughts drifted, where I was both feared and honored by all the little creatures of the world. I was, however, still smarting from the insult, and all but ready to put an end to all this.
“I’ll try,” I replied, indignant, “to wrap my mind around your superior rodent brilliance!”
“All I can ask.” The little fellow didn’t miss a beat.
“Go on.”
“The game!” he exclaimed.
“The game?” I asked.
“The game. That’s what we risk.”
“Don’t follow.” I cocked my head. From the corner of one eye I could see Smudge throw back her head in disgust.
“Imagine that one day all the mice came you nd that you could eat everyone of them?”
“Oh, like a big mouse buffet?”
“But then what?”
“A nap?”
“No, my granite headed companion. Then the game is over. It’s about the chase, not the conquest. Like a fine meal…”
“Which would be you,” I winked, a bit cruelly. It wouldn’t be fair to let the mouse’s shots at me go by without some sort of satisfaction, short of making him a quick snack. That was, however, still a looming possibility.
“Indeed!” he scoffed. “No, don’t you see? I am the hunted and you the hunter. It defines you, but without me what are you? You would be a fat cat on a shelf, slurping down Friskies without any purpose in the world.”
“Not hearing the bad part yet,” I said, though I kind of got what he was saying.
“Here’s the deal. You let me go and I promise to run across the patio. Now and then I let you catch me, bat me around a bit. Look at reality, bub, we aren’t in the jungle. This is civilization, and we should be bound to civilized behavior while celebrating our nature. Do we have a deal?”
I sighed heavily. I wished more time to think all this through, but for now I was willing to give the little guy the benefit of his good arguments, to say nothing of his spirit. Little did I know what it would mean for me in the days to come. I held out a paw and he touched it with his. Like gentlemen we shook on the deal.
“Go with Mother Earth, little friend,” I said. With that he turned and scampered away across the lawn. At the door Smudge could only shake her head in disappointment.
“Let’s review our options in overcoming our, shall we say, impasse.
“As I see things,” I said, “A, I eat you or B, I don’t. Honestly, I’m leaning heavily towards B right now.”
“A simplified way of things,” said the mouse, smugly. “What I would expect from a creature of below average faculties, but let’s not quibble. As you have stated, that is indeed the conundrum.”
“Should I be insulted?” I was thinking that I could simply lean across and, with little difficulty, swallow him whole.
“Never mind.” He waved a tiny little paw. “Rather, let’s examine the pros and cons of each option, shall we?”
“Continue.”
“So you decide to eat me. What is to be gained from that?”
“You’re delicious?”
“Your opinion.”
“Shall I call Smudge,” I smirked, “and we’ll have a vote?”
The mouse looked down his long nose in a scolding sort of way, then continued. “So I am eaten, swallowed and gone. The pro, from your limited perspective is lunch. But what are the cons?”
“Can’t really see any, I’ll be honest.”
The mouse frowned, pacing back and forth in a deliberative manner. “Try and keep up with my keener intellect, my raccoon-tailed predatory friend.”
Again with the insults, I fumed. He may have been stating a strong case, but he sure wasn’t helping it much. Still, I was enjoying this. I loved the role of hunter, feeling as though I was king of the world. As the mouse spoke my thoughts drifted, where I was both feared and honored by all the little creatures of the world. I was, however, still smarting from the insult, and all but ready to put an end to all this.
“I’ll try,” I replied, indignant, “to wrap my mind around your superior rodent brilliance!”
“All I can ask.” The little fellow didn’t miss a beat.
“Go on.”
“The game!” he exclaimed.
“The game?” I asked.
“The game. That’s what we risk.”
“Don’t follow.” I cocked my head. From the corner of one eye I could see Smudge throw back her head in disgust.
“Imagine that one day all the mice came you nd that you could eat everyone of them?”
“Oh, like a big mouse buffet?”
“But then what?”
“A nap?”
“No, my granite headed companion. Then the game is over. It’s about the chase, not the conquest. Like a fine meal…”
“Which would be you,” I winked, a bit cruelly. It wouldn’t be fair to let the mouse’s shots at me go by without some sort of satisfaction, short of making him a quick snack. That was, however, still a looming possibility.
“Indeed!” he scoffed. “No, don’t you see? I am the hunted and you the hunter. It defines you, but without me what are you? You would be a fat cat on a shelf, slurping down Friskies without any purpose in the world.”
“Not hearing the bad part yet,” I said, though I kind of got what he was saying.
“Here’s the deal. You let me go and I promise to run across the patio. Now and then I let you catch me, bat me around a bit. Look at reality, bub, we aren’t in the jungle. This is civilization, and we should be bound to civilized behavior while celebrating our nature. Do we have a deal?”
I sighed heavily. I wished more time to think all this through, but for now I was willing to give the little guy the benefit of his good arguments, to say nothing of his spirit. Little did I know what it would mean for me in the days to come. I held out a paw and he touched it with his. Like gentlemen we shook on the deal.
“Go with Mother Earth, little friend,” I said. With that he turned and scampered away across the lawn. At the door Smudge could only shake her head in disappointment.
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