Squirrel

    
     Today as I was driving back home I saw a squirrel in the middle of the road.  Not like the one that we all recall from the ad where one squirrel challenges the other to cross the road and the other dares to cross the road in front of the speeding car, and safely crosses the road, and high fives the squirrel as if teasing the driver.  It might have been the same situation , only this time, he didn't manage to make it to the other side.  It lay still in the middle of the road upside down with it bushy tail laying flat showing the red intestine as it popped out of its stomach.   I wanted to stop my van and carry the poor thing to the sidewalk.  But I just couldn't bring myself to press the break.  Before I could think of anything, I crossed the dead squirrel making sure that the wheels of my van didn't go over it. It was just a glance but was enough to upset me and question the whole concept of life and death.  
   Suddenly, I remembered the squirrel of my backyard.  I drove fast to my house, I parked my van in the driveway in a hurry.  Took my keys and rushed to the door.  Unlocking it I went straight to my backyard.  There was no squirrel.  I looked at the gigantic oak tree.  I started scanning each branch, under the leaves...  Nothing.  Now my heart started racing.  It was the same squirrel I was complaining about the whole last summer.  I would put seeds for the birds in the feeder and this sneaky squirrel would wait for me to go inside and would slowly reach for the feeder and finish the seeds.  Not only that, it would pluck my tender vegetable and scurry to the top of the tree.  It ate all my tomatoes, eggplant flower and even capsicum!  Except bitter gourd he liked every thing from the already drought stricken vegetable garden.  It looked really healthy and in fact it started looking like a ground hog.  It would climb down the oak and go to my tomato plant, hold the tender branch with small green tomato bunch and pull it down.  To be honest, it looked quite cute balancing on his two feet with his fluffy tail curled up as it plucked the tender green tomatoes and then rush back up to the tall tree.  I caught this brat red handed a lot of times but then he was agile and by the time I ran out it would be in it's safe ground.  Anyways, that was last summer.  I had already forgiven him, and in winter I made sure that I put out bird seeds for this naughty squirrel.
    Now the situation was different. I wanted to check on him and I couldn't find him.  I was getting more and more worried .  Looking for the squirrel,  I started walking towards the tree.  I bend to my side to get a clear view from where I stood. No movement.   I started panicking.  "Squirrel" "Hello" "Are you there?" I started whispering slowly as I didn't want to scare the squirrel. As fear started seeping in, I started circling around the trunk of the big oak carefully looking and making sure that I didn't miss any place under the leaves. I started feeling a certain overpowering fright inside of me.  "Where did the squirrel go?" "Maybe it was the same squirrel that I saw on the road earlier." "Maybe he died."  I was getting disappointed and was feeling as if the whole world has ended.  My hopes were diminishing and I started feeling gloomy and frustrated.  I slowly started walking back to the door thinking that  every living thing has to die.  One cannot escape from his or her fate.  The ultimate goal of every soul is to be free from its bodily form.  I reached my backyard door and with a heavy heart looked back at the big oak tree.  And voila! I couldn't believe what I saw! I was relieved and so happy that a big smile crossed my face. I saw my squirrel running from my vegetable garden and climbing up the tree!  I never thought I would be this happy to see the squirrel stealing vegetables from my garden!  

(google image)