The Man and the Squirrel

    A man retreated to the woods, far and deep, away from anything. On the edge of a large lake, he built himself a small and rudimentary shelter. He had a bow and arrows and searched the woods, but there were no animals to hunt. He fished every day and caught plenty of fish. He was completely alone. 

   One day, a movement caught his eye, and up in the trees surrounding his cabin, he saw a small black squirrel, jumping from branch to branch and eyeing him with curiosity. He got his bow and shot at the squirrel but missed. The animal vanished and he lost that arrow. He shrugged it off. There is not much meat on a squirrel anyway.

    But a few days later, the squirrel was back again, chattering away. This time the man didn’t move. If he could tame the squirrel, it would be much easier to shoot it, should the man ever need the meat.

    And so it began, the strange friendship. The squirrel came regularly, always curious, always chattering. And so deep is the human need for connection, that the man started to look forward to the visits, and started to bond with this little companion, the only other living creature on the lake shore. They would spend about an hour in each other’s company, the squirrel chatting away, quick and agile, while the man did his chores or simply relaxed by his fire. Then the squirrel would vanish into the trees again. Sometimes, the man wished it would stay longer.

    The warm days passed. Fall came and went. Winter started. The air grew very cold, the snow fell and eventually, the lake froze. When it did, the fish seem to move away. The man caught fewer, then none at all. He opened many holes in the ice, to no avail. The fish were gone. The man grew hungry. Then he grew weak. He faced starvation.

    Eventually, he got his bow and shot the black squirrel. It was easy, for the animal was no longer afraid of him. He ate him. And then he cried. He felt terribly guilty. He had earned the trust of the small creature only to betray it in the worst way possible: to kill him and eat him. He regretted what he had done. He missed his little friend.

    He looked up at the bare trees, longing to see the little back shape, jumping from branch to branch, greeting him with chirps. But the trees were empty and silent. He was completely alone.

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