What's Important (Short Story)
"The current state of the world is appalling", Red said and scrunched her nose. "Everything is going to shit and nobody cares."
"That's a bit harsh, don't you think?" Acorn tilted his head and looked at Red disapprovingly. "It's not like you're doing anything to improve the current situation. You're just sitting here and complain."
"How can you say that? You know I'm going to protests each week! I'm changing something!"
"What have any of these protests ever achieved? They're just there so you can feel better. After a few weeks, nobody even remembers who turned up anymore. And after a few years, not even your great-grandchildren will remember."
"But we have to give them a better future!"
"Future. What even is future?" Acorn started pacing up and down. "If we're lucky, we survive this year and the one after. It's unlikely that we will survive a lot more than that. Maybe if we moved in with some humans ..."
"Are you kidding me? Not this again." Red raised up her bushy tail and stared at Acorn. "We'll not let ourselves be domesticated just to live a little bit longer. Look what it did with the dogs! The humans breed brother with sister until the offspring is completely broken. It's disgusting." @suesa
Acorn knew she was right. But each time he looked through the windows of the human's homes during winter, he wished he could be in there, in the warmth, avoiding all the snow. He was so sick of struggling to survive all the time. He wanted to live.
"At least I'd have sex", he mumbled.
"What did you say?" Red asked.
"Nothing, nothing. Just some random thoughts." The suspicious look she gave him made him uncomfortable. Politics. He should make her focus her attention on politics again. That would keep her talking for hours.
"By the way", he said, "Did you hear about the planned war on the street cats? Orange is rounding up participants to fight and arming them with rat poison, that's supposed to be put into the cat food bowls."
"Orange is an idiot! This will never work! She'll just get everyone killed!"
And her tirade on the stupidity of certain squirrels began, allowing Acorn to let his thoughts wander. To live in a warm house, cared for by humans who’d clean his fur and feed him well. Who’d supply him with females, willing to mate and totally uninterested in and even oblivious to the political struggles going on in the outside world? The pure bliss of this fantasy created a smile on his face.
He didn’t notice for several minutes, that Red had stopped talking and was now glaring at him. She knew he hadn’t been listening. He swallowed hard.
”Uhhhhm”, he said. ”Yea, you’re right. Orange should forget about her silly plans to poison the cats. This will only cause more trouble and won’t improve anything.”
”That wasn’t my question”, Red hissed. ”I had asked you if you’re finally ready to move out and find yourself a mate. I’m sick of sharing my nest with you. It’s time you leave. You’re not bringing anything useful to this shared space.”
”You sound like our mom.”
”Well, she was right. And I should have never let you move in with me.”
”You know what?”, Acorn sat up straight on his branch and looked his sister directly in the face. ”Fine. I’ll leave. I’ll move to the other side of this park and you’ll never have to see me again. Happy?”
”Very.”
And then she climbed up the tree, leaving him alone. He watched her, even after she hadn’t been visible anymore for some time. The realization that she wasn’t coming back for him hit him hard. Now he was really forced to find himself a new home.
”Well”, he said to himself, ”I should take this as an opportunity. The other side of the park is much more frequented by humans. Maybe some child will see me and try to take me home. And then they’ll take care of me, and feed me, and keep me warm.”
This outlook brightened his mood immediately and he started jumping from one branch to another, making his way through the park. In his mind, he could already see the trees there, more beautiful than the ones that provided shelter to his sister and mother. He could see the playing human children, all the leftover food the humans let lie around all the time. The thought made his mouth water.
Not far now, not far!
Sharp claws dug through his soft fur and caused him to scream. While he was lifted up in the air, he could taste blood.
The owl carried her prey to her nest, to feed her offspring.
Well not the the kind of family adoption the squirrel had in mind.Great write up @suesa
Hahaha, that ending :(
And: "not let ourselves be domesticated just to live a little bit longer." Please and thanks.
You shocked me! At first, I thought I was reading about cats. When I realized it was a squirrel it got snatched by an owl. I loved it :)
Oh, wow, didn't see that coming!
R.I.P. Acorn! What a tragic end you had.
Poor little dude. All he wanted was to betray the integrity of squirrel society in exchange for creature comforts! Was that too much to ask?
I wonder if Red would be saddened or relieved to hear the news...
Both. He's still her brother, but she was worried about what damage he might do.
This is the very first time I read something by you and I confess that I am quite impressed. It took me awhile to realize that it wasn't humans the protagonists of the story. Very well structured!
Great write-up, Suesa... As usual. I was expecting a direct answer to the question of 'What's Important', but I guess it's still up to us. I would say 'staying alive', but it sounds too indistinct, even to my own ears.
Anyways, great post!
The answer is "nothing, life will go unexpected ways"
a very interesting story
Nicely played. That ending was not what I was expecting. You did a nice job in showing several differing perspectives not only in a very short story, but with a first person POV.