An Ideal World *
~ by Hénock Gugsa ~
[On a serenely peaceful wintry landscape, a lone bear encounters a lone wolf!]
“Are you lost?” asked Bear.
“No, I’m not lost. Are you?” asked Wolf.
“No, I’m not lost. I’m out for a walk to feel the cold on my face, and to enjoy the quiet of the woods when it snows. What are you doing?”
“I’m out for a walk to feel the cold under my paws, and to listen to the crunching of the snow as I walk.”
“Do you want to walk with me?” asked Bear.
“Sure,” said Wolf.
And so they head into the woods furry side by furry side, wet nose near wet nose, aware that they are “both creatures made to be comfortable in the very cold.” They savor the splendor of this forest world they share, smelling “the wet bark on the trees,” listening to “the small sounds” of the snowflakes falling on their fur, looking closely at the multitude of shapes.
_____________________________________________________
* Source: extracted from Daniel Salmieri's "Bear and Wolf" by Maria Popova in the Marginalian.org
