Swaying

The floor was hard, wooden and full of imperfections. The windows were windows only in the fact that they were openings in a wall allowing you to look out or in. No glass, curtains or coverings of any kind were there. No way to keep the rain out, the leaves out or the animals out. I use to go there daily, enjoying the comfort and protection of those walls. That was before. I use to bring my food there and enjoy it in the coolness of the fall. Hiding from the cold winter, I would roll up among the rugs in the corner. The spring allowed me to bring the family and teach life lessons long into the afternoon. Now, I am forced to keep my distance. Forced to watch through the crude openings, I scowl with disdain.

The nerve of someone deciding they could just make this tree house their own. The nerve of someone deciding they could bring food into my tree house and just lay there swaying in the wonderful breeze. The hard floor should have sent him away. The leaves from days of wind and storms now gathered in the corners and covered the rug, my rug. True, I did not build it. I did however, find it and claim it. I made noises to keep others away but still this animal decided that he could enter my domain. I am the clever one, the one who can be here in seconds. I am the one who can climb up to get here or come down quickly from above. My nuts and seeds are hidden there. I took another look at this animal who took over my wooden castle. This animal had two legs and two other things that look like short legs. I am not sure he could even climb a tree very well. He was not covered with fur instead it was like he was wearing something that looked like my rug. His silly skin looked like my children's skin when they were first born. Hairless, pinkish and seemingly providing no protection. He did not even have a tail. My tail is gorgeous and fluffy. My tail helps me balance, stay warm and I wrap it around myself when I sleep. He just laid on his flat, tailless bottom.

I got closer and closer to the window. Looking him over from top to bottom I decided I did not like him. He did not ask me to use my house. He did not even knock when he entered it. I held an acorn close to my chest and debated whether or not I wanted to follow through with my plan. The wind was strong today. He could think it was chance that an acorn fell at the perfect angle to land inside the house. He could think it was a haunted tree house and he leave screaming and never return. I would enjoy that immensely. No, I did not feel like throwing this acorn was the smart thing to do. I was worried that it went against some hierarchy of nature, some pecking order. Hmm, pecking. I wished that I had a beak like a bird, I would peck him right on his big nose. I decided I would not throw it and turned away. Then before I could talk myself out of it I spun around and threw that little acorn through the window. I watched in wonderful horror as it flew straight at this two-legged animal's head. The sound was delightful. Thunk! It bounced off the forehead and then in a fantastic turn of events it hit him again on his belly.

I was delighted that I threw the nut and watched in surprise as he sat up making some strange noises and looked right at me. I looked back with my head tilted to the side. Did he think he was going to intimidate me? I think not. He was bigger than me but I was fast and this was my house. He stood. He was much, much bigger than me. He took a step closer to me and I opened my mouth making a loud noise that surprised even me. He looked confused. He picked up the acorn looking at it and then at me. He held it up and made some more noises at me. I wish I knew what he was saying. I imagined he was praising me for such good aim or scorning me for waking him during his summer nap. I did not care. I made another noise back at him. Then he did the one thing I did not expect him to do. I expected him to run, confused and terrified that the woods had come alive with acorn throwing animals. I at least expected him to attempt to shoo me away. Instead, this tall critter threw that acorn right back at me.

I turned my head and it hit me right between my ears and fell down to the grassy land below. I could be wrong but I am pretty sure that he was laughing. Laughing at me! No sir, this is not happening here in my house. I did the only thing I could. I launched my body through the window and landed right on his face. He screamed and swung at me but my tiny claws held on tight. This animal grabbed me with his short legs and tried to pull me off so I bit his nose. I bit hard with my nut cracking teeth and did not let go. He managed to get my claws out of his face but now as he spun around I held on to him by nothing but my teeth sunk into his nose. I eventually let go, not because he defeated me, rather because I was so elated by my attack that I let out a victory cry and flew down to the hard, wooden floor.

Satisfied that I was the victor, I jumped to the window and up the branch. Clutching his belly rug-type covering over his bloody nose, this animal climbed down his little ladder and went away. I told that story over and over with pride. I had defeated the tall animal who was so much bigger than I was. I curled into my rug and rested after a battle that was clearly one-sided. After a nap, I decided I would spend the rest of the day dragging twigs and nuts into the house so I could make a safe spot for my little ones to join me. We had out grown the hollowed out tree stump and I couldn't wait to show them the house I had won in a battle.

As I returned to the house with my first load, the animal was there! He was holding some things in his short legs. I just sat there stunned. He had some kind of bandage on his nose and I could see little marks where I had dug my nails into his face. I wondered if he had things to attack me with. I took the chance to see what would happen instead of turning and running away. He unrolled a couple more small rugs and spread them out in all of the corners of the small house. On each one, he sprinkled nuts, sunflower seeds and small little cookies. I was baffled. Was this a trick? A way to get me into the house so he could attack? I didn't trust this animal. He sat on the far side of the house with his back up against the wall. I think he was assuming I would go right in and gobble up his food. He was right. The cookies smelled wonderful and sunflower seeds are my favorite. I munched on the goodies and decided that instead of a trick, this was a white flag. He surrendered. Apparently, he did not attend to leave the house but I could handle having a tree housemate if he was going to provide tasty treats like these. As the sun began to set on the warm, summer day, I curled myself into a little ball around my full belly. The animal that I shared this tree house with laid a few feet away with a smile on his face. In the middle of the deep woods, a small tree house swayed in the breeze. Inside, a boy close to 14 and a small squirrel lay several feet away from each other. Each one feeling as though their day had been a grand adventure.