The Gallery: Animals 3
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Beth E Peterson
Text and Artwork:
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Pecan Rollerball Pen 2" x 2.5"
The short story, and these images, were inspired by a real visit I and my parents had made to Jekyll
Island, GA. I was fourteen at the time, and since I had grown up mostly with animals for company
(my siblings are much older than I am and the neighbors were few and far apart), I had learned to
imitate nearly every type of animal around me. LOL...this included squirrels.
Dash Rollerball 5" x 3" Anyway, as I was saying...we arrived at Jekyll Island on a trip. Nearly as soon as we had set up our travel trailer in its berth, the squirrels began to investigate us. Soon, they were even climbing the screen door of the trailer and peeking in, hoping for tidbits of food. Well, I know one is not supposed to feed the wildlife, but....we did sneak them a few nibbles. The day after we had arrived, I spent some time outside at a picnic bench which was part of our camping site. Almost as soon as I sat down with a book to read, squirrels began to appear at the edges of my vision. I kept still and watched out of the corners of my eyes as a few bold ones crept closer. One of them sat up on its haunches and chittered at me, so I chittered right back. Rofl...I can still see the tail-flicking consternation as the group of them dashed back to their respective trees to think about that one. But, eventually their curiosity won out. 
Excitement Rollerball 4" x 3" They had to see what on earth this human was doing, and most importantly, see if she had anything to share, food-wise. 
Peekin' Rollerball 4.5" x 3" They peeked around the tree trunks and through the leaves, and eventually found their way back to the picnic table. I sat still as a brave (or foolhardy) little fellow crept up closer and closer to me right on the top of the picnic table. I couldn't take it anymore...I quietly got up and went to the trailer, asking Mom for a bag of bread, the tail-end of a loaf. Mom grinned and gave me the bread bag, and I went back out towards the table. Somehow, everyone in the neighborhood already knew I had food for them. Squirrels came running, and several ran up my jeans, up my arms and a couple jumped up onto my head, only to be chased away by another squirrel that jumped out of a tree and onto my head. Well, that started a new trend, lol. I started pitching bread crumbs around me, to the delight of the squirrels. Buuttt...every party can have its gatecrashers and I soon had a flock of grackles swooping down like divebombers, picking off bread crumbs from out of the air as I tossed them. I felt like Dorothy in a fur&feather-whirlwind! What absolute fun!! Squirrels and grackles dashed about and around and on me as I threw the bread crumbs, as well as handing them to the ones bold enough to have jumped on me.
It is a memory I cherish, and Mom vows she has never seen or heard of anything like it. And the best part is, I didn't get pooped on. ~WEG~
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