So small, so fast

This past week I read a mystery in which a murderer set out a small wind-up toy on a path, a toy that distracted the victim. When the victim looked down to try and find this fast-moving little toy the murderer jumped, mashed the victims head into the ground, pounded her to death. Nice image.

I'm walking along a path in Riverside Park and notice movement. My brain registers "Sparrow", - but wait, too tiny, too fast. Oh boy, a wren, a winter wren. There's no way to get close to a wren. They scoot. And they are miniscule. There were lots of dead leaves and crevices, -bug heaven under the leaves and in the tree roots. I got as close as I could and stood still, -Click, click, click, click. The wren did its thing finding delicious morsels and I did my thing, blend into scenery and try and get pictures. Suddenly I felt weight on my shoes. I looked down. Sitting ON my shoes were two squirrels and the rest of me was surrounded by the 72nd street mob of mangy squirrels. I wanted the wren to stay, didn't want to make a sound. I moved my feet. The squirrels got off my shoes, but not for long. Now there was a triple conflict- keep wren nearby and get pictures or shoo off squirrels or laugh aloud.

Eventually the wren flew off. I yelled, "No!", which the squirrels totally ignored, so I handed out some nuts which gave me the opportunity to scoot, except for one squirrel who would have followed me home had I not handed over a handful of nuts. So.... same scenario as in the murder mystery, diversion- the wren, the attackers- the squirrel mob. They are one gutsy bunch.

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