The Rifle (In Process)

In a wintry landscape of forests and meadows, one after another, wild creatures spy a man approaching in the distance, carrying a long, dark, heavy object. He is wearing an orange coat, and on several occasions the man stops and peers through a pair of binoculars. Believing him to be a hunter with a very large rifle, they each imagine what would happen if the man were to catch up with them.

The graceful Feeler Deer envisions his noble head on a wall, while the wispy Squeasel sees himself as a fur stole around a woman’s neck. From the Winter Cicada to the Catamount, a series of potential tragic fates are conjured. The man continues his pursuit and moves closer. Fearful for their lives, the creatures flee.

At last, the man returns to his cabin, having never fired his rifle or harmed anyone.The creatures are perplexed by his behavior, and cannot resist the urge to follow him and discover what he is up to. What they see through his window both surprises them, and puts their minds at ease.