Squirrelly Wrath

            There was a squirrel outside of the Thompson family’s house that had lived there for years.  They called it Squinty Squirrel, for obvious reasons. Squinty was quite territorial at first, running at the kids when they came out in the front yard to play. It even bit Lisa once when she was on the swing set.  Luckily, squirrels don’t really bite hard, and it barely broke skin.  Still, little Lisa and her brother, Jerry, were hesitant to go out for months after that.

            After years of dealing with a rage-filled squirrel in the front yard, Squinty seemed to calm down, even became friendly.  Mrs. Thompson joked that Squinty had finally forgiven them for moving in, and would accept them as friends now.  In Squinty’s old age, she rode on the kids’ shoulders rather than bit them. Things were much better.

            Squinty couldn’t be old for long, though. Squirrels are not well known for their long life spans, and Squinty wasn’t one to deviate from that standard.  Jerry found her on the Welcome mat one morning, dead as George Washington.  He and the rest of the family were shocked. They knew Squinty was going to die at some point, but that kind of thing never really seems real until it happens.

            Now there sits a little makeshift head stone in the Thompsons’ backyard. “Squinty” is scratched into it, and it will stay there for years to come.