Archive for November 25, 2008

Cherie the thrasher yawned and stretched her wings.  She had just woke up after an odd night’s sleep in her home underneath the bushes that lined the back wall of what used to be Gord the polar bear’s home.  Cherie shook her head, as much to try and figure out the dream that had haunted her seemingly all night as in an effort to dismiss the early morning cobwebs.

The dream had started off innocuously enough.  In fact, it had started with of all things her peacefully asleep in her home.  Then, she awoke with a start at the sound of a voice she knew well.

“Cherie.”

She looked down.  There, standing in the middle of what was once her friend’s home was Alec, the old arctic fox she and Gord had often visited at night when the polar bear lived beneath there.  He had moved what seemed like forever ago to a different zoo.  Cherie would fly over and visit him sometimes in his beautiful new home. But there was no place there for her to live, so she stayed put.

Cherie never begrudged Gord his good fortune.  He deserved a place in the new zoo.  Still, she missed having him around.  No one had moved into his home, which suited her just fine.  There could be only one silly polar bear.

So why was Alec here in Gord’s old home?  He could barely walk, and his home was on the other side of the zoo.  It must have been a long, painful journey for him to make.  Cherie was about to ask him about this when the fox again spoke.

“Cherie.  Who lives here?”

Now this was a peculiar question, especially for one as wise as Alec.   The thrasher for a moment thought this might be a trick question.  However, she had never known Alec to speak in riddles.  With a bit of caution in her voice she replied, “No one lives here, Alec.”

The fox smiled a little.  “Aren’t you forgetting someone?”

Cherie thought about it for a minute, then realized her mistake.  “Well, no one other than me.”

“And who once lived here?”

The caution was replaced by a touch of melancholy.  “Gord.”

“Then he lives here as well.”

A puzzled thrasher replied, “But Alec… Gord moved a long time ago.  He’s at another zoo now.”

Alec smiled again. “Was he happy here?”

“I guess.  He always seemed to be.”

“Then he lives here.”

A now thoroughly confused Cherie cocked her head a little, not sure what to say.

Once more Alec smiled.  “One lives only where their heart is, Cherie.”

“So you’re saying because Gord was happy here, he lives here.”

“Quite so.”

“That doesn’t mean he actually lives here, Alec.”

Yet again Alec smiled, only this time he said nothing.  And with that, the dream ended.

Cherie sat and thought about the dream.  It all seemed so peculiar, Alec insisting that Gord lived here despite his having been gone for a long time.  Yet even with this fresh in her mind, out of habit she walked over to the wall’s edge and peered down into…

… Gord’s eyes.

Cherie was so startled she almost hurt herself on a branch as she jumped back.  Slowly she crept over to the edge and looked again.  No, she had not been seeing things.  There was Gord, sitting there smiling and looking up at her as he had done so many mornings before he left.

They both sat there for a moment.  Then in the quiet low voice she knew so well the polar bear said, “Why, Cherie.  Aren’t you going to say good morning?”

“But… but… am I still dreaming?”

“Why, no, Cherie.  Since I am quite awake, it goes to reason you are as well, given that we’re talking to each other.”

“But… but… you’re here!“

Gord chuckled.  “Apparently so.”

“How… why…”

Gord reached out with one of his front paws.  Cherie understood what this meant.  She hopped down and landed on the paw so Gord to talk to her face to face, or as he referred to it snout to beak.

“My dear Cherie.  I was quite content living here with you and Alec and all my friends.  But when the chance came to move to a different zoo, why, I had to see what it was about.”

Cherie nodded as God continued. “It was a lovely place.  The humans there were wonderful.  The other animals were quite nice.  It was an excellent place to live.  But it wasn’t home.”

The polar bear slowly moved his paw.   “Here… why, here I can come and go as I please, saying hello to everyone and talking about anything there is to talk about.  Here is where I met you, and all my friends.  Here… why, here is where my heart is.  And so I came back.   To stay.  If you don’t mind.”

Now it was Cherie’s turn to smile.  She stretched out and lightly tapped Gord’s nose with the tip of her beak.

“Silly polar bear.  Silly, silly polar bear.  I’m sorry you had to leave the other place.  But I’m glad you’re back.”

“Why, so am I, my friend.  So am I.”