Author: joshamman

Most human children chased Chakik or could not understand him. Neither was true of Grace.
Chakik meet Grace in the park where he lives with 41 other squirrels, 14 miles north of Detroit. It was a nice park where children played, lots of oak trees grew and a nearby house left out sunflower seeds and cashews.

When the squirrel and the girl first met, they both just sat on the grass and stared at each other. Neither moved a muscle, afraid of scaring the other off. Finally Grace said “hello”. “Chakik” said Chakik. Where most humans just heard a squirrel making squirrel sounds, Grace knew it was an introduction. She smiled and said “Grace.” “hello” said Chakik. Grace was called back to play by her friends and Chakik went back to burying acorns, neither giving any thought to what had just happened.

They had been swimming for several days now. Sometimes sewing an invisible thread of movement through the surface waves of the ocean, other times diving so deep that Chakik had lost track of all time and space. The were heading to the island where Fast Pile, the turtle, was born. The island didn’t have a name and Fast Pile had not told them much about it except that they were “almost there” the last time they saw him, which seemed like months ago to the squirrel.