I paused and looked down, and there, half a foot from my feet, was a gopher poking his head out of a hole. He stared out into space the way my son used to when he was day-dreaming. He seemed completely unaware of my presence, till I crouched down slightly and asked him if he “was sick or something?”
He came to with a start, darted all the way out of his hole, and grabbed some grassy flowers. These he took back to the shelter of his doorway to munch on while looking up at me through tiny eyes.
The gopher must have realized his foolishness because suddenly he dropped backward into his hole, like a gunshot in reverse. For a moment I saw his brown fur lying still within the burrow–then he was gone.
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Nice illustration! Now I’m curious to know where you met him?
On a hike in California. Thanks for reading my blog! Glad you enjoyed it.
What a lovely tale! Apparently, you caught Mr. Gopher in the midst of his daydream. I wish he left a flower behind for you. 💛
Thank you! I have his flowers in my illustration. 😉
What a nice moment to capture. I bet the gopher told his friends about you too.
Ha ha! Maybe so. Thanks for commenting Bill!