Somewhere, sometime, either long ago or far in the future, there was a place very much like the place we are now but in many ways vastly different.
Into this place walked a stranger.
“Why are you walking?” someone asked.
“It’s good for my heart,” the stranger said.
“How long have you walked?” asked the someone. “And how far?”
“Oh, just the past couple of days, from the next town,” the stranger said.
“You could have made it in an hour.”
“Yes, but I wouldn’t have seen half of what I saw on the walk,” the stranger said. “Did you know there’s an old cabin by a stream just outside the next town? There are wildflowers all over the yard, but you can’t see any of it unless you stop at the bridge and look.
“And there’s a walking path nearby; turtles come out of the stream and cross the path to lay their eggs, and now tiny turtles are walking slowly back to the stream.
“A little farther on is an orchard alive with blossoms where apples will be growing later this summer. You might catch a glimpse of the blossoms as you race past in your vehicle, but you won’t smell them or hear the trees rustle in the breeze.
“I met a man walking the other way, and we stopped and talked about the sun and the moon and life and love before we went our opposite ways.
“And I saw a hawk perched on the welcome sign to this little town. We eyed each other for a bit, but when I said, ‘Hello,’ he flew off.”
“All well and good,” someone said. “What can we do for you, stranger?”
“Oh, nothing, really, I’m fine. Just walking.”
“Can I give you a ride somewhere?”
“No thanks,” the stranger said. “Like I said, this is better for my heart.”
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If you enjoyed this little bit of fluff, you might enjoy 96 more tiny tales in The Man Who Crossed Whimsy Avenue, a collection of flash fiction by your humble host.
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Here is episode 10 of the “See the World! Podcast,” daily readings from my forthcoming book See the World! It’s scheduled for release June 10 and available for pre-order by clicking the book’s title.
