Meditation in the Park

It's cold. Not blistering cold. Just a bit wet. Maybe I should get out of the river. No, wait, I think I see a goldfish. Hell yes, it's a goldfish! Okay, steady.. No sudden waddles. It's just waiting there. Waiting for me to eat it.. Slowly, steadily.. BLUUURBLE.

Hurkgobbleswallow.

Ah, yeah. That's the stuff. Okay, I think I'm going to head for shore now. It's been a good day - a goldfish and three dragonflies. I won't complain.

Huh, there's a human on the shore. It's just sitting there, poised on that rock. I'm not going near that. Augh, but there's no other place to get out of the water. Waitaminute. I think its eyes are closed. Okay, what if I just eke up real slowly and just sidle past it? Yeah, that might work.

Don't.. Make any noise.. No quacking, Ben. Just stay calm. Look at that, that other duck just sat right next to it. The human doesn't even notice. Maybe it's asleep. I didn't know humans could sleep crouched like that. What an intriguing species. I just like to sleep on my belly. Oh, dragonfly! Dragonfly..

Hurk! Gobble, swallow.

I spit the dragonfly out of my mouth and looked around the pond, dazed. My legs are asleep, my mind is washed.. It is close to dusk. Beside me sleeps a duck, in front of me another duck glances up. I slowly rise, stretch, and stare the duck in the eyes. It quacks. Then it swims away.