He looked to his right.
He looked to his left.
He sallied forth.
The little gnome strode through the forest with a confident step.
First he stopped to check his moss garden.
Then he stopped to explore a rotting birch log.
He pretended it was a wild forest horse, and rode it for a little while.
Then he crawled up the log, to see how high he could go.
He stood up tentatively, holding onto a small tree.
Even though gnomes live underground in cozy burrows, they love to climb, too.
Then off he went again.
Gnomes in a hurry are a blur of movement.
But mostly, they like to take their time and look at everything.
This little gnome likes sticks. He loves using his stick to whack at everything,
to poke at things on the forest floor,
to wave as he walks,
to steady himself as he climbs rocks,
to explore little holes in the ground,
to knock leaves off trees,
and to use as a walking stick.
When he discovered one of my cameras in the woods,
the little gnome hurried home.
He popped back down into his burrow, and in a flash, he was gone.
Old trees of the forest, what magic secrets you conceal.
Copyright 2009, Beth Curtin.
