The Acorn Collector
I had always liked my own company.
Ever since my grandmother passed away I’ve lived on my own. It’s not that I don’t like other people, I just prefer spending time on my own.
I’m not sure if I’ve always been a loner. I can’t really remember much of my childhood.
In her retirement my grandmother had moved permanently into my grandfather’s cabin in the woods in Vermont. I always thought she would sell it when he died, but I guess when it actually happened she wanted to go live somewhere that reminded her of him.
She herself had been dead now for five years….or was it ten? Time moves both slow and fast when you’re on your own.
I had moved up here to care for her toward the end, and after she passed chose to stay and live here.
I liked the peace and quiet.
I found nothing more relaxing than going for long walks in the early afternoon to gather acorns from the oak trees. An exercise that had no purpose other than to calm the soul. I would collect at least 3 baskets of acorns every day.
I rarely have visitors at the cabin. Last week a man from the electric company was out fixing some powerlines nearby, but that’s been the first visitor in…well….I don’t know but it feels like a long time.
“How can you live out here permanently? It’s 40 miles on a dirt track to the nearest grocery store!” he remarked to me.
I hadn’t really noticed I guess.
To me this was home, it was perfect.
I didn’t venture far from the house while walking, but today I would be going further than usual.
My grandfather used to take my grandmother camping on her birthday. They’d walk half a day into the woods and pitch a tent, have a fire, tell stories, drink wine then walk back the next day. I had made an annual tradition of going camping on her birthday.
It wasn’t quite the same alone, but then I liked my own company, and I did it as means of remembering two people I loved dearly.
I arrived at the campsite in the early afternoon and pitched the tent. I lay and my back and watched the sun set. Once the stars had come out I crawled into the tent and went to sleep.
I dreamed of acorns. I always dreamt of acorns.
*CLANK*
*THUD*
“Come on, hurry up, she’ll be back online soon”
I woke to the sound of metal banging on metal. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Two squirrels had let themselves into my tent. I must have left the door open.
“Shit! She’s up Bill.”
“I can see that thank you Hank, I’m not done with the service yet, I still need to change some oil and clean out a piston”
“Well hurry up!”
We’re these squirrels talking? How strange! Was it possible I was still asleep? One of them was bent over my stomach doing something.
“Excuse me Mr. Squirrel, what are you……holly sh**t! What have you done to me!?”
“What the holly fudge is up with my stomach! It looks like the inside of tractor! What is going on this must be a nightmare!”
“You’re fine, go back to sleep.” said one of the squirrels.
“Are you crazy! How is this fine? I’m a bloody robot!”
“Reboot it Hank. Just reboot. It’s late, I don’t want to argue with the equipment”
“Yeah, yeah, rebooting now”
I woke up with the sun shining on my face. The forest was such a beautiful red. I packed up the tent and walked home through the crisp autumn air.
I need to get home and collect some acorns.