Our Friend Murray-- Chapter 2

Our friend Murray scurried along the forest floor, eager to see where the day would take him. He looked around in all the different directions. He smelled the many fragrances of the forest. He touched with each of his eight legs a different place on the ground. He knew that he would be in for a treat today and he was delighted to be on the adventure.

A little while along his path he found himself among some tall grass. His eight legs stretched among the blades, each one alighting on a new blade of grass.

He couldn’t help but laugh at the fun he was having bouncing along, almost jumping, almost landing, never truly touching the dirt ground. Each leg connecting to the tips of the separate blades, keeping him above and beyond the reach of the floor, but not quite flying.

He giggled at this moment.

“Are you having fun down there Murray?”

“Oh, my yes.”

“Why does it make you laugh so?”

“Well, it feels as if I’m almost flying. I’m bouncing up and down on the grass so high with each of my legs hovering above the ground.”

“Aren’t you worried about losing your balance?”

“Well, you see, that’s part of the fun. I am certainly not completely balanced as it is right now. But that is why I am laughing.”

“I wouldn’t think being off balance would be a laughing matter.”

“Oh, but you see, it certainly can be. If I fall down, well, it is not that far. And I have already fallen so far down a high tree, so I know I will be alright. And the bouncing around is making me giddy with joy.”

“You can certainly be silly when you want to be.”

“Silly or not, I am enjoying myself and my moment here in the grass. I hardly see what could be the matter with that.”

“True, you are correct. I am glad you are having fun.”

“Oh, yes, I definitely am.”

And with that our friend Murray laughed some more and continued bounding among the high grass.

On one of the blades was a tiny dart frog, our friend Lionel the dart frog.

Our friend Murray, much bigger than Lionel, looked down at him with a big smile.

“Hello, how are you today?”

“I am doing well, but you have startled me.”

“Oh, do not be nervous.”

“Well, you are much larger than I.”

“Yes, and I could grab you if I wanted to and have you for a snack. But, do not worry, I will not today. I have already eaten my breakfast.”

“Oh, well, that is good to hear. Lucky for you too.”

“Lucky for me?”

“Oh, yes, you see, if you were to eat me, I would make you sick.”

“Why would you want to make me sick?”

“Why would you want to eat me?”

“Well, I certainly wouldn’t want to eat you if you were to make me sick.”

“And then that is why I would make you sick so that you would not eat me.”

“You are a very clever dart frog.”

“I am just myself, as natural as can be.”

“Ah, such a true and beautiful statement to make. I am also simply myself. Nothing more nor less.”

“So then we are who we are and where we are and living in this moment where we have come to meet each other. What shall happen next?”

“That is for life to decide, I suppose. For now, I shall continue to bounce along these blades of grass to see where the day will take me next.”

“And I shall continue to sit here on this blade and look out at the beauty of the day.”

And with that our friend Murray bounced off the blade that held our friend Lionel. The blade jiggled a bit and our friend Lionel had to hang on tight.

Just then, all the rustling of the blades had caused such a commotion that our friend Jim, the tiny aphid, bounced up high off another blade, and was on its way down to the ground. Our friend Lionel flicked out his tongue so far and quick. And before our friend Jim, the tiny aphid, had a chance to know what was happening to him, he was suddenly thrust inside our friend Lionel’s stomach.

Our friend Lionel did not know that he would meet our friend Jim, but the circumstances of the day, with our friend Murray bouncing by, had brought the two of them together naturally. And our friend Lionel was might pleased. He continued to sit alight the blade of grass and look out to the beautiful day. He was certainly open to whatever the day had in store for him.