I don't go out in the yard much this time of year. I've been too busy, so it's been a while. The spring is coming, though, so it's time to think about getting things in order out there. I went out last weekend, just to check things out.
Some sort of insidious winter-grass weed had taken over the shady area between the shed and the compost heap. The ground was dry, so I sat down to work on it a little. It grew in little bunches and, in the dry bermuda, they were easy to pull out, roots and all. I was tossing them onto the compost heap.
"I like those. They're the only green out here this time of year." The voice was like a sweet memory, and my heart skipped a beat.
"Hello, Chuck," I said, turning to see him leaning on the shed, looking so perfectly like himself that I wanted to cry.
He smiled slightly and nodded his head toward me, once, an enthusiastic greeting for him. "They always die out by the spring. Just leave them."
"For you, my friend, I will deny my own obsession and leave them here." I was so glad to see him. "How have you been?"
He stared down at the green winter grass. "Have you seen Puck?" he asked me.
I felt a twinge of dread at the mention of that name. "Well," I said, "I wrote a whole series of stories about you and Puck, and about the trial in the underworld, and about you defending yourself for befriending a human. But, in the end, everything got too complicated and dark, so I've decided to put those stories away and just let the details remain a mystery."
He thought about this for a long moment. "So, have you seen Puck?" he asked me.
"He was a real ass during the trial. I don't think we'll be seeing him any more, at least not for a while." I replied, smiling.
Suddenly a pipe appeared in his hand. He reached down and tapped it on the shed to clean it out. "Good," he mumbled.
I leaned against the shed beside him. He worked filling and lighting the pipe. We sat and talked for a good, long while, like old friends.
P.S. - I posted a a short piece on my cogito writing site. It's called Spirited Debate. I like it. Check it out, if you'd like. Thanks for stopping by.
