The fox in the backyard

by Alfonsina Betancourt

Two days ago I spotted something in the backyard that looked strange. No, it was not a bear but a fox. I kept looking at it in awe: its orange fur, graceful movements, its shifty stroll below the branches,  its long and apparently soft tail, and the snout that open slowly to show big teeth, teeth that could bite. I could not help but think how this fox reminded me of certain humans, truth be told we all know someone who looks and behaves like a fox. He then disappeared quickly into the forest. Foxes are strange creatures that seem human.

One day later I am at the track field when I spotted something I had never seen before. A man probably in his late 60s, his slender and shirtless torso, very thin pijama pants that made obvious he was not wearing any underwear. To top the whole ensemble, a straw hat. Just to make it clear, this was a man jogging on the track field of the local high school. No graceful movement, no interesting fur, only a flow of sweat on the naked torso going to the rhythm of uncoordinated steps. I could not help but think this is an odd creature, like we all know an odd human. But I would not dare to compare him to an animal, there is nothing like him, plus that would probably be offensive, and animals do not sweat, I do not think so, and animals share universal characteristics, and...you get the point. I was lost in my thoughts and he disappeared out of my sight without me noticing, no shifty act of going missing, just a magic act as if it was only a work of my imagination. Humans, humans are the weird species...we hide our teeth, we run half-naked, we run for the sake of running and disappear without warning, and we insist on thinking random thoughts that do not make any sense. Humans are not like animals, well, just some of the time.

Originally written 6/8/2016