Fox

It was a beautiful day. The afternoon sun set a golden light on the large pond next to the orchard. The gnats were wafting lazily above the surface, and crickets chirped along with the croaking of the frogs.

I watched from the window of my bedroom. A cool breeze was blowing through my hair and the scent of sweet cherry sake wafted to my nose. The little fox ran to and fro, his little red tail bobbing in the wind. His large ears angled themselves towards every sound and his little black nose twitched.

A cute little creature, he was. He had beautiful soft red fur that glowed in the setting sun as he ran from one cherry tree to another. The little orchard outside my window was full of sake and cherries, just becoming ripe.

I didn't know if this was normal for a fox. He was digging at the base of each tree, creating a small furrow about two inches down. He would then sniff inside the hole, and then refill it with dirt and go on to the next tree.

The little fox dug at the base of another tree, and then stopped before going deeper and deeper. He came out of the hole with something green in his mouth, glinting in the light.

The last golden rays of sun settled below the horizon and were replaced with the blue of the night. The foxed stopped. He had dug at the base of at least half of the trees in the orchard. With a flick of his tail he sprang out of the orchard and disappeared from sight.

The little fox had been here yesterday, and the day before that. I wondered what he was doing. The fox always disappeared just as the sun crept below the horizon. He seemed frantic and I hoped he would be back the next day. I liked having the company of the little fox around.

The next day he was back again. My little Fox had returned to my garden and was again digging around the trees in mid afternoon. I had told mum about the strange behaviour, but she didn't have a clue. I now referred to him as my little Fox. No one else had seen him yet.

Fox was obviously looking for something. I watched him again from my window, then raced downstairs. I burst out the back door and the overwhelming smell of sake hit me. I crept slowly and carefully towards Fox, and stepped on a twig.

Fox's head snapped towards me. He cowered for a moment, and the fur on his back stood strait up, and then he looked at me cautiously with his bright blue eyes, before continuing on with is work. He eyed me doubtfully every now and again as I sat on a log.

Fox's beautiful russet fur was glowing in the light, and his eyes sparkled. He seemed small for a fox. I had seen pictures and movies, but Fox seemed at least half the size, except for his beautiful ears, way to big for his head.

The last rays of sun were disappearing from the sky, and Fox came over to me. He rubbed against my arm and purred like a cat. His purring sounded like someone humming a tune, and then Fox leapt over the log and bounded away.

The afternoon came again and Fox came back. I loved having him with me. There were no other kids to play with. Living on a farm could be horrible at times. Fox immediately started digging. I had taken my place on the log in the middle of the orchard, and watched Fox in his hard labour.

Suddenly Fox stopped. The sun hadn't set yet, and he wasn't bounding away. He had obviously found something. He then began digging frantically in the dirt at the base of one of the trees. It was the smallest tree in the orchard, and it never bloomed nor grew, measuring only a metre upwards.

I came a little closer to Fox, about two meters away, and crouched down. There in the dirt was a patch of blue, sparkly powder. Fox ran towards me and then ran towards the hole. He was motioning me to come closer.

I crept ever closer the small furrow in the dirt. Fox started digging and then rubbed against my arm and started digging again. He looked at me with those large crystal blue eyes of his. They melted my heart, like he could see right through me. He was telling me to dig.

My hands scrabbled at the dirt and rocks, hitting sharp roots and making my fingers bleed. But I didn't care. I kept going. Suddenly Fox stopped digging. He stuck his nose in the hole, now so large and wide.

There, at the bottom was a gleaming, crystal blue rock. It glowed like the moon on a cloudless night. Fox grabbed it in his mouth and pulled it out of the dirt, and jumped out of the hole. He looked at me with those beautiful eyes, and then bounded off as the sun set below the horizon.

The next morning I awoke to the sound of my dad's angry voice. I dressed quickly and ran downstairs. "What's going on?" I asked. "It's the chickens", my father growled. "Something's been in the cage. Dragged half of 'em off. Now we won't have any poultry to sell at the markets."

I didn't care about the markets or the chickens. I just wanted to see my Fox again. I waited all day until the afternoon came. And Fox appeared again. I hadn't filled in the hole we had dug previously and Fox had the blue rock in his mouth, sparkling in the afternoon sun.

Fox was running back and forth from the forest outside the orchard. Each time he came back there was another sparkly rock in his mouth and placed it in a patch of grass next to my log.

I came towards him. Fox didn't run or cower, he dropped the sparkly red rock he was carrying and timidly came over. I watched him as he came over and rubbed against me, and then he ran towards the forest. Fox repeated it a few times before I understood.

I followed him into the forest. It was beautiful, quiet. Afternoon sunlight filtered through the canopy of trees above us, and birds whistled and chirped.

We went deeper into the forest and found a cave. It was small and cosy, and there was dried grass on the floor of the cave. He went to the back of the cave and came back. I got on my hands and knees and crawled slowly into the cave.

My back was scraping on the ceiling, but I crawled on and then stopped. Fox was at the back of the cave, and in the small light still reaching the cave, I could see a pile of sparkly coloured rocks.

Fox picked one up and motioned for me to do the same. I picked as many as I could up and then crawled for the entrance of the cave once more. There was one rock left in the cave, the sparkly blue one we had worked so hard on. I would come back and get it after.

We came back to the orchard and Fox placed all the rocks down. There was purple, green, red, yellow, orange, white, black…So many colours. Together we started to go back to the forest to get the last blue rock when suddenly Fox stopped. His ears stood right up in the air.

Fox turned and sprinted towards the pile of rocks and an ear-splitting bang echoed around me. Fox fell to the ground. Crimson blood spread around him, and I looked up to see my dad with a rifle in his hands. "Bloody fox. Been eating my chickens," he muttered and then stalked off, looking for more innocent animals to kill. "You monster!" I screamed. Tears ran down my face as sprinted towards Fox. I kneeled down and cradled him in my arms. Blood soaked into my shirt, but I didn't care. Nothing mattered anymore, except Fox. His eyelids fluttered open and he turned his head to look at me. For one small moment, our eyes met, and then he slumped down.

I lay there crying. My tears soaked Fox's fur and blood soaked my pants and shirt. I stayed there until the sun went down and then, still crying, I lay Fox in the hole at the base of the stunted cherry tree, and filled it in. Then I ran.

I hated everything. I hated everyone. Nothing was left anymore. Fox was gone. My only friend was gone. I lay in the grass around the front of the house the next morning. Tears streamed down my face.

Then I sat up in shock. The rocks. I had forgotten all about them. Everything Fox had worked for. Everything Fox had died for.

I ran back to the orchard and carried all the rocks over. They glistened and sparkled. I dug a small hole on top of Fox's grave and buried the rocks. But as I buried them, one by one, I realised there was one missing. The blue rock. I ran as fast as I could through the forest. I searched everywhere, but couldn't find the cave then thought for a moment. I closed my eyes.

The birds whistled, but I drowned out the noise. The trees blew in the wind. I drowned that out to. The crickets chirped, but I drowned everything out. I walked slowly and carefully, through the forest with my eyes closed.

Then I opened them. There it was, glistening in the afternoon sky at the back of the cave. The blue rock. I raced over as fast as I could and picked it up.

I carefully walked over to the tree where I buried Fox. The sun was setting slowly and I waited. I waited until the last rays were fading from the sky and then I lay the rock down on Fox's grave.

A piercing whistle echoed through the orchard, and then the cherry tree started to grow. It strengthened and leaves sprouted. A golden glow emitted from the beautiful tree, growing before my eyes, sprouting blossoms and finally, cherries, the colour of blood.

I watched spellbound, and then grinned. Now I could rest in peace. And Fox could too.

I woke to the humming of bees. My tears were dry on my face and finally, I was happy. I looked out my window. The beautiful tree was still there. It wasn't a dream, then.

It radiated power and suddenly I heard a sound. A single voice, humming along with the bees. I looked down. A boy sat on a log in the middle of the orchard, humming a single haunting tune. He looked up and our eyes met. His beautiful, soft hair was red and glowing in the sun. A little sparkling blue rock was hung around his neck on a chain. He looked at me with those large crystal blue eyes of his.

They melted my heart.