Looking for Otters

(Taken October 27)

An otter found the neighbor’s pond and sewed his way in and out of tall reeds. The school’s cleanup crew and slew of kids slipped over to watch.  Soon my son was back. “C’mon, Mom,” he insisted. “You have to see this.”  By the time I finished tucking the last Halloween prize away and grabbed my camera, the slippery creature had vanished. 

Side by side my son and I pressed the grass, waiting for the creature to appear and, as we waited, watched the sun, punctured by the tall fir, deflate behind the hills. With a whisper, quietly my son crept back to play  and I sat satisfied watching the water hold up a mirror to the sky.