Memoir
Memoirs are great because they capture significant times in our lives. People love talking about themselves, and what better way to preserve stories than through a memoir? These short journals don’t have to be anything drastic, like diving off a cliff. They can be extremely simple as long as they can evoke emotion and further thought. Do you think I was able to achieve that in the following memoir?
One humid summer day, my sister and I were on the balcony of our townhouse. Suddenly, my sister’s loud shriek pierced the silence. I was at her side in no time, peering over the edge and following her gaze. Two pink plastic toy-like creatures lay in a nest in the eaves trough, the top of which was visible from our balcony. A squirrel mother was bustling about and adding dry grass and paper to the nest. We contacted the Toronto Wildlife Centre, which told us to keep an eye on the pups even though their mom knew what she was doing.
As days passed, my family began to distinguish the mother from all the other squirrels in the neighbourhood. It was fascinating to watch her take care of the babies residing in our eaves trough by bringing food and various nest materials. Everything was going fine until the day it started raining.
The nest was a bathtub plug clogging the eaves trough’s drainage hole. Water levels were rising mercilessly, and the squirrel pups were vulnerable against the forces of nature. By the time we noticed the problem, the creatures were fully underwater. I felt helpless and furious with the oblivious mother squirrel that was jumping around nearby trees and feeding on cherry-sized apples. Wasn’t she supposed to know what she was doing?
My dad unclogged the eaves trough, took out the dead squirrels, and laid them upon the wet front yard grass. To my family’s disbelief, the pups started moving. It’s astonishing that they lived despite spending at least five minutes underwater.
The squirrel babies survived, but they still needed their mother. I decided to lure her in by crumbling Peek Freans cookies around the pups. The mother quickly caught the treat’s scent and followed it like a train on its track. Once she noticed her babies, she forgot all about the cookies, clasped the creatures into her arms, and took them away into the trees.
The two tough squirrels were kept alive by luck on several occasions. This event made me see firsthand that in the wild, accidents are consequential and survival is a challenge. There is no stability because in every corner lurks danger, like a flood or negligence. Nature is a tough opponent of every animal’s will to live. Not once did the thought of giving up cross the pups’ minds; it was not an option. I wish that all people would be as passionate about life as animals. Their determination, strength, and power of will are truly inspirational.
