A Day Gone Bad

A Snake had come upon a clearing in the Forest. The clearing was a beautiful meadow filled with wildflowers and tall grasses that reached up to a big blue sky as clouds of puffy cotton rolled on by.

The Snake, named Sully, looked in awe upon this scene. The beauty of the world around him brought him to tears. It was miraculous and surreal, he was grateful for the moment and wanted to cherish it as long as possible.

From the edge of the clearing emerged a Monkey. The Monkey had just gotten off working a long shift at the Pepsi bottling plant and was looking to relax and unwind in his free time before having to go to work again tomorrow.

The Monkey, named Manu, saw the snake standing in the clearing and looking up at the sky. “What a lonely-looking snake,” thought the Monkey, “I should go keep him company.”

Manu made his way to Sully and walked out into the clearing. He was immediately hit by an indescribable wave of existential beauty washing over him. He felt grateful for this moment, and every moment leading up to this. The sky was bluer than it had ever been, the air was clean and crisp and fragrant, a light breeze blew through his fur, he made it next to Sully in awe, his whole demeanor changed by the beauty of the world around him.

“Welcome,” Sully said as Manu stood next to him.

The two stood together. Taking in the profound and ethereal splendor.

Meanwhile, a Crow was sitting high up in the trees on the edge of the clearing. He saw the Snake and the Monkey staring up at the clouds in awe. The Crow looked up and didn’t think the clouds were anything that special today he’s seen them like this many times before.

“What the heck are these two looking at?” Thought the Crow, named Crowbert, “Ain’t they ever seen the sky before?”

Crowbert swooped down and landed right next to Sully and Manu. He looked up at them and then up at the sky they were looking at. Crowbert looked for a very long time trying to see what they saw. Sully and Manu smiled and welcomed Crowbert but continued looking up in wonder.

“I don’t get it!” Crowbert squawked, “What’s the big deal?”

Crowbert flew off high into the sky, right in front of the view that Sully and Manu were enjoying.

“Imagine being that free,” said Sully.

“Yes,” Manu replied. “That free, and that blind.”

Crowbert swooped back down and landed in front of Manu and Sully again.

“I may be blind but I can hear real good,” Crowbert said.

Then he flew off again.

Manu and Sully looked at each other. They felt bad they had said that about Crowbert, and now when they looked up at the beauty of the world they occupied, it looked less spectacular than it did just a second ago.