The squirrel who followed me

Let's play
London, ON
October 2024
This photo originally shared on Instagram

The scene: I’m walking through London’s Springbank Park on a late autumn afternoon. I hear skittering behind me, and look back to see a black squirrel following along.

I stop to appreciate the strange spectacle of a human meeting a rodent. We stare at each other for a bit before I turn around and continue along the path.

A few hundred metres further on, it occurs to me that I’m still hearing some skittering. I look back once again and see my new squirrelly friend still following me at a respectful distance. I smile at her before I get back to my walk.

You know what happens next. More skittering. More stopping. More staring. This goes on for 15 minutes, and by now I’ve walked well over a kilometre with this little furball in tow.

Of course the moment calls for some photography, and of course she poses like a pro.

I know she would probably rip my face off if given the opportunity. But for an abnormal stretch of time on a sunny afternoon in the park, I want to imagine that we’re somehow connected.

If only any of this applied to more than a single squirrel.

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Related:

Thematic Photographic 349 - Wildlife, September 2015

Thematic Photographic 299 - Critters, June 2014

Feelin' squirrelly, September 2008

Another squirrel redux, July 2008

Another squirrel, July 2007

Gecko adventure, February 2007

A critter visits, October 2006