The other day the British man who I think works in accounts although maybe he doesn't and maybe he isn't British, he came over to an editor to report an old lady with a Mystery Animal at the front counter. "Go out an take a picture of it. It could be the picture that wins you the Nobel Prize," they told me. Like cattle to the slaughter, so I went. Like Trojans to the Greeks. Wine to the gods. Etc. At the front desk there was a) a lady of advanced years, b) a ziploc bag and c) half of a rodent inside the ziploc bag.
"I think it's some sort of bird or maybe a lizard...?" the lady said.
"Um," getting my camera out of its bag, slipping my pen into my back pocket. "I think it's some sort of rodent. Maybe a shrew?"
"It was quite colorful earlier," she mused.
And I thought: Of course it was. It was bleeding guts and bodily fluids every which way from its severed torso.
"It's kind of short though."
"Mmmmm." Click. Click.
"Well, I suppose I'll have to go find a biologist."
"I think it's a shrew. Half a shrew."
"Oh no," she said. "See here, it's like feathers. Maybe it's just wet. It was really colorful earlier and see its legs..."
Five minutes later a Google search revealed that it was, in fact, the lower half of a shrew. May it rest in peace.
I'm currently in Portland after a long week in Astoria putting together a project for today's paper. I'll get the links up soon. Maybe on Sunday. I'm in a very old, dear friend's wedding tomorrow and must be running about much of the day. Fueled by coffee and desperation. Tiffany's wedding is next after this one.
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hahah, a shrew!! I love the old lady's hopeful expectations that it was perhaps something more exciting and/or exotic than a shrew.
ReplyDeleteAlso, this certainly is the summer of weddings isn't it?!
gross, and I don't think that's going to win you any awards, no offense, it's just gross.
ReplyDelete