Arvico had not
seen her brother for many moons. Her
mother refused to speak of Loganoh. Many
lemmings in the herdlet refused to admit that he had ever existed. This did not prevent Arvico from reminding
them all on numerous occasions.
One day her mother relented. She explained that Loganoh had been banished. Arvico couldn't understand why this made her mother so sad. Loganoh was now allowed to be alone as much as he wanted. "That sort of thing would make Loganoh happy." she thought.
Since then Arvico ventured out regularly to search for Loganoh. Just because he wanted to be alone didn't mean he wouldn't want some company, she reasoned. Today was the first time she had found anyone.
"Hello." said Arvico to the gull. "I thought that was you."
The gull recognized Arvico and walked away.
"Who was that lemming I saw you with?" she asked, hurrying to the gull's side.
The gull froze in mid-step, balancing on one foot.
"Am... Am talking with no lemmings but you."
"Yes you were. I saw you just now." Arvico walked around the gull and examined his single-legged stance. "That's why I came over here. I saw you talking with a lemming and I thought it might be my brother. But then I started to think it wasn't you, because you don't seem to like lemmings. So why would you be talking to one? That's what I wondered. But then I caught your smell on the wind and I said 'That's him all right'. That's when I asked myself why you were talking to my brother? But I'm pretty sure it wasn't him, because he walked away and my brother doesn't walk away from me until after he's talked to me. How can you do that for so long?"
"Am doing something?" asked the gull, relieved that the subject had changed.
"That! Stand on one leg! I've seen birds do it before but never from up close like this." Arvico defied the gull's smell and made a closer examination. "I could try all day and I would never be able to do that."
The gull resumed walking. "Rat, being you finding your brother and being you leaving me."
"I'm not a rat. You can call me Arvico. That's my name. What's yours?" she asked.
The gull stopped in his tracks once again, but he paid close attention to stand on both feet. He tilted his head and squarely fixed his left eye on Arvico.
"Am never asked this before... Being lemmings named?" he asked.
"Of course. Isn't everyone?"
The gull became very irritated. "Am no! Am gull. Am not named! Being no gull named."
Gulls have a very individualistic society. They are solitary creatures. The only thing that will make gulls flock together is the presence of food. But even then there is no sense of community. The only words spoken between gulls are claims of ownership over food. Gulls never formed a system of names because there is never any need to address another gull.
"That's strange. How do you call your friends?"
The gull was clearly agitated now.
"Being gulls no friends! Being named... Bah. Being named useless! Am "me". Being all others "you". Being only "me". Being no "us". Being no friends. Being all gulls greedy. Being all gulls selfish. Being all gulls together but being all gulls alone. Am always alone. Am having no friends."
The gull started to walk away. He unfurled his wings in preparation for flight.
"Why are you so mad?" Arvico asked.
"Am leaving. Am wanting alone." huffed the gull.
"No you don't." said Arvico firmly. "I know what wanting to be alone looks like. My brother does it all the time. And you don't like him at all. I don't think you want to be alone."
"Feh!" chocked the gull. "Being you leaving, little ra... Am leaving, little lemming."
The gull broke into a run and flapped his wings. He rose into the air.
"Wait! Do you want a name? I could make one for you!"
Not far off, an old female lemming watched as the gull left Arvico. "She saw me, but not well enough to know me." she thought. She knew Arvico though. Loganoh's sister has come looking for him. She wondered how this might affect her plans for the banished lemming.
One day her mother relented. She explained that Loganoh had been banished. Arvico couldn't understand why this made her mother so sad. Loganoh was now allowed to be alone as much as he wanted. "That sort of thing would make Loganoh happy." she thought.
Since then Arvico ventured out regularly to search for Loganoh. Just because he wanted to be alone didn't mean he wouldn't want some company, she reasoned. Today was the first time she had found anyone.
"Hello." said Arvico to the gull. "I thought that was you."
The gull recognized Arvico and walked away.
"Who was that lemming I saw you with?" she asked, hurrying to the gull's side.
The gull froze in mid-step, balancing on one foot.
"Am... Am talking with no lemmings but you."
"Yes you were. I saw you just now." Arvico walked around the gull and examined his single-legged stance. "That's why I came over here. I saw you talking with a lemming and I thought it might be my brother. But then I started to think it wasn't you, because you don't seem to like lemmings. So why would you be talking to one? That's what I wondered. But then I caught your smell on the wind and I said 'That's him all right'. That's when I asked myself why you were talking to my brother? But I'm pretty sure it wasn't him, because he walked away and my brother doesn't walk away from me until after he's talked to me. How can you do that for so long?"
"Am doing something?" asked the gull, relieved that the subject had changed.
"That! Stand on one leg! I've seen birds do it before but never from up close like this." Arvico defied the gull's smell and made a closer examination. "I could try all day and I would never be able to do that."
The gull resumed walking. "Rat, being you finding your brother and being you leaving me."
"I'm not a rat. You can call me Arvico. That's my name. What's yours?" she asked.
The gull stopped in his tracks once again, but he paid close attention to stand on both feet. He tilted his head and squarely fixed his left eye on Arvico.
"Am never asked this before... Being lemmings named?" he asked.
"Of course. Isn't everyone?"
The gull became very irritated. "Am no! Am gull. Am not named! Being no gull named."
Gulls have a very individualistic society. They are solitary creatures. The only thing that will make gulls flock together is the presence of food. But even then there is no sense of community. The only words spoken between gulls are claims of ownership over food. Gulls never formed a system of names because there is never any need to address another gull.
"That's strange. How do you call your friends?"
The gull was clearly agitated now.
"Being gulls no friends! Being named... Bah. Being named useless! Am "me". Being all others "you". Being only "me". Being no "us". Being no friends. Being all gulls greedy. Being all gulls selfish. Being all gulls together but being all gulls alone. Am always alone. Am having no friends."
The gull started to walk away. He unfurled his wings in preparation for flight.
"Why are you so mad?" Arvico asked.
"Am leaving. Am wanting alone." huffed the gull.
"No you don't." said Arvico firmly. "I know what wanting to be alone looks like. My brother does it all the time. And you don't like him at all. I don't think you want to be alone."
"Feh!" chocked the gull. "Being you leaving, little ra... Am leaving, little lemming."
The gull broke into a run and flapped his wings. He rose into the air.
"Wait! Do you want a name? I could make one for you!"
Not far off, an old female lemming watched as the gull left Arvico. "She saw me, but not well enough to know me." she thought. She knew Arvico though. Loganoh's sister has come looking for him. She wondered how this might affect her plans for the banished lemming.
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