Short Story

The Tiniest Of Creatures

Nancy's Notes ๐Ÿ–Š๏ธโ™ฌ

Written for The Unicorn Challenge
where we are encouraged to write a
story in 250 words or less using this
photo as inspiration. Here is my story.

ยฉ Ayr/Gray

When I was seven years old, something happened that Iโ€™ll never forget.

I was walking home from my friendโ€™s house when movement in the grass at the base of a tree caught my eye. My curiosity piqued, I knelt down and gasped as I discovered a tiny, days-old squirrel no bigger than my thumb. Its eyes were still closed, and it lay struggling, alone and vulnerable.

My heart raced. The little creature twitched and I felt a strong urge to help. I remembered being told not to move a stranded baby animal but to leave it for the mother to find. But what if the mother squirrel didnโ€™t return? What if the baby needed food or was injured by another animal?

I felt as helpless as that tiny squirrel and I longed to pick it up and take it home. But what if the mother did come back and couldnโ€™t find her baby? Sheโ€™d probably be in a panic.

Maybe if I moved far enough away but still kept an eye on things, the mother squirrel would feel safe enough to return. I ran across the street and hid; it didnโ€™t take long. A squirrel cautiously approached, picked up the baby in her mouth and scurried up the tree to their nest.

I hadnโ€™t done anything but I felt so happy and proud, like I had something to do with saving that baby squirrelโ€™s life. Sometimes a little compassion can make a world of differenceโ€ฆeven for the tiniest of creatures.

NARยฉ2025
250 Words

This is โ€œIโ€™ll Surely Dieโ€ by the Rubens

The Unicorn Challenge-16/05/25

All text, graphics and videos are copyright for Nancyโ€™s Notes ๐Ÿ–Š๏ธ๐ŸŽถ, The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephantโ€™s Trunk, The Rhythm Section, et al., and are not to be used without permission. NARยฉ2017-present.

43 thoughts on “The Tiniest Of Creatures”

  5. The baby squirrelโ€™s life must have blessed you to be an excellent writer, musician and above all, a kind human being. Well done, Nancy ๐ŸŒท๐ŸŒท๐ŸŒท

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      1. Thank you, Nancy, for your love and blessings! เคธเคพเคฆเคฐ เคจเคฎเคธเฅเคคเฅ‡ ๐Ÿ™๐Ÿ’—

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  7. This is such a beautiful story, Nancy, so sensitively written.
    And the question: when to help and when to leave well alone…
    There’s no fixed answer to that, I think.
    (I’m sitting here with a silly smile on my face at this story.)

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    1. Thank you, Jenne dear!
      At the time I wasn’t pondering the weighty question of when to get involved …. at least not consciously. I like to think my actions helped give that little guy a fighting chance. And the message about getting involved or minding my own business? It must have stayed with me subliminally.
      I’m pleased to know my story made you smile.

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  9. What a sweet kind story! Did this really happen?

    And, because I’m fascinated by the creative process, can you tell me the rabbit trail (or should I say squirrel trail) that led you from the photo to this story?

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    1. It did really happen, Sally. There wasn’t much of a process; when I saw the image, the first thing that popped into my head was the memory of that newborn squirrel …. something I hand’t thought about for more than 60 years. I simply went with it instead of searching for something clever or profound.

      Thanks for your gracious comment.

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  11. A little girl with a big heart, full of compassion and commonsense … “I will not live without love” … Vincent Van Gogh ๐Ÿ˜๐ŸŒ
    And a wonderfully suitable song by “The Rubens”, Well done, Nancy … ๐ŸŽต๐Ÿ˜๐ŸŒ

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