Saturday, December 11, 2010

well i've never seen a king or beast with quite so little hair

It was 4:15, but the sky was already dark. The snow faintly glowed in a quiet beauty on the sidewalks and lawns of the street I was walking on. A small figure, bundled in a coat and poofy hat, walked 20 meters ahead of me. He must have been about eight – that was one of the pleasant things about Sweden; parents feel safe enough to let their kids walk around by themselves, even in the dark.

I checked the time; it wasn't 4:15, it was 4:20 and the bus was at 4:24. I started to jog. Ahead of me, the boy turned around, saw my increased pace, and burst into a sprint. He looked like he had seen a monster and was running for his life. I smiled to myself at his panic. I guess parents still warn their children about running strangers.

**

Our teaching term ended today, and I've spent the last week picking out my new favorites for Spring semester. These include any kid who gave me something edible as a thank-you/Christmas gift.

1 comment:

LlamaH said...

hahaha, poor poor little boy