Buddy The Squirrel

That pond. The beginning of my college career centers around a small pond placed in the hill behind Cole Library. I still remember the forgiveness of those cold waters. The night I had arrived at college, I took a long walk through the dark campus. How is one expected to sleep on the first night of college? I wore shorts and a purple Cornell sweatshirt. And of course my favorite hat. That soft, navy blue beanie embroidered with the “B” of the Boston Red Sox. Not too small where it would slip off my poofy hair, yet not to big where it would make me feel as if suffocating in it’s fabric. It was the perfect hat.

I found myself standing on the shore of Ink Pond, staring deep into its murky black waters. It sat still, unrelenting. At first I was amazed that something of this caliber was sitting in the middle of campus. Then he appeared: one of the many famous Cornell Squirrels. He looked at me patiently, sizing me up. I watched him, though not as intently. I expected him to scurry off, never to be seen again. Moments before, I decided his name would be Buddy.

Then he lept into action. His small, furry body streaked across the grass at blinding speed. I staggered backwards but my slow reactions mattered not. Before I knew it, he was in the air, soaring majestically, right at me. I ducked, which only sealed my fate. Instead of burrowing into my face, he barely scraped across the top of my head, taking my beloved hat with him.

Buddy fell to the ground and was on the move again. I lost track of him and my hat through the veil of night. I fumbled for my phone and activated the flashlight. I was not letting Buddy get away without a fight. I shined the light back and forth around the edge until it settled in the middle of the pond. There, standing beady eyed in the middle of the island, was Buddy. Without hesitation, I waded out into the thick water. Buddy sat patiently, waiting for me. Taunting me. Right before I reached the island, Buddy again sprang to action. He abandoned the island and my hat, hopped to the next island, then the shore, and slipped off into the night. Never to be seen again. I returned my gaze back to the island. However, my hat was nowhere to be seen. I splashed around feeling for it in the muddy bed with no success. I spent what felt like a lifetime in the pond and found nothing. My hat was lost forever.

My eyes popped open in confusion and panic. I slowly lifted my head and grunted. I found my cozy room exactly the way I had left it the night before, my hat placed carefully where it belonged.