Fat squirrels

"Do you know what is the purpose of living?" I asked.

She did not answer. Instead she opened her palm. There was a hazelnut.

"You want to say, that life is nuts?"

"Maybe," she smirked. "Stay very still and observe." She moved her hand with nut on the ground.

For a while nothing happened - there was only wind between the gravestones.

Then, suddenly there was a bit of crackle, small pieces of bark fell on the ground and a squirrel appeared.

Slowly and carefully it crept closer. Got scared and ran away, then came again. Finally it collected enough courage to come close and grab the nut.

"Wha-" I started to ask, but she shushed me and took out the next hazelnut. While the first squirrel was happily munching, there appeared a next one from behind a moldy gravestone 

After the first squirrels got a bite, there were suddenly more than twenty of them running between and on the old gravestones.

Some of them were more aggressive and bit the finger instead of the nut and tried to carry that away. Others were too afraid to come close at all.

We stayed still. Pulling out a new nut every time the previous one was taken.

After half an hour or so she stood up.

"So the purpose of living?" I pushed the question again while we started walking, followed by some squirrels who were still hungry.

"What do you think?" she asked.

"Fat squirrels?"

She laughed. 

"Oh a noble quest indeed, but I'm sure you can find more meaning in that little act," she said, moving towards the cemetery gates.

"To observe, to be present and enjoy the moment even if in pain," I suggested, remembering all the bite marks in her fingers.

"Maybe."

"You have to stay strong in order to create relationships and for that you have to put your nuts in the fire."

"Possibly," she snorted with laughter. "But is that all?"

"No," I said. "No, it is not," I sighed.

The time feeding squirrels was fun, but it did not last forever. 

Nothing did. Not a thing nor a person. 

All of it was temporary.

It was something to keep in mind as walked through the gates... alone.