I walked in a forested shade by Wilson Creek. I saw a gar underwater. Gar existed before the dinosaurs arose. Wikipedia tells me that seven species exist today. I watched the gar swim in the narrow, shallow creek. I took its picture, but I knew that I would never capture its image as well as my eyes drank it in. I watched it with my naked eye, and with my old cheap French binoculars.
The gar swam back and forth, sedately, unaware of my presence. A family of three came up on the nearby trail.
The little girl among them, a toddler, came toward me. I lifted a finger to my lips with the sign to 'shhh', to be silent. I pointed to the water and whispered to her "gar". She looked at it, and said "gar". Then we showed it to her parents. The gar swam before us as each of them said "yes, gar".
After a moment, the little girl asked her parents "May I throw my apple in the water?" Her parents said she should not do so, as that would frighten the gar. They walked away. The gar swam. I watched for a few moments more, while it swam away. Then I walked on, and looked at birds and trees and clouds.
