Guy--Part Forty-Eight

Splog # 195

Forty-Eight

 The woman seemed slightly agitated by the sight of the young couple and as they passed from the clearing, her head lowered and the veil she wore on her head draped itself over the sides of her face so it couldn't be seen. It struck Guy how much her clothing resembled that of the two women who had passed through a short time before. Only the color was different. They had been clothed in red and white and this woman was wearing a very deep dark blue. Guy lowered his head in sympathy with the woman and found that the floor of the clearing was crowded with ants,. They seemed to be crawling onto and overwhelming each blade of grass in sight. Every inch of ground before him had turned black, except that the sun peeking through the trees overhead seemed to bounce off the metallic black bodies in sparks of blue, red and green. The ants were a definite part of the procession. He could tell they were moving in the same direction by the reappearance of the green grass, somewhat crumpled and duller, as the legion of insects trailed out of the clearing. And not far behind them, a tiger, somewhat bigger than Guy himself, paced regally into the clearing. Guy moved a little closer to Splog but the tiger simply walked past without deigning to show he was aware of their presence. In the break of the procession that followed the tiger, the woman turned and gazed for a while at Guy. Then she glanced at Splog. Guy was wondering if the parade was over when the woman knelt beside him, planted a kiss on his cheek and then walked in a stately way from the clearing, following in the direction that all the others had taken. Guy was still looking after her when a dog bounded up to him and began licking him and panting happily. Guy took a moment to regain his balance and then patted the dog joyfully. The dog was brown and white and looked to be a cross between a collie and some other breed. He settled at Guy's feet just as a man walked into the clearing wearing a uniform of some kind. From his small cap with the short brim, Guy guessed that he might drive a train. He gave a casual salute to Splog and then snapped his fingers to the dog. The dog got up and started to follow him but as the man left the clearing, the dog returned to settle at Guy's feet. And then a camel walked into the clearing, lifting each leg as it strode along as though it were picking its way delicately to avoid doing harm to its fragile feet. Guy was astonished at the variety of people and animals parading before him. But his astonishment doubled, or maybe even tripled, when a huge snake, with long brown and pastel-colored stripes, came rustling through the grass. There were eight children, four boys and four girls, accompanying the snake. Guy could tell the children were with the snake because they were walking alongside it, boys on this side and girls on the far side. They were spaced far enough apart for Guy to get a good look at the snake. Guy couldn't believe how beautiful the snake's skin was with its wide stripes of contrasting colors. And he smiled when he took a closer look at the children to find that each of them was munching on a donut! After the snake came a young woman riding on a horse and just as she was about to exit the clearing, the dog bounded from Guy's feet and raced after her. Guy was disappointed. The dog had been so friendly and Guy had looked forward to playing with him. With a sigh, he looked back in the direction the people and animals had been coming from. Maybe there'd be another dog or something else. Maybe even another little boy! Guy waited and finally began to wonder if the parade was actually over. It seemed to be getting darker. He looked over at Splog who stopped playing his fiddle and looked back at Guy. Neither one of them seemed to know what to say. Finally, Splog sat on the grass and gestured for Guy to do the same.