then_there_were_four raze i don't know what happened to newsom and the others. maybe they're dead. maybe they decided it was time to move_on. maybe they're busy making babies or trying to work out what part of the world they're living in when any given day could bring snow or an early taste of summer. maybe they all got day jobs to help combat the rising cost of living. i'm starting to think i might never see any of them again. it's an idea i probably need to get used to. but i don't want to. these four remain: patches, auburn, red_tail, and brownie. half of the_magnificent_six, and a welcome latecomer. red_tail bides his time in a thicket of witch hazel, waiting for a black dog to pass. when the coast is clear, he makes a break for willistead manor. i call his name. he stops and turns to meet my eyes. then he leaps into common laurel and becomes another ghost. i'm sure that's the last i'll see of him. twelve minutes later, he's standing a quarter of a mile from where i first spotted him, at the base of little guy's tree. waiting for me. i watch brownie grow more daring every day. when auburn isn't around, she'll eat where the two strongest limbs of the tree they share diverge. the stationary hinge that joins them serves as the perfect portico. patches has taken on the role of group leader. in newsom's absence, she's become the bravest squirrel in the park. after everyone else has retreated to the comfort of their dens, she's still standing in the place where the path flexes one arm and folds it against the dense, cold chest of what's underfoot. i tell her to stay safe. i thank her for keeping the gang together. her smiling face tells me she'll be here for as long as she's able, and when she leaves it won't be by choice. she knows i've made the same promise. we don't need to speak to tell each other what's true. 220428 what's it to you? who go blather from