A surprise visit

By Jim Gerwing

Not long ago I was meandering aimlessly on the paths of Dallas Road.  I could not believe my eyes. There he was, crouched so small on a park bench that he seemed hardly more than a little animal trying to evade detection. It was obvious from the dark cloud hovering over him that he was very sad.

“Upon my word! My old friend Dr. Sir Rodney Schnockdurgle.”

Hardly a move met my outburst, but I caught a quick flick of a hairy eyebrow and a sharp glint of a wary eye. “Yes, and who might you be?”

“I’m Jim Gerwing. I used to read all about you in the James Bay Beacon. How is it that you are back here in Victoria? I thought I would never see you again.”

“Alas! My story of return is a sad one indeed.” He paused as he pulled a bright red handkerchief from his jacket pocket and began to wipe his eyes and blow his nose. At the sound, a huge flock of crows raised such a raucous clamour that I thought the very gates of the underworld had been flung open. In answer, a flock of sea gulls rose from the beach below and attempted to drown out the cacophony of the crows.

“Do tell me all about it. I am sure the Beacon readers would love to hear how life has been treating you and your dear Waltraud.”

“Ach, my dear Waltraud…” He paused to blow his nose again and to wipe an ocean of tears streaming down his wrinkled cheeks. “Ah well, such is life. Waltraud is struggling with the last stages of pancreatic cancer. She made me promise to come here and bring back some photos of James Bay to gladden her last hours.”

 “So you will not be here long?”

 “No, my dear sir, my flight leaves tomorrow morning. I wanted to spend some last hours in these beloved pathways and their happy memories.”

“Before you go, could you share with me and the readers of the Beacon your thoughts on what is happening in our world?”

I was not ready for his reaction to my innocent inquiry. He sprang from his perch and out of his mouth there poured such a volume of commentary that I could not take it all in. I wish, dear readers, that I had had a recorder on hand.  Unfortunately, my cell phone is good for only one thing: to take and receive calls. Here is a very brief summary of some of his thoughts.

On Africa: I don’t think we could ask for a better illustration of the fact that ignorance and poverty eventually end in pestilence and violence. Unfortunately even an organization as large as the United Nations cannot handle the fallout when all hell breaks loose.

On the Ukraine: The concept of democracy and nation-states sounded so right in the period following the Napoleonic wars. Alas, such a simplistic view of international encounters has never succeeded in drawing boundaries that satisfy the ambitions of all the shareholders.

On the Middle East: Mein lieber Gott in Himmel. The cradle of our civilization, the heart of our most cherished Western religious traditions….

With that he broke down in a veritable deluge of tears. I waited for the sobs to die down and sat down beside him, putting my arm around his boney shoulders. He snuggled up close, like a little cat. In moments he was fast asleep. I must have dozed off myself, and was startled by a series of pulls on my sleeve.

 “Please, sir, does your puppet have a name?”