In the crisp morning, a gray squirrel and a black bird stood on a step halfway on a stair that rose from the bottom of a hill that started from the parking lot to the top where a walkway led to the main entrance of the medical school. The two animals, for a long moment, did not notice me trudging up the stairs.
Beady eyes glared into beady eyes. The squirrel clutched an acorn to his chest, his bushy tail poised like a deadly katana. The black bird cocked his head, arrogant and amused. These two were the same size and evenly matched. When they finally heard my footsteps, the two moved away from each other. Dried leaves crackled as they stepped onto the ground at either side of the steps. They still stared at each other, perhaps trading silent insults.
