SHOW 9 min
0:00 a single gray squirrel can bury up to 10,000 nuts in one season it's a powerful instinct that drive to prepare and sometimes like pip the swift learned on his shortcut instinct can lead you astray if you don't listen to the wisdom of the flock or in this case the scurry this is a story about a squirrel named0:28 squeaky and squeaky was a master of the numbers 1,402 he counted 1,403 his tail twitched with each new addition down below in the hollow at the base of the great pine was his hoard not just a stash not a pantry it was a monument an empire of acorns hickory nuts and a few prized0:58 walnuts he'd risked a very angry blue jay for a chatter from a branch above fine morning squeaky squeaky didn't look up it was hazel she was always chattering busy he chirped back his voice tight he nudged nut number 1400and4 into place with his nose it was a perfect plump acorn a beauty he felt a thrill of satisfaction1:26 he was winning he wasn't sure what the competition was exactly but he knew the scoreboard and he was at the top his hoard was famous and that was the point he'd chosen the spot for its visibility right by the edge of the creek bank nestled in the roots of a grand old pine every creature passing by could1:47 see the mountain of wealth squeaky had amassed he saw the way the chipmunks paused their cheeks full their eyes wide he heard the whispers from the other squirrels did you see squeaky's pile he lived for it what he didn't listen for were the other whispers that bank gets muddy in the rain hazel had told him one afternoon2:09 her paws dusty from digging a new burrow higher up the hill squeaky had just flicked his ear higher risk higher reward he'd said though he wasn't sure what that meant it just sounded impressive we're all reinforcing the den in the old oak she'd offered many paws make light work there's room for you i have my own arrangements2:30 he'd replied puffing out his chest his arrangement was his hoard it was his food his shelter his everything why would he need a communal den communal it sounded like average and squeaky was anything but average the sky had been turning a bruised purple for two days the wind carried a new smell a wet earthy smell that promised2:55 a storm the other squirrels scurried with purpose they weren't gathering new nuts they were securing what they had tucking their small sensible stashes into deep dry holes working together to patch the roof of the great oak den with moss and bark squeaky saw their frantic work and felt a sense of superiority they were panicking he was finalizing3:22 he saw one last branch of perfect acorns hanging over the creek a risky jump a foolish one with the wind picking up he had to have them he launched himself into the air the branch whipped and bucked he scrambled his claws finding purchase he gnawed the acorns free stuffing his cheeks until they ached he landed back on3:48 the ground heart hammering with victory he raced to his horde spitting out the new acorns onto the very peak of his mountain 1,600 and something he'd lost countenance excitement it didn't matter he had more as the first fat cold drop of rain hit his nose he felt nothing but triumph let it rain he was ready he was4:17 rich the rain wasn't just rain it was a wall of water the wind didn't just howl it screamed squeaky flattened himself against his hoard trying to cover it with his small body a king trying to protect his kingdom from the ocean twigs and leaves pelted him the creek usually a gentle murmur was now a roar he was4:44 soaked he was cold and for the first time he was scared through the sheets of rain he saw a tiny warm light a glow from a knot hole in the old oak across the clearing he could just make out shapes moving inside safe dry together a strange feeling pricked him it wasn't envy of their dryness it was5:10 something else a hollow ache that had nothing to do with hunger he shook his head the horde protect the horde that's all that mattered then he heard it not the wind not the rain a low groaning sound from beneath him a rumble he felt in his bones he looked down the dark earth around his beautiful massive pile5:35 was turning to soup the roots of the great pine were being exposed slick and black the ground shuddered and with a sickening liquid slide it was gone the entire bank the roots the monument the empire 1,600 and something acorns all of it gone swallowed by the chewing brown water6:04 there was no sound but the rain on the empty ground squeaky didn't move for a long time he was just a small wet scrap of fur on a muddy patch of nothing the cold was seeping into him now not just the rain but a deeper cold the cold of emptiness he had nothing he was nothing his whole6:33 identity had just been washed down the creek he shivered a violent uncontrollable tremor he had to move but where his burrow was just a place to sleep it wasn't warm it wasn't fortified it was just a hole near his treasure and the treasure was gone7:01 there was only one place he dragged himself across the clearing each step a monumental effort he reached the base of the old oak and hesitated he deserved to be turned away he'd been arrogant dismissive alone7:22 he slumped against the bark too tired to even scratch the entrance7:28 then the small flap of bark covering the hole was pushed aside it was hazel she looked at his muddy defeated form she looked at the empty space where his hoard used to be she didn't say a word no i told you so no lecture her nose just twitched and then she nudged him gently with her head an7:54 invitation he stumbled inside the warmth hit him first a wave of dry air smelling of hay and dust and squirrel dozens of pairs of eyes turned to him then just as quickly they turned away giving him his privacy a young squirrel from the corner pushed something toward him with his nose one single perfect acorn squeaky looked at8:23 it it wasn't the biggest he'd ever seen it wasn't the shiniest but as he picked it up his paws trembling he felt its weight he took a bite the flavor exploded in his mouth nutty which real it was the most delicious thing he had ever tasted the next morning the sun broke through the clouds steaming the water8:51 from the leaves squeaky didn't go back to the creek bank to search for what was lost he was with hazel high in the branches of a maple tree chewing through a fallen limb that had blocked another family's nest the work was hard his muscles ached but when he paused feeling the sun warm his back and hearing the9:12 chatter of the others around him he felt a new kind of fullness it wasn't the heavy anxious weight of a thousand knots it was the lightness of just one freely given
