Governance

Max was a fine little hatchling. He stood larger than many others and his call was stronger than all the others. Mother knew who to feed first.

He had a truly remarkable left scar on his face and as he grew, it was remarked that he was a “freak of nature” and not a “normal” being.

He did grow up with a sense of not-belonging, but what difference it made, and how much worse he felt for not being one of the flock, was never tested by his mind or heart.

By the time he was old enough to sit on his own perch, he had made the decision that he would not invest another’s word in to his self-esteem. He had known that he was made, and that he would be unmade, by greater thoughts and choices than his own.

“Look out there, at the edge of the horizon,” Normy said. “What is that?”

“Can’t tell just yet,” Fooraq said. “Let’s get closer.”

“No, no,” Max warned. “Don’t you see it?”

“What Max?” Normy asked.

“It’s one of those men who stand still. Let’s take it easy over there,” said Max and the four of them, Linda included, made their way just east of the man who stood still.

Blinking was one of Max’s most noticeable qualities. He never blinked. He saw all and took in all, and never turned away. Life was a fait accompli.

Sitting there, looking at the man, they surmised what he meant and what they should feel about it.

“Look it isn’t good news. He is there for a reason. We should respect that and not approach him or the area,” Linda said.

“Yeah, but that corn sure looks good. It looks like we could do a lot with that,” Normy remarked.

“I agree,” Fooraq said. “We should go for it. I don’t see any reason…”

“No. I don’t trust it,” Linda said, fear leading her voice.

Max looked at the scene and thought long and hard about what he saw. There was the rustling corn, shaking uncontrollably in the midday breeze; there was the thickness of forest to the other side of the cornfield where all species are lost in the darkness; and there was the stand still man, moving only when the gusts determined it so, and always smirking like it knew more than anyone what should be done.
The warmth of the day was quickly fleeting and the opportunity seemed to be fading.

Farooq could not sit still like he was anticipating the opportunity escaping from them. Max did not pay much attention to him. Normy leaned slowly towards the field as a prelude to a run-in. Max only saw that he was leaning. Linda turned her back to the corn and gazed back in to the dark forest. Max paid special attention to her.

“Well, if you all are going to stay here, then I should say that I plan to go,” Normy said in a low voice.

Farooq immediately jumped in to the field and swarmed to the first stock of corn that he could reach but upon seeing the grave smirk on the face of the stand still man, he spoke loudly and returned quickly to the group.

“That was close,” Farooq said in a low voice again. He sill seemed as eager as he had before, but was now looking in the direction of the dark forest just as Linda was.

Normy’s disposition appeared to have changed amongst the group. He was no longer leaning towards the corn field, instead stood upright, as if unsure of how he should sit, uncomfortable with the complexity of choice.

Max noticed it all as he always did and noticed more than he could comprehend.

Normy kept quiet but the sun was dipping as eternally does and eventually he became extremely uncomfortable with the slipping of time.

“Ok, I’ve seen this before, and perhaps more than once. That man with the smirk will stand still and he is no threat. We can go get some… it can be done,” Normy said.

“Wait,” Max warned.

But Normy took off and so did Linda and Farooq – in the other direction, tired of the dilemma – and Max opened his eyes wide so that he might see all.

He immediately took off after Normy, crying loudly “you don’t understand Normy… you didn’t see…”

A husky voice called out “pullllllllll!!!!”

Before he knew it, Max was on the ground. As he knew it, that was where he belonged, to which he saw it quite clearly. He saw the smirk of the man who no longer stood still.

He knew that nothing stood still forever.