No. 159

“You’re a gopher.”

“Yeah.”

“Gophers aren’t meant to fly.”

“Why not? I’ve built these wings and everything!”

“Alright, I guess you can try. Don’t come crying to me when it doesn’t work.”

And so the gopher gathered up his contraption and scampered up to the top of the hill. Then he wriggled his way into the harness and leapt out into space.

For a few magical seconds it seemed he was truly lighter than air. Then gravity took hold with its usual predictability and the gopher began to plummet towards the lake.

He landed with a mighty gopher-sized splash. He quickly gnawed his way free of the wings and bobbed to the surface, where he struggled to stay afloat with his tiny legs.

“You’re a gopher!” called his friend from the shore.

“So?”

“Gophers aren’t meant to swim, either!”

“I’ve begun to realize that. Throw me a rope or something.”

So a rope was thrown and the gopher was hauled ashore. He stood on the bank and shook himself off.

“So what are gophers really good at?” he asked.

“Digging,” answered his friend.

“Excellent. Let’s go dig some holes. I’ve had enough adventure for today.”

And so they did.

 For a little while.

Until the gopher started to get bored again. This time he started thinking about jetpacks.