Have A Cigar?

 

            Ralph didn’t have anything special going on one summery day, and he got to thinking about how he always went to the ranger station when he wanted to shoot the breeze with his old bud Rick.
            Now, Rick had actually not been to Ralph’s locale since the pizza making night. That had been a long time ago. It didn’t seem right to Ralph. He’d eaten a lot of cookies and doughnuts, and drunk a lot of Rick’s coffee in Rick’s office.
            While he was still pondering this situation, Maeve happened to fly down out of the firs and land on Ralph’s shoulder, as usual.
            “You’re thinking pretty loud there, Boss,” said Maeve.
            “Oh, yeah? What am I thinking about?” queried ol’ Ralph.
            “I don’t know! You’ll have to tell me that!” said Maeve. “I’m not actually a mind reader, not much anyhow.”
            “I was thinking that it would be cool if Rick and I sat here on my log and smoked a couple of these cigars,” admitted Ralph.
            “You want me to go get him?” said Maeve.
            “Not exactly like that, Black Leg! Ask him if he’s got the time, etc.. etc., and if he’d like to come down and hang out for a while,” said Ralph.
            “You know Rick and I don’t talk, but I’ll give it a shot,” Maeve said, lifting off.
            Ralph smiled as he watched her fly off low through the tree trunks in the direction of the ranger station.
            It was OK with him either way, but he was pretty sure Rick would show up.
            So then, when Maeve got over there, she found Ranger Rick just exiting his truck. Perfect! She landed right at his feet. He jumped a little, when he saw the great black Raven appear at his feet.
            “Uh, hi, Maeve! What’s up?” said Rick cordially.
            “Hey, Rick! The Boss wonders if you have time to come and hang out with him for a few minutes,” said Maeve.
            “Yeah, Dexter really runs this outfit anyhow,” said Rick. “Let me run in there and tell him to carry on without me.”
            Rick popped into his office, and right back out.
            “I’ll take you in, just follow me,” said Maeve.
            Rick followed Maeve as she flew in short hops behind the station dumpster and into the woods. For a short distance, it was just a path in the woods. But then it changed. Maeve hop/flew into an area that looked a little watery and indistinct. Rick shook his head and followed her right in.
            Inside, it was the Great Forest. Sunlight filtered down in diagonal rays between the massive Douglas firs. The air was sweet with an indefinable almost floral scent. Birds called responsively to each other. And it seemed to Rick that he saw a small flower or two bloom as he passed. Time seemed to stop. He almost heard the very forest speaking to him.
            Suddenly, there was Ralph, sitting up on his big cedar log. He seemed to be humming something under his breath. When he saw Maeve and Rick coming, he waved happily.
            “Thanks for coming! Short notice huh?” said Ralph.
            “Short notice? No, it’s good! Happy to see you at home,” said Rick.
            “I’m going to go see Ramona,” said Maeve, who then took off.
            “I was looking at my cigar box here, Rick, and it seemed to me that having a cigar with a friend is better than having a cigar sitting out here alone, yanno?” said Ralph. “Have a seat, man!”
            So, Rick climbed up on Ralph’s log.  It was a little bit of a scramble for him, but he landed upright beside Ralph.
            “I haven’t had a cigar since college, Ralph. It was a terrible cigar!” said Rick.
            “Well, shall we see how this one stands up to memory?” said Ralph.
            “You bet, “ said Rick. Then there was the whole business of lighting up Ralph’s fairly fancy cigars, sitting on a big cedar log in the heart of the Great Forest. It took a few minutes.
            “Ralph, I’ve been meaning to ask you something,” said Rick.
            “Ask away!” Ralph was intrigued.
            “Were your people and the people who lived here before we got here really friends, like they say? And, are those paintings of big mysterious figures they find on rock walls really some of you guys?” said Rick. “Do you know any Indians yourself? I don’t see them around here.”
            “This is what my mother told me. Yes, we have always been either friends, trading partners, or sometimes at war with the native population before the Europeans got here. The funny thing is, we were here before the tribes got here. Most of them don’t say that, do they? Yes, they did paint images of some of us. I'm not sure what else they could be!"
            “But, then, Ralph, I gotta ask, where did your people come from, in the beginning that is,” said Rick
            Ralph smiled, took a puff of the cigar, and winked.
            “Well, Mom didn’t come right out and tell me the answer to that one,” said Ralph. “Ask, yourself, Rick. Where did any of us come from?”
            “It’s all the same, isn’t it?" admitted Rick. “I think we know Who, but we don’t really know how. There are the old stories, and I’m sure they’re true. Mysterious, manifold and deep.”
            “That’s true! How about one of these Heinekens?” said Ralph.
            “Sure!” said Rick.
            They drank their beers and thought deep thoughts for a while.
            “I better go back to work,” said Rick. “Can I just walk out of here?”
            “Yup! Just follow the path. Getting out is easier than getting in!” said Ralph. “Thanks for coming! Let’s do it again! Oh, yes, I do know some tribal types at Tulalip. Nice people. People from several local tribes and some Mexicans all got scooped up and put there together! I should tell you the story of what happened when I went out there a couple of year ago sometime.”
            “I’ll look forward to that,” said Rick as he jumped down to the ground, and headed off down the path to the ranger station on the other side of the dumpster.
            “Say hi to Ramona and Cherry,” said Rick, “when you get down to the fire.”

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