Six Words: Timber, Organize, Junior, Unfortunate, Motivation, Reserve
Perhaps the unfortunate accident could have been prevented. Or not. Could anyone have known that going into the forest to cut timber on that day would be any different than every other day? Everyone was used to seeing Paul Bunyan go off every morning with his axe slung over his shoulder and Babe, his blue ox, following close behind. But something went terribly wrong that day. Paul and Babe never returned.
The townspeople organized a fund to provide for Paul Junior’s education and well-being. Everyone thought that when Paul Junior was grown he would follow in his father’s footsteps. But Junior wasn’t his father. He didn’t have the booming laugh and the ever ready smile. He was more reserved. He wasn’t naturally muscular nor larger than most people. He didn’t have the motivation to go off into the woods every day and fell trees. Rather, Junior became a nurseryman, ensuring that the forest was healthy and prospering. That deer and squirrels and birds and other creatures had a safe place. As he went into the forest each day, instead of an ax over his shoulder, he carried a camera. Paul Senior’s legacy carries on through the stories about him. Paul Junior’s legacy carries on through the art he created.
This story should conclude with a moral or a witty line. But it doesn’t. I’m afraid I’m at my wit’s end.