I had barely noticed that the rain had more or less stopped in Monson, I was so consumed by the tragic story. When I started on Mass Audubon's Laughing Brook Wildlife Sanctuary trails, the atmosphere re-energized, forming a mist that promised to keep me well slicked for the next half hour, at least.
But what a lyrical place! Hemlocks, witch hazel, stonewalls, a rushing brook to cross and run shoulder-to-shoulder with. A split rock formed a perfect Nike running shoe, when viewed from the right angle. And I found the biggest chicken mushroom I'd seen to date. Don't tell the Italian side of my family. They'll make me go back and get it for preparation as a meal.
Even as I heard the thump-thump-thump of a retreating white-tailed deer, I knew that I had to keep one other notion in mind. This spot once belonged to one of the greatest children's book writers of all time, Thornton Burgess. It was here that he walked the trails examining the squirrels and the other critters of the woods, giving them names and personalities, divining stories that would appear in his books.
Imagine that, somebody being inspired by walking among the trees. Whodathunkit.
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