SELS Dialogues Journal Volume 3 Issue 1

Creative Pursuits
Hawk’s lecture because he was curious about the hint of
a mysterious and present danger.
The hawk’s feathers were no longer ruffled, and he
continued in a patronizing tone, “As you are keenly
aware, procyon lotor has long sustained raptors, so I’d
like to repay you this once.
Knowing my penchant for good deeds, my relatives tell
me I’m too generous for my own good.
You may have noticed they’ve all but left for the city.”
Rachel’s father had stopped paying attention when the
hawk started spouting Latin and words like “penchant.”
He hinted he had mouths to feed and would be moving
on, but the hawk suddenly swooped down to the ground
within striking distance of Rachel’s father. This time,
the hawk made sure to speak slowly because it was
common knowledge in hawk circles that raccoons had
heads as dense as wood.
“Beyond that growing perimeter of Yellow Caterpillars
you’ve conveniently ignored,” the hawk took pains to
explain, “is the city where the strongest and tallest grey
trees scrape the Sky.”
Rachel’s father lingered just long enough before
the twitch of the hawk’s eye scoped out its next
unsuspecting prey. The hawk professed no love for the
raccoon and pointed out bluntly that hawks saw fit to
execute lives that suited their needs. Raccoons, on
the other hand, were sadly predisposed hoarders with
underwhelming figures as proof. It was why the hawk
felt the city was a good fit for raccoons – creatures there
had a tendency to store things in structures that were
hardened and impermeable and full of compartments.
This hawk was the last to join his brethren afar in the tall
grey trees, which provided the perfect vantage point to
pluck tenderlings from their nests or dens. Hawks have
a wicked sense of humour by nature, and he shared this
macabre detail with his unlikely friend.
“Raccoon, I tell you the truth because it’s enlightened
self-interest to respect the hierarchy of the food chain.
I let you go and you propagate. Your children feed my
children. It’s rather elegant by design, don’t you think?”
Rachel’s father thought the hawk was rather in love with
the sound of his own voice, but before he could reply the
hawk lifted off as quickly as he had landed in front of
him. The last words Rachel’s father heard from the hawk
was a fading and chilling shrill in the distance, “See you
in the city... or you die-e-e-e-e-e-e.”
As he watched the hawk fly towards the horizon,
Rachel’s father began to think about “the perimeter
of Yellow Caterpillars” that were located in the same
direction but not too far off in the distance. He had
heard faint rumblings before and felt the earth quaking
from time to time, but he had never connected the noisy
and unsettling onslaught with the clever creatures who
stood upright on their hind legs.
Rachel’s father knew better than to impulsively bring
news of this encounter to Rose. He tried to settle into
the task of fishing at a familiar stream, but he could
scarcely concentrate on bringing home sustenance for
his pregnant partner, Rose.
“Yellow Caterpillars?!” Not only did Rachel’s father scare
away all the fish, but also he startled himself with his
sudden exclamation.
To read the first chapter of these series, you may refer to
Writers Unblocked, Vol. 1, No. 2 (pp. 18-21)
“Chapter 2: Paradise Lost” is from the young adult novel,
Arai Guma by Marc Yamaguchi, copyright© 2023.
Author’s Bio
Marc Yamaguchi is an English professor and
Foundations Coordinator with the School of
English and Liberal Studies, Centennial College.
Marc did his Masters in Environmental Education
and Communication on community-based, Low-
Impact Development. Arai Guma is his first book
he has submitted for serial publication.
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