The glacier would see to it that the soil was too inhospitable for the invading couple to set up housekeeping. And so he threw himself back across the millennia to Elmer Snow’s House. Bathing his tingling toes with an efficient pink tongue, he smugly observed the scene of dashed hopes and dismay playing itself out below him. In the Meadow, the yellow beast was pushing dirt back into the holes, covering each wet spot with an efficiency Newton might have admired, had he been burdened with more humility. The people had trudged back to the driveway and were standing in a small circle in the driveway under Newton’s window. One of the men gestured toward the house and shook his head. The other man looked sad and apologetic. The couple seemed to argue, and then to plead, but the men just shook their heads. At last they got into their trucks and drove away, leaving the two interlopers standing together. The man and woman put their arms around each other and stood there quietly for a long time. Finally, after the wiping of tears and a last look at the house, they walked slowly to their truck and drove away.
The yellow behemoth, having covered up it’s holes, tucked up it’s paw and lumbered noisily off down the road. Soon the morning was still again, with only a fly buzzing in through the broken window, as if nothing had happened.
Newton stood up and stretched, feeling that all in all, he had accomplished quite a bit that morning. He hopped lightly off the windowsill to begin his morning rounds, master once again of all he surveyed.
THE END