Rooted

Hiking the perimeter of the tiny island I had camped on while kayaking Johnstone Strait to observe Orca in the wild before humanity destroys them all, this gnarly old root captured my imagination, sparking fantastic speculations J. R. R. Tolkien might write of in his fine stories.

I fancied it was once a hiker much like me who sat too long here to enjoy the view, was trapped by the root and was slowly but surely absorbed over centuries. The hiker always remained alive and aware throughout the process thanks to physio-chemical actions and reactions applied by the root to keep its captured victim in a state of suspended animation until they became one clinging to the steep shore of the little island, forever enjoying a superb view of orca swimming majestically up and down the strait on salmon feeding runs.