Where Did Fox Go?
A peek of sunlight shone through the window which caused Fox to frantically pull the curtains shut. Typically on these types of days he much preferred to keep the cabin dim with candlelight, especially with a cup of tea and a fable. It was one way to pass the time, but on this day, Fox didn’t feel much like reading. He’d rather sit at his kitchen table counting each gnat hovering his fruit bowl while another layer of dust collected on the bookshelf. His day was going much like yesterday and the day before, only this time, a knock came to his door.
“Fifty-one, fifty-two,” counted Fox. Knock. Knock.
“Fifty. Darn. Please go away,” muttered Fox to himself. “One. Two. Three.”
Knock. Knock. Knock. Fox grunted as he approached his front door. “What part of closed curtains means come knocking?” Fox opened the door to see Officer Badger looking put together in a trench coat, perfectly ironed shirt and pants, polished shoes, and his worn out police badge.
“Oh, hello, Officer Badger. Is there something I can help you with?” asked Fox.
“Good afternoon. You wrote a the police station asking for someone to assist you.”
“Oh my, I have forgotten. Please, come in,” ushered Fox. “Pardon the mess and my forgetfulness. I’ve been in a rut lately. All the time in the world but not a smidgen of energy to do anything. Causes the brain to go numb.”
Fox gathered the dishes in his living room and placed them beside the kitchen sink, which was already filled with a mountain of broken tea cups and stained saucers.
“I understand. My brain goes numb from time to time, also,” said Officer Badger. He looked around the room, noticing crumbs on the sofa seat before wiping it off and taking a seat. “You don’t suppose allowing some light in your home would hurt, do you?”
“No, thank you. I prefer to keep the light out, if you don’t mind.”
“That’s quite fine. It is your home. Now, you do recall asking to meet with an officer. Is everything okay? You didn’t provide much detail in your letter.”
“Fox is missing.”
“Fox?”
“Yes, you know, Fox. The one I lived with, or still live with, only, he’s been gone for a while now.” Fox’s hands began to tremble. “Oh, you’re looking at my hands. I’m a tad nervous. You see, I don’t get much company. In fact, I don’t get any at all. Not since Fox has been missing. Would you like some tea? I need to occupy my hands for just a moment,” said Fox.
“Sure, that sounds nice.”
Fox placed a kettle of water over the stove and washed two tea cups before returning to the sofa with Officer Badger.
“So, can you help me find Fox?”
“Perhaps. Can you describe Fox for me, just to recollect my memory?” asked Officer Badger.
“He was a happy fellow. He had many friends, very popular in our neighborhood. And oh, he was absolutely funny. I mean the kind of laughter which makes tears fall. Ahh, the good times we had laughing over just anything. Full of life, that Fox. There was never a dull moment. He always wanted to go out and try new things, meet new animals. Does that help recollect your memory? You must’ve met him. I’m sure you have met him,” said Fox. “He looks a lot like me, only his eyes are wider, more awake and he has fur so bright and shiny! A healthy and happy fellow.”
Officer Badger began taking notes when the kettle’s steam alarmed Fox to turn the stove off. He brought the kettle and mugs over to Officer Badger.
“We’ll let that steep for a moment,” said Fox.
“How long has Fox been missing?” asked Officer Badger.
“This time it’s been a few weeks.”
“This time?”
Fox nodded. “For the past year or so, Fox would go off for a few days but he’d return. This is the first time he’s been missing for longer than a few days, though. So I am worried and I thought to write the station, so we can open up an investigation.” Fox began to pour the tea into the mugs and handed one to Officer Badger. Fox took a sip. “This is my lunch. Was my breakfast, too. And, it’ll probably be my dinner.”
“Hmm. Fox must’ve meant a great deal to you,” said Officer Badger.
“Still does! That’s why we must find him.”
“Have you tried to look for him at all, or is that a silly question?”
“Not a silly question. I have tried to check the spots he loves to go, like the lake. I thought if he was near, maybe he’d see me fishing and would be tempted to join. That was something he did every weekend. But, he never showed up and I stopped, didn’t catch anything anyway. I went to watch a puppet show, too. Wondered if he’d be there watching because he loved to go to the show, but he never came and I couldn’t stand to see the show without him. It must’ve been a funny one because everyone was laughing. I just left and came home.”
“Have you tried to ask anyone else around? Surely someone in your neighborhood had seen him leave the cabin or around somewhere,” asked Officer Badger.
“I asked, for a good while. My old friends and neighbors began to get frustrated with me. They told me to stop asking. Some of them began to ignore me when I approached them. They stopped inviting me to their homes. All I can think about is where Fox has gone and I think it makes them sad, too. He did have a lot of friends,” said Fox.
“Can you remember what you both discussed last before he left, or what he said last? Did you get into an argument?” asked Officer Badger.
“When I said that he had left for a few days within the past year or so, it was because he was upset with our job. You see, we live together, but we also work together. The work got tough and we didn’t get much money. He’d get angry and leave for a few days, but he would return a little happier. We’d go back to enjoying our work again. I assumed he just needed a break to get his feelings out, on his own. This time, he left without anger and it wasn’t sudden. He was quiet for days. Just walked around here mute. Then one day I woke up and didn’t see him and haven’t since. I recall a couple of warning signs. The dishes weren’t getting done or he didn’t contribute much to our job, but I think he left for the same reasons he used to. It normally happens when our job gets rough and he feels worthless. Good-for-nothing. I think he really likes to have a purpose to fulfill.”
“What work do you do together?”
“At first we grew food. We thought the other animals in our neighborhood would love to have food grown here, but it’s been tough business. Some animals didn’t like the food we grew or they grew their own. Most of them thought it was expensive, but the strangest part is that it was expensive just to run the business. So, Fox and I decided to quit. Now we try building furniture but it’s been on hold for a while. We are really great at building. We make special pieces and used to sell them to our neighbors. We even traveled to sell to nearby neighborhoods. It was fun, but animals stopped buying furniture. They filled their homes with too much already and ran out of space,” said Fox. “It’s been hard and the business is beginning to fail.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” said Officer Badger as he tucked his notebook into his pocket.
“It’s okay. I don’t blame them. I used to, but not anymore. That’s why I stay shut in my cabin with the curtains closed. I don’t want to bother anyone anymore. When Fox comes back we can start a new business together and they will come knocking.”
“What business would you start?”
“I’ve often thought we could put on our own puppet shows. We were entertaining together and because he is funny, the neighborhood would pay to see us perform. Without Fox, I cannot begin a new business. I don’t feel as funny or creative.”
“Well, you made a great choice in writing the station. It is my job to help find missing folks and I think there is one way I can assist you,” said Officer Badger. “I’m going to call a friend and I’ll send her over here to talk with you. She helps many animals get found. Meanwhile, I’ll keep both eyes open for Fox and I’ll be back to check in with you.”
Officer Badger stood up and thanked Fox for the tea as he walked over to the door.
“Thank you for visiting with me. When can I expect your friend to come by?”
“As soon as possible. If not this evening, then tomorrow.”
Fox walked over to the sink as Officer Badger opened the door. “Fox, if you don’t mind, may I say one more thing?”
“Please do.”
“Starting a new job is always hard, but we can adapt and when we find Fox, be sure to tell him to stay and not give up. Sometimes the struggles we face are key for us to grow but if we keep running away, we’ll never grow and instead, face the struggle forever. Ask what seems worse to you? To face the struggle and move past it once and for all or to run away from it forever?”
“Whatever is easier, I guess. Thank you, Officer Badger. I’ll be sure to tell Fox that.”
“Neither direction is easier, Fox, but one of the paths lead to more rewards. Also, it doesn’t hurt to start telling Fox that now. Write it in a letter and read it out loud. Even though he isn’t here now, eventually Fox will hear it and come back. You never know if he’s nearby listening closely,” advised Officer Badger before closing the door behind him.
The next morning Fox began to write a letter to his missing friend. He wrote to not give up and to find happiness and gratitude within the struggle they faced. He began to read his letter out loud when he was interrupted by a knock on his door.
“Hello, can I help you?” asked Fox.
“I’m the friend Officer Badger sent over. He said he mentioned me to you,” said Duck. She was dressed in simple attire of slacks and a green blouse.
“Yes, please come in. He said you can help find Fox.”
“That’s right. I’m confident we will. These searches can take a while, but that all depends on you,” said Duck.
Fox scratched his head. “Depends on me? I’ve done all I could.”
“I am sure you have. I heard you tried to go to places you loved but you found nothing. That you tried to ask your friends and neighbors, but they stopped trying to help you.”
“That’s right. There is nothing more I can think of except asking for Officer Badger’s help. Now he sent you to me so you can help. What else can I do? I thought it was your job to find missing folks. Forgive me, but what is your profession? How are we to work together at finding Fox?”
Duck smiled, “I am a Therapist and we’re going to help you find yourself, Fox.”
When I first ventured into entrepreneurship, I was excited. After years into it, depression began to hit and sense that I lost myself and the path I was on. It was as if I was consumed by someone completely new and had no idea where the real me had gone, and I did not know how to return. I wrote this tale in the middle of all that.