As i mentioned in my previous post this evening, i was considering posting the last section of my “book” of Willie Nod including a few other things. i’m pretty sure i will keep for my family, not publish.

i previously have posted many of those poems and such here. This, almost surely, will be the last posted and the last in that “book” of mine.

i think it well captures my thoughts on many things, especially what’s good in this world of ours.

Willie Nod the Elder

Jake Wilson eventually retired from the Navy and continued to live in Newport, Rhode Island. One summer, an old Navy friend, Johnson Hicks, invited him to visit in his home outside of Watertown, New York.

When Jake made it to Alexandria Bay where Johnson lived, Jake fell in love with the tall boat houses. Italian food, lovely neighborhoods, the Saint Lawrence River, and the Thousand Islands. The two of them had a great time.

Jake returned in winter and loved it. A discussion between the two led to Johnson talking about an old man who had recently bought and moved to one of the Thousand Islands. He was a hermit and rumored to live with a mix of animals. He had been seen once or twice when he came by boat in the summer and an old pickup in the winter  when the water froze to a market in Alexandria Bay for provisions, but eventually hired a young ‘un to pick up his goods and bring them to the island. Johnson said he had an odd name, “Nod or something.“

Jake realized the man was most likely Willie Nod, the man who lived in the hut by Easton Bay in Newport, Rhode Island years ago. Jake got directions from his friend on how get to the island on the ice and drove there in late January.

He went up into the woods after seeing smoke coming from the middle of the woods. He hailed the cabin and Willie Nod came out. Willie recognized Jake immediately and waved for him to come to the cabin. When Jake got there, he was surprised when Willie hugged him.

“Boy, I ain’t seen you in ages. How you been?”

Jake gave him a recounting of his retiring and living in Newport. Then, he asked Willie, “How have you been?”

Willie told Jake he must first meet his friends. After he made some strange sounds, animals gathered there from the house and the woods. Willie pointed them out:

“This is McCaslin, he’s a Newfoundland; he came with me from my old place. This is BK, a cat. Over here is Honkers. He landed out on the water with his gaggle and decided to stay here.

“Peeking around the door is Uncle Jim, the rabbit. He, too, was on the island when I got here.

“That big guy over there who was standing near Jake is Booger Bear.

“Now, let’s go inside and have some tea and catch up.”

Jake willingly agreed. Once inside the small one-room cabin, Willie put the kettle on the wood stove, which he later explained had a fire all of the time except in the summer as it was not only the cooking stove but heated the room as well.

When the water was boiling, Willie poured it into the two cups that he had placed a tea bag into each one. He joined Jake sitting at the wooden table. The table and the decor reminded Jake of that hut on the beach rocks in Newport long ago.

First, Jake told Willie how he loved the Navy but retired as commander because he knew he would not be able to drive ships if he was promoted and remained the service. He described the small, centuries old home he had on Prospect Street near the dining area of the town and how he enjoyed the seaside feel of the town.

It was Willie’s turn to update Jake. He told of his wife with great affection and his friendship with Griswold and his wife. Then, he told how his son Leopold had nothing to do with him, which was somewhat assuaged by he and his granddaughter Lil becoming close.

He related how Lil grew up and stayed close to him. When she got married, Willie sat in the back of the church and didn’t reveal to Leopold he had been there for the ceremony. Shortly after the wedding, his granddaughter and her husband moved to Florida.

Since he had no friends left there, Willie found and bought one of the Thousand Islands when it came on the market. He had his belongings shipped to the island. He and McCaslin, the Newfoundland moved into the cabin, which was already there in the woods, and settled in. He and McCaslin shortly began to meet all of his new friends, the cat, goose, rabbit, and bear.

Jake gave Willie some thoughts of sympathy for Willie Nod’s dark times, but Willie Nod shrugged it off.

“It comes with the territory if you live with humans. They just can’t help messing things up. It’s became part of their nature when ironically, they became civilized.

“I finally figured out i don’t like ‘em very much, present company excepted. If they thought about it, which they never will, they are a lot more like animals than they know.”

Without missing a beat, Willie kept right on expounding, “The big difference now is the animals’ natural instincts of fear of the unknown is part of survival. Their reaction to that fear is anger, resulting in them attacking the threat they perceive or or fear and fleeing from it. It’s for survival. Humans don’t need that any longer, but they still have the fear and the reactions of fear, anger, and hate. That screws everything up.

“i just don’t want to deal with that anymore.”

Jake asked, “But what about your friends the animals here? If they trust you, won’t that make them vulnerable when they go back into their habitat?”

Willie Nod shrugged again. “No, because of my luck with being able to talk to animals when i got on the island these critters kept showing up. McCaslin and i agreed to require an understanding of an oath and requiring all of them to agree to it.

“So, when one of the guys showed their head the first time, we established our requirement. We told them of the requirement that they should return to their natural state when they went back to the woods . They were to remain wild and natural and not take our relationships out there.” Willie Nod nodded his head toward the window.

“Do you think it works?” Jake asked.

“Oh, it works great,” responded Willie Nod, “We all agree that this is the way it should be. And they still want to be my friends.

Jake looked at his watch, “Willie, it’s getting late. i need to get back to Alexandria Bay to my friend’s place. i have to leave early tomorrow morning and get back to Newport.

“I’ve been thinking a lot this afternoon. I love this place and your friends. i wish i could stay and learn to talk to your friends. It is a lovely place with wonderful animals just the way it is.”

Willie Nod started to say something, but Jake held up his hand and continued. “However, I don’t wish to disturb what you have here for you and the animals. I might not ever gain the talent you have for talking to them. That, my dear friend would make me an interloper, a representative of all that’s wrong in the other places on earth where there are people.”

“I think you are really wise and I appreciate your wisdom,” Willie Nod responded, “If you can come back for a morning or afternoon, I, McCaslin, BK, Honkers, Uncle Jim, and Booger Bear would love to see you again.

“But don’t feel obligated. We all are fine here and plan to be here for a long time.”

Jake nodded, arose from the table. He shook hand or paw or rub heads where appropriate. He turned and hugged Willie Nod.

“If there is any way possible, I will be back” Jake said as he walked to the edge of the cabin’s clearing. When he reached the woods, he turned back to look. Willie Nod and all  of the animals were waving goodbye.

Jake returned the wave and walked into the woods. As he walked through the woods, he realized that after all of the waves, Booger Bear had winked at him.

i hope you enjoy it.