Summer fields

Clouds unfurled, billowing and ebbing in the breezy navigation of pacific skies. Within the tall rye grass, skylarks twittered. With sudden bursts of warbled glory, they rocketed into the open field of sky. A field mouse rustled through the secret passages of unmown grass. Summer simmered and shimmered over rows and rows of withered barley hanging heads in somber submission of brutal global warming. A slim lizard wraith darted zigzag across an empty patch where it basked like a clay pot on an ancient stone oven. Cheery blue button flowers nodded their ragged lace caps lazily in agreement over weather conditions. "No rain today," they murmured to each other. The grass concurred in whispers, "No rain tonight or tomorrow and none soon forthcoming."

Who listens to weather reports in arid conditions when roots find no water despite how deep they delve.

The yellow-collared grass snake dozed, ignoring the buzz of insects overhead while glittering emerald damselflies fluttered and spread word of the sleeping dragon coiled in the grass below. The loud thump and thunder of pheasant rumbled across the plain as it shot into the sky: the solitary cannon in a long concluded war. Ranks and rows of barley hung heads in unconditional surrender. For them no crowning glory, no sweet taste or seething brew of drunken victory. For them, the brutal harvest came with the whirl of churning blades to chop and spit them back onto the ground to be buried for another bitter winter.

Hooves thundered and stumbled. A horse shrieked and recoiled tossing its rider aside.

The yellow-collared grass snake slithered quickly into the labyrinthal caverns leaving a wriggly script through dry barley. Momentarily it reappeared to inspect the danger.

"Never mind," whispered a ragged robin to the sand lizard, "It's only a clunsy human."

The lizard paused mid-flight arching its head over its long lean body with its tongue tasting the wind for airborne danger. Hesitating, it recoiled itself like a rubberband and stopped to watch.

The horse snorted, rid of its rider- with plenty of fodder at last it could eat dinner.

Eyes stared into a broad sky. Clouds drifted like migrants across the prairie seeking cheap day labor. They held no tears, no remorse, no joy-another day of boredom. A gaping mouth stifled a muffled cry for help. Motionless, the sun hung overhead.

The lizard crept back to his clay patch. The yellow-collared grass snake saw an opportunity for beneficial sleep and coiled itself on the still warm mound of soft riding leather.

Croaks of jackdaws rattled across the field. A dusty road twisted into the distant village. Somewhere a horse was missing in a barn or stable. A dog barked for dinner. A telephone rang unanswered. In another universe, another world, another obituary to be written.

For now, the yellow-collared grass snake slept contented. The horse kept munching and the lizard remained motionless on his bare clay patch, sunning himself while the crickets began vespers with a hushed humming