red nose

 There are two children running down the long path from the wooden bridge in the park. It is a steep gravel path. They reach the bottom and look up whence they had come. There is a smaller child running down the hill, shouting for them to wait.t

Walk on past the first two, they both say hello, say hello back, ask them how they are. This confuses them, and they come out with a shy german "Good". Or "Gut", they are going well. Pass them, and the third one, the small one stops and asks "why do you have a red nose". Try to explain that this is a bacterial infection, but watch the little guy's face go blank with incomprehension. I suppose it would have been better to lie and say that it was from the cold, or invent a fairy story.

Further up the hill their parents. A family walk. Say hello, a smiled hello. Wonder what they are going to tell the little one when he asks about what a bacterial infection is. 

Walk all the way to the top of the hill, try to avoid the shortness of breath by going slowly. It is getting better, but it appears to take a long time to heal.

On a park bench, watch the crows. One of them has a strange round head, as if he is wearing a fur hat. Perhaps it is not a crow at all, but why is it hanging out with the flock?

Then the man who collects cameras walks around the bend  on his walk. He is with his wife today. He says to her that this is the person with the nice camera, by way of introduction. She says hello.

And then she walks on to their home, which is up on the hill somewhere. She does not seem to share her husbands enthusiasm for cameras.