Northern Stories -
Émile Maheu
Moose in the city
One fine autumn day, the family of Vincent and Laarni were on a trip to
Northern Ontario. Little eight-year-old Vincent and his older sister
Laarni were amazed to see mother nature's multicoloured fall splendours
unfolding before their very eyes. The red maples and white birches with
their yellow leaves gaily played hide-and-seek between the pale green
and dark conifers.
The parents had undertaken this trip to make their children happy, it's
true, but their special purpose was to bring back colour to the pale
cheeks of little Vincent who was asthmatic.
The car was driving peacefully along Highway 144 between Sudbury and
Timmins when all of a sudden, Vincent cried out:
« Look, Daddy! Look Daddy! Look at the huge animal on the road!
The father applied the brakes and stopped the car on the side of the
road, about twenty meters from a magnificent moose, the elk of Canada.
- It's a lovely moose, said the father. Just admire it. See how majestic
and proud it is!
Laarni and Vincent were overexcited. Never had they seen such a
magnificent specimen! It was an unforgettable sight!
- Don't leave yet, Daddy, said Vincent between two coughing spells. I
want to examine the animal more closely.
- Go ahead, son, we're in no hurry, said the father.
- Tell me, Daddy, the moose is a symbol of Ontario, isn't it? I saw it
on some coins!
- Yes, son, and this animal lives in our Canadian forests.
- How I would like to have one just like that with us at home in
Toronto! said Vincent coughing softly.
- There are moose in parks and zoos, said the mother. We'll go and see
them one of these days.
At this point, the animal stepped leisurely onto the road, but just at
that moment, a tank truck came darting from the opposite direction, and
hit the moose broadside. The impact was terrible. The poor animal was
thrown into the ditch where he expired amid dreadful convulsions. His
magnificent antlers were broken and stuck in the mud of the ditch
between cattails and brush.
The family who had just witnessed the accident remained petrified.
Laarni and Vincent burst into tears. With sobs now intermingling with
coughs and hiccups, Vincent said:
- The poor animal is dead, his lovely antlers are broken and stuck in
the mud.
Vincent was inconsolable. The great moose he had so much admired was now
reduced to a mass of torn flesh.
Officers of the Ontario Provincial Police soon arrived on the scene, and
the truck driver stated:
- The animal suddenly just shot out from the road shoulder, and ran in
front of my truck. It was impossible to avoid it.
Vincent's father who had witnessed the accident could not contradict the
driver's statement. One officer added:
- Fortunately you were not harmed in the collision.
After the usual gathering of information by the police, the family took
the road again to continue the trip to Timmins. Vincent was still crying
and his coughing was now mingled with his sobs.
The family made a short stop in Gogama for lunch, but little Vincent did
not even touch his favourite food - hamburger and french-fries.
- I am not hungry! he kept saying.
- You have to eat to grow up strong and healthy, his parents kept
telling him.
- I'm not hungry! And again he repeated: " The beautiful moose is dead."
The rest of the trip to Timmins was uneventful, but in spite of
comforting words from his mother and sister, Vincent couldn't forget the
accident he had witnessed earlier that day. He did not touch his supper,
and the fits of asthma became more and more pronounced.
The following morning, the father said to the mother:
- We shall have to shorten our trips and return to Toronto as soon as
possible. Vincent's condition is worsening and he needs special care.
The death of the moose haunts him constantly.
Many days went by since the tragedy, and Vincent's conditions worsened
every day. He did not eat, he refused to take his medication and he kept
to his bed all day. He no longer played with his toys, and his sleep was
haunted by nightmares in which he saw the moose being constantly hit by
all sorts of vehicles. He would then wake up screaming.
- Carefull the moose! Watch out!
One day, coming home from school, Laarni heard that an artist who lived
not too far from her house made sculptures of moose to decorate tourist
sites in the city. One afternoon on her way home, she stopped at the
artist's work shop. Surprised to see this young person coming to his
shop, the sculptor asked Laarni why she was interested in his work.
- In a voice trembling with emotion, the young girl told the story of
the tragedy and described the condition of her young brother since that
time.
- That is a beautiful moose you are carving, she told the artist.
- It will be finished tonight and exposed tomorrow, answered the man.
- How happy my little brother would be to see it, if he only could. But,
he does not eat and is so weak he can no longer leave his bed. My
parents say that he will have to be hospitalized.
The next morning, upon looking out the window, Laarni saw a beautiful
moose on the sidewalk in front of the house. What a surprise! She
recognized the artist's sculpture. Opening wide the curtains, she cried
out to her brother:
- Look, Vincent, look at the beautiful moose through the window.
Vincent turned his head, rubbed his yes with the back of his hand,
dragged himself out of bed and up the window, and gazed amazingly at the
lovely sight in front of him. All of a sudden, in a voice still weak, he
said:
- Mommy, I'm hungry. May I have a bowl of cereals, please?
From that day on, Vincent's appetite returned and he became stronger. He
takes his medication regularly, and when going to school with his sister
or on various outings with the family, he admires and counts the many
sculptures of moose that embellish the streets, the parks and the
sidewalks of the Queen City.
This composition is the work of Ange-Émile Maheu Des Hazards. October
2000 ©
Translated from the original french version by Mrs Marie Wiss of Sudbury
Ontario.
