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Showing posts from July, 2013

Boys Will Be Boys

The blue dragonfly glided gracefully above the water surface. Hovering just at the edge of the water, its translucent wings shimmered brilliantly in the glorious sunlight. All was peaceful and calm. For that brief moment at least. Then without prior warning the tranquility of the moment was broken, and a shot resounded in the air; only to be followed by a thud in the water. As for the dragonfly, it was nowhere to be found; the little insect had been  stunned by the shooting of the pellet gun. This was an opportunity not missed by a young boy, who promptly whisked the dragonfly away in a net. All this happened about a month ago. Our family was enjoying a much-needed holiday in Japan, and was visiting Murayama Koen, a lovely park in Kyoto. A group of young boys caught our attention. They were around elementary school age, and were apparently playing in the park after school. They bowled us over with their enthusiasm and technique of catching dragonflies. When we first observed the b