We were camping in Darnley, Prince Edward Island when it happened.

It was early in the morning, and my wife was enjoying some quiet time with God while the boys and I slept. I was in the midst of a dream about the Woodleigh Replicas that we had visited the day before. In fact, I was standing in the miniature Tower of London, admiring the replicas of the British crown jewels and wondering how the stones could shine so brightly, even in the dim light, when suddenly the sound of panicky screams invaded my peaceful reflection. In my dream, I tried to look and see where the disturbance was coming from, but I couldn’t see anything.

The persistence of the screaming eventually caused me to try to open my eyes, and I found myself staring straight into the dazed, frightened eyes of a squirrel! It was only there for a moment before, accompanied by more high-pitched shrieks, it darted in the other end of the trailer. What is THIS THING doing in MY dream?

As the screaming continued, it occurred to me that perhaps I was no longer dreaming, but that there was, really a squirrel in our tent trailer, and the “music” that accompanied its antics came from none other than my poor wife!

Fully awake by now, I immediately pieced together what had happened. The day before, we had set up camp in the rain. In our haste, we must have neglected to firmly stick down the Velcro that normally holds the canvas flaps to the underneath side of the beds. Being curious by nature, the squirrel would naturally have been drawn to investigate this red-dirt trailer with its gaping holes that had invaded its territory, and quite possibly it was further motivated by the smell of food on the inside. The poor creature had no idea it would be discovered. The thought of all that “people food” was simply more of a temptation than it could bear!

What it hadn’t banked upon was that there would be a woman in the trailer who WASN’T asleep. Nor had it accounted for the fact that humans react when startled, and sometimes that reaction, especially when it comes from the female gender, consists of high-pitched, ear-piercing sounds that can be damaging to sensitive ears!

As I watched the squirrel leap from the boys’ bed to our bed, up the wall, across the table, down to the floor, and up to the curtains, I could almost hear it saying: “Help! I need to get out of here! There is some lunatic on the loose in this trailer! Had I known I would have kept my nose in my own hazelnuts!”

But finally, it heard a tenor voice calling out some very sensible words above the squeals: “Open the door!”

“Yes,” it must have said. “Open the door so I can get OUT of here before my eardrums explode!”

In a moment, the door flew open and it escaped its fateful destiny.

That squirrel learned an important lesson that day. Don’t ever trust female humans! They are out to destroy you with their incessant high-pitched sounds! In fact, I can almost imagine its thoughts as it scampered into the brush: “I think I’ll just stick to looking in the brush for my dinner next time!”

You have to wonder if squirrels are the only creatures to risk their lives in order to satisfy some desire. That same morning I noticed a robin carefully approaching another campsite. It looked left and then right, and though it proceeded, it stopped every few feet to look around. Finally it found something of interest, picked it up in its beak and quickly flew away. It was lucky! It didn’t encounter the same kind of creature as that poor squirrel!

Curiosity may seem quite innocent at first. It may lead to unheard discoveries and enhanced knowledge. However, curiosity can also open a can of deadly worms. Sin entered our world through curiosity: “I wonder what it must be like to know the difference between good and evil,” Eve thought. And before you know it, you lose your innocence and become addicted to an unshakable vice.

“I wonder what a cigarette must taste like.”

“Everybody I know does it. Why can’t I look at naked girls?”

“I need one of these, and mom won’t buy it for me. Nobody’s looking, why can’t I take it home?”

The taste of sin is addictive and eventually destroys your whole inner being. Jesus asked a pertinent question: “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matt 16:26 NIV)

Is curiosity worth the risk? Ask that poor squirrel. He has some insights on the subject!

Rob Chaffart