Mr. Murphy: Squirrel, Father, Friend
2025
Preserved squirrel remains, sticks, tarred bankline, sealed glass jar, drywall, Quikrete tube
I met Mr. Murphy in the summer of 2024. He was a strange man. With a wild look in his eye he gnawed on the wooden fence in my backyard squawking loudly and frantically shaking his tail.
Day after day Mr. Meow Meow and Mr. Murphy relentlessly screeched at each other. I considered them frenemies until I noticed the disdain in their eyes. One afternoon my roommate complained that the squirrels were ruining his plants. Mr. Meow Meow decided that this was the opportunity he'd been waiting for.
Carnage commenced.
The following morning I found the corpse of Mr. Murphy's son outside of my bedroom door. His sibling laid in the yard headless and shriveled by the hot summer sun. We didn't see Mr. Murphy for a long while after that.
One fateful evening Mr. Murphy reappeared ready for vengeance. An intense battle between two sworn enemies commenced under the light of the full Hunter’s moon.
I found Mr. Murphy's corpse in the dewy grass that night. His valiant efforts were no match for Meow. He was battered, bloody, and bruised. He had been murdered.
We carry him with us in our hearts now and forever.