Tuka, Part 4

Life in winter camp was noisy, boisterous & downright fun. Tuka settled into his winter gertee with Sally quite nicely. Besides keeping Tuka's bed warm at night Sally was an excellent cook & kept a clean home all with a smile on her round face.

Every day Tuka rounded up his motley sled dog team & hitched them up for a run. This was when Tuka felt really free & high on the adrendaline rush you get with exilarating exercise. The dogs loved it too & you could tell from their tails & tongues wagging away.

One day, Tuka & his team, came acoss an old, wise owl on a branch gleaming in the sunset. This pleases Tuka as he had had many conversations with this owl before. Always a patient one he waited for the owl to speak first.

"I see you are enjoying yourself in the village. That is good. You need to enjoy life along the way." Said the owl. Clearing his throat he continued on. "Not speaking of the gold you found is good, too. You will know when the time is right. Even if its 40 years from now. Gold is not like the salmon that return every summer & is eaten fresh & preserved for winter. Gold can stay in the ground year after year & never go bad."

So as Tuka mushed back to the village he looked forward to checking his email, watching Alaska State Troopers and most of all: picking out a brand new snow machine Sally was buying him!!

FORGET THE GOLD!!!

The End.