A Natural Lesson

My second entry to this wonderful contest. I received an Honorable Mention.

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TITLE: A Natural Lesson
NUMBER WORDS: 300

“You're wasting your time!”
I turned around. Who was that?
I had been standing absolutely still for twenty minutes. My camera was mounted on the tripod, my finger poised on the button. My closed eye was hurting from the pressure and I could feel the tension in the skin around it.
I was observing the entrance of the den. I wanted to catch the beast on film, and I was eager to do so before the sun went down.
Everyone was talking about it. They said it was the biggest they’d ever seen. The kids said he had eyes the size of a plate. I knew they had to be exaggerating a little, but I just wanted a picture for the morning paper.

“You’re crazy!”
What? Who? Where? I looked up, rubbed my sore eye. “I give in!”

I saw an old man standing on the path. Judging by the wrinkles on his face, he could have been a-hundred years old. He was smiling. The kind of smile only old memories can grin. I felt compassion gain over me as I moved towards him.

“What in the world are you disturbing me for, grand-pa? Can’t you see I’m working?”
“Yeah! You’re working alright!”
I was getting a little ticklish. My feelings for the stranger were changing by the second. I now felt like giving him a piece of my mind.
He threw his smoked-out cigarette into the den.
That was it! Should I just grab his walking stick and beat good manners into him? The thought made me frown.
“Don’t even think about it!” and he moved his stick out of the way.
“OK! You’re officially freaking me out! What do you want?”
He tip-toed over and bent to murmur into my ear.

“The rabbit?... It only comes out at night!”