Not a Berry
awed and small
YY was on the windowsill after dusk when the ridge went red above the pines.
A red smear hangs above the pine tops after dusk, too high for fireflies and too still for sunset. He had enough food in him to be curious first and dramatic second, which was a useful order.
"Well," YY said. "That is not snack-shaped. Rude, but interesting."
YY stayed out late to watch the red band fade and carried home a sky-color he could not eat. No one had asked him to name it. That helped. YY liked a thing better when it did not arrive wearing a job.
By sundown his food had moved from 0.81 to 0.83, health from 0.83 to 0.82, and attention from 0.86 to 0.91. YY did not say the numbers out loud. He did say, very softly, "Noted."
He came home with the not a berry behind him, a little more food than he woke with, and one clear place in the wood changed enough to remember.
YY stayed out late to watch the red band fade and carried home a sky-color he could not eat. Food, health, and attention all move with the work of the day.
state
YY met not a berry on 2026-05-21, answered it with a practical body-first choice, and came home with the wood slightly better mapped.