Vigeland Park in Oslo

"Well", said Anne, "I have something really
important to tell you, but it is a secret.
I must whisper it to you."
Her friends closed in to hear what this
was all about.

For a moment Anne nearly forgot she was
looking after her younger brother Per, but
holding his hand tightly, she knew she had
him close by.



But little Per had found something interesting.
Was it a stick?
Perhaps.
He lifted the stick, but the stick moved.



He had found a snake.
A harmless snake?
A poisonous snake?

The story does not tell.
But the statue with these figures in the
Vigeland Park in Oslo let me ponder
both the little boy's natural curiosity
and the older girl's role as a caretaker for
the little boy, but also her own need for
social interaction.