The Watching Rock

"The Watching Rock" In the heart of a bustling city, nestled between a tangle of walking paths and gnarled oaks, sat a rock. Not just any rock—this was Watcher , a smooth, gray boulder with a curious spirit and an unusual hobby: he loved watching humans. Watcher had been in the same spot for hundreds of years, long before the city rose around him. At first, there were only animals, wind, and rain. Then came carriages, bicycles, skyscrapers—and eventually, people in stretchy pants doing yoga and arguing about kombucha flavors. Every day in the city park was a new episode of Watcher's favorite show: Strange Humans Doing Stranger Things . He adored the early joggers, with their rhythmic puffing and red faces. He'd try to guess who would trip over the uneven paving stone that always caught new runners off guard. (He kept an imaginary scoreboard. The current tally was: Stone – 48, Humans – 3 .) The dog walkers fascinated him too. The humans always thought they were ...