Yelson and Niko Against the World

Yelson and Niko Against the World – retold by Liam Sweeny.

My heart is full this morning, and unless you are forged in granite, yours will be too. There is a man, Yelson, who has escaped the turmoil of Venezuela along with his friend and made a treacherous three-thousand-mile journey to the city of Matamoros, just outside of Brownsville, Texas. Now, like many people in his situation, he may have to be separated from his friend to gain entry into the United States.

But unlike anyone else, his friend, Niko, is a squirrel.

A squirrel! C’mon now, how can you not love a guy that trekked through three thousand miles of rugged, dangerous terrain with a little squirrel in his backpack? He and Niko should be characters in a fantasy video game, for crying out loud.

So Yelson found Niko by almost stepping on his when the latter was an abandoned baby. He (Yelson) raised Niko on yogurt, only to find that Niko preferred pine needles, tomatoes, and mangoes. Niko stayed and slept in a knit cap in Yelson’s backpack throughout the trip. They even came across a dead body and Niko was super chill about it.

So yeah, the U.S. probably won’t allow him to keep Niko, but people are fighting for the two to stay together. Niko’s got his shots and everything. I wholeheartedly believe that even though none of this took place in America, this is the American story. A man and his squirrel against all odds. A squirrel and his man on a magnificent journey for tomatoes and mangoes.

Yelson said that if they were indeed separated, he doesn’t want Niko to forget his face. Of course, this brings to light the fact that it’s pretty damn easy for a squirrel to get across the border if it’s crafty enough, as I suspect Niko is. Maybe this will be something that inspires a Disney movie. A Squirrel’s Tail.