Yesterday I went for a walk with my camera. Why did I take the camera? Was it instinct, or did I actually need the camera. I never really thought about it in detail. I even had to make a choice as to which lens I would need on my walk and I selected the short lens – instinct: no, of course not, it was based on the experience gathered on previous camera walks. I wanted the close range details and not the mountains at kilometer distances.

On my walk I discovered this hole. It was a perfectly round hole, on it own. I was alone and saw no-one who had put a claim on the hole. I regarded the hole closely, and found it to be quite a muddy hole which was astonishing because we have had no rain for at least a week. We have had dry sunny weather, so why was this hole filled with mud, very suspicious. This was where my instinct was necessary. A hole in the middle of nowhere. Was it a trap? The hole must have been there for a purpose. According to my instinct I found that the water that had collected beneath the hole over the past few months, had now risen to infiltrate the hole with mud.

I examined the hole closer. It was the size of a human foot, a larger foot and the hole was a deep hole. If you did not know that the hole was there you could easily fall, trip, perhaps twist or break an ankle. Yes, it was a dangerous hole. My instinct told me that at night this hole could be dangerous. An innocent jogger, on an evening run, might put his foot into the hole. Here instinct was unnecessary, for the plain and simple explanation that you do not expect a hole to appear in the middle of a meadow for no apparent reason. Perhaps the creators of the hole were just following their instinct and found that this meadow would be imperfect without a hole. Perhaps there was a bear on the loose from a circus or zoo, even a tiger, and their instinct told them that a hole would be a useful tool to trap such an animal.

In the meanwhile I heard an ambulance approaching. Yes, the first jogger had fallen into the hole and was being transported to the local hospital. In his case his instinct failed him. He did not expect to find such an obstacle in the middle of the field.

I decided not to trust my own instinct and walked on, and then what did I see? Yes, another hole, exactly the same size and depth as this first hole. The mystery was deepening. Someone was digging holes in the ground, perhaps there were more. There are no limits to what an instinct can lead to. What was the solution to these holes in the ground with no apparent reason. I was just about to ring the local police station on my mobile telephone to make them conscious of the fact that holes were appearing everywhere,  but my instinct told me to wait. My instinct was right. As I turned the corner I saw two wooden poles exactly the same width as the two holes. Yes, I had found the purpose of the holes. The two poles would be inserted in the holes, but why? I decided to go home, these poles or the holes in the ground were not my problem.

Daily Prompt: The Instinct Problem