There are two beavers in a forest next to a lake. They have both completely chewed through a tree which should now be falling over but remains suspended in space. One beaver has given up and is leaving while talking while the other beaver continues to look up into the tree.
It is unusual that a tree which has been completely cut through does not fall.
Why hasn't the tree fallen? What is the beaver who is walking away saying?
I'll go see what's holding things up.
scene: forest description: There are two beavers in a forest next to a lake. They have both completely chewed through a tree which should now be falling over but remains suspended in space. One beaver has given up and is leaving while talking while the other beaver continues to look up into the tree. uncanny: It is unusual that a tree which has been completely cut through does not fall. entities: Beaver, Logging. caption: I'll go see what's holding things up.
A play on the term "holding things up" --- usually, if something was held up figuratively, an action/activity would be delayed: here, the delayed action is the tree not falling over (which a beaver might want to build a dam). But, the second meaning is more literal: the thing causing the delay is literally something holding the tree physically up, i.e., "holding things up". So, the second beaver is going to see what is physically holding the tree up which is causing a figurative hold up.