This morning, as I was eating breakfast and gazing out at the autumn beauty of the woods, I saw two deer come into the yard, nosing around for food that we leave out for birds.
It reminded me of a few years back, before The Fall (not Adam and Eve but my falling down and changing my life forever). After work, I would walk for twenty minutes, three evenings a week.
This particular evening it was snowing, and there was already an inch or so on the ground. My world seemed absolutely silent. I couldn't even hear my own footsteps.
As I topped a rise in the road, I was brought to an abrupt halt. Standing before me were at least twelve deer, the nearest one so close I could have reached out and touched it.
They were as startled as I, and for several seconds nobody moved. They stared at me, I stared at them.
Have you ever noticed how large and pointy a buck's rack is? Have you ever noticed that deer are pretty big?
For a moment I thought I was going to be trampled by a herd of deer, and my heart began to pump rapidly.
I smiled tentatively at them and said, "Hey."
The one nearest me stomped the ground, huffed, and started them all doing the same.
The next word I said I can't print, but it was sorta like "Oh, dear!" Only spelled differently.
The the buck, who was on the other side of the herd from me, stomped and huffed and took off - in the other direction. The does followed him, and soon all I saw were the white flags of their tails as they disappeared over the ridge.
Now, never in my life would I have thought I'd be afraid of Bambi's family.
But I was.
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