I wanted to share this bit of my experience and it was actually longer than I anticipated. I decided to break it down to two parts. Depending on any future occurrences, I may do a third.
My family and I recently moved into a cul-de-sac, a two-story house by the woods. Thick trees strive in these woods, blinding us from any clear views passed them. Maybe a good 5 feet in until the next looming tree blocks your vision.
Autumn is beginning to take effect as leaves are beginning to fall off the branches and the colorful transitions from green, yellow, to brown are pooled across the forest ground. Being a homeowner has made me busy these past few days, which I don’t mind. I pride myself in making our home more personable when we invite friends and family over.
When I’m working outside, occasional leaves on the ground crunches that I’ve I assumed are deer, rabbits, and other animals that flee by. I’ve gotten better at listening to the sounds of leaves breaking when animals stepped on them. I play game with myself and make a guess then try to catch a glimpse of whatever might be out there in hopes of seeing wildlife. My eyes were never fast enough to catch sight of them though, and the trees sure didn’t helped. Until one late afternoon.
This time of year, I enjoy leaving my office window open when I’m working from home to let in some cool air. After a few hours of working with low music playing in the background, I managed to hear footsteps coming from outside. I turned down the music and focused my ears on the sounds of the animal. These footsteps didn’t match any of the previous patterns I’ve heard before. The sound was constant with no breaks in between.
I stood up and looked out through the second story window. I looked down and into the forest. It sounded like it was in one spot, just circling. I inched closer to the window, nearly sticking my head out to get a better hearing of the leaves breaking and my eyes desperately trying to catch what’s out there. My eyes quickly began to dry from the wind blowing into them and realized I haven’t blinked in a while. I stuck my head back in and rubbed my eyes and right when I opened them. I caught something walking to another tree. Walking. “What’s a person doing out there?”, I wondered. I felt my face flush and body frozen stiff at the thought. A moment later, the careful footsteps start to recede, deeper into the woods.
A couple of hours pass by and I’m working in silence, vigilant of any sounds. The front door opens, and my heart screams. “Wife’s home”, I told myself. Forcing myself to get it together. I became brave again and realized it was time for me to log off for the day. I went downstairs and was greeted with a warm smile. I gave her a kiss and I have this silly little idiosyncrasy of sniffing her hand in a borderline creepy way but she reassured me it was sweet. I’ve always justified it by saying it helps me release serotonin after a stressful day. “What do you think of my nails?”, she asked. She always joked about getting a discount because she was missing her pinky. A bad accident when she was a kid. The light jokes never end but it’s one of the many reasons why I love about her. I gave her a compliment and told her I’d be outside to rake some leaves. I gave her another kiss and with my newfound bravery, I head out to the backyard to start my chore. The purple sunset was an indication that I’ve been out there for a while.
I didn’t dare but curiosity got the best of me. I looked back at the house, trying not to rise suspicion of my wife as to not worry her. The kitchen window is closed. “Perfect”, I thought. I turned back around and walked to the woods. I passed the threshold from the property line to the woods and the atmosphere turned eerie, my safe world was gone. As if I’ve walked into someone else’s home. And I may have. I started to think back at the figure I was saw earlier. The thought triggered immense panic. I managed to calm myself down and made sure I was visible to the kitchen window, in case my wife decided to check up on me and it doesn’t look like I’ve disappeared. Crunch. The leaves breaking caused me to jerk around. It was there. Standing in front of me.
A deer. “Why didn’t it run when I turned around quickly?”, I wondered. At that point, I was more nervous that it would charge at me than whatever I may have seen out there. I stood completely still. It’s piercing eyes were like daggers, as if it was testing me. Fuck.
The eyes were analyzing me? After what seemed like hours, I got comfortable inspecting the deer’s eyes as it took its time looking at my feet and legs. Vertical-slit Pupils? “What the fuck am I in front of?”, I whispered. The deer heard me and immediately looked up at my face. This brief moment felt like time stopped and witnessed everything frame by frame. It blinked twice, almost simultaneously. A thin layered lid, followed by the outer lid.
A wave of unnerving electricity drowned my face and down to my neck. The deer let out an audible exhale through its nostril. Adrenaline took over my body and I bolted back to the house. Right when I reached the door. I turned back at the woods and the deer is standing where I once stood, staring at me. I kept my eyes on it until it turned around and walked away into the woods. I desperately gathered myself, trying to make sure I’m not heaving. Once I felt composed, I walked back into the house. Dreadful of what I’ve what I just experienced and what may come after.