Chased into the Woods Like a Dog, at the End of the Dark Day

I have to find shelter! The thought raced through my head. Barren shelter. The sort of shelter that a patch of grapevines affords, or a nook in a wide, hollowed out tree. It was close to dusk, and there was a friendliness to the fogginess of a rainy day drawing to a close. Quick, quick! Somewhere!

I didn’t know how close he was on my heels. I was pretty sure I had run away with at least a minute of distance between us, but I couldn’t take any chances. A bramble scratched at my thigh as I hurried from the wide-open land toward the safety of the woods. I just can’t take any chances.

I needed a place to hide, ASAP. Some vague little nook that would let my pursuers pass, leaving me safe and unnoticed.

The woods always looks to me like a home away from home. The low branches of an old live oak are like an inviting living room, with comfortable ferny seating. Old stumps are convenient step stools. Fallen trees make for borders, sectioning off land like fences. Each fern and low-lying plant makes for a pretty, mysterious sort of floor covering—they are lovely like an ornate rug, but always seem to be hiding something. The palmettos make for less welcoming ground. They are more like an over-full shed, harboring a rattle snake or two.

I am excellent in emergencies. I have freakishly clear thought processes. The most rational step presents itself in the forefront of my mind, despite the panic of adrenaline. The palmettos weren’t an option. To move into their tightly packed dry fronds would be like sounding an alarm that no ears would miss within an acre. To the east the woods was taken over by muddy land and knobby roots sticking up to trip a woman being chased. Everybody knows from movies what happens then.

What would my pursuer expect me to do? To run, far and as fast as possible. I looked to my left, and there was a thick tangle of muscadine vines that had swallowed up the ground and any plant near it. It was a maze of vine, and with the tall grass, it made for a good cover. I dropped low instantly, keeping my eyes just above the level, watching for any approaching movement. I had enough leeway to shimmy around a corner of vine, to evade notice. My heart palpitated.

I focused my eyes on the cleared land just beyond my sanctuary of vines. There was no movement but the tops of the sugarcane blowing in the wind. All was eerily still. I let out a deep breath, not feeling all was well, but grateful for the moment of peace.

Amid the tangle of vines some small, inconspicuous wildflowers bloomed, and the bees buzzed around them. Sweet, cute little honeybees make for good companions in such a desperate place. That was not all though. Many little spider webs were woven there, with spiders with shiny green abdomens and bright orange eyes. They sat stoic in their webs, unmoved by human troubles. They would not even sway should I be found. The bees at least might fly from their place, if only momentarily. I was nothing but a human flicker of life, in a place full of life in every direction. We were all valuable.

Then, I heard it. A distant sound pounding the ground, but drawing closer. A dog barked, charging forward alongside its human companion. I felt my heart racing again, watching. There was nothing to be done. It was too late to run any farther. There was nowhere to go. I immediately knew my choice to be faulty. The dog would find me, no doubt about that. I didn’t even want to look.

Instead I looked down at the long blades of grass, sprinkled with crystal like drops of water from the shower earlier. A rain shower, so separated from human activity—so above it all. I hated to nudge those grasses, and make them drop their beautiful crystals, once the chaos started.

And then, the sound of human noise filled the air.

“Found you!” Shouted the boy gleefully as Big Dog shoved his wet nose in my face.

Nobody takes hide-and-seek more seriously than Mama.