Dispatch 13
Smoke rises in the pre-dawn air above my campfire. A percolator of water sweats in the coals as it becomes coffee. I poke at the fire a bit impatiently with a stick, then sit back in my chair to enjoy the early morning sights and sounds.
The morning is gloriously cool and the sky is clear. The last bright stars are still visible but they won’t be for long. A breeze teases the leaves. Frogs and insects chatter away. A crane rattles nearby. Soon the morning birds will chime in.
The warmth of the tiny fire feels good. The night has brought the damp. The fire cuts through the moisture like sunshine through clouds. I no longer need the light to see.
I find myself staring into the woods beside the little clearing that is my campsite. The coffee is done and I pour a cup. A movement catches the corner of my eye and I look up.
A deer is walking slowly toward the clearing where I sit. It looks curious but not afraid. I glance at the dog by my feet. He hasn’t noticed the deer yet.
The deer makes its way closer to the clearing, one step at a time. It’s almost comical how slowly it moves. It is looking at me the whole time. It stops about ten yards away. There are small trees between us. I wonder if the trees make it feel safe.
Surprised that it is so close, and that the dog still hasn’t noticed it, I begin to speak softly to the deer. I wish it a good morning and ask how it is doing. It continues to look at me. I wave a little bit and it stomps a foot. Is it waving back? I smile.
The dog suddenly notices the deer. He sits up and sniffs. He begins to growl. I put my hand on his head and tell him to leave it. This is not his favorite command but for some reason he listens this morning. He watches the deer intently but does not move or make any noise.
When the dog growled the deer took a step back and hid behind a tree but it did not leave. Now, it pokes its head out and looks our way. I smile and wave. It stares. Then it stomps its foot.
After a while it begins to walk back the way it had come. It moves in the same slow, step by step way it did when it arrived. Every once in a while it stops and looks back toward us. We watch until it disappears among the trees.
My coffee has cooled enough to drink. I take a sip. Sometimes it’s good to be in the right place at the right time.
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