…and the night before, and the night before that, and…
Mists wafts in from the edges of my perception…drifting, low to the ground. It swirls around my legs as I walk through my yard. Despite the clinging mist it is a sunny day, rays peeking through the dense foliage above. It is quiet, peaceful here in my yard. I see the fence in the distance…just a border, really. This fence is not for security, it is low and the pickets are spaced wide enough for a small animal to pass through. It is not to prevent anything from leaving or entering my yard, merely to mark the boundaries of my place.
The mist begins to thin out,retreating in the same slow lazy manner it arrived. I look down to my feet and notice a sluggish bag of brown fur purposefully banging into my shoe. Why hadn’t I noticed this sad creature before? It began to wrap it’s front paws around my leg, as if to retain me…staring stupidly at me with it’s dull, glazed eyes. A look of what could only be described as an impotent hatred slid over it’s countenance. The creature continue to fumble with my leg, trying to get a grip but failing with each attempt, slipping back to the ground.
I studied the creature closely, with growing impatience. It was crawling on all fours, it’s misshapen body moving in an odd, unnatural manner-it seemed to “ooze” slowly forward. The skin of the creature was loose and hung from it’s bones as if it had borrowed the hide from another unfortunate creature. The hair, or fur, of this creature was thin and coarse, a rather insipid and mottled light brown. As I brought my face closer to it’s face to determine exactly what kind of creature this animal was it let out a low, sloppy hiss. The creature bared it’s teeth (were they really bucked~like a bunny?) and attached it’s slime laden mouth to my leg. It felt as if it was rubbing algae laden stones against my skin…slimy but not painful.
Why is this creature in my yard? Why does it choose to try to harm me, especially when the creature is in such a sad state and obviously no match for me? What was it after?
I dawned on me…what this loathsome beast wanted…
I grabbed the creature, holding it away from me as I walked towards the fence. The creature continued to drool and snarl, trying to position it’s head for another “attack”. The poor creature was so pathetic in it’s attempts to harm me…I could not help feeling a touch of pity for it. It obviously wanted something from me…whatever that was this creature certainly did not deserve to have it!
As I approached the fence the creature began to writhe with a renewed fervor, trying desperately to close it’s wet little mouth on some part of me. As I began to pass this loathsome entity over the fence, it managed to twist in my grasp, scraping it’s putrid mouth along the back of my hand. It’s teeth did not managed to break skin, but it did leave a vague red mark across my hand.
I dropped the creature onto the ground, just outside my fence. It crashed headfirst into the fence repeatedly, trying to regain access to what was mine. It seemed oblivious to the fact that whatever it was seeking in my place was never going to belong to it.
Occasionally I will walk to the far reaches of my yard, where the trees all but hide the sky, and I will here this rustling beyond the fence. A dull thudding noise can be heard as I walk closer. If I choose to peer over the fence I will see this creature, persistent in it’s efforts to cross the line…still obsessed by something it cannot have, something out of it’s reach, something of mine…
I smile at it, amused by it’s blind fatuity, with a nagging pity for what this creature is…desperately alone.
I turn to walk back to my home, where love waits to embrace me…
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