Deer, No Headlights

Moonless tonight, the trees no more than dark shapes against indigo sky, small patches of stars between them. Standing in the hush, I hear a crunch of twig or dried leaf nearby. A hint of motion at the edge of the street. Before I can turn on my flashlight, a sudden clatter of hooves on the pavement twenty feet away, more from up the street. I raise the light and catch a brief glimpse of a buck running away. A doe rushes past, then another. At the end of the block, they stop. Two turn to look back at me, their eyes reflecting in the beam of my flashlight. They cross the street to the orchard and disappear among the apple trees.

Scared the hell out of me. I don't think I'll ever get used to living with wildlife.