An Evening Walk

I awaken startled with my heart beating furiously in my chest. A soft light appears across the sky then disappears quickly. Perhaps I was awakened by a clap of thunder from the approaching storm or maybe it was the howl I’ve heard for so many nights now. I know it wasn’t from my usual nightmare. The nightmare that plagues many of my nights. I awaken soaked in my own sweat and breathless from trying to escape the very nightmare I am in.

I get out of bed and go to the window. I watch the lightning off in the distance as it intermittently lights up the long stretch of woods just behind my house. A low clap of thunder rumbles through the land, alerting everyone of the approaching storm. It couldn’t have been the thunder that woke me- it isn’t loud enough yet. I look at the clock and it reads 11:30. I’ve only been asleep for a short time. I look over at my man sleeping peacefully. He has been my neighbor for many years and my lover for just a few short weeks. I smile as I watch him breathe then grab my clothes from the chair and try to dress quietly. The house is very quiet and each noise seems magnified. Just the snaps and zippers on my clothing seem more like hammers and saws. I hear an animal cry off in the woods but can’t determine which one. I blow a kiss to him and sneak down the stairs.

I slip on my tennis shoes, grab a flashlight and head for the door. Just as I open the door and step to the porch, I hear the howl. It is low and prominent, perhaps a warning. A warning to what or whom, I wonder. I shiver where I stand trying to determine the direction from which it came. I close the door behind me and take another step listening carefully. Another howl echoes from the woods, which lie directly in front of me now. I flash the light in the area I think the animal noise came from but I see nothing.

This town is full of old stories and old wives tales that would keep you awake for many nights, searching the shadows for something evil This town is full stories about these woods. They say it is not safe to enter day or night. I heard them all when I was a little girl but there are so many variations that it’s hard to keep them all straight. There is a tale of some creature or animal that kills anything that comes close to its domain. Yet, no one could tell you where the domain is, not one single person. Some say it is part human others say it is just a hairy beast standing over 8 feet in height. But, to my knowledge, there has never been any report of injury or death by this creature. It often comes later in the night I think, if it is the one I hear from my bedroom each night. I shrug it off and continue on, wanting to beat the rain.

I step from the porch, the air is still and the woods have fallen silent. No crickets, no birds, no hoots from the owls, nothing. The silence is almost eerie. I get the sensation of eyes upon me. I turn on the flashlight and scan the area carefully. Nothing, just as I thought. The imagination can lead you to many places the mind really doesn’t want to go.

I take a deep breath and head off for a nice walk. Taking a short walk to clear my mind usually helps me sleep. I take my usual path and stroll along until I slowly realize it is unusually bright this evening. I stop to look up around the trees and notice the full moon. My heart skips a beat. “Never go into the woods on a full moon,” my mother’s voice saying it over and over in my head. I curse myself once again for letting these thoughts consume me.

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