to come say hi. He said he’s waiting for you.”
Danny ’s blood froze. As soon as Helen and Raymond appeared at the top of the stairs he sent Morgan up to her mother.
“ What’s up?” Ray asked. The boy was genuinely concerned but Danny did not want him involved. Whoever was waiting for him out there got too close to his kids already.
“Nothing. I don’t know, stay here. Lock the door.”
For a moment Danny and Helen stared at each other and then she gave him a gentle nod of her head in approval. Whatever was out there, they both knew he had to face it head on.
As Danny stepped out into the night air, he knew right away he felt as if he was in a different world. The trees, the yard, even the house was still the same as it had always been. Yet he knew, more importantly he felt the subtlest change in the universe. Closing the door behind him, he headed toward the tree line that marked the end of his yard. After a few minutes of walking deeper into the forest something rustled in the trees ahead of him.
EARTH MAN. IT ’S TIME.
A large bush between two thick trees blocked his view but Danny knew there was something on the other side, he could hear it moving. The voice seemed to linger in his mind longer the closer he got to whatever it was that was waiting for him.
COME.
As he pushed through the bush the world seemed to resist. Reality warped before his hand like plastic, sending out rippling waves as he passed over some invisible threshold. He felt as if he was gliding over the soft grass, everything around him had a far away feeling to it.
As he looked back over his shoulder to catch a glimpse of the passing ripple effect, something big moved in the trees ahead of him. It pushed out from behind a w all of green very slowly, very dramatically. All Danny could do was watch in awe as the forest seemed to part for whatever it was coming toward him. The hooves appeared first, stepping out of the wilderness like two massive white pillars. The horns followed, so thick and dark Danny thought at first it wore a crown of massive tree branches. The giant male deer stood before him and the forest seemed to bloom at its touch. A rainbow of coloured plants sprouted out of the depressions left by its hooves and as they grew the pedals spread and opened like tiny hungry mouths. The trees around the deer seemed to swell and rattle their leaves in pride at its passing, their branches parting and reaching toward the sky. It took Danny a moment to realize that this was not just any deer; even though it had dramatically changed Danny easily recognized it. Both of them had experienced something strange and frightening, their mutual fear and trauma linked them together. This was the deer that Phil had shot. Even worse, Danny himself had shot the deer’s companion. He’d promised himself that he would never kill another creature as long as he lived and he hoped the deer could sense his guilt and shame. The bullet scar was still visible on the deer’s neck where it had been shot. It wasn’t Danny that had shot him, it was Phil but that didn’t make Danny any more comfortable, considering he’d shot and killed the deer’s friend.
“ I’m sorry. . .” Danny started to apologize but the deer trotted toward him and he lost his nerve.
It was over six feet high , not including the horns and ten feet long. Its muscles were huge and it exuded power with every step. The antlers were large and thick and the tips looked as sharp as daggers. Yet the deer seemed peaceful, almost friendly. As he reached out a hand it pressed its large wet nose against his palm. After everything that had happened, after all that Phil and Danny had put the deer through, the deer still forgave him. The event in the forest had brought them together and now the deer was there to support him, he could sense it.
“ How did you get so damn big, boy?” Danny said.
The deer suddenly turned and hopped a few paces
Danny ’s blood froze. As soon as Helen and Raymond appeared at the top of the stairs he sent Morgan up to her mother.
“ What’s up?” Ray asked. The boy was genuinely concerned but Danny did not want him involved. Whoever was waiting for him out there got too close to his kids already.
“Nothing. I don’t know, stay here. Lock the door.”
For a moment Danny and Helen stared at each other and then she gave him a gentle nod of her head in approval. Whatever was out there, they both knew he had to face it head on.
As Danny stepped out into the night air, he knew right away he felt as if he was in a different world. The trees, the yard, even the house was still the same as it had always been. Yet he knew, more importantly he felt the subtlest change in the universe. Closing the door behind him, he headed toward the tree line that marked the end of his yard. After a few minutes of walking deeper into the forest something rustled in the trees ahead of him.
EARTH MAN. IT ’S TIME.
A large bush between two thick trees blocked his view but Danny knew there was something on the other side, he could hear it moving. The voice seemed to linger in his mind longer the closer he got to whatever it was that was waiting for him.
COME.
As he pushed through the bush the world seemed to resist. Reality warped before his hand like plastic, sending out rippling waves as he passed over some invisible threshold. He felt as if he was gliding over the soft grass, everything around him had a far away feeling to it.
As he looked back over his shoulder to catch a glimpse of the passing ripple effect, something big moved in the trees ahead of him. It pushed out from behind a w all of green very slowly, very dramatically. All Danny could do was watch in awe as the forest seemed to part for whatever it was coming toward him. The hooves appeared first, stepping out of the wilderness like two massive white pillars. The horns followed, so thick and dark Danny thought at first it wore a crown of massive tree branches. The giant male deer stood before him and the forest seemed to bloom at its touch. A rainbow of coloured plants sprouted out of the depressions left by its hooves and as they grew the pedals spread and opened like tiny hungry mouths. The trees around the deer seemed to swell and rattle their leaves in pride at its passing, their branches parting and reaching toward the sky. It took Danny a moment to realize that this was not just any deer; even though it had dramatically changed Danny easily recognized it. Both of them had experienced something strange and frightening, their mutual fear and trauma linked them together. This was the deer that Phil had shot. Even worse, Danny himself had shot the deer’s companion. He’d promised himself that he would never kill another creature as long as he lived and he hoped the deer could sense his guilt and shame. The bullet scar was still visible on the deer’s neck where it had been shot. It wasn’t Danny that had shot him, it was Phil but that didn’t make Danny any more comfortable, considering he’d shot and killed the deer’s friend.
“ I’m sorry. . .” Danny started to apologize but the deer trotted toward him and he lost his nerve.
It was over six feet high , not including the horns and ten feet long. Its muscles were huge and it exuded power with every step. The antlers were large and thick and the tips looked as sharp as daggers. Yet the deer seemed peaceful, almost friendly. As he reached out a hand it pressed its large wet nose against his palm. After everything that had happened, after all that Phil and Danny had put the deer through, the deer still forgave him. The event in the forest had brought them together and now the deer was there to support him, he could sense it.
“ How did you get so damn big, boy?” Danny said.
The deer suddenly turned and hopped a few paces
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