Trick of the Light

I hate the time change.
I mean.
I just.
Fuckin.
Hate it.

I have yet to get a reasonable answer from anyone as to why we do it other than just to piss me off. But regardless, it gets dark really early now, and I had developed a pretty cool routine of going for a walk in the cemetery after dinner - either with Jen and the kids, both kids, or just Carson. It was relaxing, soothing at the end of the day to just go for a walk and look at how the trees had bumped up their colors overnight as fall was creeping in. And lately in my life, unless it involves the Lifetime channel or a day spa, an opportunity at anything even remotely close to “relaxing” or “soothing” is jumped at like Cujo with a Dee Wallace pork chop.

So tonight, with the time change, it got dark ridiculously fast. Like take-the-last-bite-of-my-dinner-and-it’s-dark-out, fast. But I took Carson for a walk anyway, letting him sit up on my shoulders and carrying him. During our brief walk, we saw something black walking along the cornfield. It was medium sized and as best I could tell in the darkness had the same markings as my cat, Edgar, does; black all over, with a wide patch of white in front. And, I might add, my cat Edgar and his uppity cat-sister Poe, were found in the same part of the cemetery as this visitor approached me.

I thought that maybe another of their litter had gotten away and was living in the wild. The way the dark shape moved, it looked as if it was rubbing up against the cornstalks. Or maybe the cats mother.

It went off into the cornfield and I walked a bit further, saw a parked car up ahead, and turned back to go home. After getting back, I talked with Chloe, and then she, Carson and I ALL went for a walk in the cemetery.

Again encountering the dark shape along the edge of the cornfield.

Except this time I had the foresight to bring a flashlight.

Uh huh.

And when I shone the flashlight out in front of me, ‘bout twenty feet away, there was a fat-assed skunk doing the electric slide right in the middle of the asphalt, making some funny little snorting noises and looking like he might get a little pissy if I didn’t stop shining that light in his eyes.

I turned to Chloe. “Run.”

And she did.

And I did.

And Carson, still sitting on top of my shoulders, held onto my hat with pink visegrip hands and bumped around like Smarty Jones’ jockey.

It was a fun little scare, and we all busted out laughing as we were running up the hill. Well, Chloe and I were busting out laughing. Carson was still holding on as tight as he could and staying quiet.

And that was my belated “Happy Halloween.” For a short stretch of walk, I felt like a little kid again.

It was fun getting the hell scared out of you when you didn’t expect it and feeling that adrenaline rush pick you up.

Fun to not give a shit about work or taxes or the mortgage or anything else but living in the moment.

It was fun laughing outside under a dark sky and feeling that last warm day of the year against your skin and wondering what would be coming your way between tonight and the next time you felt a warm breeze in the open air again.

Happy Halloween everyone,
bob