She packed up her things, shrugged the backpack straps over her shoulders, and set out for home at a faster pace than she normally used on an uneven surface. The rain started just as she stepped back onto the path and she ran the rest of the way but was still soaked when she reached her door.
She laughed when she told Joan and Monica about it over lunch a few days later… and they said the weather could change quickly.
She continued to use the path on weekends but kept a close eye on the weather after that episode.
By now, she was feeling comfortable with the path… becoming familiar with its twists and turns… where the little dips and partially-hidden rocks were lurking. Three months after moving in, she felt completely at home… a good feeling… for she felt as if she finally belonged somewhere.
Autumn was in full swing and temperatures had fallen slowly… on the last Saturday of October, she set out for what would likely be her last picnic lunch of the year. The air was chilly, but she was dressed for it… the brightly coloured leaves of birch trees appeared here and there among the green fir and spruce… and she was glad she’d brought the camera. By the time she reached the top of the hill, the sky had darkened… she wished she’d checked the forecast before leaving home… so she ate her lunch and then picked up her things.
The first hailstones hit her ball cap just as she stepped onto the path… she quickened her pace, trying to keep in the shelter of the trees as much as possible, grateful that she was wearing hiking boots. She hadn’t gone three feet when the strong gusts of wind started… driving the hail before her like heavy rain… and hitting her backpack hard. It wasn’t long until she felt like she was walking on marbles… and she was forced to slow down considerably.
Gradually… she became aware of a shadow… moving between the trees… to her left… then to her right… and seeming to be all around her. She didn’t know what she was seeing… but, despite the conditions, she picked up the pace… then slipped on the unstable carpet of hail and fell… face first.
Her first thought was: “Thank goodness, there’s no one around to see me like this… flat on my face.”
Then she opened her eyes and froze… directly in front of her were two huge, black furry feet… with claws that must be six inches long… and she screamed.
A moment later she was picked up swiftly from the ground… and slung easily over a broad shoulder.
It took a few minutes to recover from the shock of being treated like a sack of potatoes, but… as she did so… fear turned to indignation. No creature was going to carry her off to its den… not without a fight.
She began to squirm… and pound her fists against the creature’s back… but all to no avail… she was held fast.
Without warning, she was suddenly dumped on the hail-covered ground. Swallowing her fear and humiliation, she struggled to get to her feet… afraid to think of might happen next. And then, surprisingly… she thought she heard an amused chuckle…
