The Fox
We live in rural Kansas, on the last row of houses in a town of just 600 people. Miles from a highway, when you step out onto the porch at night, all you hear is a serene peaceful , silence. In the summertime you can hear the irrigation systems running miles away in a farmers field or the sound of the wheat trucks delivering their bounty to the elevator in town. In the winter, on a clear night, you can hear everything.
Last night as I was lying in bed reading a book, I heard what I thought to be the cry of an injured animal. At first it just interrupted my reading. Then it began to hurt my ears and then my heart. I could not bear to think that an animal was in such distress. I opened my bathroom window to see if I could figure out what or where it was from our house. It sounded like it was a few blocks away.
I woke up my 17 year old son, Hunter, and asked him if he wanted to go for a ride with me to find out what it was and if we could help it. He reluctantly agreed and got out from under his warm covers.
We stepped out onto the porch in the low teen's temperatures. We stood silent and listened for the call of the animal. When we thought we knew which direction it was coming from, we got into the car and began to drive. We went 2 blocks to the east and stopped the car and listened again. Now it sounded like it was to the north of us. We drove 2 more blocks to Main St and stopped again to listen. Now it sounded like it was to the west of town, so we drove 4 blocks to the edge of town, behind our house. As we drove down the slushy snow covered road, we saw the eyes reflecting at us. We stopped and I put the bright lights on the eyes and there was the creature. A beautiful red tailed fox. We lowered the car windows and listened and there was the cry I had heard from my bedroom. Before we moved closer, we noticed another fox running across the golf course driveway. We followed slowly. He would stop and look back at us and cry again.
Hunter and I drove home, content that no animal was in trouble or hurt. And I settled back into my bed with my book.
The fox was a welcome distraction for me. It was nice to know that I can still feel something other than the disconnection I have felt for the last month.
Last night as I was lying in bed reading a book, I heard what I thought to be the cry of an injured animal. At first it just interrupted my reading. Then it began to hurt my ears and then my heart. I could not bear to think that an animal was in such distress. I opened my bathroom window to see if I could figure out what or where it was from our house. It sounded like it was a few blocks away.
I woke up my 17 year old son, Hunter, and asked him if he wanted to go for a ride with me to find out what it was and if we could help it. He reluctantly agreed and got out from under his warm covers.
We stepped out onto the porch in the low teen's temperatures. We stood silent and listened for the call of the animal. When we thought we knew which direction it was coming from, we got into the car and began to drive. We went 2 blocks to the east and stopped the car and listened again. Now it sounded like it was to the north of us. We drove 2 more blocks to Main St and stopped again to listen. Now it sounded like it was to the west of town, so we drove 4 blocks to the edge of town, behind our house. As we drove down the slushy snow covered road, we saw the eyes reflecting at us. We stopped and I put the bright lights on the eyes and there was the creature. A beautiful red tailed fox. We lowered the car windows and listened and there was the cry I had heard from my bedroom. Before we moved closer, we noticed another fox running across the golf course driveway. We followed slowly. He would stop and look back at us and cry again.
Hunter and I drove home, content that no animal was in trouble or hurt. And I settled back into my bed with my book.
The fox was a welcome distraction for me. It was nice to know that I can still feel something other than the disconnection I have felt for the last month.
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