Mason
👤 SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
The man didn't answer.
He took one step forward.
Mason pulled the bear spray from his pack strap, thumb on the safety.
The man stopped.
He tilted his head slightly like he was curious.
Then he smiled.
It was not a big grin.
It was small, controlled, and it made my stomach roll because it felt like he was reacting to a private thought.
He took another step.
Mason raised the spray.
I'm not kidding.
The man moved faster then.
not charging full speed, but quick enough that it forced Mason's hand.
Mason fired the spray in a wide, panicked arc down the trail.
The orange mist blew in the rain and wind.
Some of it hit the man.
I saw him flinch and turn his face away.
but the rain knocked the spray down fast, and the mist didn't hang in the air like it does on a calm day.
The man stepped back, rubbing at his face with his sleeve, but he didn't fall or scream.
He didn't run away.