Mason
👤 SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
We set up anyway.
That night I woke up because I thought I heard footsteps.
Not the small scatter of a raccoon.
Not the heavy, careless crack of a deer.
Footsteps that sounded like someone trying to place their feet quietly but not succeeding because the ground was wet and littered with sticks.
Slow.
Measured.
A pause.
Another step.
Another pause.
I lay there with my eyes open, listening, and my first thought was that maybe it was Mason moving around.
Then I realized the sound was outside my tent, not right next to it but close enough that I could tell it was circling the camp area.
A step, then stillness.
A step, then stillness.
I held my breath without deciding to.
That's what fear does.
It decides for you.
My hand found my headlamp and I didn't turn it on.
I didn't unzip the tent.
I listened and waited for the sound to fade because part of me still wanted it to be an animal.