Spooked: A Halloween Story
Part 2: Bless My Heart
Sometimes Mia does weird things.
The other day while walking our normal route, Mia saw a
couple out for their evening stroll walking uphill towards the part of the
neighborhood we had just left. I tried
to get Mia to walk forward and keep going but she froze, turned, and then
busted ass at a pace that kept us about 50 feet ahead of the couple who had
been walking our way. I can’t even
imagine how rude this must look (bless my heart), and I’m thankful when Mia
finally pauses and lets the couple pass us. I don’t know whether to apologize
or explain so I do neither and pretend to fiddle with my headphones.
Tonight, at dusk on Halloween, Mia did something she has
never done. At the point of the path where it turns down a hill and goes into
scrub before popping up 50 yards later, she freezes.
I tug the harness gentle. Let’s go. Let’s go. I might have commented on how it was getting
dark and we needed to get home, or I might have just thought that very
loudly. Either way, she completely refused
to walk forward with me along a path she’s walked 50 times before.
For a moment I remember it is Halloween and maybe there are
spirits.
But nah, right?
The sky is mostly inky blue with some last lingering orange from
the sunset. I’m thinking we have 10
minutes to get home before it is dark.
A sudden chill blasts across us from the hill and I begrudgingly
put on the black jacket I brought with no intentions to wear.
Undeterred, I push forward. Let’s go Mia, let’s get this
done!
She stares ahead, wincing, pulling back on the harness.
It’s ok! Come on!
She pulls back. No way.
Let’s go, it’s OK!
I tug a little more on the harness that goes across her
chest and under her arms and behind her armpits.
She leans back. No way.
The darkness is coming faster than I expected.
I feel
woefully unprepared to walk in the dark through trick or treaters and traffic wearing black, so I pull her again,
come on! Let’s just go!
She leans back and in one swift movement collapses herself
in a way that miraculously pulls the harness over her arms and neck and head
and disappeared into the Halloween sunset. (continued)
