Deer
Saturday, May 12th, 2007
We were in the midst of Tanzawa mountains in Kanagawa Prefecture, a suburb near Tokyo. All of us sleep in one big room in this log cabin. On the first day, I woke up first while the others were curled in their sleeping bags. It was still dark outside and the smell of grass and dew were pleasantly intoxicating. Somehow I felt like being watched. Then I saw deer! On the other side of the road, at the foot of the hill, it faced me squarely. But except for the flicker of an ear, it just stood there unmoving as if chiseled out of stone. I remained cotton quiet to keep this majestic moment from passing. The buck looked into my eyes for the longest time, as if searching my soul. After a while, it stirred and disappeared in the darkness. I let out a sigh. It was my first time to encounter wild game, and what a big buck it was….
