I ran.
The steam lifted and formed a cloud
around my face.
My feet sank into the snow.
I could feel a throbbing in my calves
that burnt as if my bones were coals,
glowing red beneath the muscle.
Everything else was cold.
White landscape blurred by.
Green pines blanketed in a fresh layer
of snow. Ice encased branches shimmered
high above my head.
The sound behind me intensified.
I held my walking stick like a rudder
guiding my way through the thick
Minnesota forest, pushing leafless
underbrush aside as I barreled through.
The sound came closer.
I tripped and twisted, catching myself before it
was too late, using bare saplings to save myself from falling.
Crunch. Crunch.
Huff.
It was getting closer.
I could almost taste the animal on the air,
a bitter musk draped in piss.
It let out a shrill cry followed by a growl.
Fuck!
I felt something brush against my leg just above my boot.
It was enough to find a new burst of energy.
I was propelled by fear. Even in the cold,
sweat formed at my brow and trickled its way
down in wind blasted drips, spraying my eyes.
I was coming to the end of the game trail that led along
the swamp. I could see
a clearing up ahead.
It was the lake my grandparents lived on.
I felt the animal snap at me and I arched the walking stick around my
shoulder in hopes of beating it away.
Finally
the lake opened up before me and I sped up, almost
skimming the snow on top of the frozen lake.
A deep snarl behind me.
A snapping hiss.
A hundred yards out onto the lake and I could feel the freedom.
There came a low crack beneath the snow as I weaved toward the shore.
Another crack sounded.
I could see my grandfather's dock up ahead and the trail that led
around to the back of the house.
Crack!
My foot fell from underneath me.
There was an instant flash of cold that took my breath away.
Crack!
My other foot plummeted into the frigid waters.
I gasped.
In the next breath,
I was waist deep, using the walking stick to keep myself from going under.
There was a moment of clarity. The snarling had silenced behind me.
The badger was working its way back into the swamp as
I struggled to keep from going under.
I could feel the shock of cold slither up my spine.
My body went numb,
and then I felt nothing at all.
A cool peace came over me as I bent forward on the
stick, trying to pull my legs up.
A small crack came as I leaned forward again, trying to gain some leverage.
I hoisted my legs up behind me as I lay out on the snow on my belly, trying to
catch my breath. In a single move,
I turned and scooted up onto the ice.
The water was already beginning to crystallize.
I turned over again and began to crawl on the lake.
I distributed my weight as best I could.
An eerie silence came over the forest
like whispering secrets in the air.
I was already shaking.
My teeth chattered.
I could see the dock only a few yards away.
I gained the courage to stand and stepped up onto the cedar planks.
It creaked from my weight.
It was less than a mile to the house, but my pants had already frozen.
I felt pinpricks along my legs. My feet had gone completely numb.
I saw the house, the unspoiled snow laying out across the yard
and on top of the table in the front like a freshly iced cake.
And my body slowed.
Every step was a mile.
Every breath took a minute to achieve.
I stumbled up the stairs and pulled the door to the porch aside.
I clamored in, nearly falling over myself.
My grandparents were gone, but the fire in the stove raged.
I could her the crackling through the iron door.
My clothes were frozen to me.
I had to peel my pants down as I neared the stove.
The pain was instant.
And I sat on the floor, revealing my pink and red skin,
thankful the badger hadn't caught up to me.
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