What do you REALLY See in the Dark?

We’ve all been informed of the virtues of being an early bird.  But who wants worms, anyway?  Although there are plenty of other reasons to drag your warm and sleepy self from under the cozy blankets and out into the shocking fresh air, here is one you may not have considered:  Maybe you’ll see something really cool!

I like to get out for excursions in the pre-dawn darkness to see what else is out there.  Of course there are always a couple of other humans on the trails, but heck - I can see them all day long.  I really enjoy hearing the howling of the coyote party deep in the woods or the silence of the hungry owl swooping down upon its furry breakfast.

With winter darkness come the best discoveries of all.   Recently my running partner, Carol, and I have come upon an elusive creature: The giant, lumbering tentacled beast that I call Buelah.  From far off I can see her lumbering up the trail in the pitch blackness with her two huge glowing eyes rhythmically bouncing with the stride of her enormous padded feet.  Swinging around her are trunk-like tentacles that glow almost as brightly has her eyes and seem to sniff at the trail and bushes for delicious treats.  There are two of these curious appendages on the front of her massive furry body, and two more on her back that I have yet to see.

A re-creation of what we see coming
at us from afar.

Buelah clearly lives near this trail because we see her at about the same spot each day just before daybreak.  She is returning to her lair from a long night of feasting and carousing with her friends.  She will soon be snoring in comfort with her family, somewhere deep in the brush, while we humans bustle about with our daytime civilized activities.

Why haven’t you seen or heard of her before?  Because Buelah is a shape-shifter. In order to really see her you must stay back and open your mind to her grand beauty.  If you're not on your toes, you can easily miss Beulah.  My running partner didn't even notice her until our second or third encounter on the trail, but now she appreciates what she sees.

Each morning I stop Carol and exclaim, “There she is!” and we pause to admire her from a distance for a moment.  Once we get too close (and this happens to us every time we approach her) she cleverly disguises herself as two early-morning walkers with headlamps strapped to their foreheads while each carries a flashlight in one swinging hand.  It’s the perfect camouflage for such a large creature like Beulah, who can’t simply hide behind a bush or douse the light coming from her glorious, bright eyes.  This gentle beast knows that to live in peace with humans it is vital to conceal her true form.

When we pass a reach a safe distance away, Buelah becomes a single furry mass once again and continues the trek to her cozy den.  And we feel lucky not only to have seen her, but that we are fortunate enough appreciate her beauty.  Next time you are out in the dark, open your mind to see what is really out there.  Your imagination might surprise you.

Sketch of what I see with my mind's eye as we approach Buelah, just before she disguises her true form in the darkness.