I Saw A Deer.
During my daily walk along the aqueduct trail passing through Yonkers, I saw a deer just before my vision reached its vanishing point. It was standing perfectly still with its limbs extended. It was ready to dash away at any moment, or perhaps it was preparing to defend itself. I wondered: Do deer defend themselves with their hooves? I remembered seeing a video many years ago of a stag raining a flurry of blows from its hooves from a hapless hunter. Of course, my memory could have been playing tricks on me. I could tell it saw me, but it didn't dart away. I narrowed my vision and I thought I saw a faun standing next to it. Was the parent a doe? A stag? Was it prepared to fight for its offspring? Could it smell me? Did it detect some pheromone my body was secreting? I decided to turn around and walk back the way I came. At least, I would walk a part of the way and then return to where I stood. By then, I reasoned, the deer and h...