Alex awoke during the night, as he sometimes did, and stepped outside to smoke. It was so dark and quiet, Alex thought he might still be asleep. Not even a slight breeze caused the leaves to stir. Somewhere off to his right, a frog began singing, then stopped abruptly, as if afraid to spoil the silence. Alex felt a sense of anticipation and a quickening of his pulse. The air was dense around him. He reached into his pocket for a cigarette and sat down on the steps of his trailer. When he flicked his lighter, something shifted in the yard.
Since moving out by the swampy forest, he became more wary of his surroundings. There were no streetlights to crowd out the darkness, nor mar the intensity of the night. No shadows existed in this temporary world. As he dragged on his cigarette, a feeling of being watched came over him. He thought about going back inside, but curiosity kept him motionless on the steps.
Thunder rumbled a bit and soft flashes of lightning flashed far off in the black sky above. A wind sprung up, smelling of rain and pine straw. He lit his lighter again and held it up high. A large, dark figure loomed at the edge of the light. Once again, he thought about going inside, but hesitated. Whatever it was, was not moving. The thunder grew louder and now lightning illuminated his yard in strobelike fashion. He could almost make out a familiar shape, but it was obscured by a nearby stand of banana trees. The large leaves began to flap about as wind picked up. Raindrops fell sparingly, crystal in the glare of his cigarette. The figure did not move, nor did Alex. When a chorus of frogs began chanting, it startled him so that he jumped.
The dark shape moved closer. A banana tree shook. Rain intensified, but Alex remained seated under the small awning above his steps. He could hear a snuffling, snorting sound coming from the direction of the banana trees. He put his cigarette out and waited. A car sped by on the dirt road in front of his trailer, headlights bouncing off the puzzling shape. The thing seemed to grow larger and took on a more definite shape. Alex began to get nervous and moved a step closer to the door. Lightning flashed and a pair of eyes gleamed in the quick glow. Alex began to wonder if, indeed, he was in bed, still asleep, and dreaming the whole thing. But he couldn’t remember ever smoking a cigarette in his dreams.
He stuck his hand out to feel the raindrops, but brought it back as the figure moved even closer. Banana leaves moved crazily as the storm moved in. A close bolt of lightning brought Alex to his feet and he retreated to the safety of his residence. He stumbled around in the dark until he found a light switch, thankful for the rush of familiar sights. The rain let up until it was just a soft drumming on the top of his trailer. He moved into the kitchen, thinking he should heat up some leftovers for supper. Fumbling around in his refrigerator, he finally found something that didn’t look moldy or smell funny. As he was preparing to put some cold pizza in the oven, he heard something brush up against a window. He looked around, but saw nothing. Again, he felt unseen eyes upon him.
After finishing off the pizza, he thought he heard rustling outside, but decided it was just wind in the trees. Then he heard it again. Curious, he went around to the kitchen window and looked out. Something moved in the bushes. He stood very still, determined to see it the next time it crossed through light from the windows. The storm let up as the wind died down. Nothing moved outside. Until a large shadow appeared on the side of his tool shed. He rushed to the next window. And there, pressed up against the pane, was a nose. Behind it, two bright eyes met his. He backed up a little, not knowing what to do. The nose was not human, nor were the large teeth that appeared within an enormous grin stretched across the fuzzy face. At this point, Alex realized it was the young black bear that had been raiding his fig trees. He had observed the pesky animal several times while working outside in the late evenings. Alex stared. The bear looked back, as if merely curious.
Finally, Alex grew tired and turned off the kitchen light. He washed up, went into his bedroom, and flopped down on his bed. After reading a bit, he reached up to turn off the bedside lamp. And as he did, he noticed a big, wet nose-print on the outside of his bedroom window.
