turkeys in the mist

I went running a few days ago, on a particularly foggy morning. I ran toward the field, that used to be steppe and is being closed in on by new houses, and promptly got lost. In an open field that’s only about 60 acres. So, as my situation was beginning to dawn on me, I saw what looked like the Loch Ness Monster. The long, thin neck at an indeterminate distance, a head-like shape, and the sense that it had moved, although I hadn’t seen it directly. Shudder. I decided to continue following the sledge ruts instead of running in the opposite direction, when suddenly a second Nessie popped up directly in front of me, and a number of watermelon-sized, moving things resolved out of the mist. I had agitated them. Gobble gobble, they said. I hope whoever set his flock (or herd?) of turkeys loose on a zero visibility morning was as frightened by them as I was. They’re big! One of the males followed me with his tail all spread out, and I felt very little and very slow.

It set the mood for the rest of the run, during which I explored a couple off-roads. I saw a black bear, a snake, and some gnomes, although they morphed into stumps and sticks as I approached. I also believed that I’d discovered a couple yurts south of my village, but even these were abandoned Ladas (the car of choice, made of metal, glue, and pre World War I rubber.) So, the adrenaline value of my run was high, although it really wasn’t good from an endurance standpoint.