Googly Eyes in the Night

I knew the instant I saw those eyes that this wasn't an ordinary visitor.  The night was dark, and the eyes were huge, gleaming in the light of my lamp, and far apart.  That wasn't the head of a possum, no.  That was a large head, had to be at least a foot wide for eyes like that — much bigger than human eyes, bigger than an even an owl's eyes — and it was on all fours.  It lumbered up and down as it sniffed the air in my direction.  I shuddered in the tent.

"Bear!" I gasped.

I had hoped to postpone this part of my wilderness communion, but here he was already, downwind and moving in my direction.  My heart quivered like the wings of a hummingbird, only I couldn't fly.  I was trapped, with this thing bearing down on me.

Trying to keep my eyes on it's advance, I lunged for the knife and pepper spray AK warned me to keep on hand.  I was armed, alright, yet failed to see the good these items could do me in the face of a creature the size o' THAT!!!

I couldn't breathe.

"Knock some metal together," I directed myself.  "Bears hate the sound of metal knocking."

I rapped the knife on the can of spray, loudly and sharp.  The head jerked upwards, on alert.

"Yep, just like a bear," I said.

I rapped again.  It leapt.  NOT like a bear.  I could see the body now, the body of a  deer, large, as it sailed away.

I laughed and laughed; me scared of a skittish deer!  My track record in the scaredy-who department is kinda' low, I realize.  It'll improve,  I promise!  In the meantime, hey — it's worth a laugh!