About this time last year I was making my way to the new office here in North Carolina for the first time and was aghast (a descriptive term circa 1920) at the number of deceased animals littering the sides of the road. There were five deer on one road during my 15 minute commute! I immediately imagined the messenger of the woodland critters whose job it was to report the news of the fallen beasts to their loved ones.
Right? I mean, how else would they find out? As the year wore on, the frequency seemed to dissipate to a more typical, dare I say palatable amount of unfortunate critters.
This past week, the phenomenon repeated itself, only this time the final of the fallen beasts had only just departed this existence and I was again aghast at the site of it as was the woman driving the vehicle involved. I was instantly reminded of the messenger and his awful burden of terrible news. I’m not used to it, and I hope to never be. So, this is the Messenger, the forest’s most haunted creature.