In The Back

There was no reason to suspect anything. A walk in the springtime, along a creek finally free of ice after a long cold winter. Plants were beginning to come alive. There were the birds. It was nice. Just me. Alone. And, then, an odd rustle of leaves where there should not have been one. And, then a voice. Low. Harsh. And, a warning. "This waits for you and all your kind for what you have done." And, turning slowly to see what was behind, I saw it and knew.