4. Time Stood Still
I was a counselor at a summer camp and we went on a retreat. We camped in the mountains for a few nights. We had settled in a bit before the pitch-black night fell. I, along with the other adult, were kicking around 10 kids of about 10-ish years old when suddenly one of them goes wide-eyed and points silently at something behind me.
We have a deer that has walked up to us, and it is standing five feet away from us, staring at us. It was a freaking miracle. I could hear her breath and I made eye-contact with her. We were all captivated and time stood still. The camp was about nature appreciation, so the kids were just as amazed as if Mickey Mouse and Batman showed up.
We stood for five minutes in silence, savoring the rareness of the moment. One kid was half bent down to pick up the bag of marshmallows. Another kid remained kneeling where he had tied his shoes.
He hits the deer in the head with a rock and everyone goes nuts yelling at him, which makes him HAPPY. He hit the deer with a stone and everyone yells at him. This makes him happy. He is grinning from ear-to-ear, dancing, and laughing.
It’s just a stupid buck. You’ve seen deer before, and no one is going to listen to me tell my stories when there’s a stupid buck around.
The other counselor was thinking exactly the same thing as I.
