The Owl, the Fog, and the Village

It was the perfect night to drive out of the city and into the wilderness . The moon was high and I thought for certain I would be able to take some great pictures. I grabbed my camera and packed a quick snack and took off for the Everglades. The drive was a little longer than usual as I wanted to explore a new spot that I heard had a lot of wildlife. Once there I pulled over on headed out on a trail.

It wasn’t long before I heard what sounded like an owl. I slowly approached trying carefully not to make any noise. Then I heard it again and looked up and saw a beautiful barn owl perched in a tree. I raised my camera to take a picture when it suddenly took flight. I tried to follow but suddenly a strange fog came out of nowhere. It almost seemed like with every flap of the owls wings the fog grew denser until I couldn’t see where I was going or where I had been.

I must confess I was gripped with fear as stood there in the fog, breathing in the heavy air that surrounded me. I didn’t know what to do. And then I heard that barn owl again. It sounded like he was calling me from beyond the vail of vapor. So, I walked forward allowing his song to guide me. Eventually I emerged from the fog and the owl was once again perched high in a tree.

Oddly the sun seemed to be rising. Did I really spend all night wandering through the woods? It didn’t feel like that long. There was a clearing up ahead and I thought maybe I could find my bearings and figure out where I was and how to get back to my car. The sounds of animals waking from their slumber were all around me, but there was something else as well. I thought I heard people, but I couldn’t understand what they were saying. As I moved further into a clearing, I saw what looked like a settlement. “How strange“ I thought. Maybe it’s some sort of reenactment. Whatever it was it was people and I was sure that they would be able to help.

As I approached the settlement, I couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t supposed to be there, so I decided to get a closer look through my camera. The place looked more like a small village than a temporary camp site. There were people dressed in native American outfits milling around doing everyday things. The women seemed to be cooking breakfast and there were kids running about. I took lots of pictures. It was amazing how everything was done so perfectly. I didn’t see a single cell phone or watch or any technology. In fact, I think the only technology there was what I had on me.

Then I heard a noise behind me. Startled, I turned around to see a man dressed in the native garb staring down at me. I tried to explain to him how I got there and ask him for help finding my way back but he didn’t seem to understand a thing that I said. He said something to me that I couldn’t understand either. He tried to grab me by the arm but just at that moment the barn owl swooped down between us hissing at the man. His face went white and he ran towards the village yelling. I knew I had to get out of there. I could hear the people from the village and what sounded like a large group of them running out after me. I didn’t dare look back afraid I might fall. So, I did what I had done before and I followed that barn owl back into the forest.

Once again, a strange fog enveloped me as I ran and soon, I found myself back to the entrance of the trail. I was so relieved to be back at my car that it took me a moment to realize that it was night again. What had happened? I couldn’t have been out here for an entire night and day. It didn’t make any sense. Was it a dream? When I got into my car and checked my phone, I discovered that only a few hours had passed. Was it some sort of waking dream? I drove home in a kind of daze. I was tired and I was confused and I just wanted to get some sleep.

The next morning, I checked my camera. It was all there: the barn owl, the village even the fog. Where had that barn owl lead me? Did he lead me through a portal in time? Was he a kind of gate keeper or did he create that doorway? It was all to bizarre for me to wrap my head around. I didn’t know what or how the events of the night before occurred, but they did occur and I had the pictures to prove it.