A Late Spring Shower

The day darkened and the slowly moving rain seemed to fall so elegantly, you could pick out each individual rain drop. The late spring shower had come fairly often now. The mood was darker than it usually was. I sat in my black computer chair tilted backwards staring at the sky as the grey sheets of clouds fluttered along. The shower that was being given from the sky was not fierce nor was it gentle. The wind, being another attribute, pushed the rain which made it fall at a slight angle. The trees I saw across the street were swaying with the breeze and the leaves danced to the wind and beat with the rain. It was a very melancholy day as I heard the cars pass by; their tires against the wet asphalt, spraying the water out from under the tires. I didn’t have to see it to know it was happening. I un-tilted my chair to take a look down my driveway from the second story window of my humble abode. The rain had spider cracked the driveway with various streams breaking off of one another. The road was a darker black since the dirt had been washed away from the rain. A black sedan passed by. It made the same sound all of the other cars did. The sound people make when they want to quiet one another. I stared at various objects such as the rock at the end of the driveway that had gathered puddles in the natural dips of the rock itself. I rested my right arm on the window sill, and embraced the slight breeze to my face as I rest my chin on my forearm. The true smell of summer was almost in the air but the fresh smell of spring, heightened at its pinnacle, washed away every other smell. I enjoyed the cool, slight, brief breeze as I kept my eye on the rock. I watched the drops pound into the already overflowing puddle on the rock. As I admired the depressing weather and its soothing breeze, I noticed a light brown blur out of my peripheral vision. A fully grown female doe had crossed the street. Her pride was set high as she raised her ears and faced the on coming wind. Her stomach was white as well as her tail and fur under her chin. She was a female truly in her prime. She lowered her head to the grass on the opposite side of the road and stopped. She didn’t bite the grass but stayed completely still for a brief moment. She then picked her head up and stared into the distance as I examined her. The does’ ears were erect and moving slightly. I noticed her hearing and sight had picked up the sound of an oncoming car. I could not yet see the car because of the trees around my driveway yet I heard the sound of the car. The noise that was made by all of the cars was off in the distance. She was off to the side of the road and was safe from any bodily harm yet she seemed to stare at the direction of the oncoming car. Deer always seemed to stare at a noise making substance till it either stopped or passed by. This time was different though. She was turning her head slightly which made me realize she was following the cars’ direction as it came closer to her. The car was getting closer as the noise was getting louder. She quickly jerked her head to stare directly across the street as two more flashes of light brown came galloping out of the woodland. Each light brown blur was small and had white spots. As the first fawn crossed the double yellow line, the mother stared intently as the second fawn followed a couple yards behind. The noise from the car was getting louder and the first fawn was now almost completely across the street while the second fawn was now crossing the double yellow line. As the first fawn was nearly on the other side of the street, a black van appeared out of my peripheral, intent vision on the second fawn. The van was not slowing down and neither was either fawn. As the van passed, the first fawn scampered onto the other side of the road with its mother as the second fawns’ front half was now crossing the double yellow line.
The van continued on as it slammed into the fawns’ head and neck. The neck bent to the vans’ bumper corner while the fawns’ head hit the front bumper very violently. The van still continued at the same speed as the fawn became slightly air-born and had its’ back end now hit off of the drivers; side door. The fawn began to spin and still trying to run out of the way while slightly gripping the ground with its feet. The fawn couldn’t keep its’ balance as it proceeded to slip on the wet asphalt. As the fawn spun and rotated its injured side towards my direction I noticed that the neck was still bent in the position where it was hit and there were slight spots of blood coming from the fawns’ head. The fawn lost complete balance and collapsed on the asphalt and skidded a few extra feet to the edge of my driveway. Its head lay limp in the puddle of water that gathered at the bottom of my driveway from the water-flow. The fully grown doe stayed as still as a statue for the next minute while the van eventually disappeared and the fawn lay motionless with its curved neck and damaged head at the very edge of the road. The mothers’ ears moved slightly as the first fawn moved one leg toward its motionless sibling. The doe then proceeded slowly towards the paralyzed offspring as the first fawn led. The first fawn traveled around the motionless sibling and the mother came to the edge of the road in which the injured fawns’ stomach lay. The doe proceeded to lower her head and nudge the injured fawn softly on the stomach. The fawn didn’t move. The first fawn then proceeded to do the same to the mothers’ opposite position, moving the fawns’ back. Still, there was no response. The mother then moved the fawn slightly more violent as the offspring did the same. The mother turned her attention to the injured fawns’ head. The healthy fawn then looked at its mother as she shifted her head to look back. The mother then proceeded to turn around and walk back to the other side of the road. The healthy fawn stared at its mother and didn’t move. It then looked at its injured sibling and then trotted over to the mothers’ side. The mother and fawn crossed across the street effortlessly and the mother slowed to let the fawn lead the way as it crossed completely to the other side. The mother then stopped at the edge of the road while the fawn continued. It looked back at its’ still motionless offspring. It then jerked its’ head up to my window. It stared at me intensely for a brief moment before returning on its’ path. The injured fawn lay silent at the end of the driveway. The puddle was now a murky red color from the bleeding head. The mother trialed off into the distance. The sun shined slightly through the grey clouds and while it still rained, the stationary water was now being evaporated. It almost seemed as if the fawns’ soul was being lifted. I learned something that day. Life goes on, even though one may end, and taking the time to mourn the death of that life will always be worth it. It lives on in your heart and possibly others who are mourning with you, even if they didn’t know the life that once lived.

By: Michael J. Welten

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