M I S H A P S

tj|tl|in|ca|st

M I S H A P S
tj|tl|in|ca|st

In South Dakota, on my way to Devil's Monument, I pass by a dead fawn on the shoulder of the road. After passing it by I drive on for a few miles, all the while thinking about the sad sight I just witnessed. With a heavy heart, I turn around and return to the accident site. It just doesn't seem right for the fawn to be on the shoulder like that. It's really sad. I can tell it's been dead for a while because it smells pretty bad and the maggots are in full swing. I decide to drag it into the ditch. Too bad I don't have a shovel because I would like to give it a proper burial. I hate seeing such things. Perhaps my hiding it will spare others the same sad, gruesome experience.

So far on my trip I've seen a number of dead animals along the roadside. That's just the way it goes, one cannot help but rack-up road-kill sightings when traveling such long distances. By far, the dead fawn is the sadest tragedy I've seen. Maybe because it's a baby or perhaps because it isn't mangled and disfigured. It looks almost alive to me, just needing me to pull over and gently shake it back to life.

Inspite of all my road-kill encounters, I'm happy to say that, aside from the uncountable bugs I've squashed on all my van's leading surfaces, I haven't hit a single animal in my travels. Let's hope that luck contines as my trip unfolds.