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The Boardwalk at Night, Alone

For our campers, we like to lead a fun and silly campfire complete with skits, songs and games. This particular campfire was too much fun and extending past its usual time so a few of us naturalists started trickling off to get a head start on our evening (leaving more than enough people with the kiddos).

I wasn't the first to ditch out but at one point I started starring at the fire too long and got real sleepy. So I tapped out and started walking back to camp. We have torches that light the way back along a gravel path and small boardwalk over the pond/marsh. This evening the moon was also fairly bright making the path have that beautiful evening glow.

I was alone, taking note of how pretty the torches lit up the path, started walking along the board walk... clomp, clomp, clomp... when I saw something small about 20 feet ahead of me crawl out from under the boardwalk and trot away and shuffle in the leaves away from me. Wasn't a squirrel. Wasn't a goose. Was larger than a rodent. It was at least cat-sized.

I stood still for a moment. I strained my ears to listen for more clues as to what that might have been. I squinted my eyes into the glowing darkness trying to see what it was.

Silence. No movement.

So, I started walking again, a bit slower than before. Walked further. Then there it was again... Shuffle shuffle of the leaves still about 20 feet in front of me.

I stopped again and used my senses to try to figure out this mystery. Nothing.

I decided to take precaution and make a little bit more noise so whatever this thing was wouldn't have any desire to come hang out with me.

STOMP. STOMP. ...shuffle, shuffle... Stop. Silence. This time the shuffle was a little closer.
Again I stomped and it shuffled. It shuffled slightly closer before there was silence.
STOMP. Shuffle, about 10 feet away. Silence.
STOMP! STOMP! STOMP! STOMP! shuffle, shuffle, shuffle 5 feet away.

I stopped for a minute and debated if I wanted to get closer to whatever was under boardwalk below me. I was only slightly scared because this thing was definitely more terrified of me than I, it. So what I did was take big steps, stomped loudly and kept walking. I was getting closer and closer to the scampering under the boardwalk until it was right under me. The shuffling of leaves also included some smacking on the boardwalk until it ran back the way I came and out of sight.

I never truly caught sight of the creature to identify what it was. But I do have a guess. Earlier this week, I was getting ready for work one morning and looked out my window. There was a fox trotting across the gravel road behind the house! It was such a majestic moment, the fox looking around and walking along as the sun was rising. I think my boardwalk friend was that fox. At least, thats what I was telling myself so I didnt get freaked out...
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