The Moose

 I can still remember the first time I ever saw a moose. I was 10 years old, and my uncle had just purchased a cabin out in the woods of Maine. Real out in the sticks, his closest neighbor about a 20-minute drive away. He had known the area for a while, had visited numerous times over the years, and he finally bit the bullet on moving out. I went to visit him with my dad, and the whole area seemed like a separate world compared to the city where we lived.

Not too long after we arrived, I was standing in the front yard with my uncle while he chopped wood and my dad was inside. I didn't want to distract him too much from his task, so mainly I just sat on the grass and took in the nature. It was a nice day, and it was fun to just listen to the birds and look at the mountains in the distance. Eventually, I noticed something over by the trees, about 200 feet away. Part of it was covered by a bush, but it was still obvious what it was.

"Uncle, look! A moose!"

It was bigger than I had figured it'd be just from looking at all the photos I'd seen. It looked to be about nearly seven feet tall, not counting its massive horns. My uncle's eyes followed where my hand was pointing, and when he saw it, his face tensed up and his brow furrowed.

"Hey uh, maybe you should go back inside," he said.

"Why? It's nice out here!"

"I know, but your dad probably wants your company," he was gently nudging me in the direction of the cabin at that point, so I decided to not argue and do as he said. The rest of the visit went uneventfully. When we were getting ready to leave, however, I asked him what the deal had been about the moose.

"Are moose like, dangerous or something?"

"Look, you don't have to worry about it. They don't usually come too close to the house. They're very shy. The one today might have just been a brave one. But if you ever do see one. Head right back inside and let me know."

"Uh, okay."

You'd think that would scare me away from ever wanting to visit him again. However, if anything, it made me like the place more. It made the area seem more mysterious and cool. I began asking my dad if I could visit more often. He was cool with it, and if anything, he probably liked that I was willing to spend time in a place without internet access. I would go up to the cabin a couple of times a year. It was nice sort of being in a separate world. It was isolated, but at least I didn't have to deal with construction noise or inconsiderate upstairs neighbors. I'd read, draw, help with maintaining the place, you get the idea. Occasionally I'd see a moose, but I'd just do what my uncle had told me to do, and that would be that.

One of those visits was right after my junior year of college. It seemed like it would be the same as any other visit. I had just gotten a new camera and was hoping to take some photos, so I was a little more excited than I normally was, but that was the only thing different from the usual routine. I arrived at about 5 in the afternoon, and the next few hours went by without a hitch. When it was about 10, I got the idea to go out and take some nighttime photos of the trees. I thought I'd be able to get some cool-looking, eerie stuff. I hadn't gone out alone at night without my uncle before, but he had gone to bed early, and I figured I'd be okay without him. The thing with the moose honestly hadn't entered my mind.

I left the cabin with my camera and a flashlight. It was really nice out. There was a gentle breeze, lots of stars shining in the sky, and the bright full moon was hitting my eye not quite like a big pizza pie, but still very well. The gentle hum of the crickets had a calming effect, sort of like a white noise machine. I walked out to trees and began taking photos. I got a few good ones, but I decided to walk into the woods a bit to take some more. I took a photo, but in the split second of the camera flash, I thought I could see something odd in the distance. Turning on my flashlight, I scanned the area in front of me. Quickly, I spotted something about 100 feet away.