One hand planted on the top rail, slick from a recent rain, I swung my legs sideways, up and over. Home free.

Until my bottom foot clipped the post, and I spun as if caught in a crocodile’s death roll.

Good news? The spongy forest floor cushioned my fall.

Bad news? Momentum slammed my torso into a tree trunk. Couldn’t breathe.

But good news again. I’d rolled under a fat, bushy pine, which, along with the fading twilight, concealed my position. I heard the beast fly overhead in pursuit, taking out a few treetops on its way by.

Yeah, that was my plan all along. Man, I’m good. Except my body. It hurt.

Author: A. Kirk