Alces Redressed

By Peter Kahn

Three miles past the Slow Moose sign, Sam veers off the road and up a winding trail to the top of the wooded ridgeline.

Through the mighty hemlock stands he strides as a light breeze blows through the evergreens, tickling their underarms. The trembling branches, in turn, giggle and mock his frenetic mortal flight.

If it weren’t for a loud bang—a slammed door?—from behind a neighbor’s house, his reverie would not be broken.

Not a second later the startled buck crashes through the underbrush, from nowhere, and the next day’s headline will read: “Man Run Over by Moose Survives.”