by Deborah in the UP

One evening, after dinner, Pete and I took our evening cocktails, and ventured forth on our usual late walk. Fortified with good food and drink, and a hard day of work, the walk was slow and casual. We were sticking to the main drive, the original old logging trail, which turned out to be a good thing….

We got about half way to the main road, when we noticed the daylight was starting to fade. In the woods, it gets dark…VERY dark, and very quickly. We turned around and picked up our pace, but it was too late.

Ever since I first saw the property, I could feel the energy all around me, the spirits of the land were happy to see me, happy that I had joined them there. Never once did I feel uncomfortable being alone, for I never felt alone. It’s hard to explain, but I was almost protected by what was around me and I could call on it to reassure me at any time. This is what I did that evening. I pushed my senses out around me and called out with my heart to my woods, to guide me home.

I took Pete’s hand and said ‘just trust me’. I led him at a slow but steady pace thru the blackness of the night, right down the middle of the road. I turned us when there was a curve, kept us from stumbling into the side brush, never slowing my pace. When we arrived to the hard left turn that led up to the house, I stopped, and turned Pete to see the light in the window, 50 yards away. He dropped my hand as if it were something disgusting and said ‘you’re spooky’….