Ever since our dog died, I had an open space in my heart for another pet. Once, I rescued a kitten that had made a temporary home under our woodpile, but I had to give it up for adoption. My wife was adamant about not having another pet in the house, not even a cute little kitten.

The other day I was walking home from the woods near our house. I saw a doe prance across the country road less than ten yards before me. I looked to see if another deer was waiting behind in the woods since there's usually more than one. I didn't see anything, so I kept walking. When a car facing toward me stopped, I turned to look behind me. A cute little fawn was standing in the middle of the road. It still had its spots and appeared gangly, awkward, and confused. I signaled the car next to me to wait while I waved the fawn to cross the road as though I were a crossing guard at an elementary school. Oddly enough, the little deer started walking directly toward me like it was at a petting zoo. I was a bit leery and not sure how to react. So, I did the only thing I could do – I gave it a gentle pat on the head.

I looked at its big brown eyes, and pointing to the side of the road, I said, "You'd better cross the street, or your mother will wonder where you are." I continued on my way as I reflected on the strange but pleasant incident. A moment later, I felt a gentle nudge in the small of my back that nearly startled me to death. When I looked to see what had touched me, the fawn was close behind, looking even more surprised and confused than I was. "Okay," I said. "Go on. Your mom's looking for you. Now go." Again, I kept walking, but a bit faster this time, hoping the little deer would heed my advice and find its mother.

I proceeded to walk about another fifty yards to the corner of my street. As I rounded the corner close to my house, I casually glanced behind me, not expecting to see anything. Yet there it was, about five yards back. The little fawn was following me home. I wondered - Did it confuse me with its mother?

At this point, I gave in and decided to let nature take its course, no matter how unnatural it seemed. When I reached my backyard, the fawn was beside me like a new best friend. My wife let the screen door of the porch slam behind her as she came out to see me. Surprisingly, the fawn didn't even flinch. It now seemed to adapt to the company of humans. My wife had a stunned look on her face when I said, "Look who followed me home! Can we keep it?"

Calmly and cleverly, she quipped, "No, Dear." 

Story and Cover Illustration Copyright © 2021 by Michael DeFrancesco