Chased by Wolves
We have all had life lessons that in hindsight we feel may have influence over our character traits or outlook. Or maybe it’s just a coincidence theory. This is one of those lessons that I don’t dwell on, but every now and again I look at and wonder. It is probably my earliest memory as I was three years old. I don’t remember much if anything prior. It is not a bad memory for me, just an experience, or enough time has passed that I find amusing parallels with other life events.
It was summer time and my parents had rented a cottage with other relatives. It was out in the country somewhere and surrounded by woods. There was a lake nearby which was a short walk away through the trees. My sister and I were coming back from the lake when we got separated. I just wasn’t tall enough to see where I was going. I ended up getting lost and wandering the woods all night long with a pack of wolves chasing me. Maybe that’s the coincidence part because I’m sure others have had that feeling without being lost in the woods.
Anyway it turns out that it wasn’t wolves. That was my three year old brain that heard too many nursery rhymes. It was actually a team of hounds that had my scent, with a search party of over a hundred people. I was determined to shake off these wolves and I kept moving all night. I traveled for miles and they said I had to cross a major highway. I don’t remember this but maybe I found a culvert. All I remember was that it didn’t matter how much I ran, I could still hear the howling.
What I remember next was coming out of the woods into a tall grass meadow and the dawn was breaking. I stood there and I couldn’t hear the wolves anymore and for the first time all night I started to bawl my eyes out. I was too busy running to cry. Unknown to me there was a farmhouse nearby and the lady of the house was in the kitchen. She was getting breakfast ready for the family and had the radio on. They had just announced my disappearance when she looked out the window and saw me.
She was the sweetest woman and I felt comfortable and happy. Her kids were still sleeping and she told me all about them. I was looking forward to meeting them. Three year old brain again. I don’t know how she did it but she had kept me busy and called the police. They were there in minutes and I was whisked away to the station to be reunited with my family. The press was there and there was a big happy story in the papers along with some pictures. I also heard that other children lost in that area had sad endings.
Could this experience have made me pig-headed and determined? Or does it make me always on the lookout for wolves? Sometimes I feel as though I am wandering through life as if lost in the woods.
What would have happened if I had not run? Would my life have been different?
It seems like I have been running all my life and not towards something but away from something. Has it given me better survival skills? Am I more tenacious or less in reaching a goal? Maybe I am just looking for a coincidence to explain the unexplainable. We have all had turning points in our lives but I was too young to consider this as such. I had forgotten about it shortly after. I didn’t have the attention span as a three year old.
It’s only in hindsight that your mind looks for clues. Probably clues that lead nowhere. I seem to have a knack for finding wolves in sheep’s clothing but others can make the same claim. There is no shortage of wolves to be found. Maybe it’s their knack for chasing me that gives me an advantage. I learned their tricks at a young age. I have had dreams where I am running and going nowhere, but lots of people have those types of dreams. All just a coincidence theory. Regardless of life experiences the only thing I know for sure is that I am who I am.