By Zary Fekete
It was an easy yes when my neighbor asked if he could build a deer stand behind the house. I run into him from time to time at the local coffee shop, and we exchange greetings. We are friends on Facebook and although it is clear we voted differently in the last election, it has not kept us from being friendly.
The spot he chose for the stand was just to the right of the slough that occupies the lowest part of the property. If we receive another few years of heavy rainfall it is possible the slough could turn into a small pond, but now it is only a spot of wetland covered with reeds and wildflowers. The deer stand is going up just to the north of the slough, far enough into the tree cover to be barely seen from the house, but near enough to the openness of the slough to make it possible to spot deer if they approach the woods from the south.
I have been watching him build the stand for the past several days. He always ends the day with a text message thanking me for permitting him to build it and an invitation to come down and see it whenever I please. Today I finally decide to take a look. He assured me the ticks are all gone, but I still pull on my boots and tuck in my pants before walking down the driveway to the path his jeep has made through the high grasses leading down the slough.
Often when I go outside for a jog or a walk I bring with me my headphones and listen to the podcast, but I have resisted doing that today. I want to hear the sound of the world around me as I walk, and I’m not disappointed. As my feet crunch and swish through the high grasses, I am pleasantly surprised by the sound of birds all around me. There are geese flying above me with their steady flapping calls. Small twitters and tweets come from the slough as I round a small hill and see the deer stand come into view as I near the tree line.
The deer stand stands out vibrantly from the surrounding trees. The wood is still sharp and crisp, but I can tell it will soon take on a pleasant weathering after it handles the oncoming winter, and it won’t be long before I won’t be able to see it at all from the house. It will have become part of the woods and faded into the browns and greens of the passing seasons which make up so much of country life. There is a padlock on the door to the deer stand, but my neighbor has given me a key and soon I have climbed the short ladder and am inside the elevated dwelling. When my neighbor originally asked me if he could build the stand he told me I was free to use it anytime. I said it might be a nice place to sit and read or write poetry, and a smile spreads across my face when I see what my neighbor has left for me in the stand. There is a comfortable folding chair and a low table with a notepad and a few pens. There is also a note. It says, “For your poems…”
Zary Fekete grew up in Hungary, has a novelette (In the Beginning) out from ELJ Publications and a debut novella being published in early 2024 with DarkWinter Lit Press. He enjoys books, podcasts, and many many many films. Twitter and Instagram: @ZaryFekete
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