Dark Eye Visitor

Yesterday was a beautiful sunny fall day. Not much pedestrian activity in the village, traffic was slow. While I was completing some paperwork at the cash counter, in walked a visitor that has not been in my store previously, not that I knew of anyway, but I have seen him around the village. Perhaps the visitor has come in while Jenny was working on a Saturday, but I doubt it, she would have mentioned the visit. Generally when I see him in the village he is in a hurry, stopping once or twice on the sidewalk turning to look to see who is following, then continues on his way.


He startled me because he came in quietly, the door to the store was open so the bells on the door handle did not jingle giving me warning that a visitor was coming in. My stomach did a little jump, and I stood frozen just looking at him for a few seconds. My mind was saying Oh crap! I'm in trouble. Just what I don't need. How am I going to get him to leave.


I didn't have any sort of weapon to defend myself in case he attacked me. Nothing to throw except a water bottle. But what if it hit him and hurt him. I would feel terrible. It wasn't like he was attacking me, he just startled me and stood looking at me. His eyes were creepy though they were so dark. Finally my brain started working again and I stomped my foot and yelled Shoo!

The squirrel turned around and scampered out the door and down the sidewalk, taking the nut he had in his mouth with him. I let out a sigh of relief and continued working.