I WAS STANDING IN THE BACK YARD EARLY ONE MORNING WHEN I SENSED THAT SOMEONE OR SOMETHING WAS THERE WITH ME. CAUTIOUSLY I TURNED TO FACE THE AREA WHERE I THOUGHT THE "OBJECT" WAS LOCATED.

      TO MY COMPLETE SURPRISE, THE "OBJECT" PROVED TO BE A VERY YOUNG DEER - A FAWN - WHO WAS AS INTERESTED IN ME AS I WAS IN HIM. OBVIOUSLY HE HAD BEEN TAMED BY SOME UNKNOWN INDIVIDUAL BECAUSE AFTER LOOKING ME OVER TO HIS SATISFACTION, HE TROTTED UP TO ME AS THOUGH HE WAS ASKING FOR MY ATTENTION........... HESITANTLY I REACHED OUT AND GENTLY SCRATCHED HIS HEAD.

      HOWEVER, LIVING ON A CORNER I WAS CONVINCED THAT I HAD TO FIND A SAFE PLACE TO DEPOSIT HIM TEMPORARILY, UNTIL I COULD CONTACT THE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES FOR HELP.

      THE LITTLE HORSE BARN THAT WAS ORIGINALLY THE HOME OF TONKA, MIKE'S SHETLAND PONY, SEEMED THE IDEAL PLACE . I COULD STABLE HIM THERE UNTIL HELP ARRIVED.

      AS I SET OUT FOR THE LITTLE HORSE BARN, THE FAWN FOLLOWED RIGHT ALONG. WHEN I STOPPED INSIDE THE LITTLE BUILDING HE STEPPED WILLINGLY OVER THE SILL AND VENTURED IN RIGHT BEHIND ME. AND WHEN I SAT DOWN, HE AMBLED UP CLOSE TO ME AND BEGAN TO WAIT PATIENTLY FOR WHATEVER WAS GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT.

      WHEN I STOOD UP AND BEGAN TO HEAD FOR THE DOOR, LITTLE FAWN DECIDED HE WAS INVITED TO GO ALONG. "HEY, FAWN", I TOLD HIM, "I GO, YOU STAY HERE" FAWN CHOSE TO IGNORE ME AND KEPT RIGHT ON FOLLOWING. LOOKING UP AT ME WITH HUGE, SORROWFUL EYES AS IF SAYING, "WHAT SHALL WE DO NEXT?"

      IT SEEMED APPARENT THAT I NEEDED TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO OUTWIT HIM

      ON THE SAME WALL AS THE DOOR THERE HAD BEEN A SMALL WINDOW WHICH HAD BEEN TAKEN OUT AND WAS LAYING AGAINST THE WALL. FIGURING THAT THERE WERE ONLY TWO WAYS OUT... ...THE DOOR AND THE WINDOW. I KNEW THE WINDOW WAS TOO SMALL FOR HIM TO CLIMB THROUGH, SO I HAD TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO ESCAPE THROUGH THE DOOR WHEN HE WAS BUSY ELSEWHERE.

      THIS I KEPT TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH, UNTIL AT LAST I WAS SUCCESSFUL WHEN HIS ATTENTION WAS MOMENTARILY AVERTED. I MADE A RAPID RUN AND ESCAPED. BREATHING A HUGE SIGH THAT I HAD ACCOMPLISHED WHAT NEEDED TO BE DONE, I HEARD HIM SCRAMBLING TO GET OUT THE WINDOW. GOOD GRIEF, WAS I NEVER TO BE RID OF THIS ANIMAL?

      NATURALLY, I COULD NOT ALLOW HIM TO HURT HIMSELF, SO I RETURNED TO THE INSIDE OF THE BARN, AND SPENT THE REST OF THE MORNING "DEER SITTING" WITH HIM, UNTIL HELP ARRIVED AND TOOK HIM OFF MY HANDS.

      BUT DO YOU KNOW WHAT? I MISS HIM..........