Adrian Crowley - The Wild Boar

Driving through the forest at dusk
There was a side road he hadn't seen before
So he turned down it, and drove and drove
The forest is so vast, and the road so straight
It felt good
There was a sweet breeze coming in through open window
And the music from the car radio soothed his mind
Along with the scent of pine
And the recent rain that infused the air
Daylight had started to fade and on he drove
Through miles of pines

He thought about his life and as his mind drifted
He was almost finding some kind of pеace
All his frustrations of his troubled days
Seemed to fall away
And on hе drove, hypnotized by the rhythm of the trees
The dense forest
And the miles of pines

But then something happened
Suddenly a huge shape leapt from the forest to his right
There was barely enough time to react
He hit the brakes hard but the car collided
With the creature, or whatever it was
It was a sudden and whiplashing halt
Then all fell silent
Not another soul on the road, no sound
Not even the distant hum of an engine
Just the clicking of a blinking indicator
By now the forest was dark and all the stars were out
Silhouetting the tree tops
After some time sitting frozen at the wheel, he cautiously stepped out
And there he saw the fallen animal
In a blinking red light, and the white of the headlights
Surrounded by shattered glass, he saw what he had struck
It lay there still and surely dead, a wild boar
It was huge
A wild boar, its tusks shining in the headlights
And under the stars

But how could it be?
There hadn't been a boar spotted around here for at least 50 years
By all accounts
Tell-tale crimson drops speckled the tarmacadam
Under its limp and hanging tongue
Its tail was coiled, legs were outstretched and frozen
As if still in mid-run
A night moth had landed on the animal's head
And seemed to be drinking a tear from its cheek
The night was cold now, and the man's quickened breath
Made clouds in the night air
But no such cloud rose from the boar's mouth

The man leaned over and slowly placed his open and trembling hand
On the flank of the stricken animal
He felt a surge in his chest, in his loins
He felt like a hunter for the first time in his life
And then without hesitation
Or questioning the strength he had summoned
He grabbed the hind legs and dragged the boar
Into the back seat of the car
He got behind the wheel, closed the door, and drove away
Through miles of pines
A few miles on, he saw a roadside store
At a crossroads in the forest
He stopped the car and got out
After throwing a blanket over the boar
That lay on the back seat
He entered the store with all its fluorescent lights ablaze
As the attendant watched the game show on a tiny TV by the cash register
He left the store, and fishing the keys out of his pocket
He turned the corner to head back to his parked car
But then he stopped
Dead in his tracks

The car had been totally destroyed
All the doors were off
The windscreen was smashed out
And as he slowly approached
It was clear
The boar was gone
I must have just stunned it
He thought
He looked into the forest
Walked off into the night
Through miles of pines