Encounters

 

There are moments in life that are unforgettable. For me, these were encounters with animals that left their mark on me. Here, I would like to capture a few of them.

 

The Visitor

I grew up in a flat at the foot of Voitsberg’s Schlossberg. We knew that wildcats (Felis silvestris) lived in the forests on the slopes of the Schlossberg; a great-aunt’sstraytomcat was a cross between a wildcat and a domestic cat. My room was on the first floor, just above the roof of our veranda. It was late evening, I was already in bed, and the window was wide open. I was drifting off to sleep when a terrible racket woke me—a trespasser had knocked over my paint jars, which had been left to dry on the windowsill. As I sat up, I saw a black shadow darting frantically along the wall of my room. Whenever the shadow leapt over my bed, I ducked quickly under the covers—Iwas quite frightened. After some time, the shadow made a huge leap, intending to escape through the window, but got tangled in the floor-length curtain.

There it lay, trapped in a kind of hollow, unable to get out. As I approached, an enormous tomcat hissed at me—its eyes glowing red-green, ears flattened, teeth bared, and fur standing on end. I don’t know who was more afraid... But I had to get rid of the poor creature, so I grabbed the curtain above and below the captive—well out of its reach!—and, summoning all my strength, twisted it so that the animal could place its paws on the roof. Goodness, that beast was heavy! The moment it found its footing, it vanished like a flash; all I saw was a glimmer of its black-ringed, bushy tail. That visit was quite thrilling!

 

Eye Contact

One late evening, as I lay in bed reading, I heard a soft scratching on the windowsill. The window of my room was wide open, and there was a relatively wide gap between the curtain and the window frame.

I looked up from my book and froze: I was staring into two large, luminous eyes. Perched on the windowsill was a large owl, its face turned towards me. The bird and I gazed at each other for what felt like an eternity.

Then, the owl turned its head away and flew off—silently, just as it had arrived. Had it not been for the scratching of its claws on the wooden sill, I would never have noticed it.

What an experience - from eye to eye with an untamed nocturnal bird of prey!

Lucky me!

 

Tongue Play

Voitsberg was a coal-mining area, where lignite was extracted in open-cast mines. Abandoned sites left behind spoil heaps, quickly overgrown with gorse and other shrubs, and deep pits that filled with water. My friend and I, both the same age, were heading towards one of these spoil ponds. It was a beautiful, hot day, and we lay down in the grass to rest—buzzed by bees and other insects, and hopped upon by beetles and grasshoppers of all kinds. My friend fell asleep quickly, and I dozed off as well. Suddenly, something made me turn my head—and just inches from my face, a forked tongue flicked out, and two small eyes stared at me. I froze, lying perfectly still, hoping the snake knew I didn’t fit its prey profile. It was a stunning adder that had ventured far too close. For what felt like half an eternity, we locked eyes; then, the snake turned away and glided off leisurely. I didn’t stay there a moment longer—I woke my friend, and we moved on. I didn’t tell her about my encounter, to avoid triggering a hysterical fit (which she had a little later anyway, when an adder crossed our path). Then, all she wanted was to go home; the pond was forgotten.

Snakes are fascinating creatures. My husband and I once observed an Aesculapian snake in our garden, slithering up the thorny stem of a wild rose on the south wall of our house to inspect a blackbird’s nest. The rose was terribly thorny, but the snake didn’t seem to mind, even as it descended back down—only to find the blackbird’s nest empty. What a disappointment! The Aesculapian snake was a magnificent adult specimen, over a metre long and quite thick. We would occasionally spot its young in the grass, and my husband always took great care when mowing the lawn.