The Main Mane in Maine

Everyone knows about the small pride of lions that roam the woods here in this small, northern Maine town. Few of us have ever seen them. One time I thought I did… but no… it was just a few deer, thick and paunchy, with their heads lowered for a brief moment.

But a few families had encounters with them… when they would prowl onto people’s property, knocking over trash cans and the like. They are lions, so they are dangerous. But they are aware they are in the wrong place. They are smart. They know to be scared. They know to make themselves scarce.

The pride of lions, six of them, two males and four females, they were captured about a year ago by some men who fancy themselves real men because they can shoot a dart at an animal from afar and drag it across the ocean. They brought the lions back here to Maine… to be used in a roadside exhibit. Disgusting if you ask me.

The lions awoke from their slumber minutes before it was thought they would. They put up a fight, they slashed and bit, they escaped.

Beautiful if you ask me.

These lions have never killed anyone. In fact, they’ve only ever hurt two different people. John Lee, because he wasn’t paying attention. And Kimmy Coltrane, because she thought she could help to capture the lions.

They know they are in the wrong place. They know to make themselves scarce.

The pride of lions avoid as much human contact as possible, only coming out of the woods when they need food.

I’m in the portion of the woods where the lions have been said to have been spotted on multiple occasions. I used to come running through here in hopes I would catch a glimpse of the glorious beasts. I never did.

Eventually, the trail I found in these woods became my regular running route.

So, here I am, 5:30 A.M., running my usual route. No longer looking for lions, but in the back of my head hoping I’ll see them.

It’s a dewy day, the air is wetter and lighter and easier to breathe. I feel I have more energy so I take the trail deeper than usual. The farther into the woods I go, the thicker it becomes with trees. The more beautiful it is.

Related posts:

Yelp Review is a component of Yelp.com, the largest review stage on the web. The Yelp review is about how buyers rate the organization and offer their evaluation of items, administration or even…

A look at an answer to the common 'tell us about you' interview question