Post by Harold of Whoa on Mar 31, 2018 0:47:17 GMT
I work an evening shift. I drive home about midnight, and the route I take includes some pretty dark country backroads. There is the one road where (apparently) a big, fluffy white dog lives. Occasionally as I am driving down his road, listening to some tunes, laughing or cussing about something that happened that day at work, mind a million miles away, this big white blur will lunge out of the shadows right at my car. It happens in the flash of an instant, and his trajectory seems certain to go right under my wheel, but (apparently) he is very skilled at pulling up short and not making contact. This makes me jump out of my skin every time; it is about as unpleasant as getting a huge static electric shock. I reflexively jerk the wheel and maybe go for the brake (pointless, because there isn't enough reaction time.) Then my heart is racing and my stomach is in a knot for a few minutes.
Now, he doesn't do this every night - far from it. Sometimes months will go by without an encounter, sometimes he does it two or three times a week. He attacks from different locations on the road, either side. That's part of the sadistic nature of this beast; if it was every night or always at the same spot, then I could perhaps brace myself for it, but instead he lets me drop my guard then hits me again. I hate it.
Now, before you tell me I should swerve and run him over, forget it. I would never do that; I don't even want to run over a possum or raccoon, much less someone's dog - that's kinda the point of why it is so upsetting. Besides that, the entire route is prone to wildlife crossing, including deer, which makes it a double aggravation to have these deliberate encounters; they just pluck on an already frayed nerve.
Outrage.
Now, he doesn't do this every night - far from it. Sometimes months will go by without an encounter, sometimes he does it two or three times a week. He attacks from different locations on the road, either side. That's part of the sadistic nature of this beast; if it was every night or always at the same spot, then I could perhaps brace myself for it, but instead he lets me drop my guard then hits me again. I hate it.
Now, before you tell me I should swerve and run him over, forget it. I would never do that; I don't even want to run over a possum or raccoon, much less someone's dog - that's kinda the point of why it is so upsetting. Besides that, the entire route is prone to wildlife crossing, including deer, which makes it a double aggravation to have these deliberate encounters; they just pluck on an already frayed nerve.
Outrage.
