Jacob Ellis and his wife Donna live in the north
woods of Wisconsin. Like most young couples, they have hobbies they enjoy.
Jacob likes the outdoors, choosing four-wheeling and hunting as his forms of
relaxation. Donna loves cooking, but her true passion is working in her flower
garden. That is until her labor of love becomes nothing more than a colorful,
tasty treat for the white-tailed deer, who share their surroundings.
One night the pair has an eerie experience with the
four-legged visitors in their yard that would haunt them in the nights ahead.
The evening sets the path for Jacob’s decision to go against nature. After
hearing a legend passed down through generations of the Chippewa Indians, Jacob
must now decide if it’s just a myth or a lesson in the balance of law and
justice—between people and nature.
Excerpt~
Donna
finished cleaning up the table and putting the leftovers into the refrigerator.
Glancing over at her husband, she saw that he was situated in the oversized
recliner watching the news. She continued over to the sink and started doing up
the dishes from supper. It was probably her least favorite household chore. The
only thing that made the daily task tolerable was the large window over the
sink, which gave a wonderful view of the yard. While standing washing pots and
pans, she could marvel at the sight of her beautiful blooming flower beds. At
least that was the case in prior years.
Now as
she looked at her flowers, she only saw a few blooms and what was left of her
once flourishing plants. Most had been eaten right down to ground level by the
deer. Sighing with the thoughts of her hard work being nothing more than a
colorful, tasty meal for the four legged villains, she turned her attention
back to the task at hand.
Donna emptied the dish pan of hot, sudsy
water, peering out the window. Shit,
she thought as she saw the deer standing just ten feet from the house. She
rinsed out the dish pan, setting it upside down in the sink so it could dry
before being put away underneath. After wiping the counters and hanging the
towels up, she stood at the sink peering out into the yard once more.
If the
damn things hadn’t destroyed her flowers, the picturesque scene before her
would have made for a lovely painting. The sun was in its final stages of
setting, casting hues of pinks, reds, and orange across the sky. The yard had a
faint glow about it. There were now several doe’s eating peacefully without a care
in the world. For being such a pain in the ass, they were beautiful creatures
to watch.
Donna
stood there taking in the moment when all at once the five deer turned their
heads in unison and looked in her direction. What the hell, she thought as they continued to watch her. They
stood there studying her…no movement whatsoever. Okay, this is just too weird, Donna thought, choosing to head into
the living-room to join her husband.
Before
getting all comfy on the couch with a good book, Donna thought she might as
well make her way around the room and close the mini-blinds that hung from the
windows. Not that it really mattered. They lived far enough back from the road
that no one could see into their house. It was more of a habit, rather than
serving as a filter from prying eyes. Prying
eyes, she thought recalling the deer in the yard.
Donna
twirled the rod, closing the blind on the first window. When she reached the
window that was behind the couch, she happened to look out. No way! she thought, as she viewed
several more doe’s standing there, no more than seven or eight feet outside the
window. While she stood there looking at them, she got the creepiest feeling
when they simultaneously turned their attention to her.
“Hey,
you want anything?” Jacob asked as he passed her heading into the kitchen to
get another beer from the fridge.
“Huh?”
she muttered.
“I asked if you…” Jacob’s voice trailed off,
as he got closer to the patio doors. He happened to glance out and was stunned
by what he saw. “Holy shit,” he said, watching the deer in the yard. What got
his attention was the number of them. There had to be a dozen or better.
“What’s
the matter?”
“You
should see all the deer out here,” Jacob responded. As he made the statement to
his wife, the animals turned their attention to him. Jacob assumed they must
have heard him, or maybe they’d caught sight of his movement. But he had never
seen a time where all the deer in a group turned their heads in perfect unison.
“Well, I
have six of them right outside this window. A few minutes ago there were five
or so outside the kitchen,” Donna explained. Unable to deal with the uneasy
feeling of being watched, she twirled the rod of the mini-blind, shutting out
the unwanted on-lookers. Something just didn’t feel right to her. Living in the
northern woods of Wisconsin all of her life, she was use to the critters who
shared her surroundings. This however, gave her the creeps.
She sat
down on the couch, grabbing the multi-colored throw her grandmother had made
for her a few years ago. She wasn’t sure if the sudden chill was caused from
the falling temperature of the evening, or the freakiness of the situation.
Jacob
moved to the window above the sink to peer out. Sure enough, the five female
deer were still there—and they were looking at him. What the hell is going on here? Jacob thought to himself. He
quickly raised his arms and flailed them in front of the window. The deer
didn’t move. Normally, any sudden movement would have sent the skittish animals
running. But, not this time.
The
darkness of night had now completely descended, making it harder to see the
four legged visitors. The yard light over by the garage automatically came on
and lit up the parking area quite well, but it did very little in the way of
illuminating the area closer to the house. Deciding he’d seen enough, he turned
heading to the refrigerator, when he noticed movement outdoors.
A large
doe appeared from the shadows of the night, looking directly at Jacob. “Son of
a bitch,” Jacob whispered so quietly that Donna didn’t hear him. The two stared
at each other. Jacob transfixed on the eyes of the doe. At first he thought the
glow of its eyes, were like that of any normal animal when reflected light
caught them at a certain angle. The seconds ticked by in the visual
confrontation, when the eyes of the doe changed to a glowing florescent green.
Jacob was having a hard time understanding what he was witnessing. He stood
there cemented with a mixture of curiosity and fear, as the intensity of the
glowing neon color grew. Jacob remained by the window spellbound, as the deer
took a step forward, then rearing up onto its hind legs.
The
animal balanced itself on its rear legs, pawing the air in front of it. The
amount of time it remained in that position was only a couple of minutes, yet
longer than was normal. The action displayed by the doe caused Jacob to break
eye contact, stepping back. What the hell
was that? I didn’t just see that, that’s not possible! Jacob thought, as he
tried to comprehend what he just experienced. His mind had to be playing tricks
on him.
“Something
wrong J?” Donna asked from her seat on the couch.
“Uh,
no…” he answered trying to convince himself he’d imagined everything, that
nothing was wrong.
“When you
come back could you grab me a can of soda?”
“Sure…”
Jacob muttered, taking a step forward to look out the window once more. Nothing.
He saw
absolutely no signs of the demonic looking doe. Blinking several times and then
rubbing his eyes trying to clear his vision, he took one last look. Nothing. Okay, maybe I did just imagine all that.
He thought, yet he knew better.
Walking
over to the fridge, he grabbed himself a beer and a Diet Pepsi for Donna. He
really needed a drink after all that. Walking past the patio doors on the way
back to the living- room, he couldn’t help but to gaze out into the night. He
stopped dead in his tracks. Outside the huge doors, he saw the glowing eyes of
the deer. It had to be the deer. It
seemed to be a frickin’ herd of deer.
Jacob watched as the eyes moved closer, yet not close enough that you
could make out their bodies in the darkness. All he saw were their eyes.
Jacob
was going to turn away, when a large buck silently walked up to the patio
doors. It had somehow quietly made its way onto the back deck, appearing right
outside the glass, staring back at him. The stag was large, with a rack any
hunter would be proud to mount and hang on his wall. Jacob was frozen to the
spot on the opposite side of the glass doors. While inspecting the animal he
noticed the buck’s eyes weren’t neon green like the others. These were glowing
an eerie red.
“Son of
a bitch,” Jacob yelled as he hurriedly backed away from the patio doors.
“What?”
Donna asked, alarmed by her husband’s sudden outburst. She started to get up
from the couch intending to look outside.
“No! Get
the hell away from the windows Donna,” Jacob ordered.
“But…”
“Donna
go into the bedroom and get my shotgun out of the closet.”
“J,
you’re scaring me, what’s wrong?” Donna had never seen her husband in such a
panic.
“Just do
it and don’t ask questions,” Jacob barked as he spread the plastic slats of the
mini-blinds, looking out the living-room window. He didn’t see anything. Were they gone? he wondered. Donna came
up behind him peering over his shoulder, trying to see what was causing all the
commotion, but all she saw was darkness.
“Jacob,
what the hell is going on? I don’t see anything…what’s out there babe?” she
asked, as she rubbed his back. Donna went to the patio doors where Jacob had
been standing minutes earlier and looked out into the yard. “Jacob, I don’t see
anything…are you going to say something?” she asked.
Jacob
was still looking out the window. What the hell had he seen? Donna would never
believe him. Hell, he didn’t believe it and he saw it! Not wanting to scare his
wife or have her think he had lost his mind, Jacob decided a little white lie
was in order.
“A bear…
I saw a bear,” he coolly lied.
“No
shit? You saw a bear…in the yard?” Donna sounded a little more than surprised.
She wasn’t sure what surprised her more, the sighting of the bear, or the
reaction Jacob had to seeing it.
“Yeah.
It was a big ass bear too,” Jacob lied further.
“Okay
then,” Donna said heading back to the couch to get comfy once more. She was hardly
concerned about a bear. Bear sightings weren’t uncommon in the north woods.
Even though there had never been one in their yard before, she wasn’t going to
make a big deal out of it. They were curious animals and if left alone they
usually went on their merry way.
Jacob
concluded that the deer had left the yard, or at least were out of sight. Still
a bit creeped out by what he saw, he walked over to Donna and handed her the
soda he’d been holding for a while. He then plunked down on the old, blue recliner,
popped open the beer and took a long swig.
Grampy rated it 5.0 out of 5 stars
I read "Oh, Deer"; that's got to be one of the most
interesting/different/gut-churning shorts I've read in a long while. This story
could be expanded to novel length and it would be just as good. In fact, I'd
love to see it as a novel! It's a good story, and I recommend it!
By sundance on April 16, 2015
great author
By Amazon Customer on April 26, 2014
I live in an area where the deer
just wonder through town all on their own with no care in the world. the deer
here have been seen stooping in the middle of streets and enjoying their lives.
I've been one to honk at the deer to get out of way of my late nights driving
home. I've even honked at a deer who licked my passenger window. Now after
reading this book, I will be looking at the deer in a whole new light. Thank
you Savannah Rayne for putting a whole new scare into such a great read! five
stars all the way around.
By Bernie on April 24, 2014
My goodness, I'll never look at
Bambi the same way again. This was quite the creative story. Quick, short read.
By Edward D. Morgan "tweed" on
December 3, 2013
it was wild good book u don,t always
need to kill what comes in your yard after reading this book
By heattim5 on March 15, 2013
This book kept me on the edge of my
seat, especially since it is set in the Northwoods, I go visit my mom in the
Northwoods all the time. I tell you one thing I will never look at deer the
same way again! I give this book 5 stars.
By Jackie G Williams on March 15, 2013
This is an enjoyable story. The
setting is picturesque and characters believable. I love a story where Mother
Nature takes care of her own. Beware, are those Deer, really so cute? A great
twist to this read, I enjoyed it.
By rosiebear on May 29, 2012
this is a story of living in the
woods and how mother nature,,,, in her own way,,, controls and protects life. I
knew it was a short story when I bought it, but when I read it I had forgotten
and when I got to the end and it was over I was like.."noooo I need more
!" lol..so I hope maybe that Savannah will write a sequel.very good story
and when you read it,its like your talking to your friends and neighbors
because of how good the writer is. It will make you think when you drive the
back roads and see those deer in the fields and edges of the woods... all
looking at you...lol.
By dontforsakeurself on May 15, 2012
A lot was packed within this short
story. I read only half of it the first time, but the second time I read all
the way through and was extreamly pleased. This author is extreamly talented, I
am going to be reading more of her work in the next few weeks. Over all I enjoyed
the read very much.
DeAnna Felthauser
rated it 5.0
out of 5 stars
A
great quick read that has you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. I
admit...I'll never look at deer the same way again ever. LOL! Really enjoyed it.
By Robin Renee Ray "Live and let LOVE!!!"
on April 18, 2012
Savannah Rayne put more than a chill
up my spine with this read and that is a very hard thing to do! Her creative
manner and style is very much like one of the all time greats, Alfred
Hitchcock... and I am very proud to see a author bring back the feel of horror
without the need of the all so familiar blood, gut and gore. Not many are able
to put a twisted spin on a tale that is mixed with suspense and romance and
leave you wondering for days after you read it, if that can really happen???
...not to mention everytime you see a Deer, and other things which I cannot say
due to it is a spoiler.
What I can say, is I will never be able to drive down to my homeland ever again and see the many deer out in the fields without thinking of this read. Nor will I ever look at an Apple Tree or Pie the same way as long as I live!!! ; )If I could rate this read higher than a 5 Star, it would already be done~
What I can say, is I will never be able to drive down to my homeland ever again and see the many deer out in the fields without thinking of this read. Nor will I ever look at an Apple Tree or Pie the same way as long as I live!!! ; )If I could rate this read higher than a 5 Star, it would already be done~
By avidbookreader on March 2, 2012
A great quick read that has you on
the edge of your seat from beginning to end. I admit...I'll never look at deer
the same way again ever. LOL! Really enjoyed it.
5.0 out of 5 stars Oh,
Deer, January 24, 2012
By T. Stanley "Lyn
Croft"
This review is
from: Hot Reads Collection Volume One (Kindle Edition)
"Oh Deer", by Savannah Rayne is a wonderful short
story! I couldn't put it down, and was left in awe by the twist at the end.
Just when I thought everyone was safe and happy...you know...going to live
happily ever after...Well, you'll have to read this book to find out.
Definatley a great read, and a great author!
By: Author Robin Renee Ray on Sep. 13, 2011 : 5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best short reads to cross my laptop. Savannah Rayne take you on a wild ride of on the edge intrigue, with a twist that will leave you thinking and without a doubt wanting more!
How it all began…
There have been many times while
reading a book I’ve often wondered, where the author got the idea for their
story. Some are so far-fetched, or so horrific, that I would ask myself, what
kind of mind thinks of that stuff? LOL
So now that I’m on the other side of
that question, I thought I’d share with you, how my first book Oh, Deer came
into being.
First I should share that I lived in
the north woods of Wisconsin for 20 years. I lived in a little place called
Crivitz (population, less than 1,000). It’s about an hour’s drive north of
Green Bay. Ok, so that being said, my good friend Cindy, God bless her, still
calls me and keeps me up to speed on everything that happens “up north.”
One Saturday evening, around 10:30
pm, the phone rings. The cheery, very happy (but somewhat slurred) voice on the
other end was my dear, sweet Cindy. “Helloooo, Jelloooo,” was the greeting I
received. LOL After the usual exchanges of “what’s new” and me doing a lot of
snickering, Cindy says, “OMG, I have to tell you this funny story that
happened.” Now mind you, a sober Cindy tells an amazing story…a shnockered
Cindy tells one hell of an amazingly hilarious story!
She proceeds to start telling me this
story about how when looking out her patio doors there were some deer standing
in her back yard…no biggie. But then it seemed in every room she entered, as
she looked out the windows, there were more deer. Ok, I know you’re thinking “hmmmm” but trust
me, you had to be there listening to her telling me this story, it was a hoot!
I was really laughing quite loudly.
One thing led to another, with me
laughing and saying how that would make a great story. Well, that just sent
Cindy on another whim, now helping me with the details for what she thought
could be the next #1 best seller, LOL. Seriously, I know you have to take my
word on this, but she was really getting into this and the more serious she was
trying to be, the funnier it was, causing me to laugh even harder!
Her version was actually about
reindeer with green glowing eyes, that foamed at the mouth. Trust me, Rudolph
was one nasty critter in her warped mind. Christmas and Santa had a whole new
meaning when she got done. She even wanted to call it Reindeer Revenge!
After laughing until my sides hurt, the phone call came to an end. But the
thought of reindeer continued to play in my mind.
The next day I called Cindy (after
all, I’m a caring friend who needed to check in on her…naw, really, I wanted to
see how bad her hang over was, LOL) who did remember (barely) drunk dialing me
and talking to me… something about Christmas and reindeer, but that was pretty
much it. I did fill her in on what was said, enjoying the “OMG, what was I
thinking” sound in her voice mixed with the occasional “Why are you talking
so loud?” But I was nice and didn’t give her too much crap about the
previous evenings call or her current pounding head
condition.
Days later, the thoughts of her story
were still dancing around in my head. I didn’t know much about reindeer, other
than they pull Santa’s sleigh, LOL…but, white-tailed deer, now I knew something
about them! And there you have it…that’s where the idea for Oh, Deer came from.
The drunk dialing of one of my dearest friends.
Although it may not be as hilarious
as Cindy’s drunken rendition, I hope you enjoy the mildly creepy version I came
up with…
Hugs,
Savannah
