Face to Face

For as long as Matthew could remember, he had been walking behind a wagon. Day in and day out, Matthew had walked and walked and walked. He was ready to be done with the journey.

Each day at dusk, the wagon train would bring the wagons into a circle. This formation served as a shield of protection. Members of the wagon train were encouraged to stay inside the circle at all times. But tonight, Matthew was tired. He was tired of doing the same thing every day. Tonight he would sneak away right after dinner just to get some air.

Finally, it was time. Matthew walked so far away that he could barely hear the adults singing songs around the campfire. He squatted down against a rock and leaned back to look at the night sky. Matthew closed his eyes.

Suddenly, his eyes flickered open, and standing directly above him was the biggest wolf that Matthew had ever seen. Matthew’s body began to quake with fear. He slowly got up. He didn’t know what else to do, so he started edging his way back to the wagons. The wolf followed him the whole way.

Just then, Matthew heard a gunshot and watched the wolf fall at his feet. He turned to see his father standing a ways off. He ran to the safety of his father’s arms. He knew that would be the last time he ever stepped out of the wagon circle again.