A lone man rides through the night. Mae, his driving horse,  was seamlessly pulling the buggy. He’d purchased the mare at auction seven months ago. Took a chance on Mae when nobody else would. The word on the horse was that she was too high strung to safely and reliably pull a buggy. But as Gideon ran his hands over her flanks he’d sensed in Mae that with a little patience mixed with a kind touch he could settle her down and turn her around. Turned out his instincts were right on the mark. Under his steady hand Mae had come to trust him and eagerly did his bidding.

He’d meant to leave early enough to get everyone home well before nightfall but the gathering of farm families over at the Yoder’s had run late. And to be honest, Gideon hadn’t wanted to leave any earlier because for the first time since moving here he was feeling he belonged. He had hope now that the ongoing scrutiny and unspoken tests would soon be coming to an end.

Gideon heard thunder in the distance. It was moving off towards the west. He was relieved seeing he was out in his open buggy tonight. But now fog, Nature’s sweat, was enveloping him in a thick blanket of dewiness. He would have to give Mae a good brushing down once he got her home to her stall. He wouldn’t mind the extra work at all. In fact he enjoyed it. There was something meditative about it. Many times since moving to Eden Gideon had gravitated to the barn to brush Mae while he mulled over this or that problem.

Suddenly a form sped paced him through the ever thickening fog. Gideon involuntarily jumped. “Elvis,” he shouted, “Elvis, get back here!” But there was no response from his yellow lab. On a night like this the countryside was overflowing with a cornucopia of scents. Gideon knew the dog was exploring everyone that his keen hunting-dog-nose detected. He’d feel better though if Elvis would stick close to he and Mae, at least until they got past Five Corners.

Although Gideon loved the fog with its brooding beauty, his antennae-like hearing was on high alert waiting to detect the sound of an approaching car or truck engine. It wasn’t the local drivers he was concerned about. They were used to sharing the local roads with horses and buggies in and around Eden. It was the tourist coming into the area that worried him. Why just a few months ago a horse and buggy had been rear-ended when a tourist was trying to drive his car and look through the view finder of his camera at the same time. Luckily nobody was hurt. But plenty of nerves were jangled. To counter the rising tenseness of his own nerves, Gideon attuned himself to the soothing sound of Mae’s shoes rhythmically clip-clopping over the asphalt.

“Whoa Mae.” Good,thought Gideon, we’ve made it safe and sound to Five Corners. Gideon sat in silence and listened. He could hear another horse and buggy approaching. Fast! But he couldn’t place which of the other four roads that met up at this hub of an intersection it was approaching on. To be on the safe side Gideon decided to stay put and wait it out.”Elvis,” he called out sharply, “Come Elvis,” but there was no sign of the dog.

Gideon didn’t have long to wait. Out of the dense fog exploded not one but two horse drawn buggies racing side by side in perfect cadence. They streaked past him like a blurry mirage instantly disappearing back into the dense fog. Kids on their way home from the Sunday night singing! What foolishness on a night like this, thought Gideon!

Gideon put his head down and rubbed his eyes hard with the heels of his hands. He hoped there wouldn’t be anymore wild blooded teenagers driving the roads tonight. Clicking his tongue he gently tugged on the reigns in his right hand. Mae obediently turned in the direction of those fool hearty teenagers, the same direction as home.