By J.M.C. Kane
Behind the grocery store, where the alley narrows and the dumpsters sweat rust, a fox stands in the cone of the security light as if she’s been waiting for someone to come around the corner. It’s solstice night, and the cold has locked the whole block into a sharp quiet, even the compressors holding their breath. I’m carrying a bag of salt I don’t need but bought anyway, and when the fox looks at me—head tilted, tail low—I freeze mid-step. She’s thin, cautious, but not afraid in the way I expect; it feels more like she’s trying to decide whether I’m worth the trouble of moving. For a long breath we watch each other, neither advancing nor yielding, her amber eyes steady, weighing my place in whatever order she keeps of this alley. Finally, she blinks once—slow, deliberate—and steps aside, not fleeing, just granting passage, like a guard who’s satisfied with the explanation you didn’t give. I walk past her, the salt bag heavy and awkward in my arms, aware of her presence behind me until the light hums back to life and she slips toward the shadows where the snow stays cleaner. It occurs to me only after turning the corner that this is where such things happen—not in a forest, not in a dream, but behind a grocery store, by dumpsters, in the ordinary cold. The alley exhales. I keep walking.
J.M.C. Kane is the author of Quiet Brilliance: What Employers Miss About Neurodivergent Talent and How to See It (CollectiveInk U.K.), a celebrated nonfiction work on cognitive patterning and inclusion in the workplace Disabled, he writes from this learned experience as an ASD-1. His prose work has been published in more than two dozen literary journals & magazines. Kane admires compression the way some people admire tightrope walkers: from a safe distance, practicing only at home. He lives in New Orleans with his dogs and family.
Image by G N courtesy of Pexels
Gorgeous descriptions, and I loved the ending. You really turned that fox into a character in a story. Thanks for sharing this.
gorgeous.
Your essay is impressive because of the way it turns the mind into a probing question about how ordinary e events become extraordinary
Exquisite. I had a fox encounter in a monastery garden that held a similar mystery. I want to read more of Kane’s writing!
This is a beautiful flash fiction. Congratulations, Mr. Kane!
Oh, this is exquisite. You’ve captured it: “ this is where such things happen—not in a forest, not in a dream, but behind a grocery store.”
I was there through your words which disappeared in the telling. Thank you for this moment and for blessing ordinary moments of beauty and transcendence.
I was right there in that alley while reading this. Great job!
What a gorgeous description of this unusual encounter. I love the quiet, the respect and the space the person and fox give one another during this peaceful experience, a hopeful example of coexistence between wildlife and people.
That’s just beautiful writing.
Where… dumpsters sweat rust and alleys exhale.
Beautifully crafted.
Stunning piece.
Beautiful. I held my breath until the end. Great image; clear and unadorned.
This is the style of writing that takes my breath away. Thank you.
Beautiful sounds of words–poetic. The mood of the piece is intriguing too. Thanks for sharing.
I held my breath in and my eyes wide open as I read this, and tried to live in it with you. Thank you.
Wow!
A stunning piece! Such strong imagery and story, every line. Loved this.