The Warden's Game

I found myself in a clearing, coming out of the woods, wading through thick snow. It was a very cold evening, and the sun had already set. I was drawn into the clearing by lights in the distance. As I came into the clearing, I saw an old wooden cabin on the left, and a bigger cabin close to it on the right. The little cabin appeared to have a fire going, so I approached, and entered. There were no one inside, but everything looked ready for company. There was a warm hearth with a cauldron hanging over the fire.Something about this place was familiar to me. It felt like I had been there before. As I looked around, everything was eerily familiar to me, like something out of childhood memory. There were paintings of woodland animals on the walls. Rabbit, moose and deer. There were bowls on the table filled with nuts and dried fruits... figs. Just like how I remember Christmas at my grandparents house. And just like that, there was a sweet smell in the air, of rice porridge. I had this feeling of mystery and adventure, as if there was something out of the ordinary going on.To this day, I couldn't tell you how or why, but I was suddenly struck with this feeling that something was about to happen. A tickle in the air that I could not explain. Something very important was to happen at 11 o'clock at night, which was just then. I went back outside and made my way around the little cabin, and that's when I saw a mystical fox coming out of the woods. A bit larger than your average fox, and his fur had a glow to it that I could only admire in quiet observation. He looked at me, and we locked eyes. I can't explain how or why, but I understood then what was going on. It all became clear... as if the fox spoke to me.The Warden lived in the big cabin, and every Christmas Eve, he'd hang out a ham to lure the fox in. If the fox could outsmart the Warden's trap, then the fox would get the ham, and the fox would not go hungry that winter. The fox went for the ham, but the Warden had set a different trap this year. The ham was not bound in rope, but wire... and fox's teeth got stuck in it. He struggled, but could not get free.The Warden's door opened with a slow, wooden groan, and he stepped into the light of the torches outside. He smiled when he saw the fox stuck in his trap, and then he turned his head towards me. It felt just as it did with the fox. I understood the Warden's game. If the fox got the ham, then the Warden would go hungry that winter. This was a game that had been going on longer than anyone could remember. The Warden went back inside, leaving the fox to suffer. As if the fox's pain meant nothing to him.I approached the fox carefully. He was so afraid that the closer I got, the more he hurt himself. There was no time to waste, so I rushed in and grabbed him. I had to put my fingers in his mouth to help free him. He bit down hard, but I did what I had to do. It hurt so much, but I got the fox free, and he immediately let my hand go. The fox ran to the clearing, stopped and looked back. Suddenly the Warden's door slammed open, and he taunted the fox. "This year I win," he shouted.Maybe nothing changed. Perhaps the Warden's game goes on forever. I will never know, because I woke up. I have remembered this dream for over twenty years now, and I still wonder what it truly meant.

Just a dream... but it stuck with me for decades. I finally wrote it out. Hope you enjoyed it.