Christ in the Clouds

"The peace of nature and of the innocent creatures of God seems to be secure and deep,  only so long as the presence of man and his restless and unquiet spirit are not there to trouble its sanctity" Tomas De Quincey, "Preliminary Confessions" (1821- 56)  My niece saw them first, in the thicket of trees past the yard. “Can I go pet them?” she asked. “No, they would run away, hon.”was the reply. She was so hopeful. She goes outside and waits in the yard. They see her and hide deeper in the trees. She stomps, disappointed. Even though she would not harm them, they are wild, wary, and don’t realize this fact. She has a piece of bread she leaves in the yard and slowly walks back into the house. We wait and watch. Intermittently, they take slow steps out of the camouflaged barrier, into the yard.  “Look!” someone exclaims. “They’ve come closer!” They seem uneasy at first, but the draw of food over-rides their instincts to run. They look around, cautiously. Then they rel...