Predator and would-be prey

'Oh no…' it creeps into me. It begins in my core, low and deep, a hollowing. It is the rumble of a sleeping beast disturbed and I hold my breath for a moment.

What did I do wrong? How did it see me? I slept well, I rested, I practiced my mindfulness, I exercised, I stayed optimistic…

The shower. It was cold and I made it warmer… of course… a foolish slip. Most people don't need be concerned with such a benign comfort, but I'm not most people and the beast that stalks me pays them no mind.

I steel myself, not physically but mentally. I know how this monster is a threat. If I allow myself to panic, if only for a moment, it will consume me, sucking the very essence from me, my energy, my hope, my resolve, and the more I panic the more it will feed.

I sit. I hold my nerve. The creature brushes past me, breathes down my neck, bares its teeth. Moments as long as lifetimes pass between us while we stare at each other, predator and would-be prey.

I sit on the couch with my wife. We watch TV under blankets on the sofa. 'How are you feeling?' She asks. 'A little fatigued' I smile back at her 'but I'm ok'.