I love living in the country, away from all the lights. I’ve taken over a dozen meteor pictures and should still have time for more.

I trudge through waist-high grass, climb into my car, and listen to the radio as the camera automatically takes another picture. Metallica’s ‘Enter Sandman’ plays softly, causing me to smile and close my eyes.

When I wake the full moon is up, bathing the field in an eerie glow.

The grass undulates as if waving in the breeze.

That’s odd, the wind isn’t moving the trees.

The wave of grass continues steadily towards me, enveloping the car. I stick my head out through the window and watch one of the waves pass right beside me. It stops moving and out of the grass, I see glowing red eyes.

I throw my head back in the window and roll it up, ignoring the sound of something scraping on the door.

OhmyGodohmyGodohmyGod!

I focus on my breathing to avoid a panic attack.

In my mirror I see the mounds of grass moving away.

I roll my window back down, lean out, look down, and see no red eyes.

I think it’s time to go home.

My camera sits a mere four feet away but I won’t step out of my car.

I pull over closer to the camera and reach out through the window, all the while shooting furtive glances down at the grass.

Got it!

I sling myself back inside, roll up my window, and try to calm down. The longer I sit the sillier the whole thing seems.

It had to be a dream. I fell asleep and dreamt the whole thing.

I chuckle at my own stupidity, then turn the car around and drive back over the same tracks I used to get here.

I drive out of the field and park beside the house.

I head for the backdoor, exhausted.

Two a.m. is late, even for me.

Against my better judgment, I lean down to look at the side of the car door and I’m surprised to see scrapes on the metal.

Must’ve been a stick or something I brushed against in the field. I tell myself.

I head inside, lock the door, plop on the couch and start looking through the night’s pictures.

Several of the meteor pictures are nicely framed with the field and trees. As the moon comes up, the stars disappear.

This must be where I fell asleep.

As I scroll through, I notice the waves in the field.

So I didn’t dream that?

I enlarge the picture.

My breath catches in my throat.

Red eyes.

I push to the right and see another set of eyes. I zoom back out and count dozens of them. Every hump of grass has glowing red eyes looking out.

Oh my God!

My spine turns to ice when I hear scraping at the back door.