worth it, but I pressed on.
“‘ Banjo, stop!’ I called after him. ‘Come here, boy!! Come here!!! ’
“ He stopped just long enough to glance at me before climbing further up the hill. I scrambled up the hillside, pulling up a few saplings in the process. Almost toppling down the hill twice, I grabbed onto a strongly rooted fern to steady myself. Unseen things slithered beneath the thick underbrush near the ground, but I kept moving, more worried about what might come after me if I stopped.
“ Panting heavily, I reached the top of the hill. In the sparse light penetrating the trees’ thick canopy, I spotted Banjo feeding nearby. I ran toward him, but once I closed in on the ornery animal, he scampered off again, moving deeper into the woods where even less sunlight reached.
“ Clueless as to where he’d run off to in the woods’ deepening darkness, I headed for the spot where I’d last seen his white-tipped tail. Then Banjo’s voice echoed shrilly from an area just ahead of me to the right. Unable to see well, I tripped on a fallen branch and went tumbling down a small embankment. If not for the insects and shit, I might’ve been tempted to linger a moment in the cool undergrowth. Banjo called out again, so I got up and followed his cries.
“ After moving through this dim-lit environment a few hundred feet, I reached a steeper embankment. I cautiously scaled it, praying to God Almighty I didn’t grab anything that could move or bite me. When I reached the top, Banjo fed on a clump of moss a few feet away. I brushed off my clothes, all the while scolding him. The little asshole still didn’t respond. Instead, he moved even deeper into the woods.
“ Mystified by Banjo’s defiant behavior I ran after him, shouting every obscenity I could think of to get him to stop. As I ran, I began to hear the faint rush of water, which grew louder until it became a roar. Banjo stopped at the edge of a clearing, where the morning light poured through brightly. I caught up with him and just happened to look down. A drop-off of a few hundred feet, I grabbed onto a branch to keep from losing my balance, peering over the cliff’s edge. A river raged along its banks, crashing against a series of large boulders as it coursed through a beautiful sprawling valley.
“ I’d never seen anything like it. The valley was filled with grove after grove of large fruit trees. Separating the groves from one another were huge meadows full of colorful wildflowers of every hue imaginable. It seemed endless, stretching for many miles in any direction.
“ As my eyes followed the valley’s expanse, something massive shined within its midst, a mile or two away. An enormous spike-shaped tower of gold shimmered brilliantly in the sun’s light. It stood majestically like a grand mountain encircled by a crystal wall, the top of which glistened just above the surrounding treetops.
“‘ Will you look at that, Banjo,” I whispered in awe. ‘ Banjo? ’
“ The goddamned billy goat was on his way down a flagstone path carved into the cliff’s side. I chased after him, but the steepness of the path and Banjo’s sure-footedness allowed him a huge head start. I wondered how I’d ever get us back home.
“‘ Banjo, stop! ’ I yelled. ‘ Hey, wait for me!! ’
“ At the bottom of the cliff the path turned sharply toward the river. Banjo hesitated, just long enough for me to catch up. I reached out to grab him, but he trotted off again! Extremely pissed, I dove at his feet to stop him. He still avoided my grasp.
“ I scrambled to my feet and ran after him. I didn’t catch Banjo again until he trotted up to an old woman sitting on a rock beneath the shade of a large willow next to the river. He wagged his tail as if he knew her, and she extended her hand to pet him.
“ I walked over to the woman, wondering who she could possibly be. I stepped under the willow’s branches, greatly surprised to find she wasn’t old at all. It
“‘ Banjo, stop!’ I called after him. ‘Come here, boy!! Come here!!! ’
“ He stopped just long enough to glance at me before climbing further up the hill. I scrambled up the hillside, pulling up a few saplings in the process. Almost toppling down the hill twice, I grabbed onto a strongly rooted fern to steady myself. Unseen things slithered beneath the thick underbrush near the ground, but I kept moving, more worried about what might come after me if I stopped.
“ Panting heavily, I reached the top of the hill. In the sparse light penetrating the trees’ thick canopy, I spotted Banjo feeding nearby. I ran toward him, but once I closed in on the ornery animal, he scampered off again, moving deeper into the woods where even less sunlight reached.
“ Clueless as to where he’d run off to in the woods’ deepening darkness, I headed for the spot where I’d last seen his white-tipped tail. Then Banjo’s voice echoed shrilly from an area just ahead of me to the right. Unable to see well, I tripped on a fallen branch and went tumbling down a small embankment. If not for the insects and shit, I might’ve been tempted to linger a moment in the cool undergrowth. Banjo called out again, so I got up and followed his cries.
“ After moving through this dim-lit environment a few hundred feet, I reached a steeper embankment. I cautiously scaled it, praying to God Almighty I didn’t grab anything that could move or bite me. When I reached the top, Banjo fed on a clump of moss a few feet away. I brushed off my clothes, all the while scolding him. The little asshole still didn’t respond. Instead, he moved even deeper into the woods.
“ Mystified by Banjo’s defiant behavior I ran after him, shouting every obscenity I could think of to get him to stop. As I ran, I began to hear the faint rush of water, which grew louder until it became a roar. Banjo stopped at the edge of a clearing, where the morning light poured through brightly. I caught up with him and just happened to look down. A drop-off of a few hundred feet, I grabbed onto a branch to keep from losing my balance, peering over the cliff’s edge. A river raged along its banks, crashing against a series of large boulders as it coursed through a beautiful sprawling valley.
“ I’d never seen anything like it. The valley was filled with grove after grove of large fruit trees. Separating the groves from one another were huge meadows full of colorful wildflowers of every hue imaginable. It seemed endless, stretching for many miles in any direction.
“ As my eyes followed the valley’s expanse, something massive shined within its midst, a mile or two away. An enormous spike-shaped tower of gold shimmered brilliantly in the sun’s light. It stood majestically like a grand mountain encircled by a crystal wall, the top of which glistened just above the surrounding treetops.
“‘ Will you look at that, Banjo,” I whispered in awe. ‘ Banjo? ’
“ The goddamned billy goat was on his way down a flagstone path carved into the cliff’s side. I chased after him, but the steepness of the path and Banjo’s sure-footedness allowed him a huge head start. I wondered how I’d ever get us back home.
“‘ Banjo, stop! ’ I yelled. ‘ Hey, wait for me!! ’
“ At the bottom of the cliff the path turned sharply toward the river. Banjo hesitated, just long enough for me to catch up. I reached out to grab him, but he trotted off again! Extremely pissed, I dove at his feet to stop him. He still avoided my grasp.
“ I scrambled to my feet and ran after him. I didn’t catch Banjo again until he trotted up to an old woman sitting on a rock beneath the shade of a large willow next to the river. He wagged his tail as if he knew her, and she extended her hand to pet him.
“ I walked over to the woman, wondering who she could possibly be. I stepped under the willow’s branches, greatly surprised to find she wasn’t old at all. It
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