It was a magical interlude.

Emma and I were walking on the Olympic Discovery Trail
after I’d successfully run for the first time in months,
an entire half-mile!
take that, plantar fasciitis!
I was tearfully smiling at the prospect of running again
when I spotted two river otters,
wait, make that four river otters
swimming parallel to the trail,
moving in my direction.

As I spoke softly to them,
“Hello there, friends,”
they turned to look at me,
moving closer and closer to the shore
until they all four were stopped at the water’s edge,
about twenty feet away,
staring directly at me.
I’d also stopped and began to wonder
whether they’d gotten glimpses of Emma
from behind the berm.

My wondering then escalated to
Do they think she’s a fellow river otter
I’ve captured and am walking on a leash?
Are they here to liberate Emma from me?

Side note: I had no camera so have no photos
but look at this public domain image

and tell me that river otter bears no resemblance
to my long-bodied, short-legged Emma Jean-Jean.

In my desire to relieve the river otters’ worries,
I picked up Emma and set her on the berm,
believing that full view would prove she was a canine
rather than a member of the weasel family.

All four otters disappeared underwater!
They reappeared a few yards in the opposite direction
where they came out of the water and onto the beach,
moving toward the boulders.

Do they still believe Emma’s a fellow otter?
Are they coming to rescue her?
I watched the trail above the boulders,
expecting them to appear,
while also hoping they wouldn’t appear
because what would that even mean?

When time passed without a sighting,
I stood on the berm to see where they’d gone.
One otter was visible.
We saw each other at the same moment
and when it went completely still on the boulder,
I understood my presence was now making them nervous.

I softly said, “I promise you Emma isn’t an otter and
you don’t need to worry.”

My sweet, clueless dog and I then continued on our way,
Emma blissfully sniffing the ground
as I replayed what’d just happened
and wondered whether it was all a dream.

I’m documenting this here so I’ll never forget
today’s magical interlude
with the four North American River Otters.

Thank you universe, I receive these gifts.