Jogging at dusk...

Jogging at dusk used to be a safe bet during the summer. With the sun setting in the sky, it is the perfect time to lace up your sneakers and put on your smelly headband. You mean to wash it but you just never get around to it. The sweat accumulates into the fabric and begins to stink. You don't care because you will wash it next week or the week after that.

Last week my jog turned into a nightmarish sequence of events. I had picked my usual trail not too far from the mountains. There was a long tunnel that ran parallel to the trail, and there were numerous people waiting by the tunnel. Some people were snapping photos and mothers were holding babies in their arms. This was peculiar to me when I found out that everyone was waiting for the bats inside the tunnel to fly out in search of their prey. I had never heard of such a thing, and it was curious that the people there felt as if danger was far away from them. Maybe they didn't care if the bats nibbled off the tips of their noses.

My jog turned into a sprint immediately and I made my way back to the beginning of the trail as fast as possible. The bats had already flown out of the tunnel and were whirling above my head. I never knew that a summer jog could turn into an invitation to be attacked by these flying rodents. I never knew that you could twist an ankle and lose an ear at the same time to a group of mammals. It was a good thing I had tied my laces, but the sad part was that I had forgotten my helmet that night. Well, my hearing wasn't like it used to be anyways. So what if I lost an ear. I had another one for back-up.

The night air also had refreshed my headband...making it smell like an odd perfume.