I often poke fun at people who try to portray Hanover as a dangerous community. I mean, it’s not Mayberry, but the reality is that as long as you don’t look for trouble, you usually won’t find it.

I often project this through bragging about walking home after a night downtown, either because I just felt like walking or because I know I shouldn’t be behind the wheel of a car. However, the jokes came to an end when I walked home from a friend’s house after a Fourth of July cookout recently.

My wife had already headed home with the car, and we don’t live too far away so I decided to walk home when I was done having fun. This was on July 3. We had a nice night so I looked forward to enjoying the stroll.

As I walked up Moul Avenue, I noticed a shadow ahead. Had someone left something on the ground? Could I be a Good Samaritan and return a lost item? Would this be my way of making the job easier for the folks who had to clean up the park?

Nope!

I honestly think I would have acted more calmly if someone did hold me up with a gun. I did a little dance down the sidewalk past the critter – he barely acknowledged my presence – and then walked the next few hundred feet looking back over my shoulder every few steps to make sure he wasn’t tracking me.

That could have happened, you know. My theory of an angry band of woodland creatures starting their own society in the Rail Trail woods has gained steam ever since my wife and some other friends have shared news of a bird attacking people in that vicinity.

The animal uprising is real. I am just glad I managed to escape unharmed.

This time.