sanctum by the hearth, our bones warmed by the first fire of the season against the dark chill outside, when our white Wolf and dusky Hound (at left) began a fearful clamor at the door. A Beast was without! Steeling myself against the din, I loosed our faithful companions into the now-Stygian depths of the yard. As their spectral shapes vanished beyond the cone of the porch light, I wondered what lurked beyond. But wait! Something approached! A white shape from out of the gloom! Was it fiend or friend?
Well, okay, it was just the white Wolf-dog with a tree rat twitching in his mouth. But hey! Rats are part & parcel of vampiric atmosphere — I got a quote from Dracula to the right if you don’t believe me!
(And no, “tree rat” is not slang for a squirrel. We really do get rats running around in trees here. What can I say? It’s suburbia.)
I delivered the coup de grace with 20 grains of lead driven by a whisper of hummingbirds’ wings. Power enough to do the job, but still quiet, as befitted the cemetery my back yard had become that cold October evening…
…and of course I left the gun pics at the office. Check back in this space at about noon Eastern time for pics of the Vampire Kit and a New Shooter range report.