h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

At this point of the event, I was sitting, appalled, feeling trapped, in my canoe. I could not believe the violence I had just witnessed, and I was not willing to just turn my canoe and float off down the river as if nothing had happened. I also did not know if I would be able to accomplish anything if I went back to where the fawn was lying in the shallows. But something pushed me hard, and I got back up and across river to where the fawn was. I leaped out of my canoe, pulled it in towards the bank, and rushed over to where the fawn was submerged in the shallow water on the inside of the bend. I picked it up out of the water. It was so light, so small, so delicate, so wet, so very limp. There was no discernable heart beat, and no breath. Her eyes were glazed over. I thought "This is hopeless, what can I do?" Then I thought about my CPR training. I thought maybe I could save her life. Then I thought, "This is not the movies, you can't bring the dead to life, who do you think you are?" Well, I paid good money for my CPR training, and for my Reiki training, and I said to myself, "Maybe it won't do any good, but nothing will happen if I don't try, so I'm going to at least try." I felt all her legs to make sure they weren't broken, because if they were it would be pointless to bring her back. They were all just fine -- so delicate, not much bigger around than my thumb -- not broken.

SoI laid her on the dry bank and did a sort of heimlich maneuver and water came out of her mouth. I remembered what the vets did with calves that were having trouble starting when they were pulled. I suspended her by her hips and let her hang head down. More water came out. I laid back down. By this time, Jeri had joined me. She asked me if I thought we could do anything for her, and I told her I didn't know but I knew nothing would happen if I didn't try. I immediately started putting Reiki energy into the fawn. At the same time, I started doing chest compressions. I cleared her airway, and pressed on her chest to see if compression and release would draw air in. Nothing. Jeri gave her artificial respiration, one breath. Her chest expanded, so we knew the air was getting in. I did a few more chest compressions, the air went out and then her heart started to beat, I could feel it strong beneath my fingers. Jeri did one more breath, and the fawn jerked and coughed and started breathing too. So we sort of sat back a bit and watched to see what would happen. I never took my hands off her, though, continued to send Reiki.

She was still distressed. Her legs were totally limp, and she was sort of choking while she tried to breathe. I remembered the dog carrying her by her neck. Jeri suggested that we try extending her neck a bit. We did that, and she was still choking. Then I heard my Reiki Guide Moira tell me to hold her in my heart chakra. So I picked her up, just like you see in the pictures of the shepherd carrying a lamb. I put her head on my right forearm, extended her neck and placed my right hand under her neck where the dog had held her. I massaged it a very small amount, and then held her and focused all the healing energy I could envision into her neck. Meanwhile, Jeri was massaging her all over her body and legs with short, stimulating strokes. Within seconds, she stopped choking and her legs began moving. And then she let out a bleat of distress that was surprisingly loud. Immediately, I felt the doe watching me, angry and afraid. I could imagine her attacking me as I ministered to the fawn, and was not happy with the image of sharp deer hooves pounding my back and head. I sent a thought out, "Don't hurt me, I am helping your baby." Jeri said "The eyes are brightening."

After a while, I laid the fawn back down on the gravel bar, and squatted by her, continuing to send reiki to her. Jeri said something like "I think we did it, I think she's going to be okay." The fawn responded by jumping up and acting as if she wished to run up the gravel bar. There Marshmallow was, watching events with great interest and having the attitude that it was pretty cool that we had extended the game for him. I grabbed her back into my arms, and Jeri said, "I'll get Marshmallow into the canoe, and you stand guard while I do it. We don't want to go to all this trouble to just have him get at her again." I agreed, and she went off to get the dog into her canoe. He was not very interested in that option, but after she pursued him up river a little way and spoke to him on a personal level, he finally got into the canoe and she started off down the river.

At that point, I saw my canoe had become impatient with waiting for me, and had decided to continue the float without me. I called "Jeri, my canoe is escaping" and she replied "I won't let it get too far". But it entered a little eddy and proceeded back up the far bank towards me and waited for me, while I stood on the gravel bar with the fawn in my arms. Finally, Jeri called out that she thought she had Marshmallow under control and was far enough away, and I put the little deer down. She immediately laid down as if she was very tired. I walked a few paces away, and said "You'll be alright." I watched her for a moment, and something made me concerned that she would not get up again, and that perhaps there was something wrong with her legs after all, so I walked back towards her. She gave me the look that said "Oh gee, you are a human and dangerous, I should get the heck out of here," jumped up and climbed up the gravel bar into the sycamore saplings there. I am positive I heard the mother chuff a call to that baby.

As we continued down the river, Jeri asked me if I had felt the presence of the doe there while we were working on the fawn, and I said "OH, YES!"

I don't think I want to float with Marshmallow any more.