My shoes tap the concrete staircase as I descend the hill. While heading to Granville, on my left I spot a young deer.

 His dark eyes are large and questioning. He looks at me intrigued. He steps forward in approach. He’s not afraid. My breath halts — I don’t want to be afraid either. I’ve stopped my descent down the hill to hang out with him for a minute. My deer friend has stopped for a snack, his mouth opens and closes slowly, making the grass disappear.

Unbothered, he inches toward me. I take a step toward him, snapping a photo of my new friend. 

We are now only a few feet apart. I want to reach my hand out and give my new friend a pet. But I hold back, I let him be. Instead, we stand a few feet away from each other, he lets me stay with him for a little longer.

A noise comes from the stairs, both of us turn our heads. Another student is descending down the stairs. They are on the phone. I turn back to my friend, but he has retreated back to the shelter of the trees.

Have a Bright Spot to share? Send it to Managing Editor Julia Lerner (lernerj@denison.edu). Tell us about the moment that made you smile in under 200 words, and try to include a photograph. We’ll add it to our growing list of Bright Spots on TheReportingProject.org!