In the early morning hours, long before daylight touches the eastern horizon, a stiff breeze stirs the fallen leaves.
The air crackles with the crisp, clean cold of a November morning and a sense of anticipation.
Under the cover of darkness, the hunter slips into place. The exact location has been carefully selected after poring over maps and reams of data. This site offers the best bounty and the greatest chances for success.
The hunter settles in for the hardest part — the wait. A glance around reveals the competition is more intense than expected.
No worries, though. They’re amateurs, out on a lark. They have no chance of prevailing against a veteran who has spent months — make that years — training for this day.
Every detail has been orchestrated. The clothing is warm and comfortable, yet not restrictive. A protein-loaded breakfast, plus a few snacks stashed for later. The vehicle was selected for its cargo capacity. Ammunition has been stock piled for months and the trigger finger is just itching to release it.
From several feet away comes the muffled sound of conversation, then faint laughter.
The veteran tunes them out. This is no time to lose focus. The first rays of dawn are tickling the sky, the last of the stars twinkling out overhead.
The official season will extend for several weeks, but it is in the first few hours of opening day that the selection is at its best, when the true prizes can be found.
The rest of the day stretches before the hunter. After bagging the quarry, it must be toted to the minivan. Then navigating the terrain to make it to the next stakeout, then the next and the next, the route plotted with the precision of GPS coordinates.
A flicker of movement catches the eye and she spies a big, beautiful rack prime for the plucking.
Her hand flexes on the purse strap. She can practically feel the heat radiating from the credit card inside.
Her gaze penetrates the glass double doors, where a sales associate approaches with the keys in hand. Under the bright glare of fluorescent lights, television sets, sweaters, video games and microwaves wait innocently, unaware bargain pricing makes them desired prey.
She hesitates just a moment. She draws a deep breath and gasps as the cold air stings her lungs.
Then she smiles and charges into the foray.
It’s the Friday after Thanksgiving. Opening day of Christmas shopping season.
The only thing better than bragging rights is the thrill of the hunt.
