KETTERING, Ohio (WDTN) — A family trip to the Hocking Hills left one local high school student with a memory that will last a lifetime after she encountered a wild deer that quickly became her friend — and she caught it all on video!

Fairmont freshman Pearl Noj says it was like a scene from one of her favorite movies.

“I’m a big Disney fan so it was like a Bambi moment for me,” Pearl said.

While her family was playing cards during a holiday getaway to a remote cabin, Pearl headed outside.

“I was kind of going crazy because we had no Wi-Fi,” Pearl said. “So I went for a hike in the middle of the night.”

Her hike took a surprising turn when a wild deer let Pearl walk right up to it!

“After a bit of petting it, it sat down,” said Pearl. “So I sat down with it. Then after 20 minutes went by, it laid down with me.”

Pearl and the deer stayed side-by-side for about an hour until it finally fell asleep. She said the whole encounter felt a bit like a sign from above.

“I was struggling with a lot of things,” Pearl said. “I was praying on a log, and then the moon shined to the creek. So I hiked down there which was where I saw the deer. It kind of felt like it was God giving me something.”

Her mom says she was amazed, but not exactly surprised.

“We spend a lot of time outdoors and Pearl has always been very connected to animals,” Heidi Noj said. “And she has a really calm presence. Both around people and animals. So if it was going to happen to anybody it probably would be Pearl.”

“I felt really calm,” Pearl recalled. “It was really relaxing. It just felt really peaceful to just enjoy mother nature with a deer.”