The Real World

His arm was asleep from being awkwardly angled under him, and there was a bear just beyond the thin layer of nylon that had kept the rain out the night before. Ash was awake, at least he thought. He had no evidence that the world before him was real, or that the day before had actually happened, but he accepted it immediately nonetheless.

The sun wouldn't rise for another hour, but the light filtering through his tent had already turned gray. Could the others be up? There'd been drinking the night before, and he felt an irritating twinge behind his eyes. As he rushed to take stock in his situation, he glanced at a half eaten granola bar crushed and broken in a pile of crumbs. He shook his head and began to slowly roll to his side to gain some semblance of control. He pulled his arms out and reached towards the door. He took the zipper in his hand, and gently pulled. After each notch clicked by, he'd pause and wait.

He heard the bear again, it was louder and closer somehow. The heft of it's breathing provided a clear image of its size. Through the small hole he'd opened, he could see its paw covered in matted hair and dirt. Being so close, knowing he was responsible, feeling so trapped - he began to drift towards uncontrolled panic.

He needed to move or run, but there was nowhere to go. His eyes jumped from corner to corner through the tent searching for some solution. The thump of his heart was too loud, it seemed deafening and the bear would hear. His discovery was imminent, and he was lost to his desperate need for a plan. A slight breeze carried the odor of death and wet and he could see the drool stringing through its dense hair before spilling over to hang in long thin strands headed towards the ground.

Still frozen, lost briefly to his imagination, he snapped back when Penelope spoke. It was too quiet to fully understand, but it could have been "What happened last night?" He heard Mackenzie laugh, and the bear's quiet shuffling became silence.

Ash went numb and gave into the inevitable. He heard the bear breathe in quickly. Through the same hole, he could see its nose moving side to side searching for clues as to what its next meal might be.

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Four days before he'd been on a gravel road, following an old worn paper map in a fairly isolated area of the Rio Grande National Forest about fifty miles north of Pagosa Springs in the San Juan mountain range.

His plan had been to be the first to arrive, but when he found the trailhead, it looked like Mackenzie and Penelope were already there. He'd never actually met them, but his folder of dissonant items had included profiles on the three he would be hiking with. Mackenzie stood just behind an open doored Subaru Outback. With the trunk open towards the forest, Ash could make out the top of Penelope's head. They must have organized to drive together, but that makes sense. What kind of single girl would head off into the forest with strangers - organized or otherwise? The gravel was loud and immediately made him self-conscious, like walking with wet shoes on linoleum in a quiet store.

He glanced around his truck to take stock of what he needed to do. As he opened the door it occurred to him that they might not be allowed to park here for multiple days. Next time (if that ever happened) they should all come in one car. He reached for a bottle of water and his phone on the passenger seat. After putting the truck in park, he opened the door and swung his feet down. With his arms full, he walked towards the back to open the tailgate. Considering the best introduction, he turned towards the girls and took a couple steps in their direction. They looked up just as he said, "Good morning, you must be Penelope and Mackenzie. I'm Ash."

Mackenzie and Penelope played the part, said hello and after a brief pause in conversation, they resumed their fast paced, semi-intense discussion. Perhaps because of this, Ash had quickly fallen back into his own internal dialogue and began considering what else needed to be done.

"..it rains?" asked Mackenzie.

Having been briefly lost to his thoughts, Ash looked at her like she'd spoken a foreign language and asked, "What?"

"What happens if it rains?" she asked again.

"Oh.. well, we'll get wet." Ash said without thinking and spun back his truck and began to check his gear. Gear had the flawless trait of always needing to be adjusted.

"Funny," she said sarcastically.

Ash couldn't help but hear something in her voice that made him smile. He turned back quickly hoping to sound friendlier, but she'd already begun walking away towards the edge of the forest. He could see the trailhead behind a newly installed wooden fence and it's entrance next to a map of the area. He smiled, appreciating the moment, and then noticed a peculiar looking tree. It's branches grew oddly downward before turning and heading straight up. A memory of a distant dream drifted in and Ash was standing in a field. The same tree stood alone casting a long shadow from the setting sun. A snow covered mountain range framed in this hidden world and he was laughing as a small smiling boy sprinted towards him. The sun lit his curly hair from behind like some kind of glowing lion's mane. The little boy's face was determined and lacked any doubt as he jumped towards him expectedly wanting to be caught. Mackenzie leaned her pack against a wide post and looked back while stretching. Her gaze went past him to Penelope which pulled Ash back from wherever he'd been. He took a few forced steps, and then ran his fingers through his hair. Had he just been staring at Mackenzie? This was supposed to be about today, not some future and vague possibility. As a physicist, Ash had always been pulled towards the difficult to understand areas of life, but this was supposed to be a time for peace.

Ten minutes later Christian pulled in. After parking he quickly bounded out of his car apologizing profusely. He was not actually late, but Ash, Mackenzie, and Penelope had finished getting ready and were leaning against a split rail fence just to the side of the parking lot.

After a few quick introductions, final gear packing, and some brief discussions about their plans - they set out.

The first few days were flawless and Ash began to develop a sense of himself and his confidence rose. They were all still alive, smiles were shared, and goals were being achieved daily - it was easy.

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If you'd like to read the entire novel, please find it here: 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B094HM8NXW