The Girl from the Trees(Completed)

Camping

The door to the truck slammed shut, causing his dad to frown at him. He tried not to pay attention, but he could feel his eyes on him. Making his way to the back of the truck, he was careful to put the tailgate down softly to retrieve his gear. A small tent sat atop the ruck sack, holding his sleeping bag, and supplies for the week.

"You sure you boys are going to be okay out here without me?" his father asked him sincerely.

"Dad," he responded. "We have been coming out here constantly for the last ten years with you. We need a chance to do it on our own. You can come next time."

Clapping him on the shoulder, his dad smiled. "Jakub, you can stop growing up anytime now." He glanced around at the other three boys climbing out of his truck. "Do you have your radio?"

Jakub patted his pack, "Of course. We will turn it on in the case of an emergency, but do not check up on us for at least three days. Each of us has plenty of supplies for that amount of time, but we are hoping to not have to use them."

"We will be fine Mr. C," a tall, thin, light-haired boy said casually. "You have taught us everything we know."

"So, either we can do it, or you failed as a teacher," the shortest boy with dark hair and light eyes laughed. "It is all on you."

Jakub's father laughed, "If anything goes wrong, I will know it was you who was responsible Taylor."

Taylor shrugged his shoulders while the other boys laughed and agreed. "We have made him promise not to try and pull any pranks," Jakub said to his dad. "You do not need to worry about us, we will be fine. This forest is like a second home to us, and you know it better than we do. If you do not hear from us in three days, you can come find us."

"And then get mad that we are fine and forgot to turn the radio on," the tall boy joked. "Mr. C, we got this, you prepared us."

"I know," Mr. C replied smiling. "Otherwise, Sam, I would have never agreed to this plan." He glanced around at the opening they were parked in, the four boys with packs on their backs and ready to go. "Be safe, okay." They nodded in unison, each giving him a hug in turn, and without another word, he climbed into the truck and pulled back onto the road and out of sight.

Jakub turned and led the way to a well-worn trail leading into the trees. Their group had been camping in this section of forest as many as eight times a summer for the last ten years and would often sneak out during weekends of the school year, to partake in their favorite hobby. This was their first time doing so without supervision, an immensely exciting prospect. His boots left a print in the soft powdery dirt that laid atop the hard soil below. Leaves littered the ground as well as other sticks and debris. While this area was exceedingly popular with them, it was not well traveled by other campers as it was out of the way and not near any campgrounds or attractions. Even as such, they would find trash, which they always picked up, to ensure their area stayed as natural as possible.

They had been planning this trip since their last big outing the previous summer. Their graduation had been only a week prior, and in a few months, they would be following different paths. Jakub had been accepted to a local university, where he was unsure of exactly what he would study. Taylor had joined the Army but had put off going to basic training until the end of the summer so he could enjoy camping as many times as possible. Sam would be going to work with his father, which he had already been training for, who owned the largest butcher shop in their area and serviced many farms and hunters. The final boy, Evan, was the brainiest of the bunch and had been accepted into a high-profile tech school, where he was going to specialize in electrical engineering.

Walking single file, Jakub had a machete out, and would hack down any briars that had decided to grow across their path. The sun was hot, and insect buzzed around them as they went. Luckily, the foliage above them was thick and protected them from the sun's rays. Their campsite was deep into the woods, around two miles, which would take them the better part of an hour due to the rough nature of the terrain. They talked extraordinarily little as they allowed their feet to carry them, listening to the sounds of the forest, the wind blowing through the trees.

Each of their shirts were soaked with sweat by the time they made it to their camp site. Jakub was the first to sit his bag against the stone wall. It was a cutout into the side of a rocky hill that gave them shade from the sun, and protection from other elements. Down the hill from the site was a small river which fed into a large pond created by beavers. The campsite was higher than the area below it, giving a gorgeous view of the surrounding trees.

Expertly, each boy quickly set up their tents, as if it were second nature. Then they stored their packs inside the tents, and they were off. Down the hill toward the water. The ground was rocky, stones jutting from the path, creating a crude staircase, making the journey much easier. Soon, they were stripping down to their underwear and wading into the cool refreshing water. The sun was high overhead while they swam. Before long they were all feeling hungry and knew they would need to take measures to feed themselves.

Sam and Evan grabbed their things and headed back to camp to prepare a fire. Taylor and Jakub sat by the water, watching the ripples, looking for a small school of fish. Taylor leaned out over the shallow water, his t-shirt in hand. He could see the small fish moving under the surface. In a swift and practiced motion, he scooped through the water, snagging many of the small creatures.

Jakub pulled a small pack from a cargo pocket of his thick hiking pants. Inside the pouch he removed a spool of fishing line and a small container holding fishing hooks. Retrieving a thick and sturdy stick, he proficiently created a fishing pole, which he handed to Taylor. He then found another acceptable stick and repeated the process.

Taylor had carefully folded his shirt into a pouch and twisted the top. He gratefully accepted the pole from Jakub, and they were soon walking up stream to begin fishing. They found a large, flat rock jutting out into the stream and took up a position. There was a deeper pool above the rock and their estimate that it would be a good spot was quickly confirmed. Sitting quietly, they soon had enough for all four of them and they were headed back to their camp site.

The sun was setting behind the trees, casting a red hue over the forest as they finished cooking the fish, Sam having cleaned them. Evan had gathered a large amount of kindling, and even some larger logs that he, Taylor, and Jakub had cut into usable sizes with their survival axes. The camp was alive with talk and laughter as they devoured their meal. With their stomachs full and the sun having fully set, the tired boys climbed into their individual tents, falling asleep quickly.