WayFinder (The Fool's Journey)

Chapter 4: Sheltered

So, do I stay or do I go? 

The mentally sung question repeated. But before I could answer myself, a man with short brown curls, wearing a black windbreaker and blue jeans came from the entrance of the large shed. He saw my truck and moved toward it, making his way to the driver side window. 

"Hi," he said in an exhausted voice, "My wife and two daughters are inside. You are of course welcome to shelter with us. I was just coming out because I thought I heard an engine, but also to check what was happening with the water to make sure it was safe to stay."

The man had eyes full of kindness and I didn’t for a second think he had an ulterior motive in his body. He was the kind of person you meet and you just know he’d be the kid in school that walked right up to you on your first day and called you friend. The sort of person that made you feel a little less alone in a strange new place. It was because of this first impression that I decided to stay.

"I'll definitely accept the offer, and we should be okay for now. Water hasn't made it halfway up the incline yet," I offered. 

"Thank goodness," the kind man wiped a hand heavily across his face before he continued, "I took my boat out fishing early this morning while the family slept and when I saw all the sand I.." 

He didn't have the energy to finish but I already knew what sort of view greeted him.

"Yea, I saw the beach as well. I'm Sienna by the way," I introduced myself.

"Oh of course, I'm Daniel. Probably should have led with that," a half-hearted smile graced his features.

"Life has gotten a bit crazy, hasn't it?" I murmured.

Daniel looked startled for a second, "Crazy? We need an entirely new word to describe what the hell is going on right now. A tsunami? The weather? I mean, the virus and horrendous vaccine? Life will probably never be the same again." 

Daniel roughly drew his hands through his hair as he tried to calm his breathing. His last words seemed to cause him more distress, but all I felt was growing excitement. The loss of life brought me no joy but I definitely had a burning desire for sweeping change; a fresh slate to build anew. But I didn’t want to put him even further out of sorts so I kept these thoughts to myself. 

"I'll park my truck and meet you guys inside, don't wanna worry your family. Do you guys have food and water?" I asked before he walked off to see the rising water.

He stopped in his tracks as if remembering something. 

"We were able to pack a few changes of clothes, some blankets, first aid kit, and what we had in our pantry, but that will only cover the next few days. I wish we had more warning but with the internet down.." Daniel trailed off.

I nodded my head in understanding. They weren't prepared for today, and I didn't want to be the one to tell him that this was just the beginning.

“Don’t worry about it. I have a few things,” I offered.

Daniel smiled in thanks and walked off with his hands in his pockets, his head down. The past few hours had clearly taken a toll on him. I could feel the heavy emotions emanating from him, seeping into my energy field. Strange. I ignored the alien feeling and started my engine once again.

After parking my truck at the back of the shed and covering it with some overgrown ivy and fallen shrubbery, I made my way to the shoddy entrance carrying the duffel bag that contained my immediate necessities. The rain was coming down much harder now, but I could still hear Daniel and what I believed to be his wife, arguing over their current predicament from within the shed. I didn’t want to eavesdrop on their private conversation and quickly knocked before attempting to slide the door. It was not an easy task as it appeared to have come off of the slider above. Daniel rushed over and together we slid it open just enough to allow me passage. I looked down and realized that the door had made an impression in the dirt, and if slid into the groove, the door would move much easier. Closing it back was a simpler task with the newfound knowledge.