Sparks - Gwenvid

Kindling

How long did they really think the camp could manage on its own? With Campbell gone, and only a few remaining stashes of money lying around the grounds, they couldn't be expected to keep up an act.  They all had needed to face facts.  David needed to face facts.  That summer had been the end of Camp Campbell. The state took back the property and at the end of the summer the campers had all left with their parents, a few reluctant to say goodbye, after everything they'd been through.  David and  Gwen had helped the kids with packing, simply prolonging their own departure.  Max, was nearly right about his parents not coming.  Hours after all the kids had gone David had to face reality again.  Max fell asleep in his car, as David sat out in the calm rain waiting for something he didn't know yet.  Perhaps the hardest was saying goodbye to someone else though.  Cbfl.  He had held her cold wet hand early in the last afternoon.  He couldn't say why.  For in the moment they no longer stood as counselors, but just as two people.  Two people that were about as ready to let go as a baby holding jewelry.  Soon enough he would be holding Gwen close, masking her from the wind and rain.  Keeping them safe from everything.  Safe in the moment that settled with a shared warmth and soft smiles.  He'd run his fingers though the lady's hair and placed a soft friendly kiss on the top of her head as a goodbye and nothing more.  It was pure, as was David, as he smiled down at her and forced himself to pull away.  He couldn't recall if she returned it, Gwen had seemed too absorbed in her own thoughts.  Just glancing over to the side as David let her go and the warmth started to vanish.  She'd watched David speak through the chilled atmosphere before smiling and turning back to his car.  The man didn't pay attention past that point, he'd pride himself on managing goodbyes but after all that time it was different.  He didn't see if Gwen opened her mouth to respond.  At one point he almost swore he'd saw her hand reach out but he didn't try to confirm, and by the time he'd looked back her car was started out down the dirt road.  Before joining max in the vehicle he grasped the last bucket by the mess Hall and dumped it over the last hot coals of camp Campbell.

[P R E S E N T  D A Y
(a bit more than two years later)]

Day 1

Splash!  The boiling water met David's hiking boots more than it did the ground.  Laser focused in on not dropping the campers dinner he ignored the fact he'd have to change clothes soon enough.  Late June meant 90% rain and if lucky the other 10% sun.  This was one of the exceptions where there was nothing more than a chilly wind.  Once he drained the pasta he brought it back to the stove to finished preparing dinner.  His brain still in hyper speed to get dinner done before the kids came back.  David couldn't be happier to have a camp he founded himself but he had to say running something entirely on his own was vastly different from counseling.  This whole setup was different.  He had coworkers that ran other troops within the same open ground.  He would meet with them occasionally at their own fires but aside from that there wasn't any closeness really.  David was good at his job as owner for the most part and often ended up taking over activities.  He missed Camp Campbell truly, he was reminded of this everytime he looked up to see the wrong name on their rustic sign.  He missed Gwen, and he missed the oddly specific dreams and passions each kid had.  Life now was practically bland compared to back then.  He got caught up in his thoughts, almost over stirring the spaghetti.  As he turned off the propane stove he smiled up to see his boys running through the bushes followed by his favourite twelve year old who had the blue hack saw in one hand, half dragging on the ground.  David smiled pulling down the sleeves of his new Navy Blue employee uniform.  The boys all had light blue shirts rather similar to Campbell's yellow ones. 
"So, how'd the wood collecting go Max?"  David asked, as the younger boy ran a hand through his damp curly hair. 
"Great, if you don't count rich kid trying to look in the lagoon and dumb dumb and doofus losing the saw for an hour."
David chuckled lightly at the response, as he took the saw from max.
"You weren't quite gone an hour but good thing you got it back anyway." 
David put it to the side and knelt on the ground by the pit.
With a decent amount of caution he reached into the flames and grabbed a half burnt piece of wood, moving it where it would give the structure more air.   He brushed his hand on the sides of his muddy jeans.  He picked up two long sticks and leaned one toward max as he stood up.  Max, taking it promptly as his dad spoke.
"Welp.  Fire pokers don't carve themselves kiddo.  Wanna help get ready for dinner?"  His words were more soft and inviting than his common tone,  instead of obnoxious there was an unsettling yet enticing seriousness in it.  Which of course, Max guessed was held do to David pulling a small red buck from his belt, offering it to the kid.  David's smile held a glint of worry as Max shrugged and took the blade.  The man pulled a larger knife from the hook on his belt and leaned back against the old stove they use to keep the wood dry.  He was surprised it had held up so long, knowing the camp was older than him and gets pretty harsh winters.  Resting the branch on his knee that red head began shaving at the end with expert precision.  Max on the other hand, well he could be doing worse. 
"You sure you trust me with your knife?" 
The devilish child joked with slight realness on border of his words, smirking up at David, who let out a light chuckle in response. 
"I'm sure Max."

After Max and a few other campers, finished building the base of the fire. Which of course wasn't the most well structured. David was back again with a small bic lighter. For a few minutes there was no success keeping a flame, as the chilled air did nothing to assist. The red head pulled out some cotton balls soaked in Vaseline as his son worked on chucking in every page of a torn up phone book. All in all the first fire of camp worked out. Only once did david get burnt on the lighter. If max didn't know better he could've sworn his dad cursed under his breath at that. Now three campers stood admiring their heat source for the night. David sat down on a log only a foot away from the flames. He occasionally would make the move of shifting wood in the embers with his boot. Naturally waiting til the kids would look away, or be distracted by their own conversation. Looking over to the flames he smiled wide. Fond memories crossed the man's mind, and he could remember the warm tone of Gwen's voice when she sung. When she sung his song. As he gets lost in thought, the day dreamy look could be seen as what it was, even in just the light of the sparks separating him from the real world.