Fear The Light

Retrieved

I swallowed dryly, my mouth and tongue like dessert sand. My eyelids were almost too heavy to lift as I blinked hard against the dull blackness trying to focus my gaze. The sound of birds making me cringe. The high pitched songs ringing in my ears. Clutching my aching head I sat up slowly. Flicking on my small keychain flashlight I dragged all of the bags towards me. I dumped each bag over and began sorting everything I had retrieved from the sight; making sure to keep a mental tab on each item.

First bag.
A small pillow, a first aid kit, three poptarts, one can of Pepsi, one unopened tube of toothpaste with one unopened toothbrush, one purple hair brush, three female shirts, three pairs of woman shorts, and two heavy sweaters, a yellow lighter, a medium sized towel and one package of unopened Aloe Vera whips.

Next. The second bag.
One bottle of men's three in one shampoo, four large male shirts, two pairs of male shorts, one pair of men's sweat pants, four beers, eight high fat chocolate protein bars, two bottles of water, one pack of condoms, a large tangled ball of rock climbing rope with four clips, one mirror, three knives, and one role of toilet paper.

Bag three.
A map, one compass, one turn powered flashlight, one box of 10 protein bars, four cans of cola, two roles of toilet paper, one flair gun, one miniature axe, one pocket knife, one bottle of eye drops for dry eyes, one first aid kit, one blue baseball cap, and one large camouflage rain jacket.

Finally I opened the last small bag and pulled out my water, taking only one or two gulps before closing it and setting it aside. I grabbed the map and compass with a tinge of hope. After two hours, two protein bars, and the can of Pepsi, I had pinpointed where I may be and which way I would have to go to reach civilization again. If there was one to go back too.

Quickly I packed up everything I could into the largest bag. My fingers were sore by the time I finished unraveling my little hid away. It was only mid night. I had lots of time to find another spot to rest during the day. After one more turn of the flashlight crank, light shot out. My palm rubbed the rough bark, I hadn't noticed it but I've grown so fond of the tree. It's trunk was so large I would probably be able to build an actual whole house out of just this one tree. With a hopeful ache in my chest I began my long journey, not before leaving a mark on the tree just in case a backup plan was required.