Headed For the Clouds

Two Pens Waiting To Be Used

I hate camping. What the hell is the point of going into the woods and living without a toilet or shower? My friends, however, live for the outdoors. Charon Styx, Lucy Gale, and Joey Tribistone convinced me to go on one of their monthly camping trips. We're headed down a trail leading toward the campsite.

"Left! Go left, Tommy!" Charon yells from the passenger seat as I begin to go right. I look up at the sign. There is no sign pointing to the left, but there is a trail.

"Are you sure that doesn't lead to the pond at the bottom of the hill?" I ask, looking down the hill. Charon stares at me like I've gone mad.

"Am I sure? Yes, Tommy, I'm sure. We've been doing this since sophomore year. I think I know where I'm going by now."

"Okay, I was just making sure," I say back, sinking into my seat. I mean, he is right, but he doesn't have to be snarky about it. I turn left and head down the narrowing path until the road is too small for me to go any further.

"Alright, we have to go on foot the rest of the way." Charon gets out of the car and opens the back of his Jeep. We get out and grab all of our stuff. "This way," he says walking down the dirt path.

"Mesket70?" I ask, catching up to him.

"Huh?"

"Your license plate, Mesket70. What does it mean?"

He walks ahead, not bothering to answer my question. We walk for about 30 yards and there, in front of us, is a large opening perfect for a campsite. The fire pit is already in place with 6 logs around it and a flattened area that could fit 2-3 tents.

"I say we go up a little farther, to the place we found last time, and settle down there," Joey says from behind me.

"Yeah, we should explore that place! I think I saw a cave there last time too," Lucy agrees.

"Alright then. Let's go!" Charon exclaims. Charon leads the way, and we walk further into the woods until we come across a small gate with a lock on it. The gate comes up to around my waist, so it would be easy to jump. I wouldn't have given it a second thought, had it not been for the No Trespassing sign right next to it.

"Ehm, I don't think we should be going back there. The sign is probably there for a good reason," I say to the group.

"Oh, come on. Don't be a wuss. We went back there last time and nothing happened. Besides, Charon and I will protect you both if it comes to that," Joey reassures me.

"Fine, whatever, let's go," I say. We walk on further into the woods with Charon in front and Joey in the back. This is so much better. It does make me feel the slightest bit safer, but I think that might just be because the sun is still out.

...

We make it to the campsite and set up our tents. We decide to sit in the tents for a bit to rest after the long drive. Lucy and I are sitting in our own tent when we hear Charon yell for us.

"Hey, girls, come on out. We're gonna start the fire and make some s'mores. The sun is going down." Lucy flies out of our tent, leaving me to zip it up. I sit down on the log farthest to the right, next to Lucy. The logs are already perfectly stacked on the fire pit.

"Hey, Lucy, can you go grab some sticks for the fire while I grab my lighter and some paper," Joey asks, walking back to his tent. She gets up and walks to the forest line. I follow behind her.

"Luce, I don't feel so good about being back here. What if something happens?" I ask.

"I'm sure we'll be fine. It's not like it's some secret government property that we aren't supposed to be on." She bends over to grab a handful of sticks. "Besides, if it were then it wouldn't be right next to a campsite where thousands of people come each year." I suppose she has a point, so I drop the subject and change to a new one.