The Forest
1325 Words
In the sky the clouds blocked the visibility of the moon, leaving a protracted darkness around us it was followed by a howling chill in the wind. The fire crackled swaying to its direction as we sat beside it now looking at the finished deer we had ate. Despite my initial apprehensions of eating something that was just two minutes alive. It was good, Diane was good at this. I glanced at her for one moment as she seemed taken up in her own thoughts. Bugs, they were so many of them for the few that I squatted more seemed to take their place. I grabbed a bottle of bug repellent in my bag and when Diane wasn’t looking, I sprayed a touch of it on my skin.
Taking my phone out of my pocket, I sent a message to Brad.
Not coming back until I bring back a deer.
I saw him typing, but I turned the phone off and placed it in my pocket. It didn’t take a genius to know what he wanted to get from me. I wouldn’t doubt if tomorrow morning he showed up exactly here.
I huddled my hands together. “You seem to be a natural at this, Diane. Your father taught you this as well?”
Diane sniffled, rubbing her nose. “Yeah, he did, but most people in town are the same since I was the oldest of my parent’s children. I learned a lot more things than most normal woman here, plus I had to take care of my family. You have brothers and sisters?”
“No, I am an only child,” I said.
Diane hand scratched her face before looking directly am me. “Oh, so I am curious how things are like in the city Mantrao its called right and what brought you here?”
My eyes met hers. “Why do you ask?”
Diane looked down at the fire. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry Barba but well… few people come here and even fewer that never hunted at least before.”
There was a pause between us for a while.
“The city of Mantrao like all things in life, the city can be beautiful, but it can be ugly all the same. They aren’t many trees, just buildings on buildings with a few parks in the mix. The clean air you see here is not the case in the city. There is slight smog that covers the sky, giving a very brownish look from all the cars an emission at the busiest times of the day.”
Diane chuckled, pushing herself closer to the fire. “I thought you were a saleswoman? It sounds rather awful, so far with your descriptions.”
I laughed in response. “I guess I didn’t sell it to well. Sometimes I see it looking down from the… I paused. “It’s hard not to miss trying to get to work and the city could be a bit depressing.”
“What exactly do you sell cars?”
I thought about the question for a while as I remembered one of the fashion stores that I owed. “Designer clothes and bags, I get a commission of the sales that’s why I was…” I hushed myself realizing I had said a little too much. “Sorry, I tend to rattle a bit at night.”
“That’s no problem,” Diane replied.
I rubbed the back of my head. “Do you have kids?”
“No, do you?”
“I have two, two dogs Lucy and Ben.”
“I was actually expecting to hear two people.”
“But they are you got to feed them bathe them take care of them they are children that don’t grow up.”
“True, what exactly do you do for fun here and please don’t just say hunting.”
“Fun huhh well we don’t got much options in Notaridge. People here go to the bar, play cards, fish and hunt few celebrations now and then, but nothing to out there.”
“Doesn’t sound like fun at all. The city has way more to offer in that department ever been?”
“Nope, I never once have been but most people say that out here is far more beautiful so I guess it’s even there.”
“True, if you came I would show you around.”
“I might hold you to that.”
“But then I might have to sell you something.”
“With those skills of yours.”
I laughed as I shivered. “Damn Diane, I am pretty damn cold.”
“It can take a little getting used to bring your bed roll closer to the fire.”
I did as Diane asked and she eased across towards me. We sat there for a while together.
“Being close like this helped share the heat a bit,” Diane said. “We will sleep close but not to close if it’s still bothering you. You can lie next to me.”
I nodded my head, looking at the fire.
When we both decided to sleep, I sank into my bed roll but my hands and body felt like ice as I shivered. I had never once been this cold in my life, and the snow hadn’t even really begun to show up yet. I turned my head to Diane, she seemed to be half asleep.
My body was shivering. “Diane,” I whispered, but there was no response. “Diane.”
I saw her eyes open as she looked at me directly. She knew it without me saying.
“Can we lie next to each other?” I asked.
She nodded and came across to me, placing our mats together. Her hands wrapped around me and I felt her breath upon me. My body relaxed in her arm and I drifted off to sleep.
***
“Wake up,” a voice said.
My body shook as the sun’s ray kissed my face. My arm was held and nudged again.
“Barba, wake up, we have to start now if you want to catch the deer.”
My eyes flickered open, watching the blurry shapes before me form into Diane and the surrounding trees. She had already packed up her camp stuff and snuffed out the fire. The only thing that remained as I found my bearings and got up was myself.
“What time is it?” I asked, rubbing my eye.
“It’s about 7:30 am. The deer’s would move now to another spot. You can brush your teeth to get rid of the morning bath, but no bathing until we get back. We have to move otherwise we will spook them. The wind will shift and they might pick up our scent.”
I walked over to the river as Diane packed up my bedroll. “Give me one minute to get organized.”
I brushed my teeth quickly and used the river water to wash out my mouth. I dabbed some water on my face as my lids felt heavy. The water was cool, and it felt good on my face.
“Barba,” Diane said, almost in a whisper.
“One minute,” I said, “I am soon done.”
“Barba,” she said again her voice was interrupted as another made its presence known in a loud grunt as I opened my eyes and looking directly at me was a grizzly bear.
My heart thumped in my chest as our eyes seemed to lock. Was I going to die here?
- Writer
