A Traveler Along The Wheel

[thehumantrashcan]

This hike was not going well.  The mosquitoes were out in force and seemed to be as big as hummingbirds and even with long sleeves and bug repellant, they still managed to find a way to bite you.  This, combined with the muggy heat, made everything simply unbearable.  Your partner was just as miserable as you and every word spoken seemed to spark some sort of argument so you both continued in silence. 

 

The most recent argument had been whose idea it was to go on this overnight camping trip, and both of you kept blaming the other.  There was also the fact that you both had been hiking for 4 hours, 2 hours longer than planned, as the original campsite had already been taken.  One of you had filled out the reservation for that specific camping spot.  The blame game was still being going on over whose responsibility it was to do that.

 

Whatever the case, there was a cave that was supposed to be appearing around the next bend and both of you were looking forward to the coolness of the cave to relieve some of your misery.

 

At last, the small trail, mentioned by the campers who were in what was supposed to be your spot, appeared on the left and within a few moment both you and your partner heaved a sigh of relief as you both set down your packs in front of a moderately large cave formed by 6 massive boulders piled on top of one other at the foot of a cliff. You both entered and enjoyed a moment's respite, from the heat and surprisingly the mosquitoes too.

 

The cave entrance was just big enough for one of you to enter at a time without having to duck or have the boulders brush your shoulders and the cave was just big enough to perhaps lay out 3 or 4 sleeping bags.  There was an old journal labeled Guest Book in the corner with a pencil and a couple of beer cans in opposing corners.  In the back there was a fairly large crack, just big enough for an adult to squeeze through with a metal plaque above saying "Enter at your own risk" and scrawled in sharpie underneath "Despair all ye who enter!!"

 

With evening approaching quick, you both appreciate not needing to pitch your tent with your natural rough and quickly light your stove outside the entrance of the cave to make a hasty meal.  Still not ready to talk about the hurtful words spoken on the hike you both hit the sack and quickly fall asleep.

 

A few hours into your nights sleep you're awoken by movement nearby.  After just having a stress dream of you and your partner never reconciling you decide now is as good a time as any to apologize. You decide to flip on your lantern and be the bigger person and apologize first. As the light illuminates the cave, you have just enough time to see your partners lower half of their body slide into the crack in the wall.

[HeavyHalfMoonBlade]

My breath caught in my throat.

 

What was happening?

 

Desperately, I reached over to Kaitlyn's still-warm sleeping bag, hoping forlornly that it was my imagination that she was still there, sleeping soundly with that cute half smile on her face, but the bag was empty and had been pulled in the direction of the crack. 

 

My heart pounded painfully at the back of my throat, and I could not swallow easily. I tried to call out Kaitlyn's name, but only managed a strangled croak. Holding the lantern up high, I frantically looked around the cave, searching for anything that could make sense of what was going on, whipping my head one way, then the other. I felt sea-sick. 

 

I lay back down in my sleeping bag.

 

Maybe if I just go back to sleep, everything will be OK in the morning. No one would know I saw anything. Kaitlyn...

 

She would be getting further away every minute, going deeper into the dark. Alone with whoever - or whatever - took her. Leaping up from the floor, I nearly tie myself into a knot trying to pull on my pants before fully extracting myself from the sleeping bag. My eye fell on the mallet for the tent pegs and I grabbed it, and then on a whim grabbed the guest book as well and shoved it, folded roughly in half, into the cargo pocket of my pants. 

 

Snatching up the lantern, I squeezed into the crack, one hand shining the bright light from the lantern forwards, the other sweatily gripping the small mallet.

 

What in the name of Thor's sweaty jockstrap was I doing?

Edited October 31, 2023 by HeavyHalfMoonBlade