The Traveler

“You got a name.”

She looks to the ground before she looks up to his face and says, “It has been a while since anyone has asked me that, but yeah, it’s Lilly.”

“I have water.” Her eyes light up as he hands over the jug brought from home.

“I have smoked salmon as well. Want some?”

Breaking free of the jug, his offer is accepted as she tears right in to chewing the smoky goodness. Half-starved is what the crunchy old lady mentioned. “I have more. Here.”

Taking a step back, he walks around the tailgate to where he has a view of the road ahead of him. Not that far away is a stand of evergreen and after a glance up, drops his stare to Lilly who is busy licking her fingers.

“We should get going.”

“Here, you can have this back. And thank you.”

Nineteen, and troubled in finding her inner peace, along their way Lilly has a lot to say.

“First of all, there was no being friends with these guys, but what makes the whole thing even worse is that they had a kid with them. To me, she looked as scared as I felt hiding behind that bush.”

“Alice is the kid’s name.”

“Wait, how do you know that?”

“Her mom told me. She even shared a photo just so I had an image of her in my head.”

“What are you, some kind of bounty hunter?”

“That is one way to put it.”

Lilly falls quiet for a moment. “What is it that I am supposed to do again?”

“I need you to be an active member of Alice’s support team. In return, I shall provide as mother nature allows.”

“I have one more question, where are we going?”

Pointing, he says, “To that stand of trees.”