Alice

Outside of this is her constant awareness of being miles from what she calls home.

Not now, is what she tells herself. The soreness needs to go away first and that might take another day. Until then, she’ll get along the best she can outside of her leaving Jimmy alone. Hopefully, he will leave her alone, too. Glancing around to the wide intersecting paths and all of the available campsites, she spies two bundles of wood. “Hey Mister, there is a bunch of wood over there.” He follows along the length of her arm to where he is looking in that direction. Turning to her, he says, “Go get it for us.”

It’s quiet enough that she can hear her footfalls. There is no breeze right now, no chirp of a bird as she comes to stand in front of each bundle still wrapped in plastic film. Carried one by one, each bundle is brought to the fire. Back to her spot, the man hands her his canteen. She takes it from him as neither say a word.