This is an entry in Flash Fiction Friday. Check out Scoot’s post on this fun project HERE, and go ahead and subscribe to Gibberish! In the Substack App you can read the other stories in the chat for Gibberish where these are listed. The prompts for this week are:
Write about a campfire story
chaotic annotations
“where did you find it?”
The type of character who wants to remain hidden
Ok, here goes something.
“I don’t even know why I came on this trip,” Josh said to himself. Once again he found himself easily talked into a hike and overnight tent camp by Trent. Even though they were longtime friends, Trent had a way of getting the guys together, sometimes pushing the limits of their ability. Josh recalled the white water rapid adventure the four of them went on and the bruises that stayed with him for a long time after. Still, when Trent sent out the call, they all answered.
Josh looked up the trail and could tell that Rob was having a hard time keeping up with Trent and Buzz. Intentionally staying behind, Josh encouraged Rob to just take his time and keep at it. Max, Josh’s dog, walked alongside him, occasionally stopping to sniff something undetectable to humans. A large yellow mutt, maybe part lab, Max was happy to be along on an outdoor hike like this.
As they climbed the rugged trail to the clearing, the cold wind whisked the tree tops around as sunset neared. While they set up tents, Buzz teased the slower guys about needing to get into better shape. It was all good natured, the four of them had been friends through college and managed to find work in the same city. These adventures that Trent dreamed up were welcome diversions from the office jobs that they hoped would lead to something better in the future. They appreciated their wives for not making a big deal about the friends having a weekend off together occasionally!
“Let’s get this campfire started, it’s only going to get colder. Put a little energy into it,” Trent urged. He looked around at Rob, who was still working on getting his tent set up.
Once the sun set, the fire was blazing, and the friends gathered around, grateful for the heat. The full moon began to rise, quietly illuminating the night sky. This was the time when they expected Trent to begin digging into the archives of their shared memories, stories of the past. Not all of them were happy stories, but they were the episodes of their lives together.
Instead, Trent sat quietly, staring into the fire. The sounds of the woods surrounded them. Bullfrogs croaked from the pond just beyond the campsite. The occasional snap of a limb reminded them that they were not the only living creatures in the forest. A pair of owls called out to one another. It was such a relief from the loud offices where they worked, the deadlines, and the difficult bosses they worked under. They were finally starting to calm down and to enjoy the natural setting.
Then Buzz said, “Just go ahead and tell them.” He looked intently at Trent. They were the closer friends among the group, having been on the high school football team together. Their families lived close to one another. When Buzz’s parents divorced, he spent a lot of time at Trent’s house. When they went to State together, they made fast friends with Josh and Rob. The four of them had remained close friends. They had been in one another’s weddings, well, except Rob, who was still on the hunt for someone special.
Josh’s discomfort about being out on the trail at night turned into an uncertain anxiety. He reached down to scratch Max’s ears and wondered what Trent had to tell them. He began to realize that this was not just one of the fun trips they had taken together. There was an undercurrent of tension he had not picked up on until now.
“I thought it would be easier if we were out here together,” Trent said quietly.
Rob erupted, “You’re dying aren’t you? You have some rare disease that nobody could see coming and the doctors haven’t given you any hope. You’ve brought us out here in the middle of nowhere to lay this news on us. Man, this sucks. You should have just told us. I can’t believe it. You …”
Trent broke in to Rob’s frantic speech, “Hold on Rob… man… you have an imagination. Do you think if I were dying I could have made it up the hill? You’re the one who was huffing and puffing! No, I’m not dying of some rare disease. Sheesh.” They all laughed.
“Well just say what you need to say, Trent, I’m imagining all kinds of things over here,” said Josh.
Max’s ears perked up and he let out a low growl. The friends heard the sounds of footsteps in the woods, growing closer to them. “Just sit tight,” Trent said, “we know there are other campers and hunters in the woods.” The silence of the woods grew louder, as it seemed all the woodland creatures they had heard earlier became silent.
“I don’t want to scare you guys,” a voice came from the edge of the clearing. Max stood and looked in the direction of the voice, growling deep from within. “Take it easy Max,” Josh whispered.
Trent called out, “Come to where we can see you.” The stranger walked out of the darkness and into the flickering light of the campfire. He was older than any of them, dressed in layers of ragged clothes. He was tall, but not imposing. His face covered in shadows from the dwindling campfire. In his hands was a pistol.
The young men stared first at the gun, then looked at each other with racing thoughts about what could happen … or what to do. The man stepped closer and asked if they had any food they could share.
“Sure, take it all, we don’t have to have it, whatever you want,” Rob stammered. Trent glared at Rob, then looked at the stranger and said, “Yes, we have some food, but it’s nothing that great.” Never one to back down, Trent said, “Why do you have a gun in your hand?”
The stranger on the edge of the campfire light looked at each of them and then said, “This is not my gun.” Buzz asked, “Where did you find it?” “Back down the trail on the other side, I thought it might belong to one of you. So I decided to see if it did. I’m sorry if that scared you.”
Relieved, the guys sent the stranger off on his way with a sack of pop tarts and granola bars. As their racing hearts slowed down, they noticed that he took the gun with him. Suddenly this night in the woods didn’t have the same appeal, but breaking camp and traveling down the trail at night wasn’t a viable option for them.
The fire was dying down and it wouldn’t be long until they got into their tents to sleep. None of them felt sleepy, though. “I wonder if he’ll come back later,” questioned Rob. Josh affirmed, “Max will alert us if he does!” But none of them felt comforted by the idea of the raggedy stranger with the gun returning to their camp.
“So Trent, what were you going to tell us?” Josh couldn’t figure out what the real meaning of this trip could be.
Trent sighed. “Well, it’s good, but not all good.” He looked at each of his friends. Their lives had been connected for so many years. “First, Nance is pregnant - I’m going to be a dad!” Huge grins broke out on all of their faces. Rob nearly shouted, “That’s awesome! Why all the theatrics? We’re going to be uncles!”
Buzz said somberly, “Tell them the rest of the story.”
The friends got quiet as Trent said, “We’re moving close to Nancy’s parents in Texas. She wants to be near her mom for this stage of life. I turned in my resignation this afternoon before we left work and I’ll be moving in a few weeks.”
“A few weeks? That’s so soon,” Josh said sadly. “So this is our last guys trip all together, I guess. That’s going to be hard, but how can we be anything but happy for you and Nance?”
Trent said, “Who knows what the future brings, but we’ll be a long way away. We can stay in touch, of course. I was going to wait until we were about to leave tomorrow to tell you. But in case we get murdered in our tents tonight by a stranger walking in the woods with a gun, I wanted to let you know.”
They all laughed, but not without some wistful feelings. Buzz said, “Life is going to change for all of us I guess.” The campfire was nearly out, so Rob picked up a few pieces of wood and stoked it back up.
A quietness settled over the group of friends underneath the pines.
I am continually amazed at what a brilliant writer you are!
That can go so many directions!!