kleinbl00, _refugee_, and lil, cause I know you’re all experienced with writing and have discerning tastes. Dala because you said you wanted to read this and zebra2 because you expressed interest in this, so I posted it under #scificlub even though I don't know if this counts as sci-fi.

I left the story with a cliff hanger, in case I ever want to tell more. I don't know if I will or not though.

Please note I’m not a writer. I’m really not artistic. In fact, I feel silly sharing this. That said, if you feel like giving feedback, praise it, shit on it, but by all means be critical. In case I want to do this again, I think it’ll help. Like I said, I’m no L’Amour or Twain or anyone decent, so don’t expect the world of me. Also, don’t feel like you have to give feedback. This is just a thing I figured posting would be better than throwing away.

An addition half way through. Typing this out, I can see this isn’t very good. Sorry in advance.

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Feeling a tickle on his cheek Jessup scratched at his face, catching something in one of his fingernails as they dragged across his stubble. He opened his eyes to regard it in the scattered sunlight breaking through the forest canopy above. Just an ant, he sighed in a bit of relief, worried for a brief moment that it might have been a louse. Suddenly a spike of panic shot through his head, causing him to jolt up, kicking off his sleeping bag as if it were full of hot coals. He frantically brushed off his clothes with his hands and panted himself down, expecting to be covered in an army of ants. Just as quickly as it left, calmness returned to him. It was only the one ant. Lucky.

Hearing the same sound of trickling water he heard last night while trying to sleep, he decided seek it out. He quickly discovered a small creek just downhill from where he awoke. Careful not to slip on any loose rocks or trip over any exposed roots, he strolled down to the creek bed. Taking off his boots and socks, he dipped his feet into the water, wriggling his toes as he plunged them into the loose mud. Taking in the surroundings, he could tell by the sun overhead and the occasional bird chirp that it was late morning. That didn’t surprise him in the slightest. Thinking about it, he can’t imagine why he and Ernest waited until after dusk to turn in for the night. Even with flashlight, traveling the woods after dark is risky. All it takes is one exposed root or an unforeseen drop to spell trouble. Lucky, he thought as he hooked his thumbs on his belt and looked around, that didn’t happen to them. Looking around, he marveled how a such a place could seem so ominous after dark, but in the daylight seem so peaceful and welcoming. Suddenly Jessup was pulled from his thoughts as a string of obscenities broke the still air.

“Jessup!” Ernest yelled, morning hoarseness still in his throat. “Jessup! Where the fuck are you, you mousy little shit?”

“Down here!” Jessup shouted back, his honesty betraying him.

Jessup could hear Ernest, a bear of a man, as he crashed through the underbrush, making his own path to the edge of the hill. Even from fifty yards away Jessup could see the rage in his friend’s eyes, burning like a wildfire. Without a hint of grace Ernest clambered down the hillside, tripping over roots and branches yet never slowing down. Seemingly in an instant he came in front of Jessup who was holding his hands up at chest height, defensively, diminutively.

“I just woke up Jessup, and can you guess what I saw?”

“Uh,” Jessup half stammered, afraid to meet his friend’s glaring eyes. “Not me, I’m sure. I’ve been down here for a bit.

“No. Not you. More importantly, not our food. Where the fuck is our food, Jessup?”

“It’s hanging up in the tree,” Jessup said as he sat on a rock to put on his socks and boots, unconsciously hoping that putting himself in an openly vulnerable position might deescalate the situation some. “We’ve hung it up every night since we’ve started this camping trip. You said it helps keep it out of reach of animals.

“You’re lying. Know how I know you’re lying?”

“How?” Jessup ask, immediately wincing as he just realized his inquiry gave him away.

“Because the sack is empty, right next to the fire we made last night. There are zero signs any animals have gotten into it. In fact, with the exception of a bunch of neartly torn open wrappers, there’s no sign of the food at all, Jessup. I know you didn’t it all, so where is it?”

“Okay. Okay.” Jessup relented as he finished tying his last boot. “I’ll tell you, but you gotta promise to believe me, I did it for our safety.”

“How is getting rid of our food for our own safety?” Ernest inquired, what little calm he had left in him threatening to leave.

“Okay. Okay,” Jessup began to shrink. “Just . . . just listen. Remember when we were walking yesterday and we came by that small pond? We stopped to rest because that spot seemed as good as any. Well, when you put your pack down you didn’t realize that you dropped the food sack in some bird droppings. They look like the came from a duck or a goose or something. I don’t know. I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to make a big deal about it.”

“Go on,” Ernest said, stone faced.

“Well after we were done resting and started moving again, I was behind you. Every time you took a step with your left leg the food sack swung in such a way that a speck of the droppings came into view.”

“So?”

“So I couldn’t take my eyes off of it. For hours as we walked, all I could think about were the germs seeping into the bag, contaminating our food. I swear I could see it happening if I watched close enough. I knew it wasn’t my imagination because a knot was forming in my stomach and that only happens when something bad is coming. The whole time I tried to work up the nerve to tell you, I swear! But I couldn’t. I couldn’t say anything. I knew you wouldn’t believe me.”

“So let me get this straight,” Ernest interrupted. “You think that a few germs from goose shit soaked through my canvas bag, through aluminum wrappers and plastic baggies and vacuum sealed tins, and contaminated not some, but all of our food?”

“Okay. Okay. I know. I know,” Jessup started, his remaining confidence shrinking with each uttered word. “I knew you wouldn’t believe me. That’s why I didn’t tell you. I thought you’d think it was crazy.”

“It is crazy,” Ernest interrupted again.

“Okay. I know. I’m sorry. I thought it was crazy too, so I didn’t say anything. I was still worried about it though, it was still in the back of my mind when we finally set up camp. That’s why I didn’t eat last night. I thought if you ate the food and made it safely through the night, nothing would be wrong and it’d be safe to have a big breakfast.”

“Oh, gee! That’s swell! I’m suddenly your poison tester, is that it? Jesus! You’re such a fucking pussy!”

“No. Yes. I mean, no! Please!” Jessup suddenly began to plead. “Okay, look. I know you’re really mad, but this is really, really real. You gotta believe me. I wouldn’t have done what I did if it wasn’t real.”

Tears began to well up in Jessup’s eyes, fogging his vision. Not that it mattered much anyway, as he turned his face to the ground, afraid to look his friend in the eyes.

Ernest’s posture softened a little, along with his coice. “Okay, Jessup. What did you do and why?”

“I burned all the food,” Jessup said in a whisper, “because God told me to in a dream.”

“ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!” Ernest screamed. A storm of anger quickly overcame him as he lifted up a massive branch and began to bash it repeatedly against a tree trunk, stripping it of more and more bark with each blow. Unable to take any more, the branch broke in two. Hurling the remains of the branch as far as he could into the underbrush, Ernest turned back to Jessup. “We are four days away from the nearest road, another two days walk away from the nearest town after that, and you’re telling me you burned all of our fucking food because of some stupid dream? What the fuck is wrong with you?!”

“I know!” Jessup exclaimed as he collapsed to the grown, sobbing. “Please. I’m sorry. But stop. Listen. Maybe you’ll know why I did what I did and forgive me. Let me tell you about the dream. I’m begging you. You can leave me to die here for all I care, maybe I deserve it, but let me tell you about my dream.”

“I don’t give one shit about your dream,” Ernest spat out in anger. “Not. One. Shit. But if it makes you feel better, tell me. You fucking pussy.”

“So lat night, shortly after we both fell asleep I had the dream.” Jessup started. He looked down as he spoke, less so because he was afraid of the wrathful man that stood in front of him, but more so afraid of being interrupted while telling what he felt was a profound experience. “In my dream I was wide awake, as if I hadn’t even fallen asleep yet. I sat up watching the food bag as it dangled in the tree, swinging in the light of the campfire.

“Suddenly, something in it started to move causing the bag to swing more and more until it swung so violently, the rope holding it came loose and it fell from the tree. It dropped with a thud so loud, I was sure it had woken you up. When I turned to check on you though, you were still fast asleep.”

Jessup paused for a moment, opening and closing his hands repeatedly. He looked at the fingernail that caught the ant on his cheek just a big ago, but there was no remaining sign that the ant was ever there. Pausing for a moment more, in a vain attempt to regain his lost confidence, he continued.

“Something in the bag was stirring, trying to get out. I was so scared, but something compelled me to open it. So I reached out and undid the buckle. Then I scooted back, afraid of what might come out. Whatever was in the bag continued to move, but this time it was pushing against the flap. I knew it was trying to get out.

“I waited, hoping it could get out by itself. It couldn’t though. So, curiosity got the best of me. I only hesitated to check if you were still asleep. You were. So I reached out and opened the flap, then I jumped back out of fear.”

Ernest stood in silence as Jessup continued, the latter never lifting his eyes from the ground. “I was overwhelmed with relief though when I saw two sparrows come out. I knew they were us. It was obvious. One was big and fat, in a strong way. The other was much smaller, moving about like it was afraid of its own shadow. There’s no mistaking it. Those sparrows were us.”

Ernest sad down in the dirt, resting his arms on his knees and his chin on his arms. His face still tense with frustration, but his shoulders growing more relaxed.

“I was captivated by how beautiful two simple sparrows could be,” Jessup continued. “I held out my hand and tried to call them to me. That’s when I saw them. Two snakes slithered out of the bag and before I knew it, each had snatched a sparrow in their mouth, swallowing them hole in an instant.

“The one that snatched the fat sparrow slithered over to you. I wanted to call out, but before I could, it somehow crawled up your nose and down your throat. All the while you slept, oblivious. Fearing for my safety, I turned to the other snake as it made its way towards me. I scooted back and back until I felt myself stopped by a massive tree trunk. I panicked. I kicked and screamed, hoping to keep the snake away, hoping you’d hear me and wake up and come save me. I didn’t need it though. I must have accidentally kicked the snake because the next thing I know it turned into a mess of mud and blood and sank into the earth. Then I woke up.

“So,” Jessup said as he lifted his eyes from the ground and looked at Ernest, “that’s my dream from God. I knew then and there it was about the food, so I lowered the bag from the tree, added wood to the fire, and burned it. I don’t know if the dream means it’s too late for you, I hope it doesn’t. I know though I had to try and save us. Getting rid of the food was the only way to do it.”

Ernest looked down at his boots in silence, tightening the strings. After a moment he looked up at Jessup. “You’re crazy. We’re gonna pack up out stuff now and start heading back to town. After that, I don’t think I ever want to see you again. I really don’t know what to say other than that.”

As Ernest got back up to make the short trip back to their camp, Jessup collapsed to the ground sobbing in frustration and exhaustion. Clenching his fists, he dragged the earth into his hands and brought it to his face to smell it, hoping he could tell whether or not it was actually real. Just then, he heard Ernest exclaim, the fear in his voice sending a spike of panic through Jessup.

“Oh holy Hell!” Ernest yelled.

“What?” Jessup called back. “What’s wrong?”

“The camp,” Ernest answered, panic in his eyes as he came running back down the hill. “IT’S GONE!”