head.
Jack. He crosses my mind once in a while. I’m not sure why. I knew him for only a day, but there was something mysterious about him. He said he was a drifter, but didn’t look or act like a drifter. I find myself wondering about his family and why he was all alone. I shake him from my thoughts and pick up the speed. The last thing I need to be thinking about is some boy.
It’s very quiet out here. The only thing I can hear is the sound of leaves and twigs crunching under my feet. After about 20 minutes, I’m in an area that doesn’t look like it’s been traveled much. The going is much harder, but then that’s when I enter my element.
It’s sort of a climb, so it’s taking more out of me to cross more ground, which is really what I’m after. For some reason, the more my body has to work, the less my mind does. I’ve even reached a point where I can stop thinking about Mom and Dad for a while.
I know they must be worried sick and it breaks my heart to think of Mom in that desperate place I’ve seen her before. I’ve come across some squirrels and birds, which I take as a good sign.
By the time I get back, I’m spent. I collapse on the ground and I know I’m lying still, but it’s as if I’m still moving. There’s a hum vibrating through my legs and I’ve attained what I was after. I don’t know what would happen if I ever lost the ability to run: lost the ability to find myself again. I clean up and go off to find Kit and Brody.
I find them lounging around a campfire with Brody on Kit’s lap. I’m really glad she came with us. This would be so much worse without her. When I first thought of taking her along, I thought I was doing her the favor by saving her from the safety camp, but realistically she’s going to save me. What would I do if I had to look after Brody myself?
They are listening to a girl, who looked to be about 16, tell about how she came to this tent community. She says she lived in Ohio, but her stepdad kicked her out of the house when they ran out of food. She says he told her she needed to go out and make her own way. She had two little brothers she had to leave behind.
She goes on to explain how life on the road was hard, almost never having enough to eat or drink. She says how every day she just wished she could find a bed to sleep in and have food in her belly. She said there were bad things that happened out on the road, which thankfully she didn’t get into since Brody sat captivated.
Then she said she met Bentley, who picked her up and brought her here. She says she’s been here for eighteen months. Eighteen months! It’s almost as if this is just home for these kids and this is where they see the rest of their lives playing out.
I’d never intended on staying here longer than a few months. I realized deep down, I was hoping we would be out before winter actually hit.
“Eighteen months?” I ask. “So that means you were here last winter?”
“Yes,” she responds.
“How do the tents work when it’s winter? Surely, it can’t be warm enough?”
“I’m not sure,” she says. She seems to be contemplating when she goes on to say, “There weren’t many of us last winter. When winter hit, we all just crammed into the cabins at night. Not sure what we’re going to do this winter. I’m sure Bentley will think of something.” She says this in a way like Bentley is the know-all. What is he going to do, magically build 20 more cabins?
The girl, who we learned is named Tina, tells us that every night at camp everyone eats together and sits around telling stories and making plans for the next day.
I want to learn more, but after the morning run and all we’ve had to process, I decide to go back to our new home with Brody and take a power nap before supper.
The nap was actually amazing. I did hear what sounded like coyotes howling, but they seemed so far away that I didn’t allow myself
Jack. He crosses my mind once in a while. I’m not sure why. I knew him for only a day, but there was something mysterious about him. He said he was a drifter, but didn’t look or act like a drifter. I find myself wondering about his family and why he was all alone. I shake him from my thoughts and pick up the speed. The last thing I need to be thinking about is some boy.
It’s very quiet out here. The only thing I can hear is the sound of leaves and twigs crunching under my feet. After about 20 minutes, I’m in an area that doesn’t look like it’s been traveled much. The going is much harder, but then that’s when I enter my element.
It’s sort of a climb, so it’s taking more out of me to cross more ground, which is really what I’m after. For some reason, the more my body has to work, the less my mind does. I’ve even reached a point where I can stop thinking about Mom and Dad for a while.
I know they must be worried sick and it breaks my heart to think of Mom in that desperate place I’ve seen her before. I’ve come across some squirrels and birds, which I take as a good sign.
By the time I get back, I’m spent. I collapse on the ground and I know I’m lying still, but it’s as if I’m still moving. There’s a hum vibrating through my legs and I’ve attained what I was after. I don’t know what would happen if I ever lost the ability to run: lost the ability to find myself again. I clean up and go off to find Kit and Brody.
I find them lounging around a campfire with Brody on Kit’s lap. I’m really glad she came with us. This would be so much worse without her. When I first thought of taking her along, I thought I was doing her the favor by saving her from the safety camp, but realistically she’s going to save me. What would I do if I had to look after Brody myself?
They are listening to a girl, who looked to be about 16, tell about how she came to this tent community. She says she lived in Ohio, but her stepdad kicked her out of the house when they ran out of food. She says he told her she needed to go out and make her own way. She had two little brothers she had to leave behind.
She goes on to explain how life on the road was hard, almost never having enough to eat or drink. She says how every day she just wished she could find a bed to sleep in and have food in her belly. She said there were bad things that happened out on the road, which thankfully she didn’t get into since Brody sat captivated.
Then she said she met Bentley, who picked her up and brought her here. She says she’s been here for eighteen months. Eighteen months! It’s almost as if this is just home for these kids and this is where they see the rest of their lives playing out.
I’d never intended on staying here longer than a few months. I realized deep down, I was hoping we would be out before winter actually hit.
“Eighteen months?” I ask. “So that means you were here last winter?”
“Yes,” she responds.
“How do the tents work when it’s winter? Surely, it can’t be warm enough?”
“I’m not sure,” she says. She seems to be contemplating when she goes on to say, “There weren’t many of us last winter. When winter hit, we all just crammed into the cabins at night. Not sure what we’re going to do this winter. I’m sure Bentley will think of something.” She says this in a way like Bentley is the know-all. What is he going to do, magically build 20 more cabins?
The girl, who we learned is named Tina, tells us that every night at camp everyone eats together and sits around telling stories and making plans for the next day.
I want to learn more, but after the morning run and all we’ve had to process, I decide to go back to our new home with Brody and take a power nap before supper.
The nap was actually amazing. I did hear what sounded like coyotes howling, but they seemed so far away that I didn’t allow myself
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