Mershad

Mershad passed much of the day keeping to himself, content to be sequestered away within the solitude of his dormitory room. As it was the weekend, a good number of the other university students at the dormitory, mostly those who lived in the immediate region, had gone home for a couple of days. Even with the smattering of students that still remained, there was an unusual quietness permeating the residence building. For Mershad, the absence of most of the students was a great relief.

As usual, he had not needed the use of an alarm clock to rouse himself just before dawn broke. His internal body clock was very well attuned, after more than twenty-three years of practicing his faith. Following his morning prayers, the first of five designated periods of prayer each day, he allowed himself a little slack and dozed in his bed for a while longer.

After about an hour, the rest of the morning was spent leisurely; taking a long shower, making a small pot of coffee, and suffering through a little television.

As he had come to expect, the television was inundated with the latest updates about the ongoing war in the Middle East. The US-led coalition’s forces had completed another flurry of thunderous air and missile attacks, and the newscasters were very upbeat about the recent reports from the battlefronts.

Only one of the aircraft from the coalition forces had been lost in the fray, and that lone plane’s destruction was due to an engine failure, rather than enemy defenses. As Mershad and even the most casual of observers were well aware by now, the fighting was a one-sided affair that was degenerating quickly into a massacre. Unopposed in the skies, piloted and unmanned aircraft struck with unhindered impunity. Missiles launched from sea vessels offshore and military bases in the region raced towards their targets, guided meticulously by the latest systems, backed by the USA’s unrivaled satellite network.

It was a deeply unsettling war to Mershad for other reasons as well. He could not see where older notions of honor and respect for one’s opponent had a place in the modern ways of combat. It was not a war where adversaries clashed face to face, sword to sword, like the tales of the Crusades in the Middle Ages. Rather, it was one where one side’s technological dominance enabled widespread slaying at a great distance. Operators of remotely controlled, unmanned aircraft could sit in full safety at consoles in air-conditioned rooms, located numerous miles from where their implements unleashed their deadly rain of fire and thunder.

Mershad could only handle a few minutes of the parade of images, and the accompanying stoic commentary by the ubiquitous retired generals that were surfacing regularly on the networks. He watched the screen with trepidation as a large building was turned into a pile of rubble in an instant, from aerial surveillance footage recording a missile strike’s massive impact. With fear and sadness in his heart, he finally turned the television off.

In the early afternoon, he decided that the dorm room was too confining and that he needed a little fresh air. Chancing a foray out into the public, he procured lunch at one of the fast food outlets just across the street from his building.

Doing his best to avoid undue attention, he ordered the food to carry out, taking it back his room to eat in quiet. Once his hunger had been sated, he gathered up some books and his laptop computer.

Tucking them into a satchel and easing the shoulder strap over his right arm, he set off for a secluded spot that he preferred to visit when he needed space to think. The place was situated near the primary student center building, about a ten-minute walk from his dormitory. The center was located a little farther down on the west side of the campus’s main boundaries, just off the downtown area of Lexington.

His favored area consisted of nothing more than a lowered expanse of open grass, which sat several yards underneath the street level as it was spread over a substantial sinkhole. A number of fully matured trees were arrayed about the area, forming a dynamic filter that cast direct light and shaded pools about in a number of different combinations and arrangements as each day proceeded.

It was set away from the main pedestrian thoroughfares of the campus, and the primary access points to the student center. As such, it tended to have a quiet and subdued atmosphere. Some students, like Mershad, had found the place to be a haven for a little time of reflection, or for some uninterrupted study.

The only frequent group of visitors to the area, and by far the most boisterous, were a bevy of gray squirrels that inhabited the area. The feisty creatures were fun to observe at times, as they endlessly scampered about the soft grass and scurried about the trunks of the trees. They lunged into their network of branches and traversed them with an impressive agility and dexterity that always amazed Mershad.

Mershad’s ideal spot was a site tucked away almost directly under the street level, where he liked to sit with his back to the trunk of a maple tree.

Though he could still hear the cars going by overhead, the space afforded him a good nook where he could melt into the fabric of his personal oasis. With headphones on, he was lost in a world of his own.

Enough light cascaded down through the trees to enable him to study, and the hotter days were always disrupted by the cool, generous shade provided by the trees.

With the exception of a brief break for some dinner in the student center, Mershad consumed the rest of the day studying his notes and other course work materials. He took a couple of pauses for his appointed prayers, finding relief in the almost total vacancy of the area. During the time that he was there, only a handful of individuals strolled through the area, and none tarried upon the lawn.

The light of day finally waned, diffusing into night.

Though Mershad was tired of studying, he found that he did not yet want to leave the gentle confines. Putting his school materials away in the satchel, he stretched his legs out as he leaned back against the tree.

His eyes shutting, he took a deep breath of the evening air and settled into a serene repose.

“Mershad! Mershad!”

The voice startled him and caused him to flinch, even as he felt the light nudges of a hand upon his right shoulder. The sound of the voice, though passive and friendly in both tone and volume, snapped him wide-awake.

A few lights, whose fixtures were set within straight posts that were set in place at a few key intervals about the area, provided most of the available illumination. The rest came from moonlight, as the night was already a couple of hours old.

Looking up, he beheld the silhouette of Erika Laesig standing over him.

The sight of her brought an instant defensiveness to Mershad. Already introverted enough, his discomfort with women was compounded by some particular matters regarding the practice of his faith. Though she was a friend, he had never been quite settled in her presence.

She was perhaps the strongest female personality that he had ever encountered. He had met her about a year before, in one of his classes. The first time that he had set his eyes upon her, he could not help but notice how stunning she was. About five-foot ten, she had a sleek, athletic build, and her movements were always imbued with balance and grace.

Though she had visible muscle tone evident whenever she wore short-sleeved shirts or shorts, her muscularity did not taint her femininity in any way. She was every bit a woman, one who exuded unequivocal strength in her appearance and demeanor.

Mershad had encountered many attractive women before, but Erika’s attributes went far beyond matters of mere physical appearance. Each and every time that he had spoken at length with her, he recognized her considerable intelligence, as well as her real fervor for life.

She was studying to enter a career in social work, taking a path whose adherents truly had to have some passion about what they were doing. He certainly knew that those working actively in the field did not enter it for any hopes of attaining a great level of compensation. Erika was no exception, exhibiting the type of motivations that went well beyond the financial. She had very firm beliefs and attitudes about the rightness and necessity of what she had set out to do, and was very dedicated to acting upon them.

Though there was no warrant for it, he had never been able to elude the sense of intimidation that he felt whenever he was in her presence. That was his own problem to sort out, he knew, as she never did anything to intentionally make him feel awkward. If anything, she had always extended a welcoming attitude and warm kindness to him.

“Hi, Erika,” he responded, his tone coming out a little meek compared to her own. He managed a grin as he came out of his foggy dreaminess. “So, you caught me napping.”

Erika sat down on the ground before him, cross-legged. She was wearing a yellow, long-sleeved shirt and some dark jeans that followed her shapely contours very faithfully. Mershad felt a pang of guilt at having consciously focused upon her attractiveness right away.

She grinned at him. “I should have figured I would run into you out here. I usually don’t go this way, but I just had an urge to cut through tonight, for whatever reason. I shouldn’t have woken you up, but I haven’t talked to you in a while, and I wanted to say hi. Hope you don’t mind. What have you been up to today?”

Mershad certainly did not mind her decision to awaken him, though he felt awkward saying so. He gestured to his satchel. “Mainly, a lot of study. At least, until dark came. And good that you came, as I might have slept the entire night outside here otherwise.”

“You are dedicated, and on the weekend too, when you should be relaxing a little,” Erika quipped.

“No, not overly dedicated, it’s more about anxiety with grades, I think,” Mershad replied, suffering a laugh and still unable to shake the slight, underlying sense of unease. Small talk had never come easy to Mershad, not even with someone that he knew was a person with good intentions.

Erika laughed softly, with an understanding expression on her face. “I know the feeling, Mershad … believe me, I do … So, what’s been going on with you lately? You’ve seemed pretty down in class this week.”

“Not much, just trying to stay out of the way of trouble. You know, with the war and everything,” Mershad said morosely. “You know what I’m talking about. The stuff I told you about a couple weeks ago”.

Erika’s brow furrowed, as her mouth grew taut. Her voice had an edge to it when she replied, “Just people with very small minds. I suppose that it doesn’t help, even when you tell them that this is your country, and has always been your country … that you were born and raised here.”

“I’ve told a few people that, including the fact that I’ve never even been out of this country. But there’s a whole lot of people that just will not listen to anything,” Mershad replied sadly, shaking his head. “They treat me like I am going to suddenly wrap myself up in bombs and blow myself up. I really wish I could escape everything for awhile. Probably would be much better to be anywhere but here.”

“People are looking for ways to lash out. Everything around them is playing on their fears, every time they turn on the television or go online…. But it definitely doesn’t excuse their behavior,” Erika said.

She grew quiet, as if reflecting upon something bothersome, shaking her head slowly as she looked up through the trees for a moment. Erika brought her eyes back down after the extended pause and looked back to Mershad. “I have no way of knowing exactly what you are going through. I just know that you are caught up in the brunt of it all. And not by choice….”

Her voice trailed off into silence as they sat quietly together. After a few minutes had passed, Mershad finally broke the discomfiting stillness.

“Doesn’t seem like its all going to end anytime soon. Like it’s all becoming a never-ending war,” Mershad murmured. He glanced over to Erika. “And it’s not like I wouldn’t support going after murderers with a vengeance, especially ones doing it in the name of my religion. I’m not trying to impose anything on anyone, and I’d expect to be resisted if I was.”

Erika suddenly elbowed Mershad playfully on his arm and grinned brightly. She then teased, “Like if I ever hear that you are working to make me wear head coverings, or try to take my beer away … don’t be surprised if you have my work boot’s indentation prominently displayed on your rear.”

The two of them laughed together, and her words showed Mershad just how comfortable and honest she was with him. He did not take them as any offense, but rather as a strange kind of compliment.

“But I’m afraid fear has taken center stage. It paints with a broad stroke, and governs a lot of outlooks,” Erika finished with unmistakable sympathy, after their laughter had died down.

Mershad glanced up at her, truly appreciative for the sincerity of her sentiments.

“I couldn’t have said it much better myself, Erika. You do get it, but this is the way that things are, and I have to deal with it, whether I like it or not,” Mershad responded.

He looked dejectedly back down at the ground, giving his visitor a distinct picture of despondence.

“Well, do you mind if I stay and hang out with you for a little while?” Erika inquired politely.

He was grateful for her uncanny perception, as he knew that she recognized Mershad’s current need to have an outlet for the inner pressures that were churning so powerfully inside of him. Her empathic nature was one of the greatest gifts that he saw in her, which he knew would become very valuable to Erika in her chosen career.

Even so, he did not want to burden her.

“It is a Saturday night, Erika. I don’t think I’m too much fun to be around lately,” Mershad replied to her. “You need to go out and have some fun.”

“You assume too much. I may not be too much fun either, you know. All I do lately is work out, work, go to school, and sleep,” Erika commented, a brightening smile spreading across her face. “That does not exactly make for exciting times either, my friend.”

Her beaming smile brought a lift to his spirits. She crawled up next to Mershad, and leaned back against the tree trunk to his immediate right.

“So, how come you never call me up to just go hang out or go hiking or something like that?” Erika said. “Sounds like you need to get away from the morons of the world from time to time, and I certainly would take the excuse. As for myself, I’m sick of hanging around guys that have a very limited range of things that they want to do, if you get my drift.”

He did not doubt that she had attracted a lot of attention from the male student populace during her time at the school, and felt highly complimented that she had just tacitly expressed that she considered him as a different sort of man.

“I guess, as far as what I’m going through right now, that I don’t want to drag anyone else through it,” Mershad responded.

“Well, won’t you at least give me a chance to take a stab at it?” Erika ventured. “I’ve got the time.”

While he truly did not like to encumber others with his problems, he also knew that it was not healthy to leave the emotions stuffed inside of him. The latter proved to be the stronger impulse, as he glanced back over to her.

“Okay, but you have to let me know if it gets to be too boring, or if you get depressed just being around me,” Mershad stated. He added more firmly. “Promise me that.”

“I will, I promise,” Erika remarked with a light grin, holding her hands up so that he could see that her fingers were not crossed.

“So do you know a way for me to escape somewhere, like in some movies and books?” he asked her, smiling. “Do you know of a time machine we can get a hold of? I always like the stories about going into other worlds.”

“I wish I did know a way we could get one, because I’d use it myself. Believe it or not, I’ve been in a kind of a rut lately, and could use a decent adventure,” she replied. “Every day is getting to be the same old, same old, if you know what I mean.”

Mershad chuckled. “I know what you mean. Even without this war, I would have to say things are getting monotonous.”

Her eyes then looked past him, drawing his attention with her gaze as she said, “Now that is a little unusual.”

Mershad noticed some wisps of vapor that were drifting across the tops of the grass. Some other tendrils were pouring over the lip of the street level just behind them, and cascading down into the grassy area where the mists had begun to pool.

“That is odd …” Mershad concurred. “I can’t say I’ve watched it come in like that before.”

“Guess we are in for a foggy night,” she replied, shrugging and grinning amiably again. “Well, it’s not a problem, is it? Mere fog isn’t going to chase us out of here. So tell me a little more about yourself, I insist. We’ve talked so much in class, but I haven’t had much time just to ask you about you.”

“I guess you’ve asked for it, then,” he replied, smiling. “Well, here begins your big Saturday night adventure. I guess I’ll give you an overview at the beginning.”

“I’ve always found it best to start on the first page,” Erika retorted.

He started into the story of his parents, and his upbringing, as the fog began to accumulate among the trees and grow steadily thicker. It looked almost magical, illumined as it was by the silvery light of the full moon, and creating an effect of being in a different world; even if it was a very small one, with space for just two friends to talk.

The way things had been going, Mershad did not mind that at all.

Logan

Though it was an entirely new evening, a Saturday night that offered little chance of interruptions from nitpicking clients, Logan found himself more tense than he had been on the previous one.

His physical state was no better. His eyes were about to cross, following yet another marathon of monitor screens and tediously detailed adjustments.

Leaning back in his chair, he moaned at his stiffened lower back, and rubbed at his eyes. Glancing down at his watch, he saw that it was almost midnight.

“Any second now,” Logan muttered prophetically.

A few moments later, he heard the distinctive sound of Antonio’s car engine as his friend pulled up outside and parked in front of Logan’s house.

The engine was shut off a moment later, followed by the sounds of the car door opening and closing. Logan listened to the thuds of the last few of Antonio’s footsteps, as he neared the front door and knocked upon it.

“What’s up, Antonio?” Logan greeted as he opened the door.

“No different than yesterday, personally, I mean,” Antonio said grimly. He continued with his griping before Logan had a chance to respond. “Here I am on a Saturday night now, and guess what? It is still no different, treated like garbage, broke, the usual. Is anything ever going to happen to give us some hope of change. It is making me near crazy. But I did bring some food with me tonight.”

He grinned as he held forth a small bag, loaded down with an assortment of burritos and soft tacos.

“Good thinking, Antonio, very good thinking …. You timed it well, I think that will hit the spot right about now,” Logan commented, recognizing the familiar bag.

Reaching into the bag, he retrieved one of the soft tacos and unwrapped it. As he took a bite, he was quietly appreciative that Antonio had remembered that Logan liked the deluxe kind with sour cream.

“I think that it will too,” Antonio responded, retrieving one of the burritos out for himself. “I forgot completely about lunch today. You know, pizza is about the last thing that I want to see or smell at the end of a workday. I didn’t even realize I hadn’t eaten today, until about ten minutes before I left work.”

“Well, let’s take care of this bag in its entirety. I’ll get a few soft drinks out for my part of it, and we’ll take a collective break from all of our headaches.” Logan remarked between bites, finding out that he had incurred a substantial hunger since his late afternoon visit to Lee’s Wok for yet another plate of pork-fried rice and a tall glass of ginger-ale.

After saving his files, and shutting down his main system, Logan returned to his living room where he and Antonio relaxed and finished off the rest of their meal.

Picking up a remote control, and sinking back into the lone couch, Antonio surfed through a good number of satellite channels. Images from reality shows, movies, and war coverage filled the screen, changing with each click. He finally settled on a music video show, but it served as little more than a backdrop for their conversation.

“So, no luck today? No dates?” Logan asked Antonio.

Antonio chuckled. “Who? Me? You know better than to ask, Logan. The way it seems, the minute I get a date, the world will probably end. That’s about the extent of my luck right now.”

“The possibilities in this town are pretty dry, you know that, Antonio,” Logan said. “I wouldn’t want to date ninety percent of the women around here anyway. It’s one thing or another … control … money … looks …. Whether you fit the proper image. Whether you attend the correct church. Whether you don’t attend a church. And on and on. I could go on and on, but I won’t. It’s like you have to fulfill some kind of checklist with any of them. Just don’t worry about it … I know I’ve said it fourteen thousand times before. I say that we are just going to have to stick with things, and believe that something is going to break. And when we get the chance to turn the tables, we grab it. Something where we can set our own rules.”

“I hope that it’s sometime real soon,” Antonio remarked before adding, after a pause, “I really don’t need different rules overall, just a fair chance with the rules that there are.”

“I’ll take new rules if I can get them,” Logan replied tersely. “The ones that are in place in this world don’t offer much at all to most of us.”

“Hard to please you,” Antonio said, with a slight grin.

“Yeah, I guess I’m getting a little cynical, in my ripe old age of twenty-eight,” Logan retorted, his momentary tension relaxing a little.

“Then I’m probably a little naive and gullible at the ripe young age of twenty-seven,” Antonio countered, laughing.

“Maybe we both need to move more towards the center, they say balance is supposed to be best,” Logan commented.

“Maybe so,” Antonio agreed, leaning forward and popping open another can of soda. “So how’s work coming along today? Workload getting any better?”

“Nope. More work than I seem to have hours for. The pay hasn’t changed either. I just have to build up my credentials and reputation to get to where I can do a project that I choose to do for myself; One which will actually have a chance of getting out there into the public eye,” Logan answered, somewhat more ruefully.

He stared off with a wistful expression, thinking of just how ephemeral that goal was beginning to appear. He knew that he was in a great rut, if not a kind of trap, in that he had attained a level that would keep him afloat but not get him far enough to accomplish what he wanted.

With financial obligations weighing upon him, he could not make risky changes at this point. Resentment about all of it was percolating within him.

“You have to suffer this stage to accomplish that, I’ve found, and that’s still no guarantee,” Logan stated dourly. “And you also have to block it all out of your mind, when most every dime that you get in compensation is immediately shuttled to the bank to cover bills. It’s maddening, some days. It really is.”

“I bet it is … I bet I make even better money than you right now, even with all the times that I get stiffed completely on tips,” Antonio chided.

“You don’t even want to know what my hourly rate comes out to,” Logan answered, a bittersweet grin on his face as he shook his head. “It’s not an enticing sum, I can guarantee you that much. I made the mistake of calculating it out once. Never going to do that again. Too depressing.”

“But at least you get to get paid doing art, and you do like art, that’s something,” Antonio observed encouragingly. “I can’t even really figure out what I like, but I can assure you that what I do like has absolutely nothing to do with driving pizzas around.”

“Like I’ve always said, think of the things that you like as hobbies or pastimes, and then find a way to make a career out of it,” Logan advised him.

“I might enjoy the food business more if I could make some real decisions on things that would make the business run better, and where I could make sure people don’t get treated like I’ve been. Maybe something in management, but sure as the sun rises I’m not going to get many opportunities in my current situation,” Antonio commented with a melancholic edge.

“I think that you can … You’re smart enough, and you see what’s wrong with things. Why not go back to school and work on finishing up a degree?” Logan suggested. “Maybe that could give you the boost.”

“Too broke right now, and I’m in no position to get into further debt,” Antonio said. “In a nutshell, that’s the sum of it all.”

Antonio then shook his head and laughed.

“And you know what, most of my co-workers who drive already have their degrees, and it hasn’t done them any good,” he stated. “Why would I think I would be any different?”

“Well … for whatever it’s worth, if I ever make any money, I’ll have to buy a restaurant, and get you to manage it. You’d better, because I have a short fuse when it comes to stupidity, and I’m sure you encounter a lot of that among your co-workers. So what do you say about that?” Logan offered, the corners of his lips turning up into a grin.

“Okay … I could deal with that,” Antonio replied, nodding and grinning. “So you better double the number of clients that you take on, because I don’t know how much longer my sanity will last.”

Logan laughed. “That, my friend, is a very difficult proposition. If I take on even one more client, I’m afraid that my own sanity will crack.”

“Dilemmas, dilemmas,” Antonio sighed, as they sat in silence for a few moments.

“Well, after we finish up our sodas, what do you say to another neighborhood excursion?” Logan suggested. “Our walkabout cleared my head pretty good last night. And I want to take advantage of this weather, before it starts getting colder and rainier. They say a streak of bad weather is right around the corner.”

“Sounds fine to me,” Antonio agreed. He chuckled, “Who knows what we might get into?”

The two finished off their soft drinks while passively watching a few more music videos. When they were finally ready to go, Logan bagged up all of the garbage into the food bag. He carried it outside with him, and tossed it into a garbage can by his house as they set out for the night.

Once again, the night was fairly clear, mildly cool with perhaps only a slight increase in the amount of cloud cover. The night seemed to have its own glow about it, buoyed up by the illuminating power of the full moon.

“The first steps always feel so good, so free,” Logan opined as they reached the sidewalk. He looked down towards the right. “What do you say? Let’s take this direction tonight.”

With no argument from Antonio, the pair headed up the street. Reaching his arms out wide, Logan stretched out and turned about in a full circle. All throughout the movement, he kept his eyes squarely focused on the star-filled sky above.

Gradually, he oriented his focus back onto the path that they were taking. A broad, weightless smile was on his face, as his cares seemed to melt away.

They were striding up towards the crest of a small hill. He turned towards Antonio. “Remember what I was talking about last night?”

Antonio nodded, and his eyes took on a hint of hope. “Yes, and I thought about that a little today. I agree with you … I wish that something really miraculous would happen. Could it really, do you think?”

Logan’s eyes sparkled with the inner vision that he now held within him. The star-filled frontier of infinite space piqued his mind and imagination once again.

“What if? Just what if over the crest of that hill right ahead of us was an all new reality?” Logan asked his longtime friend, as a fire flared within him. “And your big adventure was really in the offing, something that would be more than anything than we have ever known before … Something that would enable us to show what we are really made of … Maybe a place where we could get in control of the rules, take charge of things, and set things to rights.”

“I could do with just a different adventure, even if it isn’t all that grand,” Antonio joked. “But you are right. That would be something else, and if it could be grand, I wouldn’t complain.”

“Well, let’s head for the top of the hill … who knows?” Logan said, picking up his pace a little.

Antonio had to spur himself forward to catch up with his suddenly inspired friend. The two walked quickly to the top of the hill.

They saw what they had seen so many times before, whenever they had walked up that sidewalk or driven their cars up the street.

A swathe of houses and the continuation of the road and its flanking sidewalks filled up their field of vision. Logan felt a little disappointment flash within him.

It was not that he expected to see anything else, but there was always that small, but potent, part of him that entertained the notion that the impossible was indeed possible. It was the brief glimmer of hope that maybe the very next horizon would reveal something altogether different and wonderful.

“Well, I guess we will have to climb the hill again on some other day, won’t we?” Antonio remarked with a grin.

Logan shrugged in resignation. “I guess so. But at least we can console ourselves that we are just falling back to the status quo. I guess that there is something to be grateful about in that. Things could be worse.”

“There is that,” Antonio concurred.

“As strange as it sounds, I still feel disappointed,” Logan said. His voice then brightened a little, as a more practical inspiration came to him. “But you know what?”

“What’s that?” Antonio asked.

“As random as this sounds, I have a sudden craving for a strawberry shake,” Logan announced.

“We just started the walk,” Antonio pointed out, “but if that’s what you want to do.”

“I’ll splurge and pay for yours,” Logan said. “Since I can’t make up my mind tonight.”

“Big spender,” joked Antonio.

The two turned about, and made the brief trek back down the slope of the hill to Logan’s house. Logan’s black sports car was resting in its familiar place in the driveway.

He got his keys out of his pocket, unlocked the driver’s side door, and pushed the button on it to open the lock on Antonio’s passenger side.

Antonio settled into the bucket seat on his side, as Logan got in, set the key and turned the ignition, and gunned the engine to thundering life.

“I just love the sound of that,” Logan remarked, sitting still for few moments as he listened to the steady, throaty rumble of his idling car.

Reaching down, he picked up his disc case and pulled out a release by a heavy rock act that was one of his favorites. Popping it in, he cranked up the stereo as the first drumbeats and guitar chords sounded, lowering his windows all the way down.

“Alright, let’s go!” Logan said, backing the car out of the driveway.

Once oriented on the street, the car lurched into motion, as if it had a life of its own. In Logan’s eyes, the car was a war horse. Behind the wheel, Logan often likened himself to a jousting knight, sitting proud and self-confident upon his very capable steed, a metal beast that could barely be reined in from exploding into a full-tilt, all-out charge.

They drove down to the end of the street and took a right, finally emerging out of the neighborhood as they turned onto one of the city’s main roads. They proceeded through more several lights as they drove towards the south end of town, amid a sporadic amount of traffic out at the later hour.

Finally, they turned right at a junction by the largest city mall. The road ahead of them ran adjacent to a large public park that contained a long and winding creek. The other side primarily consisted of an extensive swathe of undeveloped, open fields.

The road itself was barely visible just a short distance away, enveloped within a dense fog.

“Time to click on the brights,” Logan commented, as he flicked the lever that unleashed the car’s high beams.

“That looks really thick,” Antonio observed with a hint of curiosity, as they entered the fog’s outer edges.

The words were an understatement, as the fog increased in density as they moved through it. The effect was highly unsettling to Logan. In just moments, the headlights of the car could only cut through a few feet, barely enough to keep the road beneath them in view.

Derek

Though it was a Saturday, and no formal work was in the offing, Derek was up and out of bed well before dawn.

Following a brisk jog in the damp coolness of the early morning, he had proceeded through a series of calisthenics and a few of the martial arts routines that he had picked up during his four years of service in the military.

Regular workouts had chiseled his body into excellent condition, as well as giving him a way to clear his mind from any burdens besetting it.

Following the previous day, with his heart weighed down in the presence of Janus’ great sorrows, it was much more difficult than usual to regain any clarity of thought.

Fortunately, he had succeeded in arranging for a substitute for his late afternoon shift, and the next day’s as well, managing the produce section at the grocery superstore down the street. He had been compelled to barter off some favors for the late notice, which would result in his taking on some very inconvenient shifts over the next week, but he had agreed to the terms without any regret. The call of friendship had taken precedence.

Finished with the morning exercise and back in his house again, he had quickly discarded his sweat-saturated t-shirt into his laundry basket. Moving into the kitchen, he poured and imbibed a tall, cold glass of orange juice before picking up his satellite phone.

Clicking on Kent McNeeley’s name, he rang the number repeatedly, clicking off the phone when it reached the voice mail, and redialing until his sluggish friend grudgingly answered.

Kent was not pleased at the hour of the phone call, especially given the fact that it was a Saturday morning. He proceeded to utter some extremely descriptive language from the other end that would have reddened most listeners’ ears.

Knowing Kent well enough, Derek suffered the rant patiently as he stifled some amused laughter. Derek had inadvertently cost Kent his final hour of sleep before he had to go to work, which evidently was quite a major transgression in Kent’s eyes.

Yet once the situation was explained, it did not take long at all for Kent to agree and his mood to change. He had even apologized for addressing Derek with such numerous expletives for having gotten him up so early.

Plans for Derek’s jaunt were then set between the two of them, to be executed in the later afternoon.

Once off the phone, Derek treated himself to an extended, warm shower. The early morning workout and the massage of the pattering water from the shower left him feeling fully refreshed and ready for the day.

Janus was still asleep when Derek had finished with everything, as Derek had taken great care not to disturb his deeply grieving friend.

First turning the volume off on his speakers, he turned his personal computer system on. He indulged himself for a little while by catching up on several online sports articles, some current news, and the promotional sites for a few upcoming movies that he had been looking forward to.

He read over a few reports on the ongoing turmoil in the Middle East with some considerable interest, curious about some of the tactical approaches, the analysis of which appealed to his military background.

The motives behind the war, and the specific persons loudly championing it, though, had long filled his mouth with great distaste. To him, the conflict was about little more than power, made painfully obvious as the justifications offered to the public for the war had changed time and time again.

The nation under attack, with its decrepit, obsolete military, decayed under extensive previous sanctions, could not muster any threat to the USA, not in a hundred years. Even worse, a fragile lid kept on long simmering ethnic, religious, and tribal tensions within the area was about to be blown apart in the process of destroying the fully constrained regime that had been in power.

His heart went out to his brothers and sisters in the armed forces, many of whom who were undergoing their second, third, and even fourth tours of duty in the cauldron of Middle East conflicts. He would not hesitate to go overseas if his services were required, though he was grateful that he had not been recalled yet. Derek knew that his number would come up soon enough, though, as the military reserves and the National Guard regiments were now being used as frontline combat units.

His thoughts regarding the full situation were becoming very troubling, and for the first time he found that he had a nascent conflict building between his loyalty to the serving soldiers and the ideology of the war itself. While he would still serve if the call came, he knew that he could not condemn anyone who actively protested or opposed it. He had changed enough in the past year that he no longer held any animosity toward a fellow soldier that refused deployment.

In fact, some of the soldiers that had served multiple tours in the Middle East were now leaders in the opposition to the war. Derek did not see how anyone could question their integrity, for they certainly were no cowards and obviously cared for their country.

After perusing through some images of some of the latest hardware and technology being employed in the conflict, Derek heard Janus finally rustling behind him.

Turning around, he saw that Janus was slowly pulling himself up into a sitting position on the edge of the couch. Derek logged off his account, shut his system down, and rotated about to face his awakening friend.

“Get some rest, I hope?” Derek inquired.

Janus nodded, as he pulled aside the crumpled coverlet that he had borrowed for the night. Clothed in a t-shirt and sweats, Janus looked a little on the disheveled side.

“So, tell me what plans we have for today, because I don’t have any myself,” Janus said, only half in jest. Derek could hear the hollow, detached tone in Janus’ voice.

Carefully, Derek explained the forthcoming excursion to Kent’s father’s lake house. Janus listlessly agreed to the trip, but the apathetic reaction did not dismay Derek in the least. He knew in his heart and mind that while a change of scenery would not be fully medicinal, it would be a much more palatable choice among the immediate options facing his beleaguered friend.

For the rest of the morning and early afternoon, the two friends casually watched Derek’s flat screen digital television. Derek called and ordered some of Janus’ favorite pizza to be delivered, but was left with several extra slices as his friend had still not regained much of his appetite. Though Janus politely responded to what little conversation Derek ventured, it was clear that Janus remained largely numb in spirit.

Time crawled by, but the hour for departure finally arrived.

“Looks like it is getting near time to go,” Derek stated, peering down at his watch. “We still haven’t packed up a change of clothes. You and I are about the same size. You can borrow a couple of my shirts and some jeans. That’s all you’ll need since we don’t be gone too long.”

Janus nodded, stretching his arms out, before slowly getting up out of the couch. He glanced back, “I guess I will get in a brief shower before we leave.”

“Then I’ll get the rest of it together, while you do that,” Derek replied.

As Janus ambled towards the first floor bathroom, Derek trotted up the stairs to his bedroom to prepare for the coming trip.

Methodically, he packed up a few t-shirts, a couple pairs of jeans, and a few sweats to cover himself and Janus for the evening and next day. He added in another extra pair of underwear and socks for himself. He then pulled together some toothpaste, deodorant, shaving cream, razors, and other trip necessities into a small bag, and placed everything together neatly within a large suitcase.

Lugging it down to the living room, he waited and watched some more television as Janus finished up with his shower. Janus did not take long to dry off and get dressed, and less than thirty minutes later they were both in Derek’s car and on the road.

Including a brief stop for fuel, the entire journey took up just a little more than an hour in order to reach the lake house.

The lake house was definitely not as secluded as Derek had initially envisioned it, back on the first time that he had visited the place a couple years prior. It was not in the middle of the wilderness on an otherwise uninhabited lakeshore, a mistaken preconception that Derek had quickly come to realize that first time. The house was one of several comprising a substantial community.

The houses were placed on sizeable plots of land lining the shore of an extensive, thin-bodied lake. There were a variety of stores conveniently situated just a couple of minutes away. A number of roads ran near to the place, two of which crossed the water via high bridges that were a good distance apart. The lake and its attendant community were nestled within a region that primarily consisted of forested ground and cleared farmlands.

The lake was not always the idyllic scene of tranquility that one would have suspected, and often being far from serene. There was always a steady traffic of watercraft skimming along the surface of the lake. Motorized boats, jet skis, and wave runners largely ran unimpeded, for there was rarely much interest from those owning property by the lake to see any appropriate resolutions enforced. Throughout the summer, it seemed as if there was a constant party occurring around the lake, whose focal point simply shifted among the various houses.

Despite the frequent presence of rambunctious activity, a person could still find ample relaxation and repose at the lake. It was a place for those who wanted to get a sense of seclusion, without ever truly leaving the conveniences of the modern world.

Kent’s father, a fifty-six year old man named William McNeeley, was idly watching a soccer game on his satellite television when they arrived and entered the place. Derek was caught a little by surprise, as Kent had instructed Derek to just walk in the back door when they reached the lake house.

If a man could be the image of physical comfort, Derek found William McNeeley to be a likely candidate. Portly, and with a cherubic countenance to match, he greeted Derek and Janus warmly.

Mr. McNeeley was not far from taking an early retirement due to a rare arthritic condition. The condition had proven to be an arduous struggle for him during the summer, chaining him with frequent agony when the weather shifted to colder hues.

Derek had expected him to be away in the city, but the man seemed to have been anticipating them. Derek quickly surmised that Kent had explained the full situation to him. Mr. McNeeley also explained that Kent was running a little late from work, but would be arriving very shortly.

Derek knew that he did not have to convince Mr. McNeeley of Janus’ need for a change of locales, just as he had not had to say anything to convince his son. From what Derek knew of him, Kent’s father understood loss well enough. Just three years prior, he had lost his wife to cancer. She was his high-school sweetheart, and a woman that was inseparable from his own identity ever since they had married.

He had been by her side as she had wasted away and finally succumbed to the spreading, voracious cancer. It was not long after when he had purchased the lake house, selling his main house in the city and shifting over to an apartment for when he was in town for work.

After the initial greetings, Mr. McNeeley showed the two of them to guest bedrooms, located on the second level of the two-story structure.

He then informed them that he was going to travel back to town later that evening, to prepare early for the coming week, but that the three of them were welcome to stay for as long as they needed.

Derek recognized Mr. McNeeley’s unstated meaning, a sincere, generous expression of compassion for Janus. It was reflected in the look within the man’s tired eyes. It was humbling to witness, as Mr. McNeeley had not met Janus in person until that very day. Derek made a firm mental note to speak to Mr. McNeeley in private the next day, and thank him for the unconditional kindness.

William left shortly thereafter to go run some errands, leaving Derek and Janus to themselves with a full set of keys to the house. He had showed them where all of the fishing gear and other lake essentials were stored. He had also paused to show them that the refrigerator was fully stocked up with food, beer, and soft drinks, and stated that they were more than welcome to partake of whatever they wished.

About thirty minutes after William had departed, Kent arrived at last, still dressed in his work uniform. A younger, more athletic version of his father, he was about six feet in height. He had a slight paunch to his belly, but his squared shoulders and stout chest evidenced the presence of ample strength in him. With a round face and pug nose, he had an easy, charming smile. His dirty blonde hair was close cropped, and he had a trimmed goatee around his mouth.

With additional girth to his belly and a higher percentage of gray hairs, he could almost pass as a twin to his father. The sight of their physical similarities always amused Derek immensely, but from what he had learned about Kent’s father, being like William McNeeley in any way could not be a bad thing.

Kent quickly took leave to shed his uniform and change. He rejoined the others back out in the living room, now in shorts and a t-shirt.

“We are forgetting one thing,” he announced as he popped open a can of beer and sat down in a wide easy chair, setting two more unopened cans on the end table next to him. Without another word, he picked up a phone and proceeded to order three large pizzas, pausing only to get the others’ input on toppings.

“We had some earlier, but we can roll with it again, I guess,” Derek commented. “But I’m going to have to work out twice as hard tomorrow.”

“I plan on working out hard, as far as curling twelve ounce weights is concerned,” Kent said with a chuckle, grinning mischievously as he took a long draught of his beer for emphasis. He then said with a reassuring tone, “Don’t worry, I’ve got it all covered. Nobody is going without here. Got paid today!”

Tilting his head back, he slugged the can down in prodigious gulps, crumpling the empty can when he was finished and setting it on the end table. He then emitted a resounding belch of sheer contentment, immediately opening up a second can.

Noticing Derek’s bemused expression, he quipped, “Thirsty, you know.”

Kent’s loquacious, jovial mood provided a welcome levity that had been very absent in Derek’s life recently. Not always the most articulate of individuals, Kent’s good-hearted nature always tended to shine through brightly, and it was undeniably infectious.

Where Derek and Janus had to put some of their pizza back in the refrigerator, Kent ravenously finished his off completely. In the midst of downing the pizza, Kent was well into his third beer, accented by more sonorous belches. The latter were accompanied by dramatic facial expressions, as he tried to outdo each previous one in volume and resonance.

The speed of consumption continued to amaze Derek, and even Janus had a startled expression on his face.

“Hungry,” Kent said, noticing both of their expressions. “And didn’t I already mention thirsty?”

“Barbarian,” Derek chided him, chuckling.

“If I am a barbarian, then we should go on a river raid! Lots of lake houses that are soft and ripe for plundering!” Kent retorted with fervor, smiling broadly. “Think you can handle the navigation? I’ll take care of the raiding! Let me get my chain mail from the closet first!”

“Now there’s a suggestion,” Derek replied sarcastically, shaking his head as he chuckled. “But you might need me for tactics if the locals are prepared to resist.”

“With you going with us, I’m not worried. If my sword and axe fail, you can back me up with your rifle on full auto,” Kent said, laughing. He then added, with another copious swig of beer. “And you are driving.”

A river jaunt did sound like a good idea at the moment to Derek, and they had more than one option available regarding their mode of travel.

Mr. McNeeley had purchased a shiny new speedboat about six months prior, which had some real kick in its engine. There were also two canoes resting upon on the shore, tethered to posts.

It did not have to be discussed openly as to which of the boats they would choose.

After Kent had finished off a couple more beers, when full night had fallen, the trio made their way down to a short quay at the water’s edge. It ran alongside a small shed enclosure that sheltered the new speedboat within it.

Kent handed the speedboat’s keys over to Derek, holding a couple more unopened beers in his other hand. The three of them settled into the vessel and made themselves comfortable.

Derek eased into the driver’s seat and turned the key in the ignition. The engine growled to life, settling into a steady rumble. Slowly, he guided the boat out of the enclosure and out into the body of the lake.

In moments, they were cruising steadily along the water’s surface, the wind beating against their faces. As they traveled, Derek again appreciated just how long the lake was. It seemed to go on forever, an endless panorama of houses, docks, and trees.

A number of lakeside residents were getting their nocturnal activities underway. They passed several houses exhibiting the beginnings of evening festivities. The thumping music and raucous chorus of voices coming from a couple of the ongoing parties indicated lake houses that would be very active well into the night.

Yet not every figure that came into sight was overly energetic or boisterous. At some points along the shore, Derek took notice of the nearly still forms of couples, young or older in age, enjoying the company of their significant other within the cool night’s ambience down by the water’s edge. Derek really liked such warm, peaceable sights, as he had seen quite enough of the other extremes in life.

As far as other watercraft, they only passed two other boats, both of which had their small engines off and were idly floating in the water. The silhouettes of fishermen were visible on both, still and silent as they waited for their bait to be taken.

Derek saw the fishermen turn their heads towards them as they passed. The night masked the likely glares on their faces. Derek knew that the fishermen were muttering low curses as he drove the boat by them, the water and their quarry momentarily disrupted.

Derek could only chuckle to himself and continue onward. The fishermen, after all, did not own exclusive rights to the lake. Engaged in an activity like fishing, they should be adept at patience anyway.

After some time, the trio finally drew close to the far end of the lake.

“Long … this is one long, long lake,” Derek remarked as the end of the water came into sight at last.

“Yes. Yes it is,” Kent said. “If you didn’t know better, you’d probably think that this whole thing was a river. With the fairly narrow width of it, and all of the twists and turns that it takes along its path, it does kind of look like one.”

“Just one of those rivers without a current,” Derek retorted, chuckling.

“Well, whatever it is, let’s head on back, and see what is happening at the other end,” Kent said, as Derek turned the boat around. He then added, a little more spiritedly, as he finished another beer, “No promising sites to raid at this end, but there’s another end to explore! Onward, sea raiders!”

“Sea raiders? So now this is an ocean?” Derek jested. Laughing, he shook his head, and set the boat forward on its course, simply glad that Kent was not driving.

Janus

In the back of the speedboat, Janus just sat back and breathed slowly. He was content to simply let the cool breezes flow soothingly against the skin of his face as they resumed their trip back along the lake. The night sky was predominately clear, bestowing him with a beautiful view of the stars in the vast firmament above.

His mind, given the peace of the moment, and with such a tremendous vista of the heavens filling his eyes, wandered again towards thoughts of his father. He wondered whether somewhere, somehow, his father was even now watching over him. As was his new habit in such moments, Janus looked for any sign; in the stars, or on the gentle currents of air, or even on the few spare wisps of clouds that were drifting along in the sky.

The hardest part about death, he had surmised, apart from the abrupt and stark separation, was the state of the unknown, perhaps the worst element of it all by far. Janus knew that the separation would have been easier to bear with the comfort of knowing that his father still existed, and had reached a good destination.

Having been through the sorrows of deaths more than once before, he knew that the most sharply biting pains would eventually fade. Yet he also knew fully well that the hopes and worries would not, and nor would the sorrows.

Janus knew that life would go on, but with him there would be yet another scar on his spirit, and another weight on a heart grown far heavier over his brief years. Even worse, this newest scar was the largest that he had ever incurred.

Suddenly, as the darkness swarmed around him, he found that he needed the refuge of his mind.

He leaned his head back farther and closed his eyes, wondering what it would be like to have the surety of a healing end to life’s journey. Imagination took root, sprouted, and flowered.

In his mind, he envisioned a shining road, leading to a gateway as resplendent as the sun itself. Beyond that gate would be realms where death had no name or claim, where all scars would be fully erased, and where the burdens would be lifted and tossed away in their entirety.

Janus imagined walking towards that radiant entrance, and what he might first see. In his mind’s eye, he saw the outlines of many figures waiting for him before the gates, with one in the forefront of the gathering. In his inner vision, their details were obscured at first by the blinding light, but his heart knew who they were. He could feel the surging joy within him with each step that drew him closer to them, an electrifying thrill that infused the powerful emotions swirling within him.

As his eyes adjusted to the light, he beheld the face of his father, with an expression carefree and sparkling with life. Janus could feel the arms of his father wrapping around him in a welcoming embrace, even as he heard a chorus of human voices, as well as exuberant, excited barks, mixed with high pitched, chirruping sounds, all brimming with a boundless joy.

Such a glorious moment would only be the mere dawning of an eternal day, as he continued towards that gate with his heart rising and the jubilant throng of souls walking and padding along at his side. He knew that he could laugh, seeing familiar, beloved four-legged forms bounding along the edge of the pathway to the gate, imbued with the fullness of health and vitality.

His gaze would then focus in on the figure walking at his side, regarding that single face before he could even take in the endless, awesome beauty of the horizons spreading out to infinity beyond the great gates.

That moment would be the beginning of a reunion that would never be broken or tarnished by death or disease ever again; the beginning of a glorious and wonderful time that would never, ever end.

His heart ached thunderously with the burning desire for the realization of that luminous image, even as a few tears welled up in his eyes and began to trickle down his cheeks.

He wished that he could just know with reassurance that something like the vision in his mind could be real; that at the end of all things, his beloved family would all be there. For if a deity did love creation, and loved Janus, then his family was truly the expression, and face, of that love. With all of life’s sorrows and struggles, it seemed like such a small comfort to ask for.

But, he was undeniably trapped in the physical world, bereft of knowing what was or was not out there beyond the senses. There was no gateway or conduit to other worlds, no matter how hard he wished that it could be otherwise.

Janus would simply have to pick himself up, bandage his soul’s wounds that he knew would not heal in this lifetime, and trudge forward even if each ensuing step was harder to take. Only the passage of time itself would aid him.

“Man, that’s pretty odd … came in quick, it looks like,” Kent remarked, sharply breaking through the ambient noises of the boat’s engine and the breezes wafting across them. “I know I haven’t had that many beers.”

“Real weird,” Derek murmured. “There was nothing when we came down the lake.”

Janus could sense the absolute surprise reflected in the vocal tone of the others. He sighed and opened his eyes, to see what had so suddenly gripped their attentions. With the back of his right hand, we wiped the thin trails of wetness from his face.

The shoreline on both sides of the lake was still visible, but the headlights on the boat now formed solid beams. They could barely cut through the outskirts of a vapor that hovered over the water, rising up as a vast wall of fog about a hundred feet before them.

Janus shared the great puzzlement of the others. They had passed right through the area such a short time before. There had not been any fog or mist in the area whatsoever.

Janus took a deep breath, and his first impression was that something far beyond normal was occurring. He battened the thought back down, knowing fully well that it was just a rising fog caused by water and temperature shifts. It had just emerged much faster than he had thought that a fog could.

“What do you think caused it?” Janus asked them.

Kent shook his head. “I can’t figure it out. Fog just doesn’t form like this. Not this fast, at least. I don’t know, maybe someone channeled a bunch of hot water into the lake or something, like their entire hot tub spilled over or something. Must be an amazing party going on nearby.”

He laughed nervously, and Janus could see the anxiety in Kent’s eyes.

“It would sure have to be a lot of hot water,” Derek added, his eyes fixated upon the thick vapors looming ahead of them. “Pretty big hot tub.”

“Maybe it is the mists of time, and we are going to end up on the shores of some ancient land,” Kent remarked. “Then we can be like barbarian invaders and pillage and plunder. Let’s stake our claims … I get the wenches and beer, you guys can have the rest!”

“Creative, Kent, but probably not gonna happen,” Derek said, a flicker of deep concern manifesting in his face.

Derek cut down the speed of the engine, until the boat was going at a slow crawl. The fog soon enveloped them entirely, shearing off any extended vision to any side of the boat.

“Lovely, just lovely,” Kent remarked sourly. “We’ll have to take it very slow, and very carefully.”

“Maybe we should just stop,” Derek suggested.

Janus concurred with Derek, as they were now unable to see more than a few feet ahead of them.

“We take it real slow, if we keep going. And we keep talking and listening, because if there are any other boats in this, they need to know we’re here,” Kent said, his lightheartedness dissipating rapidly, and his mood sobering up quickly.

Janus knew that the last thing that Kent wanted to do was to wreck Mr. McNeeley’s boat. Each passing second invited that possibility.

“Keep talking. Keep it slow. Keep listening,” Kent repeated again.

Janus did not argue with him, as his eyes strained to look through the shrouding fog.

Erin

Erin, as was usual, slumbered lazily until it was almost three o’clock in the afternoon. There were no classes or work to be concerned with, though such things ultimately mattered little. Neither of those issues would have obstructed her intended pursuits for the coming evening.

It took about another half-hour to rouse herself sufficiently awake to take a shower, eat, and check up on her messages. By phone and computer, the messages were the typical kind, of a largely vacuous content.

It did not take her long to sift through them, responding to some and deleting most.

Time slogged onward, until Lynn finally arrived to pick her up for the planned excursion. Almost as an afterthought, Erin left a brief message behind for her parents that she was going to be out for the evening, camping with friends in the woods.

Slinging her large backpack over her shoulder, she locked the front door on the way out.

At a mini-mart near the main highway bypass, Lynn and Erin made their rendezvous with Razor, Uli, and the others that would be going on the camping trip. The group took a few moments to fuel the vehicles, and to procure an assortment of drinks and snacks, before finally setting off for their intended destination.

In total, the entourage consisted of a convoy of ten people situated in three different cars. The two-hour trip passed by quickly enough, the travel broken up by various antics as the cars took turns passing each other on the highway, the occupants giving each other obscene gestures.

It seemed like only moments before they were unloading the vehicles within an official national forest parking lot. Packs readied, and hiking boots laced, the ten started off together in a loose column onto the trail.

About two miles inward and upward, they broke off of the trail to find themselves a suitable spot for the evening. The park rangers required a minimum distance from the trails for overnight camping, but they elected to go well beyond that limited requirement, with Razor in the lead.

Eventually, they found themselves on the summit of a small hill, surrounded by thicker growths of brush. It was far away from any of the main trail paths, and required a little effort to reach.

It was not likely that the place would be disturbed by fellow hikers or park rangers. Razor, Lynn, and Uli quickly set to making a clearing for a small campfire, as the others staked out their camping spots.

A few tents were set up, three suited for single persons, and three larger capacity ones to accommodate the others, with two couples each claiming a tent.

It was not very long before the drinking and festivities began to get underway. The frivolity grew as the afternoon dipped into night, the sun tucking itself away below the hills.

As night drew onward, the group started to fragment as the flow of libations continued. A few of Erin’s friends opted to go farther up the hill to get a grander view of the area, while one of the couples headed in the opposite direction to find some space for privacy.

Erin, Lynn, Uli, and Razor were the last four remaining around the campfire. Erin was simply glad that the quartet was not sitting in Uli’s cluttered living room.

“Dissipation. Always happens on these trips,” Lynn said, laughing in a carefree manner as she looked into the flames of the campfire.

“Dissipation, like this,” Uli repeated, as he blew out a puff of smoke from the tightly rolled joint that he was taking deep inhalations from. The mind-numbing herb left a sweet smell hanging in the air, a scent that Erin had become quite accustomed to. Uli laughed hysterically.

“Surprised that you even know what that word means, Uli?” Erin teased, laughing, though her words had an intended jab within them.

“Don’t care much ‘bout words, but this will do,” Razor said, carefully accepting the rolled herb from Uli.

He held it reverently, as he closed his eyes and inhaled upon the end of it. The others could see the flaring red of the other end as it burned down towards its stump. Razor held the smoke inside for several moments, before finally exhaling in a broad puff.

“So good to be here,” Erin observed, without a trace of sarcasm. “Could do this every day, all day.”

“Wouldn’t you get bored?” Lynn asked. “I mean, I want to figure out something that makes me happy.”

The others gave her strange looks in response, as usually occurred whenever Lynn invoked realities in the midst of a carefree party. Erin found such moments annoying, noticing that Lynn was bringing them out with greater frequency as of late.

“Don’t get me wrong, I won’t leave nights like this out of the equation,” Lynn added, having recognized the sudden hesitation in the others.

Lynn laughed as the others relaxed. Erin refrained from expressing her personal irritation with Lynn, as there were other aggravations to express.

“Getting nagged to death, working for nothing, or wasting time at school … those are the options life offers, if you want to get real about it,” Erin said. She rested her chin in the cup of her right hand, propped up and braced by her arm, looking as if she were deeply contemplating the matter.

“World isn’t changing anytime soon … So, after some careful … thought … I’ll settle for the herb. It’s a lot easier on the stress levels,” she then added, replacing the mock seriousness of her expression for a wide grin.

Accepting the remnant left from Razor, she took a deep inhalation of it, held it inside her lungs, and then slowly exhaled. She could feel her anxieties ebbing already.

“Got that right, ‘bout that part, ‘bout after some thought… I mean. That is … cuz after the herb, there is no thought,” Uli said, stammering through his words and barely making any sense. He guffawed in laughter, and the other three laughed heartily with him.

For the moment, none of the four had a care in the world. Erin was freed, and did not have to worry about school, work, or any other type of mundane activity. It was almost too good to be true.

The thoughts of that consuming liberation were embedded in the forefront of her mind as she excused herself from the group to attend to a call of nature. She fumbled about in her backpack for a flashlight. She clicked it on and a strong beam emerged. She was glad that she had just replaced all of the batteries.

Walking slowly to keep her balance, as she was feeling a little lightheaded, Erin made her way over to the far edge of the campsite. She carefully navigated the brush just beyond it until she deemed herself to be ensconced in full privacy.

Glancing around, she noticed some cool tendrils of vapor crossing over her. The silvery mist outlined the beam of her flashlight.

Looking about, her heart gave a flutter as she observed a significant amount of mist rolling swiftly in towards her. The light of the moon through the trees cast an eerie glow on the advancing fog, giving it a ghost-like aspect as it flowed through the depths of the dark foliage.

The strange phenomenon fully captured her attention, taking her mind instantly off of the task that she had left the campsite for. It was a few moments before she came out of her momentary stupor, and hurriedly finished her intended business.

Her nerves had started to rattle inside, for she had never seen a fog moving with such a fluid rapidity. Pulling her shorts and underpants back up, and taking a moment to compose herself, she hastened back to the campsite and implored Lynn to come back with her to see the eerie fog.

At first Lynn was reluctant to the overture by Erin, as she had gotten into a very relaxed, sleepy mood, seated close and comfortable by the warmth of the campfire. At Erin’s very insistent urging, Lynn finally pushed herself up to where she could get her feet beneath her, and stood up.

She walked over to where Erin stood at the edge of the camp, with a look of mild irritation. Lynn’s expression changed to one of curiosity as she noticed the utterly serious countenance upon her friend’s face.

“What’s going on?” Lynn asked her.

“You have to see it,” Erin replied emphatically. “Just beyond here, not far at all.”

Erin headed back into the woods, gesturing for Lynn to follow her. Her flashlight led the way, the beam soon being outlined again by the fog that it increasingly struggled to push through. She did not have to direct Lynn’s attention to the rising density of the fog, as Lynn noticed it clearly enough upon their arrival.

“Wow! I wonder where all that is coming from. Up on a hill too? Shouldn’t fog lay low in valleys and such? Think that it will come in to cover the camp?” Lynn inquired with evident amazement at the aggressive behavior of the mist.

“Probably so,” Erin replied, sharing the incredulity voiced by her friend. “Looks like it’s coming in pretty quickly. Never seen fog behave like this.”

“Yes, it is coming in quick, and no, I haven’t seen anything like it. We should probably make sure that the others can find their way back to the camp, or there is a chance that they will get lost in this.” Lynn remarked, looking down at the growing slivers of the vapor starting to envelop her own body.

Just a few feet beyond them, the density of the mist had formed into the beginnings of an impenetrable wall of fog. The full beam of the flashlight could not pierce the opaque mass at all.

Even more disturbing, the wall of fog seemed to creep closer with each passing second, swallowing the feeble attempts of the flashlight to cut through its relentless advance.

Within just moments, Erin could see that they would be fully surrounded.

Lee

Lee Chen attended diligently to his duties, enduring yet another exhausting day of managing the restaurant that bore his name.

He had arrived even earlier than usual that particular Saturday, to work on a valve problem in one of the restrooms after getting only four hours of sleep. Lee did not think much about how little sleep he had gotten, as it rarely reached even six hours on normal days.

The early morning maintenance was soon followed by a full afternoon and evening of almost constant activity; Clearing and cleaning tables, bringing out orders, cooking, passing out coupons, driving deliveries, taking orders, making schedule adjustments for employees, and all of the usual trials and travails of a restaurant owner-operator.

While never doing poorly, in terms of customer traffic, the restaurant’s business had never seemed to grow enough to a point where he could hire the amount of help that was truly needed. Even with as much pressure as he constantly felt, he still could not ask the three employees in his hire to do any more than they were. They currently went above and beyond the call of duty on a regular basis. Lee was very grateful for their extra resilience, as quality workers were becoming something of a scarcity in his observation.

The pressures of what needed to be done, in contrast to the resources available to him, resulted in Lee’s own efforts being stretched beyond the limits. Neither customer nor employee could often tell the full extent of the strain, for Lee held neither bitterness nor frustration within him.

His regular, friendly countenance, and stalwart perseverance on the most frenzied of days, was what had won him a core of regular customers and loyal employees. Though he did not take credit for it, it undoubtedly elevated the performance of his small, but earnest, staff.

When closing time finally did arrive, the most prominent desire in Lee’s mind was simply rest. He looked very much forward to the following day, as the restaurant closed early on Sundays. He was eager to indulge in a few hours of blissful recreation, even if it was only to have Ryan over to drink sodas and watch movies.

Calling up a little extra resolve, he attended to the closing duties with Ryan and two members of his regular staff. They stacked the chairs on the tables and set about mopping up the floors. They cleaned the kitchen, including the woks, dishes, and the rest of his array of equipment.

At the very end, Ryan bagged up the trash and carried it out to the dumpsters, while Lee tallied up the register receipts and prepared a deposit bag.

Lee paid his two staff members a little extra bonus in cash, and thanked them for their sincere, solid efforts that day. Their job finished, they thanked Lee, wished him a good evening, and left for the night.

Circling around Ryan, Lee bolted the front door behind them and returned back towards the main counter. At last, the restaurant was silent and still, his work for the day finally at an identifiable end. The weight and tension dissipated from his shoulders at that moment, a feeling that he had come to savor at the culmination of a long day’s work.

Ryan extended a can of cherry-flavored citrus soda to Lee, not having to ask as the soft drink was well known at the restaurant as being Lee’s favorite. Lee gave Ryan a tired smile as he accepted it.

Taking a deep breath, and following it with a long and gratifying draught of the beverage, Lee set it down and looked wearily towards Ryan.

“Good job tonight, Ryan. I appreciate your help a lot, I really do. It was a very hard day today, more than usual” Lee observed.

“No problem Lee. Did good biz today, from what I saw, didn’t we?” Ryan replied, taking a sip out of his own can. He raised the can in a saluting gesture towards Lee, “To a good day, Lee!”

“Above average, I am happy to say,” Lee replied. “Campus brought us a few more deliveries than I expected. You must have gotten some extra coupons out.”

“I’ve passed out quite a few for the cause. But must have been giving them to all the wrong folks, because Bob wasn’t too happy about the tips today,” Ryan replied with a chuckle, referring to Lee’s tried and true delivery driver.

The man had grumbled throughout the day about the frugal nature of the campus students. The language that he had used back in the kitchen had often been quite colorful. Lee and Ryan had laughed heartily at some of the creative and very descriptive anatomical suggestions that Bob had for the cheap students.

“Oh, he made us aware of that. But I made sure Bob got a little extra tonight,” Lee said, a hint of worry on his face.

Bob was indispensable to his operation, knowing every optimal route and planning his deliveries to the height of efficiency. He did the work of two, maybe even three, mediocre drivers.

“I saw that. And Bob looked pretty happy about it. He’ll stay around. Griping is natural to him, don’t worry,” Ryan said encouragingly. “And about those students. Just have them all work one day and night like this, and they will learn to tip really quickly. They should make it mandatory for cheap tippers.”

“Very good point. I think that would work too. So, I noticed that you haven’t bolted yet. Is Pamela busy tonight?” Lee asked him.

“Yeah, she sure is,” Ryan replied at the mention of his girlfriend. “Says she is just going to stay home and get some rest tonight. You know what that means. But I’m not too worried. She plays a bit, but she knows who the real man is. Nothing else will compare. She’ll learn!”

Lee chuckled as Ryan’s youthful cockiness emerged. “I’m sure she’ll realize who the real man is.”

Ryan smiled. “Hey now, that better not be sarcasm. Don’t you get in on disrespecting me.”

Lee laughed heartily. “You worked well tonight, so I’ll give you a break. Have you thought about what we should watch for the film festival at my house tomorrow evening, if you are up for some movies?”

“You need to get a game system, some day, Lee. And not a used one at the pawn shop. Get a cutting-edge console. But movies don’t sound bad right now. I could do with just about anything at the moment, except some boring drama or silly chick flick,” Ryan remarked.

“We’ll figure something out, either on satellite or download,” Lee replied, finishing off his soda. He crumpled the can in his hand and pitched it into a freshly lined trash bin that Ryan had prepared towards the end of the counter. “Well, there’s the first start on tomorrow’s trash load. I am about done here. Time to get some rest.”

“And you are just going to leave me stranded facing a boring night. I’m not ready to go to sleep yet!” Ryan commented, as he started towards the door. His steps slowed as he approached the glass-faced door. “Looks like there is going to be a thick fog cover tonight!”

“Fog?” Lee replied in curiosity, coming out from behind the counter and walking down its length towards where Ryan stood gaping.

“Yeah, come over here. I could see it even as I walked towards the front door,” Ryan said, turning back towards Lee while gesturing at the restaurant’s entrance.

Lee walked past Ryan, his eyes fixated through the glass of the front door. He slowly unbolted the lock, and swung it open. Ryan followed close behind as they walked outside together.

As Ryan had observed, a rolling fog bank was gradually invading and conquering the city streets. The fog had already become an impenetrable mass just across the street from where the restaurant was located.

The tall street lamps near his restaurant cast a cramped glow, one that was visibly shrinking. The advancing vapors were steadily wafting in their direction, part of an enormous, rising tide.

“This is just plain strange. I don’t understand it,” Lee commented, staring at the unusual mists.

Enraptured, Lee continued to stand just outside of the unlocked restaurant with Ryan close by. The near proximity to the front door comforted him, as his eyes could not see more than twenty feet ahead of him.

The fog mass seemed to progress as if it had a mind of its own. It continued to engulf the area around them, as the density increased swiftly in the immediate vicinity of the restaurant.

“It is just fog, Lee, don’t get too carried away,” Ryan remarked.

He waved his hands about in the misty substance as it encircled them.

“It is, but I still haven’t seen fog move like this,” Lee commented. “Have you?”

Ryan shrugged and grinned. “Haven’t given it too much thought.”

The fog mass continued to shroud both them and the restaurant building itself, until they could not see ahead, behind, or to either side.

Though they were standing just a few feet in front of the restaurant, the familiar construction had been utterly consumed by the wafting sea. Looking down, Lee realized that he could not even see the ground.

The thickness of the fog was like nothing that Lee had ever experienced before.

Of that, he was most certain.