Smashwords

There was nothing for me to do now but wait for my son to come find me. Standing alone in the woods surrounded by trees gave me an isolated feeling. Birds chirped, squirrels skittered and hissed at one another, and twigs snapped for no discernable reason.

I began listening closely. My mind desperately wanted something to stimulate it. I could have taken out my phone, but that might drain the battery. I had a compass app. If I got lost, there was no way I could get out of these woods without it.

“Ahh!”

The sound startled me. Turning, I searched the nearby area for the source.

“Mmm!”

There it was again.

“Ohh! Ohh!”

No, I realized, the first time came from behind me. I heard the second sound from somewhere off to my right and a little northward. The third time was…

I listened again, hoping to catch more. The forest was quiet now. It wasn’t the same as before, where I could hear birds and squirrels. Those had gone quiet—eerily so.

“Ahh!”

My ears perked up. That came from behind me. It might have been the same kind of sound I heard before. They certainly seemed similar, and this time, they were accompanied by what could have been grunts.

“Was that a bear?” I wondered.

A cold chill raced through me. I had zero wilderness experience. It was the whole reason I had opted to come to this resort instead of taking Little Nicky camping.

“Ohh!” came the third sound.

That was back toward the trail I had left. It was definitely different from the sounds I previously heard. Could it be a different kind of animal?

“Mmm! Mmm!” the second sound cried.

I wracked my brain. Something sparked in the darkest corners, a memory of something I had read years ago. It was about how smaller woodland animals hid when there were bigger ones around. Some larger animals must have wandered onto the resort property.

“Ohh! Ohh! Ohh!”

“But what kind of animal sounds like that?” I asked myself.

I strained to listen. The sounds would bounce back and forth. It was almost as though they were communicating with one another. When one went quiet, another would pick up not long after. It was almost like listening in on a private conversation.

“Ahh!”

That was when it dawned on me. “It must be some sort of mating call,” I realized.

Smashwords

Smashwords

We were less than halfway across the lake when the first kayak tipped over. The pair were a father and son from Bunny Burrow and Hawk’s Nest respectively. It looked like they had lost their shirts at some point. Wisely, though, the two had kept their life vests on.

I was about to ask if they were all right. But then, I saw the father swim over to where the son was. He immediately wrapped both arms around the younger man from behind. They were too far away, but it looked like the son was having trouble staying up.

I turned away and kept on rowing. From what I saw, the son was in good hands. It looked like the older man had a good grip on him and was helping him stay above water. That was a relief!

Another kayak tipped shortly afterward. This one had a son from Bunny Burrow paired up with a father from Hawk’s Nest. The son made the mistake of panicking the moment they were in the water. Fortunately, the dad from Hawk’s Nest took control.

I watched as he seized hold of the son with both arms, pinning him so that they faced each other. This guy may have been a lifeguard, or had at least taken some lessons. He was certainly doing his damnedest to keep the younger man’s head way above water—a little higher than I thought was necessary, honestly.

The effort paid off, though. I noticed as we went past that the son had stopped resisting. He was muttering something now, but it looked like all the fight had gone out of him. He simply held on while the father bounced his smaller body up out of the water.

They too had taken off their shirts at some point. I saw them drift by as Parker and I paddled past. It looked like something else was in the water as well. I blinked, then focused my attention on pulling ahead.

For a second there, though, I could have sworn it was a pair of underwear.

Smashwords

Smashwords

Beau reached down with one hand into his lap. “Sorry!” he apologized, rubbing something between his legs. “Got a… leg cramp. Been acting up all of a sudden.”

“Oh, wow!” I felt terrible. “You should have just said something. I had no idea. Is there an infirmary here at the resort?”

I started to rise, but Beau quickly waved away my concern. He was using his other hand for this. The first hand was massaging the cramped spot on his leg. From where I sat, it looked like the spot was somewhere on one of his inner thighs.

The poor man was rubbing the spot hard too. It almost looked like his hand was pushing something up and down. The massage treatment wasn’t working very well, though. Beau’s expression looked more tense than ever.

“You sure you’re okay?” I pressed, reluctantly lowering myself back down into my chair.

“Oh, I’m gooooood,” Beau said, grinning. “I’ll be great… in just a sec!”

I sat back and waited, wondering what I could do to help. “You said something about points?” I asked after a bit longer, figuring I could at least take Beau’s mind off the pain. “I assume whichever team has the most points wins?”

“Oh yeah!” Beau explained. “Yes! Yes! Yes!”

I didn’t think figuring that much out warranted so much excitement. Beau obviously wanted me to participate in the games. He was such a giving person. My son and I were very lucky to have met him.

“Hey Nicky?” I called out, remembering my boy. “You about done down there?” I waited, but there was no reply. “Find the fork yet, son?”

I started to bend slightly and have a look, but Beau spoke. “Oh, he’s found it,” he told me, looking very relaxed now. “Your son is… incredible.”

Nicky rose up from the table a second later. The fork was in one hand. Beau took it, giving my son the most appreciative look, like he had just done Beau the best favor ever. It didn’t take a genius to work out what had happened.

“You were massaging Beau’s leg cramp,” I guessed, knowing I had it right. “Weren’t you, son?”

Smashwords

Smashwords

“Afternoon,” the old man behind the counter drawled. “Just passing through?”

People seemed to be listening in, waiting for my answer.

“Taking my boy on vacation,” I said, reaching for my wallet as I headed over to the register. “We’re staying at the resort nearby.”

A hush fell over the room. I noticed a few people turn away quickly when I glanced in their direction. Others stared openly with expressions of disdain.

The old man behind the counter wore a strange look as he rang up my total. “Twenty-two and fifteen,” he said.

I passed him my credit card. “Did I say something wrong?” I asked in a quiet tone.

“Nah, you know how country folk are,” he replied dismissively, passing the card back to me a moment later. “Something new-fangled comes along and folks get their panties in a twist.”

I put the card away. “Seems like there’s a bit more to it,” I replied, keen to know more. “Going by everybody’s reaction.”

The old man considered, pursuing his lips while I tucked the card out of sight. “Well,” he began when I pocketed my wallet. “There’s always some kinda rumors. You know, folks saying there’s drugs out there. Local law claims it’s a front for some kinda cult.”

Smashwords