Winnebago
Chapter One
Away
April 2029
Sean lay his head on the table. It was made of oak and had stains from that morning's breakfast still present on the tablecloth. His head ached from the onslaught of homework. Why did teachers even give work to do at home? Wasn't it enough that kids worked and learned, and listened in class? Couldn't the teachers give kids a break away from campus? These were thoughts that ran constant in Seans mind. He didn't hate school, but he disliked it with a passion. In his mind, school was a waste of time. He'd rather be out in the mountains, or swimming in the ocean, or jumping off of a rock twenty feet above a creek filled with moss and blue gill. Where hummingbirds hovered above flowers filled with nectar like tiny helicopters scouring a battlefield of pollen. Above all, the ever-beautiful sound of silence. Not dead silence, not pure deafening nothingness, just calming silence. Water flowing over rocks at a gentle pace. Pine needles being played by the days breeze. These were the sounds Sean longed for. This is what made him get up every morning, put on his dirty clothes from his laundry basket, and peddle his bike to school. Maybe someday, somehow, his dreams would become reality. As for now, his mother's stern voice awakened him out of his daydream. "You need to clean off the table".
Thursdays were double days. For Sean, this meant two hours of Spanish beginning at 8:30 in the evening. Spanish would be followed by a ten-minute snack in which he would meet his friends in the grassy area behind the cafeteria. They would talk about whatever. Girls, motorcycles, parents (always complaining), siblings, and video games. None of Seans friends played organized sports. Most had done their two years of Physical Education and were now free to entertain a second elective. Seans friend Maurice was in a welding class, his other friend Brandon, in Auto shop. There were no electives that interested Sean. His school did not have a hiking club, nor a class on wilderness survival. Nothing that struck a chord with Sean. Because of this, he had a free period. The government had decided that children needed their sleep. So public school start times were changed to later in the morning. On his free period days, this meant Sean started school at roughly nine thirty in the morning. He didn't really pay much attention to it. All it meant was that kids were staying up even later doing homework anyways. And the average, overanxious, panic attack ridden kids, weren't getting any more sleep as it was, due to the constant barrage of information available at their fingertips in the form of cell phones. What Sean did know, was that tomorrow, was Friday. That meant he would soon be in the place he loved. As long as he took the Garmin device with him, his mom allowed him to hike solo. Sean had read all the horror stories of former hikers going off alone never to return. He, however, was smart. He did his research on every hike he had taken. Even if there was no trail, he had scoured google earth photos enough to know which peak was which. He was also good with direction without the use of a compass. In excellent shape, Sean never worried about conditioning. His three years on the track team had toned his body. He was in very, very good shape. With a bit of trepidation, Seans mom knew she had to let him explore, had to let him act as a grown man. After all, he would turn 18 in just six months. She still did not like him hiking alone and would remind him before each adventure to use his head. "Your frontal cortex is still forming, please use your best judgement". She would use this example often. Sean of course had looked up the meaning and simply brushed it off. "Frontal Cortex". What did his mom know anyways! She had made the bad decision to marry a man she met at her bowling league. A man who used his bowling ball more than his frontal cortex! Sean had never really known his father. There were pictures, but no real proof as Jonathan the 'Strike King' Branskie left the household soon after the birth of Sean. Sean also despised the last name and vowed to change it if and when he could.
The bell for third period rang with its ever-dull tone. Cutbacks by the state for years meant little to no money had been spent on unnecessary items that could make Seans school a somewhat nice place to learn. The bell was a solid piece of evidence to that effect. It was neither loud, nor soft. Actually, it could have passed for a bell you'd find in a bank, or at the meat counter in which you'd ring it to let the butcher know you were finally serious about purchasing some meat that was hopefully not too green, and equally, not too red. Sean told his friends goodbye as he peddled his bike towards home. Maurice made sure that Sean was positive he did not want to go to the football game that night. "It'll be a ton of fun bro"! "Brandon's girlfriend will be there". "She's bringing some of her friends too"! Brandon's girlfriend did not attend the same school as the three of them. So, the thought of girls from another school was definitely intriguing. But Sean had already planned an epic hike up Pine Tar trail. He had hiked the trail already numerous times. But this afternoon, he would get to the first false peak just before sunset. Here is where he would set up camp for the night. He could already imagine the view. There was no distinct trail beyond the point he had hoped to make. But it didn't matter. He knew that area of forest very well. Besides, he was far from need of a girl companion at this time in his life. Unless of course, she liked to hike. The thought rattled around in his bike helmet finally flying off the back of it along with the tiny little pesty flies that were prominent that year due to the high amounts of rain his little town had received last winter. Flying through the back door of his one-bedroom duplex he called home; Sean quickly raided the fridge. He
The hike up Pine Tar trail wasn't generally a difficult one. At the six-mile mark, hikers only gained twelve hundred feet. Additionally, the max elevation was low as well. So, if you were in somewhat good shape, you'd be fine on this trail. The difficulty began after the end of the maintained pathway. If you were clueless as to direction, or didn't know how to read a compass, the beginning of the bushwacking is where you'd want to stop your exploration. Sean didn't need a compass. He knew North from South, and East, from West. He also spent hours looking at maps. It was better than doing his homework. He still completed all of his homework assignments. However, the map studying was a nice break in between. Having made excellent time, when Sean approached the end of the maintained trail, he took a short break to drink a little bit of water and eat a couple of meat sticks. In a few more hours, he'd be where he had set out to go. He set a course due north, into the buckthorn and pinion pines. He had learned that when walking through buckthorn, you only pushed until it just barely started to hurt. This meant the decent sized thorns were beginning to break through your clothing and only a few millimeters from assaulting your skin. At this point, you only needed to back off a bit and re-adjust. No one liked buckthorn, and most would never intentionally hike through it. Sean was the exception. He knew that just a short trek tugging through this angry plant would get him to a secluded area that was at the top of his list of places to set up a tent and make camp for the night. Looking at the Garmin, Seans mom knew that he was safe. She could see him safe and secure in the little screen. She continued to fold clothes and binge watch her favorite show.
The area to set up camp was marked inconspicuously by a mutated Jeffery pine that had split in to two points about twenty feet off the ground. Sean thought it looked like a fork used to poke meat on the BBQ. In his mind it had to be a mutation. Like two trees had grown as one until almost the tippy top. His yard at home had a regular Jeffery pine. Whatever regular was he thought. As he stepped into the medium sized clearing, just below the BBQ fork, Sean looked for a clear spot to set up his two-man tent. He'd make sure there were no rocks or roots. The soft sand made for a very comfortable place to sleep. Once the tent was set up, Sean would meander through the sandstone rocks to find the secret opening. Once inside this opening, one could climb less than five feet up, and at the top, was an amazing view of the valley below. He could see his school, the football field, and Brandon and Maurice laughing and talking about nothing important with Brandons female friends from another school. He knew they were having fun. He also knew he'd much rather be where he was. Dinner consisted of beef stroganoff. All he needed was a bit of boiling water in which he added to the pouch of goodness. He'd step away from his dinner and camp for fifteen minutes to use the bathroom. Upon return, he thought it strange that his dinner pouch seemed to have moved. Or had it? He vaguely remembered placing the food pouch on top of a flat rock. When he returned, it was no longer on that rock. Maybe he had been out in the sun for too long. He brushed off the thought and began eating his meal. Stroganoff was his favorite meal in a pouch. It tasted soo good when you were out in the wild. The sun was but an orange sliver by now, dinner had been consumed, he had cleaned up his dishes by licking them until he couldn't see any more food and set them back in his pack. There was no fear of bears on this mountain, so he wasn't worried about leaving the food remains in his pack, next to his tent. Sean started to feel a little woozy. Without even being aware, he would drift off, falling asleep with a satisfied grin on his face.
The sound of his alarm brought him out of his slumber. He found the long-sustained beep of his alarm clock odd. Why did he even set his alarm? There was no need to wake up early for anything. As his eyes creaked open, struggling against the crusted build up, he was confused to see his bed below him. The sheets just up to his chest. His pillow folded in half, the way he liked it. His Mother was by his side. Her face was strained and stressed. She held his hand as he lay motionless. Was he dreaming? He was looking down upon his mother, his bed, his own body! The alarm was coming from the heart monitor just inches away from his mother's left shoulder. She held the Garmin in her right hand, and Seans left hand in hers. The football team kicked the game winning field goal. His school's team had won. Brandon and Maurice looked sadly at a poster stretched across a chain link fence between the field and the stands. The Sean laying in the bed was pale and motionless. The Sean hovering above it all, looked confused. Then it all became apparent. He was hovering above his real life. The heart monitors steady tone made it very apparent. Sean had taken his last breath in that hospital bed. Only his soul was coherent. Witnessing all the interactions below. He felt bad for his mother. Her face showed the complete lack of happiness and desire to live. The poster, at the football game, just a banner of remembrance for the kids of Seans high school. His body was no longer filled with blood, nor life. The apparent claw marks across his face and chest were those of a massive black bear. His skull had been chewed on and neither of his ears could be found hanging off the sides of his head. Yet, his bed sheets were fresh and clean. No sign of the messy fight. No sign of the vicious struggle Sean had put up against the bear. As his mom gazed into the screen of the Garmin, her one fault, in her mind, of not being strict enough. She should never have let Sean hike alone. She was now paying the ultimate price. The view below soon faded away. Sean could see his tent once again, the sandstone rocks, and the pine tree, split in to two points. Out of the corner of his eye he thought he saw what looked like the tail of a mountain lion. This was his heaven. This was his new home. He could do nothing more, and nothing less.
