Dating : Full Moon Tonight

Brad had been waiting weeks for his vacation to finally arrive. It wasn’t going to be much, but it was more about having the chance to clear his head than anything else. Four days, including the weekend, alone in the mountains, alone with his thoughts.

He’d packed enough for five days, all of which had been squished and packaged in air-tight plastic to conserve space in his pack. He needed room for some water-proof cloth, enough to put together a makeshift shelter if he couldn’t find one in nature, and some canned goods. He’d keep a couple dozen granola bars on either side of his cargo pants. He’d ventured into the mountains before, never overnight, but knew there were various berries he could trust, and a stream that was ripe with fish to catch.

The mountains were known for their various crevasses and hideouts among the caves, and he was counting on finding a dry space to watch the stars in case of rain among the many nooks.

Day one started off simple enough. He parked his car in the lot among the others, of where there were only eight. He nodded to a man that looked to have a similar idea. The mountains were big enough for all of them, and that nod was the last he’d see of him.

It’d rained the day before, something Brad hadn’t accounted for. He was wearing the correct boots, but he spent more time trudging through mud than happily hiking. More than once his foot would get trapped and he’d have to yank it from the mud using both hands as he balanced his pack on his back in an effort to not fall over.

Much like the first night he found refuge in a meager cave before nightfall on the second. It was important to set up an acceptable camp while there was still daylight to work with. He emptied his pack of some belongings he’d need for the night, including a can of baked beans and an opener. The day before he’d managed to catch a fish, which was still sitting sour in his stomach. He wasn’t sure what he’d done wrong, but he wasn’t ready to try again. The beans would be more than enough to get him through the night — it was more about the calories than taste anyway.

As the beans sizzled on the tin foil, above a small fire he’d created using a lighter and some nearby kindling, he took in a deep breath followed by a sigh of relief. There was nothing else on his mind other than the meal before him. He was at peace, something he’d been needing for a long while.

Brad rested his eyes, opening them every so often to see the moon looking back at him between parted clouds. Then he heard a howl, followed by another. In an instant his calm bliss was turned into heart pounding regret. Had he remembered to pack bear spray? Certainly it wouldn’t ward off a pack of wolves. How had he not thought of wolves? Who forgets about wolves? The first night, despite his dinner, had been exactly what he was hoping for, and the second night was filled with even more of his sought out reprieve from the real world, until the haunting howls.

He opened his pack by the fire and tossed bags of clothes haphazardly as he searched for the spray he hoped was there. The howling continued — was it getting closer?

Brad found the spray and fumbled it in his hands as he stood guard at the mouth of the cave. The howling had ceased, and his heart was beginning to rest. Had he known about the opening at the other end of the cave he would’ve chosen somewhere else in the daylight.