the answer would be.
“If they find us, Grandpa and Dad will attack us. Plus there will be traps,” Rie said excitedly.
“What about food?” he asked. Although concerned about the other aspects of what Rie was saying, several days without food seemed the most important thing.
“That’s what our weapons will be for. It is great practice. And pretty fun too,” added Takumi, still struggling to keep a straight face.
“We used to play war games out in the desert with super soakers. Sneaking around and stuff, but that was just for a weekend. We had food and tents. This sounds more like ranger survival training or something.” David’s brain finally made it into the conversation as he realized just what they were talking about doing.
“We’ll be with you.” Rie looked away, and then deftly stole Takumi’s game, leaving David dumbfounded.
Camping in Style
May,
In the darkest moments the memories came. The flashes of places and things so ancient as to be nearly as incomprehensible as my alien environment. The visions were a torture, a taunt, a glimpse of what I had been searching for…
Saturday morning David woke in a panic and unable to breath. Two shadows stood over him. One had put a hand over his mouth, while the other pinched his nose. Frightened, David struggled for a breath. Luckily, one of the shadows let go of his nose, allowing him a deep exhalation.
“It’s just us,” Rie whispered. “Don’t say a word, don’t make a sound. Just put these on and hurry.”
Rie handed David what turned out to be a cross between a ninja’s outfit and standard military camouflage. Under Takumi’s supervision, he donned pants, boots, a shirt, and a pullover that tied at the sides. The ensemble also included a hood and removable facemask. His new outfit was almost black, but with limited and random patterns of dark green and brown for camouflage.
Outside, the two shadows moved along with David, blending into the dark outlines of trees and buildings. David moved slowly, but he lacked the grace and utter soundlessness that the twins were able to achieve. A trickle of stones kicked out from David’s shoes as he stumbled, eliciting a hiss from one of the twins. The trio circled around towards the back of the Estate, avoiding the path to the shrine. Moving through the Matsumoto forest, they quickened their pace until the wall at the back of the Estate loomed before them. With deft movements, Rie scaled the wall and watched as Takumi helped David negotiate a path up the rocks.
“We already disabled the security sensors along the top of the wall. They’re supposed to give us a lead, but that’s no reason we should tip them off to when we leave.” Rie spoke in a less-than-whisper that barely made it to David’s ears as he pulled himself up and over the wall. Once outside the Estate, they struck straight out from the wall.
“Walk straight ahead. Rie and I will go ahead to check for traps. Your job is to create a trail leading off in a direction we don’t plan to follow. Do your best to hide yourself, but don’t go too slow. We need enough time to get to a better spot before this afternoon.” Takumi was busy adjusting his own pack and clothes as he talked, ensuring one last time that everything was ready.
Takumi and Rie backed away, blending into the forest. Within seconds, David was alone in the unfamiliar wilderness with nothing but a knife, his clothes, and water.
‘This is definitely not going to be like camping in Arizona,’ David thought. He took a deep breath and reminded himself of the map and compass courses he had done as a Boy Scout.
Steeling himself, he stepped carefully through the rough terrain, his eyes adjusting slowly to the darkness of early morning. Only the barest light from the still waxing moon remained to guide him as his thoughts turned inward.
There were numerous rocks, streams, and thickets to block his way, forcing him in new directions. The land grew ever more rugged and he soon breathed heavily with every inclining step.
Although it was difficult, David walked for hours alone in the forest. The isolation was surprisingly welcome after being inundated with new people and activities over the last few weeks. Along the way he thought back on his family camping trips, of fishing for crayfish he never ate, and exploring caves with Jess following close behind.
David thought of the twins. He was only just beginning to get to know them. Takumi was obviously determined to carry on his family’s tradition. He was serious and straightforward, at least at the Estate, yet he laughed and joked louder than Naoto at school. When Rie smiled, she engaged the whole room, yet there was something new about the way she acted towards him since the incident at the shrine. He could not quite name the change, and so shrugged the thought away. After all, the responsibilities of being a Matsumoto hung over the twins, maturing them before their classmates.
‘And I just committed to the same life, didn’t I? I’ll just have to be sure to let myself have some fun and relax. No way I want to turn into Masao,’ David thought.
When he finally made it to a dark stand of trees, where he figured it would be safe to take a few minutes rest, David sat down. As he did, the sun began to rise from behind him.
“Well I guess I’ve been heading west then,” David muttered to himself, looking around the dark trees.
“Actually you’ve been heading north, but turned west about ten minutes ago,” Rie said from right behind him. David jumped from his stump in surprise, his head knocking into a low branch.
As he staggered, the branch creaked and fell beside him. David rubbed the painful bump that sprung up and blinked his smarting eyes. Rie steadied him, and then led him to a low stump to sit down.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to surprise you, but sneaking around is kind of a habit out here,” Rie said smiling. “This should give Grandpa and Dad something to think about. You picked a good spot to rest. We can cover your tracks in the stream just on the other side of those trees.”
Once David recovered, they followed the stream, Rie showing him how to shift his center of mass in order to walk without disturbing or slipping on moss. Eventually, they were able to end the trail David had been creating from the start of the trip.
It was an interesting experience just walking through the forest with Rie. They barely talked yet it was the most time they had ever spent alone. The longer they walked, the lighter her steps seemed, the more relaxed her shoulders. She began teaching David how to be truly quiet in the forest.
“Being sneaky is fun,” Rie said as she slid past a tree. “If no one knows you are there, then you have all the freedom. Come on, if you thought I was good at kendo or badminton, just wait until you see what I can do out here.”
Hours later, David was beyond sore and tired as they stopped before another tree trunk near the top of a mountain. From the vantage point, the pair could see most of the surrounding area and nearly every possible approach. The only exception was to the north, where the mountains grew even taller. Being stealthy had made a challenging hike far more difficult. The techniques Rie showed him required the use of rarely used muscles. Despite the jolts of pain in his legs, David was enjoying the trip. As he slid to a sitting position, Rie circled the area.
“This is the place
