“Chicken!” I said and slowly stood up. I couldn’t see him anywhere. I ducked down again.
“I think he’s gone,” I said.
“You shouldn’t have done that, Kathy. Thrown that stick at him.”
“Scared him off, didn’t I?”
Ginny stood, and tugged the legs of her blue shorts down over her round bottom.
“I’m going home.”
“Hi, there,” a voice said. We near jumped out of our skins.
Sure enough, there was the naked man. Except he wasn’t naked any more. His black shoes were all muddy, so I figured he must have jumped the stream and slid a bit. He had on beige pants with dirt spackles around the cuffs and a black belt, a red and brown plaid shirt with a tear at the pocket. He’d missed a belt loop on his pants and the waist sat funny, drooping a bit. He carried a ring of keys in his hand.
“My names’ Cliff,” he said. “Didn’t know anybody came out here. Thought I was alone. What’re your names?”
“Kat,” I said, and crossed my arms in front of me. Ginny slapped my arm.
“Like kitty-cat. That’s a cute name.” When he smiled his teeth looked too big for his mouth, like big horse teeth.
“It’s Kathy.”
“I like Cat better, don’t you?” He looked at Ginny. “And what about you, don’t you have a name?”
“Yeah.”
“Don’t want to tell me, huh?”
“I’m not supposed to talk to strangers.”
“You think I’m strange?”
“I don’t know,” she shuffled her feet at the tree roots.
“Well, I’m not. Just somebody who enjoys being out in nature, like you.” He spread his arms wide and breathed deep. “Sure is a pretty day. You kids come out here often?”
“This is my place,” I said.
“Is it? Well, I don’t mean to trespass. Didn’t know it was anyone’s place in particular. Hope you’ll accept my apologies.”
“Yeah,” I said.
“Thing is, I’d move along, except I’ve got a problem.”
“What kinda problem?” asked Ginny. She held onto the end of her braid and tugged on it as though trying to pull herself free.
“See, I’ve been out walking around in these woods for a while now. Just enjoying the day, the woods, you understand. And it seems that I’ve dropped my wallet – some place between here and the main road. I looked all around down where you saw me sitting. But I can’t find it anywhere. I’m sure I dropped it climbing over some of the stone fences out there.” He pointed in a general sort of way, towards the woods to the west.
“I’d be ever so grateful if you girls could help me find it. I’ve got some photos in there of my own little girl, about your age. I’d hate to lose that. And of course, I got some money in there, too. In fact, I’d be pleased to reward you both if you found it for me. I’d pay you a dollar a piece.”
“I don’t think so,” said Ginny.
“Silver dollars. I got a couple of ‘em in my wallet.”
“Did you come on the old track by the silo?” I asked, looking in the wrong direction.
“Through that way. Yes,” he said.
Now, I knew those woods better than anybody alive, I bet. Knew every place to duck, run, or hide. This man thought he was so smart. I could show him.
“Kathy...” Ginny warned, “I want to go home.”
“Then go ahead,” I said, knowing she would not go home alone, not with this man around. “Come on, Mister. Follow me.” I started off at a trot, giving him a wide berth and headed across the field to the rocks that crossed the stream.
“Kathy!”
“Come on, Ginny.” And because the only choice she had was to stay with the man or come with me, she ran with me. I felt a little mean about it, knowing Ginny was scared.
“Don’t be afraid,” I said when she caught up. “We’re gonna really show this guy the woods, Okay?”
“You’re going to get us in trouble!”
“Naw.”
“Hey, wait up,” called the man, hurrying after us.
We headed into the forest and scrambled over the first stone wall, then scrabbled down the ravine. We ran so quick the sun through the trees went dark-light-dark-light and made us feel like we were blinking our eyes real fast.
“I don’t think I came this way,” he called.
“It’s a short cut,” I called back. Ginny giggled.
At the bottom of the ravine, we crossed the fallen log to the other side and started up the steep bank. I heard the man start across the log and then slip, cussing as he got a soaker full of muck on the soft bottom. At the top of the ravine bank, we made a quick dash across the meadow and into the edge of the cedars.
“Hey!” the man called again.
“Hurry up,” I called.
“You’re going too fast to look for my wallet.”
“No, I’m looking real good. Aren’t you Ginny?”
“Yeah, real good!”
“Wait for me,” he said.
We went on deeper into the forest, kept turning, and shouting for him to follow. We dodged and dipped around for about fifteen minutes. We kept a good ways ahead of him, which was easy, slow and klutzy as he was. He stumbled and rooted around like a hog.
“This way,” said Ginny, and she looped around the patch of stinging nettle we’d fallen prey to ourselves a couple of weeks before. She stood in the middle of the path on the other side, waving back at our companion. He headed right for the nettle.
“Goddamn it! Goddamn it!”
We took off fast, ducked down through the old barbed wire fence, and kept going, farther into the cool dark, where all the fallen fir needles were soft sponge on the forest floor. The clean scent of pine and cedar made our noses tingle but when our feet landed hard the smell of mushrooms and rot rose from the ground. Behind us, we heard him say words we weren’t allowed to say.
He slipped and almost fell to his knees.
“That’s it. I’m heading back,” he called and turned.
“Not
