An unlikely event raises vital questions for lawyer Conny...
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The young lawyer Conny just wanted to take a day off and go hiking. In the depth of the forest, she unexpectedly meets Jay. He claims that this is no coincidence, but that destiny has brought them together. Conny does not believe in such a thing, but he has evidence. Hard evidence.
Credits and love to "meRicky" for editing this story and preventing me from looking like an illiterate fool ;-)
Dingo
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Water!
She really needed something to drink. And soon.
Conny swallowed. Her parched throat felt unpleasant. The sun had passed its zenith, but its rays still heated the muggy August afternoon with full force. The air stood between the trees like scalding molasses. Not a breath of air moved the leaves.
Sweat ran down her neck. Large dark spots marked the light blouse in the middle and under the arms. The thin yellow fabric, freely tied up above her waist to expose as much skin as possible on her belly and back, clung loosely to her damp body.
Not for the first time, she wondered if this trip was a good idea. After all the stress of the last few weeks, she had simply taken a day off. She didn't want to travel far. Just enough away from work and daily routine to get some peace and quiet. A getaway from the chaotic pace of the law firm she was working for in St. Louis, Missouri.
The idea of a day hike promised a double appeal.
For one thing, she enjoyed extended walks. The monotonous movement had a soothing, almost hypnotic effect. Her mind always quick to the take and well suited to the hectic office routine went into neutral. Another Conny would then emerge, completely refreshed. The old Conny who used to paint or tinker around all by herself for days on end. The Conny who loved to run and climb and dance in her bare feet, and later, the Conny who used to enjoy every single all-night party to the fullest. A part of her that lately was hardly allowed to surface.
For another thing, it had a forbidden, almost sinful air about it. A Tuesday, a completely normal working day, used to pursue one's own pleasure while everyone else was working. When she left in the morning, she was almost ashamed to get into the car in her casual clothes. All around, men and women in business outfits or other work attire stepped out of their apartments, their faces tired or already hardened for the day.
For a moment, their indignant lawyer self almost won.
"Your Honor! The defendant dares to take a day off in the middle of the week! We request the maximum penalty: guilty conscience until office closing time!"
But she - the other Conny, the dancer - had braced herself up, lifted her head and casually packed her backpack into the trunk. Why should she care if the office jocks of the suburbs would stare at her bare arms and the almost naked thighs?
She was a successful young lawyer, and at thirty-two, just the right age to accept and enjoy her good looks. She threw back her long, ebony hair, beamed in all directions and bid her neighbors a wonderful morning. Mr. Lorenzo, the bank executive from next door, smiled wryly back.
The morning hours flew by like magical pearls on a fairy string. She had parked the car in a forest parking lot somewhere behind Farmington and had then simply ran off, right into the Mark Twain National Forest area. The path led across warm, sun-drenched meadows and into the cooler woodland. Pensively she strode through tall grass, enjoying the birdsong, the chirping of insects, the play of the light and shadow between the trees. Dark beetles hummed through the air like tiny drones with whirring wings.
After a short time, she realized that she was no longer thinking about the paperwork on her desk. The business like lawyer was left behind and was waiting somewhere in the city. Another, a younger Conny, was wandering through this summer environment of lush fields, bright yellow fields and forests with mossy trees and shimmering sunbeams. Sometimes she danced a few steps on the soft forest path with childlike joy and hummed a few bars aloud to herself.
In the course of the morning it became steadily warmer. Then really hot. The weather forecast had spoken of 91 degrees, and contrary to their assumptions, it did not stay nice and cool in the forest at all. On the contrary! The rich smell of wood, leaves and must, which lay like a suffocating damp cloth over the forest floor, seemed to push the temperature further up. Despite her minimal clothing - just shorts, the blouse and hiking boots - she was sweating like she was doing a strenuous workout at the gym.
The water bottle was empty, and soon her increasingly parched throat began looking for a spring. Even a stream with reasonably clear water would have been welcome. All this, however, seemed to be in short supply in the vast nature reserve. Next time she should check and plan her way in advance, the lawyer, Conny, mumbled to herself inwards.
Moreover, for the past hour she had been haunted by a nagging suspicion that she had strayed from the thin red dashed line on the trail map. The map showed only approximately the distribution of forest and fields, but the landscape around adhered enervatingly little to the plan. Where was this crossroads she should have passed long ago? And why the heck did she leave her iPhone in the car?
To think of "getting lost" seemed a little ridiculous to her. All around, roads had to run, cars had to drive, people had to go about their daily lives in the villages and homes. Only a few miles away, two hours on foot at the most - after all, there were hardly any square mile left without settlements or other human artifacts in this area.
But the fact was that she hadn't seen any other people since she left the parking lot. Not even forest workers were out and about today. This, combined with her thirst, caused a small, oppressive gnawing in her stomach. The hike, initially a soothing escape from civilized professional life, was turning into an unpleasant affair.
Her lawyer self grinned sardonically. God, she was looking forward to a shower and her comfortable sofa! What a stupid idea to walk through this furnace of a forest. She could be sitting pleasantly and comfortably in an airconditioned room, working on some files and....
A distant call snapped her out of her lethargic reverie.
People!
Unconsciously, she arranged her wet strands of hair and smoothed out her clothes. She was vaguely aware of how weary and disheveled she must look: crinkled hiking clothes, dripping with sweat, with scratched calves and hair sticking to her forehead. This was the exact opposite of the cool lawyer in court, perfect in a dark suit, discreet shoes and strictly pinned-up hair.
Red metal glittered between the trees. A windshield reflected the gleaming sunlight. Behind the car was a small clearing, from which a new sound was coming. Conny stepped closer and peered out from between the thick trees. Her eyes widened as she took in the scene.
A man was kneeling there in front of a small fire. He had a cardboard box in his hand and was feeding the flames with papers and photos. Conny could only make out a shock of black hair and a broad back in a rough plaid shirt. The stranger put such furious concentration into his puzzling actions that she hesitated. It seemed inconceivable to disturb him, only for asking for something as mundane as water.
The box was now empty and also made its way into the flames. They grabbed it greedily and leapt up for a few seconds. The man spread his arms, looked to the sky, and muttered something unintelligible. The bitterness, the defiant sadness that resonated in his tone, touched Conny oddly.
He remained in this strange position for quite a while, then lowered his arms with a sigh and gathered the remains of his charred remains into a smoldering heap. At last he rose. His movements seemed heavy, he looked down at the ground with his head bowed. Conny could have bet that he was oblivious to the spot directly in front of him.
Hesitantly, she stepped forward.
"Hello, excuse me, please."
