The crickets chirped outside my tent as I adjusted myself. I was laying on my stomach propped up on my elbows. The opening to my tent was half zipped so I can peer out and watch the dying embers of the fire pit discreetly. It was very late, the stars and a full moon were high in the night sky and I was alone. I had come out here on my own to get out of the house and away from the monotony of my work schedule. It was pleasantly cool outside, the breeze tickled my skin as it fluttered the canvas mouth of my shelter. It had been swelteringly hot earlier in the day so the cool night air was a godsend.
I was laying on top of my make shift bed. It was a mat covered in a thicket of blankets and a pillow. An unused sleeping bag lay rolled up against the wall of the tent. It had been too warm even at night for it. I was glad to be alone from everyone as it allowed me to wear what I deemed as comfy clothes without worry of being seen. These consisted of a mint colored loose tank top and a pair of black boy-shorts. They didn't leave much for the imagination. At 29 years old my body had abandoned the small perky shape of my teen years in favor of a more mature woman's. My breasts sagged slightly in my tank top and my hips were wide and thick. I had messy dirty blonde hair that fell past my shoulders in waves and a sun baked freckly complexion. My large brown eyes gazed out into the night as the moon and stars began to light up the campsite. That is when I heard the distinctive snap of a twig and the flicker of movement in the tree line opposite my tent. I sat up and reached for a hunting knife, it lay in its leather sheath by the entrance of my tent. Then a large German Shepard came bounding out the trees. My hand relaxed, it was just a dog. My mind instead raced, what was a dog doing all the way out here? I watched him quietly as he sniffed around the camp fire and raised his head to look at me. Without hesitation he approached me at a slow trot before sniffing the air. I slowly reached out and he sniffed my fingers before giving them a lick. I took this as permission and scratched the side of his face gently and smiled. His ears stood on end before he turned to look at the tree line again. My eyes followed his stare and stopped on a man.
He was tall, burly, and his beard was as full as his wild hair a top his head. Flecks of grey mixed with the raven black obscured his face but I could tell he had a soft smile on his face. He adjusted the pack on his shoulders and trudged into my camp. He was watching the dog more so then looking at me.
"Whadja find girl?" He grumbled. His voice was deep and hoarse like it didn't get much use. As he passed the fire pit he paused and looked down at the embers. The light of the flames lit his face. His eyes were milky white. He was blind. He sniffed and looked around towards his panting dog.
"Someone there?" He said as he stared not at me but somewhere in my general direction. He sniffed the air again. "A woman." He whispered before sitting down cross legged. "I hope we didn't cause you alarm Miss. Just hiking around a bit, I know it's late but as I'm blind and the heat I tend to walk at night ya see."
The dog went over to the man and laid its head in his lap. He smiled and scratched the dog behind the ears. Now that was lit by the firelight I could take in more of his appearance. He had worn boots, ripped jeans, and a flannel shirt on and I had to admit he was built well and fairly handsome. I decide to make my presence more known.
"It's okay. I'm not scared. I thought your dog was a stray or something at first. I've never seen anyone else out here before." I spoke softly and with curiosity. "Do you hike out here often?"
He chuckled. "I live out here. Have a cabin about a mile from here. Living off the grid ya see." He looked towards me, the sound of my voice seemed to help him pin point my whereabouts without much trouble. "I haven't seen a camper out here in many years." He leaned his pack against a tree trunk near by. "My name is Robert. And who might you be?"
"Madeline." I said nodding my head before realizing he couldn't see me anyways. I felt foolish and blushed to myself. "My friends call me Maddie though. How long have you lived out here?"
He smiled. "The pleasure is mine Maddie." He seemed to thinking about my question before he answered. "About, 10 years now I think? Briarpatch here..." he motioned to his dog, "was just a pup when we came out here. Sick of the city life I was. Never had much friends and no family left. So I grabbed the essentials, my seeing eye dog here and we left. Been here ever since."
I listened to him talk. He seemed to be enjoying my company. Despite his assurances that he enjoyed the solitary life I could tell he was enjoying having someone to talk to. After awhile he paused and looked towards me. "You must be tired, it is quite late."
I looked up at the stars and the moonlit sky, the nebulas of the Milky Way fully visible. One of the reasons I loved to get away to nature's lands was the stars. My mother used to tell me that the stars were hiding from the bright lights on Earth but would always be there watching over me. They brought me comfort and peace. After a moment of my silence Robert spoke again.
"Are you alright Madeline?" The usage of my full name startled me back to reality.
