It was early morning. The sun had just turned a darkened sky to a pale silvery gray. A heavy fog blanketed the forest-floor while a mist continued to float down on everything beneath the canopy. I doubted very much that there was another soul near me, for miles. That was good. That was exactly the way I wished it to be. Becoming lost in thought, I ran harder, faster.
The sound of the leaves and sticks crunching under my weight brought comfort in their familiarity. Keeping my breathing regular, I detected the subtle scent of ozone in the air. It would rain soon. And yet, even the threat of the approaching rain, had not given me reason to stop my run. I needed this run more than I needed to be warm and dry. Leaping over a fallen log, I tried to push past my lousy week, wanting to forget my job, my complicated family, my every worry.
I felt a gust of wind kick up along the trail. I ignored it, pushing on with even greater determination. A few strands of my long brown hair clung to the nape of my neck despite the fact that I had pulled it back into a ponytail. I was a blur of pale blue to anything that might have seen me as I veered to the left and the more challenging path.
A wince touched my brown eyes with the feel of a branch scratching at my arm but, I continued upward, feeling the arrival of the burning within my lungs. If I could take a moment to appreciate the scene that was slowly unfolding before me, I might be able to admit that the never- ending sea of greenery and forestry was truly awe-inspiring. There was no time for that.
Reaching the summit of the massive hilltop, I took no time to rest. Instead, I braced myself for the long trek down the terrain which if I was not careful could prove to be more dangerous. I jumped down, feeling the loose earth beneath my feet slide. Hopping from the sliding ground to another section further down and then to another when that part also began to loosen beneath the weight of my body, I maneuvered my way down the treacherous path. This was actually my favorite part of the run. Whether I was skiing or running, the fast-paced aspect, of the downhill challenge, always sent my heart racing.
I knew that when my feet touched down on an already sliding bit of earth that I was in trouble. I struggled to keep my balance but, it was too late. The wind was knocked out of me, when I impacted mercilessly against forest-floor. I rolled down the hill, bumping and brushing obstacles while struggling to grasp hold of something, anything before I fell any more down this tricky path. My right arm reached out to a large root which had grown up from beneath the soil. I gripped it tightly, feeling my body grind to a halt at the edge of a steep drop-off. Defying my better judgement, I rolled my head slowly to the left, peeking over the edge to see just how far the drop might have been.
“Oh, God!” I groaned as I stared down into the sudden valley created by the old riverbed. Rolling back onto my back, I stared up at the sky above me. “What the hell am I doing?”
I sighed while trying to catch my breath. I was hurt. There was no question about that. My left ankle was throbbing. I knew that I would not be able to walk on it. There was no one around for miles. That was exactly the reason that I had come. I needed to feel that I was here alone. I needed this place in all its solitude to rejuvenate me.
“This is just perfect,” I said in frustration. I hit the earth with my fist. “The perfect end to a God-awful week!”
The large droplet rolling down my cheek caused me to sniffle and wipe it away. Another, larger droplet landing directly in the center of my forehead. “Great! Just great! It’s going rain, soon. What else could go wrong?!”
A loud clap of thunder causing several birds within the trees above to scatter with fright seemed to answer me. I felt a stinging at my brown eyes. Wearily, I closed my eyes. The sound of something coming made me tense. It was not long before a fast panting and the sound of an animal drawing closer sent my heart racing.
Slowly, I opened my eyes to see a wolf staring me directly in the face. I was about to scream, when I felt the animal lightly lick my cheek in a show of affection. I looked closer, seeing that it was not a wolf at all but, a large German Shepard. In my entire life, I had never seen such a beautiful animal.
The dog was a pale white with the bluest eyes I had ever seen. It would have been all too easy to believe that this was its wilder cousin.
I watched the dog nuzzle my cheek just before she started to leave barking loudly. “Hey, wait,” I said, trying to sit up. I stopped with a hissed intake of breath, when the pain caused me to rest on my side.
“Rosie!” I heard a woman call. “Where are you, girl?”
The excited barking of the dog made me smile. “So your name is Rosie, huh?”
Sheets of rain pierced, through the canopy, falling onto me without mercy. I pulled myself upward, clawing at the ground and sliding to find some shelter under the nearest tree. All the while, Rosie stood vigil at my side. Closing my eyes, I rested for a moment. A hand caressing my cheek roused me.
I stared into concerned green eyes although, I could barely make out the woman’s face with the red sports jacket that she had draped over our heads in the hopes that it might protect us just a bit from the elements.
“What happened?” I heard a lyrical voice ask softly.
“Well,” I said, “I woke up this morning and thought, ‘It might be kind of nice to slide down the side of a mountain. Then, I might sit out in the rain.’ What about you?”
I witnessed the woman withdrawing a bit from me. I winced. This woman was trying to help me. There was no reason to take my frustrations out on her.
The woman moved her jacket from overhead, revealing herself to curious eyes. Long white-blonde hair hung down around her face as she searched my eyes. The attire that tightly garbed her body was so similar to my own in all but, the color. She was wearing what by all accounts should be a sports bra and not a shirt but, nevertheless, it was her shirt. The black running pants that fitted to her long legs might have been made just to fit her alone because I sincerely doubted that anyone else would be able to wear them the way this woman was.
“I’m sorry. I just— I’ve had a rotten week and I shouldn’t take things out on you.”
She clasped her hands together, as she spoke in a voice dripping with sarcasm. “You mean, you didn’t mean that?! And here I was thinking, ‘Wow, this goes perfectly, with the desire which woke ME up this morning.’ I kept thinking, that it would be simply wonderful to go for a nice trail-run and then help some hurt stranger that I might happen upon. Maybe if I am really lucky, I can get bitched at for my trouble!”
I laughed under my breath as this woman batted her long lashes melodramatically. “Ok, I guess I had that coming.”
“Uh-huh. You did, love.”
“I slipped on some loose terrain then fell,” I said. “I think I’ve twisted my ankle.”
“Of course, you did. We’re girls.”
I frowned in confusion.
“By the way, my name is Lee,” the blonde said. “Well, actually my name is Lesley but, you can call me, Lee or Les or whatever you want. I’m rambling. Aren’t I?” When I nodded, she laughed.
“My name is Logan. Why did you say that about us being girls?”
“You ever noticed that whenever a woman is running and hurts herself, it is always her ankle which is injured. It’s like the classic cliche. The woman runs away from some terrible monster. Then, boom! She’s on the ground. She just twisted her ankle.”
Green eyes fell heavily on me as I squirmed.
“I suppose, the only question left to ask is, ‘What was this Monster, that you were running away from, Logan?’”
I tensed. “Are we gonna sit here and gossip in the rain all day or did you have, some plan, for helping me out of here?”
Lesley smiled knowingly. “Ah, avoidance. Must be pretty bad, then.”
“Look, are we going to get out of here or— ”
Shrugging, Lesley rose to her feet. “If you don’t want to talk about it— ”
