Page 58 (2/2)

He runs his hand down "

And I don’t I’m too tired But soether is dwindling, and that once we get ho will fall apart I’ll need to come up with a solid plan of action Create some sort of mental safety bunker in case ht ht Now that he’s back, things are a million times harder I never realized "us" would be so co, we leave the ca andhiy At first I fear that we still have a one There’s so one It’s been brewing from the remnants of a tropical Pacific front off the coast of Southern California, and now it’s gathered strength and is headed north

If we’re going to get to the star party, we need to eway between two th of it, and that river floods during storer He warned et trapped in there," Lennon explains "So we either need to hike through it before evening, or we need to stay here for another night But there’s a chance if we do that, it could be another day before the canyon is cleared for hiking"

"Are you sure we can get through it?"

"If the storm follows the track it’s on, we should have no problem But we need to leave soon In the hour"

"Oh, "

"How are your hives?" He inspectsup my sleeves "Not as scary, but still there"

"At least they’re not itching all that bad at the e the I’y from the Benadryl, but I’ll take a nondrowsy prescription antihistamine with breakfast And there is breakfast, I see, because Lennon already has everything laid out, including the all-i to need that caffeine as soon as I get back from the restroom," I tell hi It’ll taste like burned sludge Milkshake thick"

"I forgot how much I like you"

One side of his et you to the star party without us being drowned in a stor!"

We have to rush to eat and get our cae bags in case of rain Once we’re ready, we head out of the caround with a few other wretched souls who are also up at the crack It’s not long before those hikers leave us for the Silver Trail Our western path is ood--but it also ns, no bathroo wears off as we head toward a small chain of mountains covered in Ponderosa pines And after a brisk uphill hike, the forest levels off and opens up to a river that snakes through a long canyon: Queen’s Gap

The canyon is fairly narrow and lush with ferns and ht bank of the river is barely wide enough for two people to walk co into overgrown brush But it’s worth all the hassle--the rough path, spiderwebs, and occasional low-hanging tree branches that nearly poke eous here The canyon river is babbling, creating a light mist where it dips down small hills of polished river rock, and unworldly ferns that cover the canyon floor seeer and more luxuriant the farther alk It’s an embarrassment of ferns As if nature said, here, you deserve an extra helping

We’recalad to be alone withaboutti about Lennon In ht before and throw some additional fantasies into the mix that are 50 percent dirtier