Chris

Chapter 1

The rain came down in sheets as Chris pulled into the national forest campground. Freckles sat in the seat next to him looking worried, her ears were down low on her furry head and her eyes looking at him pleadingly.

"It's really coming down. Don't worry, I'll put the awning out and you can go outside under it."

She wagged her tail at his voice and Chris smiled at her.

The windshield wipers swished back and forth rapidly as Chris slowly drove his van around the forested campground loop.

He'd been here before, about a year ago, and he remembered camping along the backside of the loop. He also remembered liking the campground fairly well, good trails with a lot of variety in both terrain and distance and drinkable water.

His headlights illuminated the rain as it splashed down to the gravelly road. A few of the sites were occupied with camper vans similar to his and even a few unfortunate tent campers.

"Glad we're not in a tent huh girl? Looks miserable." He remarked with a chuckle as they passed a particularly soggy looking tent.

Finally pulling up to an empty spot along the back row Chris pulled passed and backed into the space. Tall trees swayed in the storm as he backed into the spot, parking so that the extendable awning would hopefully cover the concrete picnic table.

Putting his van in park Chris unbuckled and left the cab where he stood in the living area and stretched. Rain thundered against the roof as he flicked the light on.

Freckles joined him as soon as he'd stood and immediately went to the door, looking at him expectantly.

"I know, I know. You gotta go. Hold on." Chris grumbled as he put his fists to his lower back and arched it, eliciting a satisfying pop.

Straightening back up he pushed the button on the wall that would extend the vinyl cover from the passenger side of the van.

The whirring of the motor was almost inaudible over the noise of the rain on the metal roof.

Freckles pawed the door and looked at him as if to say it was taking too long.

"I know, but I don't want you all wet and you hate the rain anyway." Chris said as he peered out the window to check the awnings progress. It was almost fully extended so he stopped.

Freckles bolted out of the doorway as soon as he slid it open and Chris followed her, his shoes crunching the wet gravel.

Water sluiced off the awning's edge as Freckles sniffed frantically for a spot to relieve herself.

The cool humid air smelled strongly of petrichor and the setting sun cast the forest in a dramatic, if slightly dreary light. Chris closed his eyes and breathed the soothing scent in while listening to the drumming rain.

I love this.

A gust of wind shifted the van and made the awning creak ominously, snapping him out of his reverie.

"Come on girl, let's go." He called. She was finished anyway and just sniffing around the wet ground pretending to not hear him.

He whistled and then got back into the van while retracting the awning once more, figuring she'd either listen to his whistle or get rained on.

Freckle seemed to get that he was serious and trotted over to reenter the van as well, her wet paws leaving prints on the faux wood flooring.

With the awning safely stowed and the sliding door closed Chris went about making dinner for the both of them. Freckles wolfed hers down in a few chomps and then proceeded to beg at his side for a taste of his own, which after a few moments Chris relented with a roll of his eyes.

He let her out for a bathroom break outside when the weather broke and then they turned in.

Freckles in her bed on the floor and Chris in his own double at the rear of the van.

Morning came early and saw them both up before the dawn, getting ready to go and run the trails the branched from the trailhead nearby.

Freckles danced in place as Chris put his running pack on and filled water bottles and when it was time for her harness Chris had to wrestle her to get it on.

Finally ready they left the van and walked to the trailhead. The weather had cleared out the night before and the air was crisp and clean. Water still dripped intermittently from the trees above him and there were numerous puddles on the road. Freckles trotted just in front of him as they passed the few other empty campsites that were between his and the trailhead.

Finally on the muddy trail Chris started to jog and Freckles picked her pace up to match his and they were off.

Hours later saw the two walking back down the road to their campsite. Mud was caked thoroughly on Freckles' underside and stuck to Chris' legs from the knee down.

"That was a good one huh? Pretty sure last time we were here it wasn't so muddy though."

A few of the sites that were empty earlier this morning now housed a few campers going about making breakfast and setting camp.

The tantalizing smell of bacon drifted from a large RV's window and Chris could see the inhabitants moving around inside.

Freckles paused and stared at the RV as if willing the bacon to her but at Chris' whistle caught back up.

Coming around the bend his gray van came into view. Outside the sliding door an older woman stood, standing as if she'd just knocked on it and was waiting for someone to open it from the inside.

"Morning ma'am. Something I can do for you?" Chris called out as soon as he was in talking range.

"Oh! Good morning. Are you the owner of this vehicle?" She asked with an anxious smile while gesturing to the van.

The woman was older, likely a retiree and had a matronly aire about her but she seemed worried and perhaps nervous around him.

"That'd be me. Would you happen to be the campground host?" He responded, smiling widely and trying to put her at ease.

"Freckles. Here." Chris said while pointing to the ground near his foot and the panting dog complied with her tongue hanging out.

"Oh my, what a cute dog. Freckles is it? Looks like you two found some mud." The woman said with a nervous laugh. It didn't escape his attention that she hadn't answered his question though.

"We just got done with the Carlisle seep loop, which looking back was a mistake to stay that low in the canyons. Lots of mud down there." He said, scrubbing at her wet ears affectionately.

"We got in late last night during that storm and we were just on our way to pay for a couple days at the pay station. Unless you could take payment now?" He said, still scrubbing the dog's ears and scratching her chest as she leaned on his muddy leg.

"I...you got me." The woman said with a relieved sigh and a laugh.

"My name's Sherry and you guessed it. I'm the campground host. I'd just noticed you hadn't paid and well sometimes people get touchy about that stuff. You'll have to forgive an old woman for being nervous." She said, smiling genuinely this time.

"Nice to meet you Sherry, name's Chris. And it's no problem, I imagine you see all kinds. Now should I just pay you or should I go to the pay station?" He said, standing upright and dusting the wet dog hair off his hands on his muddy pants.

"Yes I do, some people just don't want to pay and then I have to call law enforcement and frankly it's always a mess." She said, shaking her head and pulling out a pad of paper from her back pocket. "You can just pay me. I've got a ticket book here you can fill out and I can take your payment now." She eyed his muddy dog and then his hands where the damp dog hair had clung and refused to let go. "Actually, why don't I just leave you a blank one and you can drop it off whenever." She tore one of the small envelopes from the stack and handed it to him without waiting for his answer.

"Sure, uh. That works." Chris said as he took the paper.

"Spot number one!" Sherry said cheerfully and turned to walk away.

Chris opened the driver's door and fished a pen out of the console as well as enough cash to stay at the site for a week. Then he filled out the form and stuck the little sticker portion on the windshield while putting the cash in the envelope for Sherry later.

A quick rinse with the outdoor shower head got the worst of the mud from both him and Freckles and then Freckles got a good toweling. After she had run off her post toweling energy Chris took a very fast shower in the tiny bathroom in his van while she napped in her bed on the floor.

After breakfast Chris sat at the picnic table with his opened laptop and with a grimace got to work, answering emails and scheduling phone calls and just generally working.

He couldn't complain, his job as a military consultant was fairly easy and only required him to be physically present in an office a few times a year for major conferences and the strangely mandatory company Christmas party. Chris wasn't even sure that was technically legal but they handed out bonus checks at the beginning of the party and for the last three years Chris had been with the company the checks had been significant so he wasn't going to complain.

Luckily all the mandatory attendance meetings were scheduled months in advance so Chris could easily work them into his planned routes around the western United States.

After working all morning while Freckles napped in the sun his email chirped on his computer.

"Dammit." He cursed after scanning the text.

"Get up Frecks, we're headed south to..." He squinted at the email. "Colorado Springs. Or thereabouts."

Freckles sat up slowly and stretched lazily.

"I know, we just got here but work is work." He said, typing in a response to the email hastily and closing the laptop.

He stood and scrubbed his eyes.

Damn, just go here too. I was looking forward to running all the trials here again but now we gotta drive for probably a day and a half.

"Ah well, at least I've got good company eh Frecks?" He said with a smile, making her tail wag.

"Who's a stinky old hairy dog? Who is?" He said in a silly voice while scrubbing her fur with his hands and making her wiggle happily.

"Alright let's pack up everything and go." He said, grabbing his laptop and coffee cup from the table.

"All packed up!" he cheered, laughing at his own joke. Freckles just wagged her tail slowly.

"No one around here appreciates my humor. I don't need your pity tail wags, that was comedy gold." He grumbled as he stowed the computer and cup inside the van.

He pulled the envelope out of his pocket and left enough money to cover last night before putting the rest back into his wallet.

"Come on. Up!" He said to Freckles and she happily jumped into the back of the van.

With one last look around the campsite to make sure nothing was left he clambered into the driver's seat and started the engine.

The gravel once again crunched under the vans tires as he slowly approached the campground host's site.

A large motorhome sat nestled under some trees and a plethora of lawn furniture and decorations adorned the site. Complete with plastic flamingos and even a few pineapples.

What's that thing with pineapples and campers again? I swear there was a thing about that.

He thought as he thumped the van door loudly closed and approached the motorhome

The RV's door opened and Sherry stood in the doorway.

"Oh, hello Chris." Her eyes took in his still running van and Freckles sitting in the passenger seat.

"It looks like you're leaving?" She said in a slightly confused way.

"Er yeah actually. I was going to stay for a week or so but duty calls and work needs me further south." Chris said, feeling oddly like he needed to reassure her.

"Oh I see. That's too bad."

"I've got the payment for last night here though." He said, holding out the envelope up to her.

"Thank you. Most people would've just bailed you know." She said, taking the money from him.

"Well not me ma'am. Have a good one! I might be back in a couple weeks but who knows." Chris shrugged.

"You too! Hopefully I'll be seeing you both soon." Sherry said with a radiant smile, offering him her hand.

Chris' large hand fully engulfed her smaller hand as they shook.

He released her hand and went around to his door but before he could climb in she called out.

"You said you ran the Carlisle seep loop this morning?"

Chris nodded his head.

"That's a ten mile loop! I looked it up when I got back." She said in disbelief.

"Eleven if you count me chasing after ding dong when she saw a squirrel." Chris said with a laugh and closed the door.

He departed with a wave and soon was on the road again.