”Collect some fire wood, will you, Bobbi, and I’ll finish setting up the tent,” said her mother Tara, as she tied down the last corner of the tent and drove the stake into the ground. “Sure, mom,” Bobbi replied, “it shouldn’t take me more than ten minutes or so!” 

“It had been so long since the two of them had done anything together,” thought Tara, so two days in the mountains would be good for both of them!!! Bobbi did more than an adequate job of scrounging dry wood, and in a few minutes, Tara had a roaring fire going with a pot of beef stew hanging from a tripod in the middle of the flames. Soon the cool air was filled with the aroma of boiling stew, so coupled with not having eaten for over six hours, both women felt their tummies growling in anticipation of a hot dinner!!! The sun was setting in the western sky as Tara and Bobbi sat down and ate their supper.

The dinner conversation ranged from how Bobbi was doing in school, to how both of them were doing since the loss of Fred, Bobbi’s father and Tara’s husband of eighteen years. It had been almost a year since his passing, and while Bobbi seemed to be getting along just fine, her mother on the other hand, still hurt deeply from her loss. Seeing as how her mother was getting a little misty eyed, Bobbi steered the conversation back to her school activities, and Tara immediately seemed to perk back up! Lost in the atmosphere of good food and conversation, neither of the two woman noticed when three strange men appeared in the clearing fifty yards down the path. Drawn by the smell of the stew, the three hungry fellows were making a beeline for their camp! It wasn’t until the three of them were practically on top of them before Tara noticed them standing not more than twenty feet away! Her heart practically stopped at the suddenness of their appearance, but trying not to let on her fear, Tara asked casually, “May I help you!?!” The taller and rougher of the three explained, “We’ve been lost in the woods all day, and followed the smell of your food, we ain’t eaten since late last night!” Sensing trouble, Tara quickly decided if they were going to make trouble, the two of them alone couldn’t stop them anyway, so she offered, “We have plenty of beef stew left, won’t you join us!?!” “Mother,” Bobbi hissed under her breath, “are you crazy!?!” “Shush,” Tara shot back, “I know what I’m doing!!!” The three men took their placed around the fire and Tara spooned out generous portions of stew to each of them.

They ate pretty much in silence, while every once in a while looking over their shoulders back up the trail, as if someone was following them! It was about at that moment when Tara realized that the three strangers were escaped convicts!!! She tried mightily to keep the terror she felt off of her face, but it was useless, and the big one noticed it at once and said harshly, “Okay, so ya know, well it won’t help you none, “cuz we lost them dogs hours ago, so don’t expect no help anytime soon!!!” “Whatya think, Frank,” asked the short stocky one, do ya think we’d better keep moving!?!” “We gotta rest sometime,” replied Frank, “it might as well be here, we’ve got all the comforts of home,” as he turned his gaze to the two women! For the first time, Bobbi realized the trouble they were in, so instinctively she snuggled up close to her mother for protection, but in her heart she knew that it was a futile gesture!!!