Wayne Gray

June 04 (Monday, 5:15 p.m.) It had rained earlier in the day, but then the sun appeared and warmed things back up. It left the enervating smell of a rainy forest and wet, warm pavement. There was also the sound of the gentle dripping of water from eaves, leaves, and the Airstream. It was now early in the evening, and still bright. The sun's angle was perfect as it struck the patio under the canvas awning. Greg sat at his table in the welcome sunshine. He had pulled his chair around to fa

Hi, Estiveo. I just replied to droughtquake about this particular vexation. lol Thanks for reading. The next chapter is due on Wednesday, and I think I'll have the ability to post it. We'll see!

We're back on... until the next planned outage. Which is supposed to hit at 430 AM tomorrow morning. Yeah. I'm annoyed as hell, but that does little good. Instead, I'm looking into options such as: https://ecoflow.com/products/ecoflow-delta-1300wh and https://legionsolar.com/ Together these would keep our fridge running without an issue - indefinitely on sunny days. That's all I'll say about the outage. It's already frustrating enough, and I'd rather not dwell on it.

Hi, Geemeedee. Thanks for the comments. Yeah, camping isn't for everybody. I vastly prefer glamping now, with warm showers and improved campgrounds. Bugs don't really bother me, so that's not an issue I deal with. Don't worry about cleanliness. Orson will never contact the ground with his injury, ever. The healing power of forest, natural environments, and flowing water really can't be overstated here - particularly when it comes to mental health. There have been studies that prove the effectiveness of these places on our mental well-being. Right now, that's Orson's biggest struggle. Are you thinking of portapotties? These are not those. They're fully plumbed with flushing toilets, and don't smell any worse than a clean bathroom in a house. Greg's tasks include cleaning the bathrooms every day, and he keeps up on their maintenance. I feel like you've not really been glamping, if you have had to deal with nasty bathrooms during a camping trip! Ahhhhh... the Airstream. That will come up. Just wait. 🙂

Thanks, Parker. That conversation is coming so stay tuned. Greg’s a good man. Clay is too, but it was Greg’s call to make, and he did. There’s more on Wednesday.

Well, he needs some right now. Clay is worried for Mason. He doesn’t have enough information to be anything but fearful. Not a good place to be.

Thanks, tim. They were due for some good feelings, I think. Their trials aren’t over, but they have each other to lean on. With that, they can handle anything.

You’re right about the tight, brotherly way law enforcement treat one another. I’ve never been a cop, but I’ve been a US sailor. There must be a similar way police bond with one another, and I extrapolated my own experience to Clay, Greg and Orson. There’s talk of turning us back on sometime this evening. That’d be great, but yes... seriously considering energy solutions beyond the grid. Thank you for reading and commenting, Dave.

Thanks, Danilo. Orson has options now, though the campground does seem to be the best one. It’s not really a stretch to imagine the guy in charge of a grant-funded program that provides activities for at-risk kids is also a case-manager. We’ll see if that helps sway Mr Clay.

Thank you, Chris. Clay brings Orson to the campground, while our young pair of guys sneaked a night together. Well, until Greg caught them!

Thanks, Fae. Yeah, knowing the characters, how they are, and the situation really did point toward the solution of Orson coming to the campground. It’s the natural choice.

May 25 (Friday, early a.m.) Yesterday, Greg had gone to bed a little worried. Clay hadn't called as he had planned. Greg knew his lover was likely busy with the young, injured officer, so when the phone began to ring at four a.m., instead of annoyance, Greg was happy to have his sleep interrupted. "Hi, Officer Jameson." He held the device against his ear as he lay in bed and rubbed his eyes. "Hey, Greg." Clay sounded exhausted. "How's he doing?" Greg sat up in bed, forcing his fo

Hello! Thanks for reading and commenting on the story. Camp Refuge has been around on a few sites prior to GA, though this version is, by far, the smoothest read (thanks to many edits by myself and Thorn Wilde). Droughtquake is correct - Guarded is linked to the story, and it is posted here in its entirety already. I hope you enjoy the rest of the work!

Thanks for commenting, Parker. Yeah. There are some scenes and some things that happen to characters that hurt me too. Clay is an honorable guy. He won't let Orson flounder, if Orson will allow him to help. There's more on Sunday. Till then...

They adore him. They appreciate what he’s doing for them. Without him there’s no Raven Project. They’re kids, but they know that they owe him so much. They just want him to be happy. I’m glad that moment felt good and right. Thanks, Fae.

Well, when you’re thinning a forest sometimes a sapling gets missed. Not a big deal. 👍

Take care of yourself, Fae. You're doing the right thing by taking the time.

You're welcome. 🙂 I'm glad everyone is trying to save Orson. He's worth saving. We'll see where he ultimately ends up. There will be a chapter on Sunday. You all got a freebie this week, thanks to that infernal Cliffhanger! Thank you for commenting and reading, Tonyr.

Thanks, rick. I think this one resonates so much because people can see themselves in one or more of the characters. Seeing someone like us happy and living their life is a really powerful thing.

Thanks for reading and commenting, Jeffrey. I love how everybody is trying to save Orson. It's actually really sweet, and it makes me happy. He's a brave, and good man, and he deserves happiness.

Thanks for commenting, James. I do plan to post the next chapter on Sunday, that way there won't be a huge lag between chapters. In it, we'll find out what happens with Orson - at least for his near future. There is a lot of conjecture, and of course much of that points our one-legged hero toward the campground. We'll see if they're right.

It's hard. It's hard to watch someone's whole idea of who they are, and what they're destined to do crumble. I get that. Thanks, Dave. You know what's coming, so hang on. 🙂

That's what you're guessing, huh? Maybe that park ranger we met early on had a change of heart? 😉

I can confidently say that Corbin has no idea who Clay, Greg, and Orson are.

If Orson wanted to work at a desk he could have stayed. He's a new cop... there's no way they could make him a detective. That requires training and experience beyond what the regular cop on the beat has. Orson wanted to deal face to face with the public every day. That was his dream... directly impacting the lives of people in his city. Well, that's over. "Reasonable accommodation" includes giving Orson a desk job, barring that, he could be medically retired.