Secrets: The Truth is Slowly Revealed - 2. Chapter 2 S1

Chapter 2 – A Close Escape and Heartbreak

After I heard the bear growl, and since I could only get a glimpse of it out of the corner of my eye, I focused all of my attention back on the mountain lion. That’s when I noticed the mountain lion had turned in the other direction and was scampering away. Even though it had appeared ready to attack Devin and me, it obviously didn’t want to tangle with the bear and chose to hightail it out of there instead.

Suddenly remembering about the bear again, I quickly glanced out of the corner of my left eye and discovered the bear was no longer there either. Thinking both of the threats were now gone, the muscles in my body began to relax and I was able to move, so I started looking around. The bear was definitely nowhere in sight, but Devin was standing off to my left – and he was completely naked.

“Are you ok, cuz the bear was standin’ where you were?” I asked confused, although I was elated to see he was all right. “And what happened to you and how come you don’t have any clothes on?”

“Uhhh, I’m not sure. The bear must’ve knocked me out of the way,”

“But that doesn’t explain why you’re naked?”

“Ummm, I guess the bear’s claws must have caught on my clothes and ripped everything off me.”

I looked closer before I spoke again. “Your hiking shoes are torn apart too, so what happened to them?”

“Uhhh, I’m not really sure. I guess the claws on the bear’s feet must have caught on my hiking shoes too, so when it knocked me out of the way they ripped my shoes to shreds.”

I was having a great deal of trouble accepting his explanation. I just couldn’t imagine how the bear’s claws could have ripped his clothes and hiking boots off without also tearing into his flesh. I didn’t make a big fuss about it, though, since I was worried the bear and mountain lion might still be around and I wanted to get back to the cabin.

“I’m really glad you’re ok, even though all your clothes got ruined. You’re my best friend and I don’t want nothin’ to happen to you.”

“Yeah, and I’m glad you’re ok too, cuz you’re my best friend.”

“Uhhh, maybe we should go back to the cabin now, before the bear or mountain lion come back.”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea, but I’m feeling kinda exposed, so will you let me borrow your shirt to wear so I can cover up? It’s kinda big on you, so it should help to hide my dick and butt, just in case we come across anyone else.”

“Sure,” I agreed as I removed my shirt and handed it to him. “You mean there might be other people out here too?”

“Yeah, but they don’t come out here very often. It’s just that once in a while we see someone else walking around on the trails and I don’t want to be naked if that happened.”

“But you don’t have anything on your feet either, so are you gonna be able to walk back to the cabin?”

“Yeah, I’ll be ok as long as we stay on the trail. It’s pretty worn down and there shouldn’t be anything sticking up that will hurt my feet too badly, so I should be able to do this.”

“Ok, but you can walk as slowly as you need to and I’ll just follow behind.”

“Ok, that sounds good.”

When we got back to the cabin, we didn’t see his parents, so we went directly up to the bedroom we were using so Devin could get dressed again. As soon as that was taken care of, we went outside to find his mom and dad. When we located them, Devin pulled his dad aside so he could tell him about what had happened, while I chatted with his mom.

“Did something happen out there?” she asked before I was able to say anything.

“I’ll let Devin or Mr. McCaskill tell you about it, cuz Devin might get upset if I tell you first.” I’d tried to make it sound as if it was nothing so she wouldn’t worry or freak out, and it looked as if I succeeded.

“I see, so what do you think of our little summer hideaway?”

“It’s nice out here, but I didn’t know there were so many wild animals around.”

“Yes, there are. Did you see some of them on your hike?”

“Yeah, we did,” I replied, but I wasn’t about to go into greater detail.

“We’re definitely in the wilderness out here, but if you’re careful you will be fine. We seldom have any run-ins with the wildlife.”

“Oh, ok,” I replied, but I was thinking ‘it’s a good thing that she hadn’t been with us or she might not have made that comment.’

After Devin finished speaking with his dad, he came back to join me again, we started walking back to the cabin while Mr. McCaskill talked to his wife. I assumed he was going to tell her the same thing that Devin had just told him, but I was curious about how his dad had reacted.

“So, how did it go?” I asked Devin.

“My dad was pretty cool about it, but I think it was only so I wouldn’t freak out about how bad it might have been. I hope my mom doesn’t go ballistic when he tells her about it, and that’s why my dad thought it would be best if he explained what had happened to her alone, rather than letting me tell her.”

“Yeah, he’s probably right about that.”

“He said he doesn’t want us going out by ourselves any more. He said he needs to be with us whenever we’re away from the cabin from now on.”

“I think that’s a good idea.”

Devin and I spent the rest of the day on the porch of the cabin talking about what could have happened if the mountain lion or the bear had attacked us. We continued doing that until we were called in for supper, and then after we ate his dad ask us a question.

“How would you two like to go fishing in the morning?”

“Yeah, that sounds great!” we both agreed.

“Dad, are you gonna teach Mickey how to clean and scale the fish after he catches them, like you did with me?”

“If Mickey wants to learn how to do that I’d be happy to teach him and it won’t be a problem,” he replied with a grin. “I’d just be surprised if he wanted to do it. Mickey, do you realize that you’ll have to remove the fish’s guts too?”

“Yeah, Devin told me about that. If he can do it, then I can too,” I replied, while doubting the words as they came out of my mouth. I just didn’t want Devin to think that I didn’t enjoy doing the same things he did.

“Ok, then its fine with me. I’d just suggest that both of you get to bed early, because the fish start biting just as soon as the sun comes up.”

“Ok, we’ll do that, cuz we both want to do this with you,” we agreed.

Devin and I got ready for bed just before it got dark, and then we fell asleep shortly after that. We didn’t have any trouble drifting off this time, which was probably due to the fact that we were physically tired from the hike and emotionally drained from the encounter with the mountain lion and the bear. In fact, thinking about that experience as I was drifting off caused me to put my arm over Devin and I held on to him tight, because I wanted to be sure he didn’t leave me during the night.

Devin’s dad woke us up while it was still dark outside and we got dressed. When we got to the kitchen, I asked Mr. McCaskill a question.

“Are we gonna eat breakfast first?”

“No, we’ll do that after we get back.”

We then followed him to the closet where he kept the fishing gear and he handed both Devin and me a fishing pole, as well as grabbing one for himself. He also retrieved the tackle box with the other items we’d need, and then we headed outside.

“I dug up some worms after you boys went to bed, so Devin will you grab that jar and bring it with you.”

“Yeah, no problem.”

“Mickey, can you swim?” Mr. McCaskill asked.

“Yeah, I can. Why do you want to know?”

“I though it would be best to know that information before we went out in the boat, just in case something happened. You could fall out of the boat or the boat could sink, so I just wanted to know in advance.”

“Oh, do you think those things might really happen?”

“No, but it’s always best to be prepared, just in case.”

Mr. McCaskill then pulled a rowboat out from under the porch.

“Hey, you have a canoe too.”

“Yes, but we don’t typically use it when we go fishing.”

“Can me and Devin use it sometime?”

“Have you ever been in a canoe before?”

“Yeah, we did it a few times after school last year. They had a special program where they took a bunch of us to a lake on a bus and taught us how to use a canoe.”

“Don’t you remember signing the permission slip that allowed me to do it?” Devin asked.

“I guess it must have slipped my mind, so I guess it will be ok for you boys to take the canoe out on the lake if you want, but I want you to wear a life jacket whenever you do it.”

“Ok, we will,” we both agreed.

After that was agreed to this, Devin and I helped Mr. McCaskill carry the rowboat down to the lake. The oars were already in it, so after he pushed it out into the water, he had Devin and me hop in before he climbed into the rowboat with us. He then rowed out to the middle of the lake, and once we were there he told us what to do next.

“Devin knows how to bait his hook, so I’ll show you how to do it and then we’ll toss our lines into the water. Hopefully, we’ll have some fish to take back with us when we return to the cabin.”

“Yeah, I hope so,” Devin replied.

“Me too,” I added.

After he showed me how to bait the hook, I asked him a question. “Does that hurt the worm?”

“They don’t have a brain and don’t feel things the same way we do.”

“What about the fish? Do they feel it when the hook jabs into their mouth?”

“Maybe a little, but it’s probably no worse that when you get pricked on the finger by something.”

“That still hurts.”

“But not really bad and you always get over it quickly.”

“I guess so.”

Luckily, we all caught some fish. I ended up with two, while Devin and his dad both caught more than me. When Mr. McCaskill thought we had enough, he rowed back to shore and pulled the rowboat onto the bank. He then flipped it over and placed the oars underneath before turning toward us to speak.

“We’ll leave it here, because I’m sure we’ll be going fishing again before we leave. In fact, I’ll probably come out here several more mornings before we leave.”

“Then we will too,” I quickly agreed, although Devin merely nodded in response.

“Let’s clean and scale the fish before we have breakfast, because I don’t want Mickey to barf up his meal after he sees what’s involved. If we do this first, then we can clean up and eat once we’re done.”

“Ewww, that’s gross,” I blurted out when Mr. McCaskill showed me how to clean and scale a fish. It made me a little queasy too, but I was determined to do whatever Devin did.

“Are you sure you want to do this then?”

“Yeah, I’ll be ok.”

After I finished watching Mr. McCaskill clean and scale one of his fish, he had me do everything he did with one of the fish I’d caught. I had to force myself to do it, but I was determined not to let Devin see that I was having problems. Once I finished, Mr. McCaskill had me clean and scale the other one on my own.

He and Devin cleaned and scaled the fish they’d caught, but they were faster than me at doing it, so we all finished at about the same time. When we were done, Mr. McCaskill took the bucket we’d put the fish guts and scales in and carried it out into the woods to dump. He said he wouldn’t do it too close to the cabin because the scent would attract wild animals.

While he was doing that, Devin and I went in to shower. Devin suggested we should do it together to save time, and then his dad could shower when we were done. I didn’t have a problem showering with Devin, because we’ve been taking baths together ever since we started staying at each other’s house. This time was different, though, because while we were showering Devin called my name, and when I turned to see what he wanted, he kissed me. It caught me by surprise, but I liked it, so I kiss him back and suddenly my dick got stiff.

“Did that happen because I kissed you?” Devin asked.

“Yeah, kissin’ you gave me a stiffy,” I replied.

Devin reached for it and began rubbing it, which made it even stiffer, so I did the same thing to him. We had to stop doing those things, though, when we heard Mr. McCaskill’s voice downstairs, and we finished our shower and got dressed.

When we went downstairs, Mrs. McCaskill was working on breakfast and Mr. McCaskill went up to shower, and when he finished washing up and getting dressed, we all sat down to eat.

Mrs. McCaskill had fixed us a really large breakfast, because she said everyone seemed to eat more whenever they spent time in the woods. She prepared a big bowl of scrambled eggs, a large quantity of home fries, and filled a large platter with bacon strips and sausage links. As we ate, Devin and I drank water to wash it down, while his parents had coffee.

“The fresh mountain air and exercise you get out here really revs up the old appetite,” Mr. McCaskill explained. “We’re usually so active during the day that we don’t generally stop for lunch, because we’re out doing other things and don’t want to come back to the cabin. And since we also burn off a lot of calories, I suggest you eat as much as you can now, so it will last until it’s time to eat again.”

“Can’t we take our lunch with us?”

“I’m afraid that would be a bad idea. The smell of the food would attract the various animals and draw them to us, so we choose to skip lunch instead. Bears and other animals have very good noses and can smell the food even if it’s wrapped up and in our backpacks.”

“Ok, then I’ll eat a lot now. This is really good, Mrs. McCaskill.”

“I’m glad you like it,” she replied, and then I ate more than I ever had before.

After breakfast, we helped to clean up quickly and then we all went out on a hike together so I could get to see the things I hadn’t been able to observe on our shortened hike the day before. We each took a bottle of water with us, because we’d be gone for quite a while.

I was surprised that Mr. McCaskill didn’t carry a rifle or shotgun with him, but he made all of us take a walking stick. I guess we could always use those if we ran into something, but I think he must have been fairly confident that nothing like that was going to happen. He might have also felt that since there are so many of us that it would have made a wild animal think twice before attacking our group, even if we could only scare it off with our walking sticks, although I think he had a knife too.

“Just try to get your bearings so you know where you are. That way you can find your way back to the cabin on your own in case of an emergency,” Mr. McCaskill urged me as we started out.

“Do you think that will happen?”

“No, but it’s always wise to be prepared.”

I did as he asked, but this time we didn’t run into any trouble – no mountain lions, bears, or any other ferocious animals. We just did a lot of walking and Mr. McCaskill pointed out a whole bunch of things he wanted me to see.

We were gone a really long time, and when we got back Devin’s parents prepared the fish we’d caught that morning for supper, along with French fries and a salad. I wasn’t sure if I was going to like eating the fish, because I’d only had fish sticks before, but it was really good. In fact, I think I ended up eating both of the fish I’d caught earlier, while the three of them ate the fish Devin and his dad had caught.

After we finished our meal, Devin’s dad pulled a deck of cards out of one of the drawers and we played gin rummy for the rest of the night. Once we finished the last game, we said goodnight and got ready for bed.

Once again, I put my arm over Devin as we were falling asleep, but this time it wasn’t because I was scared that he might leave me during the night. When I did it, I felt him wrap one of his arms around mine as he held my hand. It was a really nice way to fall asleep.

The following morning, Devin, his dad, and I went fishing again, and I caught even more fish than before. After we pulled the rowboat onto shore and we cleaned and scaled the fish. I didn’t have quite as much trouble doing it this time, but I didn’t let Devin know I was having any problems. I didn’t want him to think I was a wuss and couldn’t do it.

When we finished, Devin and I took the fish into the cabin and gave them to his mom, and then we went up to shower while his dad emptied the bucket in the woods. This time we agreed to wash each other, and when we washed each other’s dick and balls we spent a lot of time rubbing those areas, so we both had boners by the time we were done. We would have kept going, but we heard Mr. McCaskill’s voice and knew we had to stop before we got caught, because he often came into the bathroom to hurry us up. We finished our shower and got dressed, and then we went downstairs.

Devin’s mom made pancakes for breakfast and Devin and I both polished off a good size stack. We drenched the pancakes in butter and maple syrup before we gobbled them down, along with several bacon strips and a couple of sausage links. I was totally stuffed when we finished, and once we were done we helped his mom clear off the table and carry the dishes out to the kitchen to be washed.

After that was taken care of, we rested for a while before Devin’s dad took us out on another hike. We each grabbed a bottle of water and our walking sticks first, and this time his dad took us over a different trail. I was very impressed that he really knew how to get around out here and couldn’t wait to see what else he was going to show me.

Actually, it was the other way around because I spotted a neat looking rock along the trail and bent over to pick it up. “Hey, look at this unusual rock,” I said, getting the others attention.

“That’s not a rock. It’s petrified scat,” Mr. McCaskill responded.

“What’s scat?” I asked.

“That’s what they call animal poop,” Devin explained.

“Ewww,” I gasped as I threw it on the ground again.

“You don’t have to worry,” Devin assured me, “cuz it’s been there so long that’s it’s turned to stone.”

That made me feel a little better, but I still felt like an idiot for picking it up.

It seemed as if we walked even farther than we had the day before, and once again we didn’t run into any of the more ferocious wildlife that made this area their home. We saw some birds, including quail, grouse, and wild turkeys that Mr. McCaskill pointed out to us, as well as some smaller creatures, such as squirrels, rabbits, a raccoon, and an opossum up in a tree. We didn’t come across anything that was capable of harming us, though, and I was beginning to see why Devin enjoyed his trips out here so much.

That night we had fish for supper again, but his mom prepared it slightly different this time. I still enjoyed it, and rather than French fries and a salad to go with it, we had baked potatoes and corn on the cob. I enjoyed those things as well and thanked Devin’s mom for the great meal.

After helping to clear off the table when we finished eating, Mr. McCaskill went to the same drawer as the previous evening, but this time he pulled out a deck of UNO cards instead. Devin and I sat next to one another and spent most of the time dumping on each other, so his parents won every game we played. I guess we’re going to have to rethink our strategy.

Once his dad had put the UNO deck away, we said goodnight, but as Devin and I were getting ready to leave, his dad stopped us.

“Rather than going fishing in the morning, I’ve decided to go hunting for rabbits instead. You won’t be able to use a gun and you’ll only be able to follow me and see how it’s done, but I’m willing to take you with me, if you want. You’ll have to promise to be very quiet and stay behind me, though, or I’ll leave you here with my wife.”

We quickly promised to do whatever he said, and then Devin and I went to brush our teeth before heading to our bedroom to go to sleep. This time Devin put his arm over my side as we drifted off.

When we got up the next morning, we ate breakfast first, and this time Mrs. McCaskill fixed French toast, hash browns, bacon strips, and sausage links. Devin and I put a lot of syrup on our French toast and ate four slices each, along with the other stuff. It was all good and our bellies were full when we were done. As soon as we finished eating and had helped to do the clean up, we got ready to go out with his dad. He grabbed a gun out of a locked cabinet and I asked him about it.

“Is that a rifle?”

“Yes, it’s a .22 caliber rifle. It’s only good for hunting small game though, and not very effective on the larger animals.”

“So, what if we run across another bear or a mountain lion?”

“We won’t, but if we do we’ll just scare them off. Don’t worry, we’ll be fine.”

Mr. McCaskill took us into the woods this time, instead of on the trails, and he shot three rabbits while we were out that morning. Devin and I carried the rabbits back to the cabin, and then Mr. McCaskill taught us how to skin and field dress the rabbits, which means we cut the rabbits open and removed all of the internal organs. I don’t think I’d have been able to do this if I hadn’t gotten used to cleaning and scaling the fish. It was still gross, but I managed to work through it.

“We could have done this right after I shot each of the rabbits, but I prefer to wait until we get back so we don’t leave piles of guts all over out here. This way we can put everything in the bucket and then I take it out and dump it in the same hole that I dump the fish guts in. Just so you know, I dug a hole about four feet (1.2 m) deep to start, and then I can use it until it gets full and then I’ll have to dig another one.”

“That must hold a lot of guts then,” I muttered.

“It does, and every time I dump the bucket in the hole, I throw some hydrated lime over what I just dumped in there. I keep the lime in a wooden box near the hole and cover it with a tarp to keep it dry. After I’ve covered everything with the lime, I cover it all with a thin layer of dirt that I’d removed from the hole when I first dug it. The lime helps to make everything decompose faster and covering it all with dirt helps to keep the smell down.”

When he finished, he gave the skinned and dressed rabbits to his wife so she could prepare them for supper later, and he had Devin and me take the rabbit skins and lay them fur-side down on the porch so they would dry out. While we were doing that, Mr. McCaskill took the bucket of guts and dumped it in the hole he’d dug.

When he got back, Mr. McCaskill took us back out into the woods so we could gather firewood, but he only had us pick up pieces that were lying on the ground. If we came across a large branch or a small tree that had fallen down or been knocked over by a bear or another large animal, then Mr. McCaskill would use the hatchet he carried to chop it up. We made several trips to do this until we had enough wood for the fireplace, and then we stored the rest of the wood on the porch to use whenever it was needed. Mr. McCaskill said sometimes it got pretty cold at night, even in the summer, and if it happened while we were there he wanted to be able to start a fire in the fireplace. He said it was always best to be prepared.

That evening Mrs. McCaskill fixed the rabbits her husband had killed for supper, and she also sliced up a bunch of potatoes so she could make potatoes au gratin. In addition to that, she also prepared each of us a small bowl with broccoli covered in ranch dressing. I’d never had rabbit before and was a little surprised that I liked it. It was probably because of the way Devin’s mom had prepared it, but I thought it was good and ate my share, along with a large portion of the au gratin potatoes and the small bowl of broccoli.

When we finished eating, Devin and I asked his dad if we could play UNO again and he agreed. This time Devin and I sat across from one another, rather than next to each other, and we dumped on his parents instead. Unfortunately, they were doing the same thing to us, so they ended up winning again, which made us rethink what we were doing. After a while, we came up with a plan for the next time we played and hoped it would turn out better for us.

After Devin and I brushed our teeth, used the toilet, and got into bed, we faced each other and both of us put an arm over the other one’s side as we fell asleep. The way we were wound together made it difficult to tell where I began and where he ended, but it just felt right.

When we got up the following morning, we discovered it was raining out, but Devin’s dad said the fish would still be biting and took us out again. He made both of us put on one of the rain ponchos that he kept in the same closet as the fishing gear, and we caught a whole bunch of fish. After we cleaned and scaled them, we washed up and sat down to eat breakfast.

Devin’s mom fixed waffles this morning. She had two waffle makers and each one could make two waffles at a time. After she gave me and Devin those waffles, she would fill the waffle makers with batter again so she could prepare more. Devin and I put lots of butter and maple syrup on the waffles, and we ate bacon strips and sausage links too, so we were stuffed by the time we finished eating.

We stayed inside after that because it was still raining, so his parents brought out some board games for us to play.

“We keep these here for days like this. Which would you like to play? Trouble, Sorry, or Risk?”

“Is Trouble the game with the dice inside a bubble?” I asked.

“Yep, that’s the one,” Devin answered.

“Then let’s play that one.”

We played Trouble first, followed by Sorry, and by the time we finished the second game it had stopped raining, so we went out for another hike, but this time on a different trail.

“How many trails are there out here?” I asked.

“Oh, there are quite a few trails,” Mr. McCaskill answered. “My grandfather was the first one who used to stay out here and he cleared several trails. After my father started staying out here too, he worked on a few more trails so there are quite a few of them in this area. There are also a few animal trails that we follow every now and then, but you probably won’t get to see all of the trails while you’re here.”

“Man, I can’t believe there are so many trails out here.”

“It’s because we’re out in the middle of a very large wilderness area and we use the trails so we can get around quicker and more easily.”

“K, I think I understand.”

We had the fish we’d caught for supper that evening, along with macaroni and cheese and a salad. It was all really good and very filling too, and after that we played UNO again. This time Devin and I agreed to focus all of our attention on his dad and we’d dump on him whenever the game was going in that direction. It kind of worked out for us, because I won one game, but his mom won the other one, so maybe Devin will win next time.

We basically did the same types of things over the rest of the time I was at the cabin with them. We would go fishing two or three days in a row and then Mr. McCaskill would take me and Devin with him when he went hunting for rabbits again. We also took turns between playing rummy and UNO, and once in a while we’d play the board games too, but we played UNO a lot more than anything else. Devin and I also started winning a lot more UNO games after we began dumping on just one of his parents instead of each other. In fact, one night Devin and I won all of the games we played.

One day I even asked Mr. McCaskill if we were ever going to go swimming in the lake. He said we could, but the water was still pretty cold, and then he explained that it didn’t really warm up until late August. Devin and I wanted to try and see what it was like, so he walked down with us so we could go in. He was right and the water was kind of cold, but we stayed in for as long as we could stand it. When we finally got out, we both had goosebumps on our bodies and we were shivering.

“So, how was it?” Mr. McCaskill asked.

“It didn’t feel so bad when we first got in the water, but then my muscles started to tighten and I began to cramp up. It’s getting better now, although I feel even colder than when I was in the water.”

“Yes, that can happen and it probably has something to do with the cool breeze that’s blowing as well,” Devin’s dad agreed.

Devin and I were both really sad on the last day we were there, because we didn’t want our time at the cabin to end. Devin said he’d always enjoyed coming here with his parents, but it was even more fun now that I was with them, and I had a great time as well. I also learned a great deal from his dad and wished our time there could last forever, even though we knew that wouldn’t happen.

After we ate supper, we packed up our belongings so we’d be ready to leave the next morning, and then we got ready for bed. But before we fell asleep, Devin had one more thing he wanted to tell me.

“Mickey, you’ve got to promise me that you won’t tell your mom and dad about the bear and the mountain lion. If you do, I’m afraid my parents won’t let you come out here with us again.”

“Don’t worry cuz I’m not going to tell them about that stuff. My mom would freak out if she knew, and my dad probably wouldn’t be too happy either, but he wouldn’t freak out like my mom.”

“Good, I’m glad you agree,” he said.

Then he did something that surprised me. He kissed me again, but this time our mouths stayed together a lot longer than before. It was almost as if he was trying to swallow me.

“I really wish we didn’t have to leave,” he said when he finally broke the kiss. “I like it better when we’re here and we get to do these things.”

“I like doing them too, and we can still do them when we’re havin’ sleepovers.”

“Yeah, I know, but it’s just not the same, and then we cuddled together and drifted off to sleep.

As soon as we woke up the next morning, we helped his parents load everything into the SUV, but there wasn’t nearly as much to take back with us, since we’d eaten most of the food. Rather than having his mom fix breakfast before we left, Devin’s dad stopped at a diner on the way home.

Later, when they dropped me off at my house, I thanked them as I was getting out of the SUV and collecting my duffle bag and backpack.

“Thank you for letting me go with you. I had a great time and learned a whole bunch of stuff. I really enjoyed goin’ fishin’ with you guys and I want to thank you for teaching me how to clean and scale the fish. I also liked goin’ huntin’ with you and I’m glad you showed me how to skin and gut the rabbits too.”

“You’re very welcome and I’m glad you enjoyed yourself,” Devin’s dad responded. “It was wonderful to have you with us and I’m glad Devin suggested we bring you along this year.”

My parents had come outside to welcome me back and to thank the McCaskills for inviting me to go with them. They also asked how I’d behaved, and the McCaskills told them I was a pleasure to have around and they’d enjoyed my company. Once I got out of the SUV, I carried my things into the house and my parents began asking me a lot of questions about the trip.

“So, did you have a good time?” my mom wanted to know.

“Yeah, it was great.”

“What did you do while you were there?” my dad followed.

“Mr. McCaskill took us fishin’ and taught me how to clean and scale the fish that we caught. He also took us huntin’ with him, but we could only follow and watch, and then he showed me how to skin and gut the rabbits he shot.”

“It sounds as if you did a great deal,” my dad said, although my mom made a disgusted looking face when she heard about me cleaning and scaling the fish and skinning and gutting the rabbits.

“Is that all you did while you were there?” my mom asked, while hoping the other things we did were less gruesome.

“Nah, we went on a bunch of hikes on a lot of different trails, and at night or when it rained we would play games. Me and Devin even went swimmin’ once, but the water in the lake was pretty cold so we didn’t do it again.”

“And what games did you play?”

I quickly told her about the different games we played and how Devin and I would team up against one of his parents when we played UNO, since that was the only way we could win. However, like I promised Devin, I never told them about the encounter with the mountain lion and the bear.

“Then it sounds as if you enjoyed the past two weeks while you were there.”

“Yeah, I did. I had a blast.”

Devin and I spent most of the next two weeks together as well, and then one morning he looked upset when I got to his house.

“What’s wrong?” I demanded.

“My dad says we’ve gotta move.”

“Why?”

“He’s gonna start work at a new job and it’s in another part of the state.”

“Is it far away?”

“Far enough so we won’t be goin’ to school together or living next to each other any more.”

“Are we gonna be able to see each other again?”

“I don’t think so, because my dad said we’ll be a long way away from here.”

“When are you leavin’?”

“In two weeks. We’re already starting to pack our stuff and my dad is gonna rent a truck so he can put everything in it and the SUV. My mom’s gonna drive the SUV while my dad drives the truck, but I don’t wanna go! I told them I wanna stay here, but they said we hafta leave and I’ve gotta go with them.”

“I don’t want you to go either. You’re my best friend and I’ll be lost and really lonely without you.”

“Yeah, I know cuz I feel the same way.”

No matter how difficult it was going to be, there was nothing either of us could do to change the situation. We spent as much time as we could together until they left, and then I cried as I watched them drive away. I know Devin was crying too, because I saw him wiping his eyes with his hands and arm after he waved goodbye to me as they passed our house for the final time. It was the start of one of the roughest periods of my life.