Secrets 2: Looking Through Different Eyes - 14. Chapter 14 S2

Chapter 14 – Returning to Campus

The following evening, Devin and I fixed supper for my parents again, because I wanted to make certain they were in a good mood when I sprung the news on them about our summer plans. Mom was thrilled when she realized we’d done this again, and my dad enjoyed both the food and dessert we’d provided, and during dessert I broke the news to them.

“Devin and I talked to his grandfather on the phone today about an idea that we’d discussed with him briefly after he played Santa for us when he was in Fort Collins. He called to give us the details about what we’d discussed.”

“This sounds ominous,” my dad stated as soon as I finished.

“Not really, but I wanted to let you know what we’re planning to do this summer. When the semester ends, we will come home for a couple of weeks first, and then we’ll both be going to Arkansas with Gramps so we can learn about the businesses that he and his brother own.”

“Oh, they own multiple businesses?” my mom asked.

“Yes and the two businesses are totally unrelated. They own the McCaskill Environmental and Wildlife Consulting Group, as well as Hidden Treasure Coin Dealers. Devin’s dad is a partner in both of these businesses as well.”

“And why do they want you boys to learn about their businesses?” Dad followed.

“They’re hoping that we’ll become partners with them as well. We wouldn’t be working with them full-time, but they’re hope is that we can take over some of the responsibilities from them in due time.”

“And will you be able to do that with the jobs you’re hoping to get?”

“Yes, because we should be able to do things to help them on weekends or vacations, and we might possibly be able to do some work for them from home.”

“What exactly does that first business do?” my mom asked.

“The McCaskill Environmental and Wildlife Group does many different things, mostly for state and federal agencies. Various states will hire them to do headcounts on various species, mostly so they will know how many hunting permits they should make available that year. The Feds also use various headcounts to determine if certain species need to be added to the Endangered Species List.”

“Ok, that explains the Wildlife part, but what is the environmental aspect of their business?”

“Gramps and Pops are hired by federal, state, and local municipalities to evaluate the environmental impact that certain activities will have in various areas. For example, these impacts might result from logging, mining, or drilling, or even due to commercial or residential expansion into certain areas.”

“And how would you and Devin be able to help assist them with those things?”

“Devin can utilize his engineering background to help them evaluate how certain changes will impact the area, and I’ll be able to assist them with statistical probabilities and possibly even design computer models they can use.”

“Ok, so how long will you be gone and how will you get to Arkansas?”

“We’ll probably be gone for the month of June, but like I said we’ll be home for a couple of weeks before we leave and we should be back in time to celebrate the Fourth of July with all of you. After that we’ll spend two weeks at the cabin with Devin’s parents, and then we’ll spend two weeks with both of you at the beginning of August.”

“Ok, that tells us when you’ll be gone, but you didn’t mention how you’ll be getting there,” my mom followed.

“Oh, yeah, we’ll be getting there by private jet. Gramps and Pops have business connections that allow them access to a private jet and pilot, so we’ll be flying to Arkansas.”

“Well, I’m glad you told us about this,” my dad responded, “and you and Devin are definitely old enough to make your own decisions now, so I guess that just about covers it. And Devin, have you told your parents about this as well?”

“Yes, I told them what we were planning to do when I was home and I asked Gramps to tell my dad the details.”

“Just be careful while you’re gone,” my mom added.

“Don’t worry, we will be.”

For the rest of the time before we returned to campus, Devin and I spent the days alone while my parents were at work and then we fixed supper for them most evenings. We also spent time with my mom and dad after we ate and before they went to bed, as well as on the weekends.

The days seemed to fly by now that Devin and I were together again, and before long it was time to pack up and return to campus. This semester Devin and I will be taking six classes each, instead of the typical five, since we’re both taking one extra class each year due to our having dual majors. It means this semester will be demanding and very challenging, because not only will we be taking an additional course, but the various classes have also been more difficult and demanding every semester.

On the Thursday before classes started, Devin and I left for Fort Collins. After the long drive and spending the night at the house, the next day we headed to campus and walked around for a while so we could see if we spotted anyone we knew. At one point we ran into the editor-in-chief of the campus newspaper next and he stopped us to chat.

“Now that classes are starting up again, we’ll be printing the follow-up story about the toy drive and your visit to the hospital. It will be in the first edition this semester and it will come out in the next couple of weeks, depending on when enough stories have been submitted. I’m also planning to include a couple of the photos you shared with me, since they were so great.”

“I’m glad you thought so,” I told him, and then I showed him the videos I had on my phone as well.

“They’re terrific and it’s nice to see Devin in them this year. I think you guys looked great in your outfits and your grandfather is the best Santa I’ve ever seen.”

“Thank you and we had a blast doing it,” I replied.

“And it made me sorry I didn’t get to do it last year,” Devin added. “I took extra vitamin C this year so I wouldn’t get sick again.”

“It obviously paid off, and it looks as if you guys were a big hit.”

“Yes, the visit went very well.”

Shortly after we parted ways, I happened to run into my faculty advisor, Dr. Learner, next.

“Michael, there’s no need for you to sign up for a conference with me,” he said after we’d exchanged greetings. “I received a copy of your grades and they’re excellent again, and I see you’re going to be taking one of my classes this semester.”

“Yes, I’ll be in your Theory and Practice of Statistics class.”

“Then I look forward to seeing you there.”

After Dr. Lerner walked away, I turned to Devin and asked a question.

“Are there any classes in your engineering programs that you’re looking forward to taking this semester?”

“Yes the Controls and Robotics class.”

“That sounds interesting and I’ll bet you’ll do really well in it.”

“I’m counting on it.”

Over the weekend, we walked around campus a few more times, usually right after we’d finished eating breakfast or lunch at the dining hall. During these walks we would run into even more people we knew and we’d stop to chat with them for a short time. Devin seemed to encounter more people than I did this time.

“I know I told you that I couldn’t become friends with any of those guys, since I couldn’t let them know too much about me or my family, but I have to stay friendly with them. We often have group projects that we have to complete for a grade, so I need to make sure that I’m friendly enough with the better students so they’ll agree to team up with me on these projects. That way we will end up getting a good grade.”

“That makes sense to me.”

Each night we would also make love, because we knew that as the semester progressed we wouldn’t be able to do it nearly as often as we’d like. We’d either be too busy or too tired, so we were taking advantage of the opportunity for as long as we could.

When classes started on Monday, we were quick to fall back into the routine of spending much of our time outside of class working on our coursework. Not only was there reading to keep up with, but there were other assignments that needed to be completed as well, and the professors definitely weren’t taking it easy on us.

We ran into the old bitch from next door a couple of times and she always had a sour expression on her face when she saw us. It was similar to the face someone might make if they’d just bitten into a lemon, so we tried to avoid her as much as possible. We realized she was still watching our yard from her bedroom window at night, so we didn’t go outside very often. When we did, it was usually as cats, because we didn’t want to aggravate the situation or give her any more reasons than she already had to suspect us of something.

Devin got most of his exercise at the dog park each morning as he ran around with Bailey, and he was still transitioning in the SUV both before and after we went there. He’d do it as I was driving around campus on the way there, and then at the abandoned gas station afterward. We also went to the hunting camp both days on the weekend and made sure to get a good workout before we returned to the house. I was beginning to enjoy doing this more and more, so we definitely wouldn’t be stopping anytime soon.

I wasn’t putting a collar or a leash on Devin when we went to the dog park, since it was such a short distance from the parking lot to the entrance gate. We’d only use them when Gramps and Pops wanted to go with us, because it would look strange to the others if I wasn’t using those items with the dogs. However, there wasn’t a need to use them at the hunting camp, since it was on private property and we didn’t expect anyone to see us there, including when Gramps and Pops went with us.

Since we were so busy all of the time, the days seemed to pass by quickly, and before we realized how much time had gone by, it was nearly spring break.

“Are Gramps and Pops still coming here so they can take us fishing over spring break?” I asked Devin.

“Yeah, they’re really looking forward to doing that with us, because they must have mentioned it to me a half dozen times while I was home between Christmas and New Year. They also kept reminding me that we’d have to bring warmer clothes when we were camping, since it will only get into the mid 50s (12.5 C) during the day, and then it will drop down to around freezing at night.”

“Yeah, you told me that when I was packing to return to campus. It’s also the reason we both brought our sleeping bags with us.”

“Yeah, and Gramps said he was bringing two tents with him, one for them and one for us. We can zip our sleeping bags together so we can share body heat to help keep us warm at night.”

“Yeah, there will definitely be plenty of body heat if our sleeping bags are zipped together.”

As Devin and I were walking home after our final classes before spring break, we spotted Gramps’ SUV parked along the curb in front of the house. Unlike the other times they’d come here, this time there was a U-Haul trailer attached to their SUV. Excited, we ran to the house and rushed inside to say hello.

“I can’t wait to do this,” I said after we greeted them and gave each one a hug.

“We’re looking forward to it as well,” Pops concurred.

“What’s with the trailer?” Devin asked.

“We didn’t have enough room for everything in the SUV, so I rented it to hold the excess,” Gramps replied.

“What didn’t you have room for?”

“We brought a rowboat with us this time so there will be plenty of room for the four of us while we’re fishing. Not only will we have our gear with us at that time, but we’ll also have a cooler with drinks in it and a 5-gallon bucket to put the fish in.”

“What do you guys use when you normally go there to fish, since you didn’t have the rowboat with you the last time?”

“We’d either borrow a canoe from one of our friends or we’d fish off the dock.”

“Then why don’t we just use a canoe then?”

“It would be kind of cramped with the four of us in a canoe, plus there’s a greater chance of it tipping over if you aren’t careful when you’re reeling in a large fish. Believe me when I say the water is too cold for anyone to accidentally end up in the lake at this time of year!”

“And we’ll all need to get a good night’s sleep tonight,” Pops added, “and then we’ll start out early in the morning.”

“Ok, that sounds good.”

“And if you haven’t eaten already, we’ll take you out for supper in a little while.”

“No, we haven’t eaten yet,” Devin replied.

“Yeah, it was way too early to have supper after our last class ended,” I added, “so we planned on walking back to the dining hall later, but I guess we won’t have to do that now.”

“No, you won’t. Dad and I have to eat as well and we’d prefer doing it together,” Gramps chimed in.

“It sounds good to us,” I continued, “because this evening will be the last meal they serve at the dining hall until after spring break. That’s because most of the other students are either leaving or have already gone, so there wouldn’t be a very big crowd. Whenever that happens, the staff usually serves something simple.”

“And their simple meals usually aren’t very good,” Devin added.

“Do you want to go to Dominick’s or somewhere else?” Pops asked.

“Dominick’s sounds good to us,” Devin replied after glancing at me.

“Ok, then we’ll go there, but we won’t leave for another hour. Are you both packed for the trip?”

“Not completely, but we’ll finish up later.”

“I hope each of you has a coat to bring with you, because the nights will get quite cold,” Gramps stated.

“Yeah, we both have a heavy coat and we’re packing warmer clothes to wear as well,” Devin replied. “We also brought our sleeping bags from home and they’re both rated down to 0 degrees. That’s zero degrees F or minus 17.8 degrees C.”

“We got them as Christmas presents when we were in fourth grade, since we wanted to camp out in the shed behind my house between Christmas and New Year. We’d pretend we were either pioneers caught in a winter storm or soldiers fighting in a war during the winter. We also did it a few times on other weekends during the school year, but our parents wouldn’t let us do it very often, except when we were on vacation.”

“I’m surprised your parents allowed you do it at all, especially during the winter,” Gramps said amazed.

“Yeah, my dad talked my mom into letting us do it. He also told her the sleeping bags would come in handy if the power ever went out during a winter storm.”

“Then I guess you’re all set.”

“Yeah, we are. Do you have sleeping bags?”

“Yes, and ours are very similar to yours, but if it gets colder than what they’re rated for then we can always transition into bears and the fat and fur will help to keep us warm.”

We talked about other things until it was time to go out to eat, and since Gramps’ SUV had the trailer attached to it, we took Devin’s SUV instead, and then we enjoyed another wonderful meal together.

“How long do you want to stay at the lake?” Gramps asked when we got back to the house.

“I don’t know. What do you think?” I countered after exchanging glances with Devin.

“It’s entirely up to you, because we don’t have any other obligations. We both told our wives we might not return until next weekend, since we figured you’d want to get back before classes started on Monday.”

“Yeah, so let’s play it by ear then and we’ll see how it goes,” Devin answered. “If the weather turns bad then we may want to come back early and spend the rest of the time at the house, otherwise we may want to stay there as long as we can.”

“Ok, we’re good with that as well,” they agreed.

Devin and I went to pack the duffle bags we’d used when we went home for Christmas, and when we finished we took the duffel and sleeping bags downstairs. We set them next to the front door so we could carry them out to Gramps’ SUV when we were ready to leave in the morning.

We also made love before we went to sleep, since we thought it might be too cold to do it in the tent, and then we took a shower. We slept well after that and didn’t wake up until the alarm on my phone went off.

As soon as we were all ready, we took our things out to Gramps’ SUV while Pops locked up the house, and then we went out for breakfast before heading to the lake. It wasn’t a very long drive, but they made one other stop before we got there.

“We weren’t sure what you’d want to take with you to drink, so we’ll stop here and pick up those items now,” Gramps told us. “We can also pick up a few dozen eggs, if you’d like us to fry some up for breakfast.”

“Yeah, that sounds good, but won’t they spoil?” I wondered.

“Not in the short time we’ll be there, because the temperatures will prevent that from happening,” Pops responded. “I brought a couple of cast-iron frying pans that we can use to cook the eggs and fish in, along with a few other pots and pans for the other items.”

“The eggs will also help to break up the monotony of eating fish for every meal,” Devin stated.

“Oh, we have other supplies as well,” Gramps assured us. “We brought a wide selection of freeze-dried foods, as well as a couple loaves of bread, a couple packages of hot dogs, a jar of peanut butter and another of jam, in case we don’t have much luck fishing. They’ll also come in handy if you boys get hungry again and need a snack later.”

We then made the final leg of the trip to the lake, and when we got close Gramps turned down a dirt road, obviously knowing where he was going. He pulled around behind a small hill with some trees on it before he finally stopped, and then he pointed out the window on his side of the SUV at a nearby location.

“That area is fairly open and flat, so we’ll put the tents up here. The tents are not very difficult to erect and they also have a floor, so they’re completely enclosed. After the tents are up, you can stow your gear inside, and then we’ll take a walk so you can get a feel for the place.”

Gramps was right and the tents went up easily and quickly. After we’d placed our duffles and sleeping bags inside, we discovered Gramps and Pops had brought an air mattress for each of us. They were kind enough, though, to get a full-size air mattress for Devin and me to share. After they’d used a pump to blow them up, we placed the air mattress we’d be using in the tent and zipped up the entrance so no animals could wander inside. We then went over to their tent to see where Gramps was going to take us next, and he led us down to the lake and allowed us the opportunity to look around.

“The lake is fairly good size, but we’ll be staying at this end. Most of the other people prefer the wider southern end of the lake where the roads are in better condition and there are facilities for campers who don’t want to actually rough it. What I’m alluding to is that there are both accommodations for RVs and modern restroom facilities that are for males on one side and females on the other. Besides toilets and sinks, each side also has some individual shower stalls, and the male side also has a small group shower with four shower heads.”

“That would work for us,” Devin said with a grin.

“We don’t have a shower at this end of the lake and we’ll merely be using a metal frame with a toilet seat attached to it, along with a five-gallon bucket to place under it. We also have toilet paper and heavy-duty trash bags that we’ll use to line the bucket so we can dispose of the contents after we’ve had a bowel movement.”

“Damn, I’d forgotten about that part,” I whispering to Devin. “I guess I thought we’d have toilet facilities available to use, but it seems this will be a little more primitive than what we had to deal with at the reservation.”

As we were looking around, Pops pointed out the dock that they sometimes used when fishing, and when I looked past the dock in that direction, I spotted something else.

“Hey, isn’t that a cabin over there.”

“Yes, it is,” Gramps confirmed, “but it’s not like the cabin where Devin’s family lives, or even the cabin at the hunting camp. When we first checked it out, we discovered it had been roughly constructed and hadn’t been used in a while. It was filthy and there was nothing inside but a busted table and a couple of broken chairs. I suspect it was built as a hunting cabin, since there’s some good hunting in the woods surrounding the lake. The animals that live around here even come to the lake to drink.”

“Have you ever used the cabin?” Devin wanted to know.

“Yes. When we came here one other time, we brought along a few items we could use to clean it up, along with a few tools and some wood to repair the table and chairs. There’s a stone fireplace in the cabin as well, but the cabin isn’t very large, so it would be a little cramped for the four of us. That’s why we decided to use the tents instead.”

“Come to think of it,” Pops added, “there’s an outhouse over there as well, if you’d prefer to use it.”

“Nah, we’ll just use the contraption you brought with you,” Devin and I agreed.

“We’ll keep it in the U-Haul for privacy, in case others begin to show up here as well.”

Since we hadn’t gone fishing yet, Gramps and Pops fixed macaroni and cheese and hot dogs for lunch. It was ok for Devin and me, but I was a little surprised that Gramps and Pops were ok with it, since it wasn’t something I pictured them eating other than now. When we finished our meal, we took the row boat out of the trailer so we could go fishing, and later while we were cleaning the fish we’d caught, I asked a question.

“Won’t the smell of the fish guts attract the bears?”

“No, they’re still hibernating and shouldn’t be waking up until well after we leave here,” Pops told us. “If they come out before then, Jacob and I will transition into bears and scare them off. They won’t want to trespass on our territory and get into a fight, because they’ll still be weak after their long fast and slumber.”

“Ok, that’s good to know.”

Even though we’d done fairly well fishing this time, we wanted more than just fish for supper, so Gramps and Pops fixed a couple of the freeze-dried items for us as well. Gramps prepared some Biscuits & Gravy, while Pops worked on Banana Pudding for dessert, and they both turned out quite well and tasted pretty good, so we were all very pleased with our meal.

After we finished eating, we used the gallons of water that Gramps and Pops had brought with them to wash the pots and pans they’d used, and then we made a campfire. Pops and Gramps had stored plenty of dry wood nearby when they came here in the fall, so we used some of it to make a nice fire. It not only helped to warm us up, but it also helped to brighten the area and lighten the mood. During this time, we also chatted about how we thought the day had gone, and then we agreed on getting up early and going fishing again in the morning.

“Hopefully, we’ll catch plenty of fish to eat, and Jacob will fry up some eggs while I prepare the fish.”

We agreed that would be fine, and then we went to our tents to turn in. Devin and I unrolled our sleeping bags, zipped them together, and placed them on top of the air mattress. We then took off our coats and boots and placed them where we could find them easily, in case we had to leave the tent to urinate before morning.

After we slid into the sleeping bags, we realized there was absolutely no way we were going to make love or do anything else tonight, because it was just too damn cold. Instead, we merely cuddled together and fell asleep.

Gramps and Pops woke up before the sun rose the next morning, and then they came over to our tent to wake us up. We were still wearing the same clothes that we’d worn the day before, and we decided to change later, after it had warmed up a bit. We put on our coats as quickly as we could, and then we slipped on our boots and went out to join them.

We had another fairly good outing and caught several fish, and the fish tasted great with the fried eggs. After we finished eating, Devin and I cleaned the frying pans that had been used, and when that task had been completed, Gramps and Pops asked a question.

“Would you like us to take you for a walk in the adjoining woods? It will not only help you to become more familiar with the area, but it’s quite lovely out there as well.”

“Yeah, that sounds like a great idea.”

During our journey through the woods, we saw multiple deer tracks in the snow that still remained on the ground around that area. The deer had either been heading in the direction of the lake or returning from there, which also let us know there was a considerable deer population in these woods. It also encouraged us to occasionally scan the area around the lake that was farther away from where we were camping in order to spot any deer or other animals.

Later, at dusk, we saw several deer drinking from the lake, and they are truly beautiful animals. While we were observing them, it brought back memories of when I watched the Bambi video when I was younger, as well as when I’d first learned how to transition into one.

We weren’t nearly as fortunate when we went finishing again at noon, so we decided to save the few fish we’d hooked and use them with whatever we caught later for supper. In the meantime, Gramps and Pops dipped into the freeze-dried meals again, and this time we had Chicken and Dumplings for lunch, along with a Garlic & Green Bean Cashew Stir Fry.

After we finished eating and cleaning up the pots we’d used, we changed into clean clothes, which included clean underwear and socks. After changing, Gramps and Pops took us for another walk, but this time in a different section of the woods.

“I think you can see why we like to come here to hunt,” Pops stated, “but unfortunately nothing is in season right now.”

“That’s ok, we’re still enjoying ourselves and having a really good time,” I told him.

We caught quite a few more fish when we went fishing later, so we had plenty for supper, but we also talked Gramps into fixing the Pasta Primavera for a little variety. While he was doing that, Pops worked on preparing a Dark Chocolate Cheesecake for dessert and we enjoyed another delightful meal.

We built a second campfire that evening, and once again we talked about how we thought the day had gone. After doing that for awhile, we chatted about what we might want to do the following day and I offered a suggestion.

“I know you guys like to get some exercise, so we can always transition into dogs or wolves and run around for a while so you can do that.”

“It’s very thoughtful of you to offer,” Gramps replied, “but we have to be very careful about what footprints we leave in the snow and dirt, especially when it comes to where we’re camped.”

“Wait, didn’t you tell us that you transitioned when you came here to fish and hunt in the fall?” I challenged.

“Yes, we did, but we would go very deep into the woods before we did it. That way it would be very unlikely that someone would see us or run into the tracks. If they did, they would just assume the tracks were put there at different times, not at the same time, but that’s not the case here. We’d have a very difficult time explaining the tracks in this circumstance, especially if a game warden suddenly showed up.”

“Oh, do you think that might happen?”

“Yes, it’s quite possible. The game wardens occasionally show up to make sure everyone has a fishing license when they see people out on the lake.”

“Wait! I don’t have a fishing license.”

“Yes, you do. We’ve been getting a license for both you and Devin when we get ours, because you also need to have a license to fish with Devin’s dad at the cabin.”

“I didn’t know that either, but what if the game warden had showed up there?”

“Aaron had all of your licenses at the cabin and could have brought them out if needed. In fact, we picked them up from him before we came to the house in Fort Collins, and we’ll drop them off with Aaron again later, when we return home.”

“Thanks, we didn’t realize you guys were doing all of that for us.”

“It’s our pleasure.”

When we called it a night, we did everything the same way as the night before. We also planned on getting up early again so we could catch enough fish for breakfast.

The next couple of days went about the same as those that preceded them, but as we were getting ready to go out fishing before lunch on Wednesday, everything suddenly changed. It started when we heard the sound of a vehicle coming down the dirt road that led to this area, so the four of us stopped what we were doing and looked up. We saw a Toyota 4Runner going in the other direction and pulling up in front of the cabin.

Luckily, our SUV and tents were hidden behind the small hill and the trees that grew on it, so we stayed out of sight until we knew what they were up to. When the 4Runner came to a stop, two guys got out of the front, and then the passenger went around to the driver’s side as the driver opened the rear door. They then pulled a woman out of the back seat and we could tell that her hands were tied and her legs bound together, and she also had a gag in her mouth.

“What do you think that’s all about?” Devin asked.

“I have no idea,” Pops replied, “but whatever it is, it doesn’t look good.”

“Should we do something?” I followed.

“We will, but we need to come up with a plan first. We can’t just run over there, because we don’t know if they’re armed, so we’ll have to find a way to check the situation out first.”

“What if I turn into a raccoon, and then I can go over there to see what they’re up to,” Devin suggested. “Not only will I be able to learn what they’re doing, but the tracks won’t look unusual if anyone sees them. I can listen outside the door to see if I can hear anything, and if that doesn’t work I can always climb the tree next to the cabin and look in the window.”

“That means you’ll have to get undressed first,” I stated, hoping he’d realize it was still pretty cold out and change his mind.

“I know, but it won’t be for very long before I transition, and besides, I already had to do it when we changed.”

“Ok, just be careful,” Pops agreed. “We don’t know how those guys might react if they see you.”

“I will, but they shouldn’t panic if they see a raccoon. Besides, someone has to do it.”

Devin then went over to our tent so he could take off all of his clothes, and then he transitioned into a raccoon. When I saw him again as he emerged from the tent, all I could think of was Ranger Rick, the illustrated raccoon from the nature magazine. I also watched as he scampered from our campsite and headed over to the cabin.

He was gone for quite a while and we couldn’t always see what he was doing, because the cabin was about the length of two football fields from where we were camped. It wasn’t only the distance that made it difficult either, because his small size as a raccoon also made him hard to spot as well. When he returned, he went directly back into the tent so he could transition and get dressed again, and then he came out to report what he’d seen and heard.

“The two guys are arguing, because whatever they were up to hadn’t gone well. It appears that while they were kidnapping the woman they might have also killed someone in the process.”