Lost and Found

By Lady Violu

Chapter 1

Excitement bubbled up inside me as I bolted out of my room and towards the front door, shouting, “Mom! Dad! They’re here!” I didn’t wait for a response before grabbing my backpack and rushing outside. As Ross had promised, his car was waiting at the end of the driveway, with a few of my friends already waving at me through the windows. I popped open the nearest door and hopped inside, quickly buckling up next to Owen as the car started rolling down the road.

The campsite was only a few hours away, and by Ross’s predictions we’d arrive with plenty of time to set up camp, eat dinner around our campfire, and get to bed early for a busy following day. I was worried that starting the trip on such a tame note might ruin the vibe of the trip, but Ross assured me otherwise. “The real camping starts at daybreak, when you step out of your tent and get that first breath of crisp forest air,” he said. I was skeptical, but I was also in no place to doubt a camper as experienced as him.

After a few hours and a few unplanned bathroom breaks, Ross announced that we were “officially almost there.” I looked out the window to my right, but all I could see were the same dense trees that had been there for the past half-hour. Whatever had prompted Ross to say that must have been something else entirely.

As it turned out, “nearly almost there” meant that we had about ten minutes before Ross veered off the road and drove us even deeper into the forest, and ten more minutes before he actually parked the car next to a large pile of extremely mossy boulders. I eagerly hopped out of the car to stretch my legs as everyone else climbed out and began to do the same.

Toby piped up as he quietly closed the door behind himself, “So the first thing we need to do is setting up the tents, right?” He looked to Ross for an answer.

Ross clapped and paced to the back of his car, “Exactly! Although there’s a bit more to it than that. We only really need maybe four of us working on the tents. The other three should probably set up a fire pit and collect some firewood, too.” He threw open the trunk of the car and pulled out one of our two tents. “So who wants to be on tent duty and who wants to get started on the fire?”

Charlie, Owen, and Grace quickly decided that they would work on the tents along with Ross. That meant that Bella, Toby, and I were left with the fire. Right away, Bella got to work on the fire pit, and after a short talk with Ross on how to determine what was good firewood, Toby and I were off on our short adventure to collect the best sticks that we could.

The forest was dense with vegetation and it only got thicker and thicker the further we walked. Frankly, it was a miracle that Ross had managed to get the car as far off the road as he did, but I supposed that was a skill he’d developed over his years of driving to campsites like this. I looked over to Toby, hoping that he was faring well on the rough terrain. That was my first mistake, as the instant I took my eyes off the ground my foot caught on something that sent me tumbling to the ground.

“Oh gosh! Are you okay?” Toby, being the good friend that I had tried to be, quickly came to my aid and offered a hand to help me get up.

I winced as a few of my new scrapes complained about the shift in position. “Yeah, I’ll be fine, it’s just a couple scratches, nothing I can’t handle.” I shot him a semi-forced smile as we continued walking, “So, are you excited?”

“Hmm?” Toby cocked his head in response.

“For the camping, I mean,” I specified.

“Oh! Yeah, a little bit. I’m also a bit nervous too, I don’t think I’ve ever done camping this--” He paused to think for a moment. “-- intense…? before. But I can’t wait to get some drawing done! Nature is so pretty and I’m super excited to get some plant studies done up close and not from a screen…” He shook his head. “Sorry, that’s not really what you asked. Yes. I’m excited for the camping,” he corrected himself.

“Well, if that’s what you’re going to be doing, then I think it counts! I bet Ross would say something strangely profound about ‘camping being whatever you make of it’ or something like that.” I chuckled a bit to myself as I picked up a promising-looking stick and tucked it away in the bag Ross had provided me with.

Toby laughed for a moment too. “Yeah you’re probably right, but I doubt Ross planned this trip with the intention that we would just draw the whole time.” He laughed again, but a nervous laugh this time.

“There is no way that Ross invited you on this trip without knowing that you would go all ‘artist mode’ on all the wildlife out here; he totally planned for that.”

Toby stopped walking. “You think so?”

“Toby, I know so. Ross is a diligent planner and an even more thoughtful friend.” I playfully jabbed his side with my elbow. “I was sure you knew that already.”

“I -- well, yeah, I knew that, but it…” He trailed off for a moment before repeating himself. “I guess it feels like it should be different with me… does that make sense?”

“Not in the slightest,” I teased, “but I do understand. It’s crazy how we got such a cool guy for a friend.”

“Yeah…” He sighed.

I looked down at my bag and the bundle of sticks that I had collected. “Our bags are pretty full; we should probably head back to camp.”

Toby glanced at his own bag, “Oh -- yeah, I guess they are. I hadn’t noticed.” He spun around and we headed back to camp.

As the two of us approached the campsite, it was clear that the rest of our group had been hard at work since we left to collect firewood. The campsite that we had left had been completely transformed from a hastily cleared patch of dirt to a cozy and organized wilderness retreat, beautifully washed in the colors of the setting sun. In the very center of the campsite a small fire crackled from within a ring of carefully arranged rocks. Surrounding that was a bunch of camping chairs that practically begged us to sit down and bask in the warmth that radiated from the fire. What once had been a refreshing cool in the air had begun to develop into a sharp chill as the night grew near and I was eager for a bit of relief around the gentle light of the flames.

Toby and I dropped our final haul of timber off with the rest of the pile we’d accumulated over the course of several trips and rejoined with the rest of the group. Owen, Charlie, and Grace were still at work setting up the final tent. Ross and Bella were already set up around the fire, Ross poking at it with a stick, ensuring that it burned just right, and Bella strumming away on her guitar, adding a peaceful tune to the air. I took a seat in the nearest chair and let myself sink into the chair. In the past the rough canvas texture of chairs like those had always put me off, but every chair is comfortable if you’re tired enough.

Ross tossed one of the bigger logs onto the fire, sending a plume of sparks spiraling upward like a tiny fireworks show celebrating the arrival of summer. I tracked one particularly bright ember as it danced higher and higher, tracing a radiant arc through the air before fading away into the dim, twinkling stars behind it. It was around that time that the rest of the group finally took their seats around the fire, officially marking that we had transitioned from working to relaxing. It was a calm moment, nearly silent save for Bella’s guitar and the gentle crackling of the fire.

The stillness was abruptly interrupted by Charlie’s voice. “So when are we eating?” He was filled with a contagious eagerness, but I still had to stifle a laugh before responding.

“Soon. Right now if we really want.” I turned to Ross. “Personally I’m excited to try those foil dinners that Ross mentioned earlier.”

Charlie perked up at my suggestion. “Oh! Yeah, we should do that!” He grinned to himself. “I am going to make something wonderful.”

“Charlie, please,” Owen begged, “not everything has to be a food crime.”

Charlie shot upright out of his chair and bolted for the car. “Too late! you can’t stop me!” He cackled as he ran off.

Owen sighed. “I guess I’ll help him bring the food over.” He stood up and followed Charlie along the short path to the car.

“Frankly I’d be surprised if he actually manages to make something cursed,” Ross added, “we are just wrapping food in foil and tossing them in the fire, there isn’t much that you can do to ‘ruin’ it.”

“Well…” Bella started, “to be honest, I’m curious to see what he comes up with.”

Charlie eagerly fished his tinfoil ball out from the coals. He had managed to convince Ross to let him use some of the pizza dough for tomorrow’s lunch in his food and it was clear that he was excited to see what had become of it. I opted for a more traditional assortment of ingredients. Mine had the normal carrots, potatoes, onions, ground beef, butter, and some spices too. It came out wonderfully.

Charlie unwrapped his meal to discover a ball of cooked pizza dough. He used his fork to poke into it, releasing a puff of steam that had been trapped. Grace, who was seated next to him, leaned over to look at the pocket of crust. “Okay… am I crazy or does that actually look kinda good?”

Charlie shot a smug grin at Owen on his other side. “See! It's not a food crime! It’s an experiment.”

Bella stood up from her seat to get a closer look. “Actually, that isn’t a food crime or an experiment.”

Charlie looked up at her, confused.

“That’s a pot pie,” she clarified, “crust, meat, vegetables, you even put a bunch of barbecue sauce on the inside. you made a barbecue pot pie… y’know, minus the pot.”

“Oh my god, you’re right”, Charlie slumped his head, mortified. “I can’t believe it, I should have known. In my quest for new foods I just reinvented one of the best foods. It was inevitable… Oh well!” He popped back up and started digging into his not-pot-pie.