Continuing the with the werewolf story. I just realized today that I started off the story in Fall and then accidentally changed it to Spring. If I didn't make mistakes, I wouldn't be human I guess. Running with the Spring thing, feels like it works better.
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The road trip went exceptionally well. They took Matt's Jeep... of course... and the only hiccup in the half hour drive was a bit of traffic around a construction zone that added another fifteen minutes to the trip. Spence's music selection was a bit weirder than his usual tastes but his continuous commentary about it and how much it resembled this/or that, the artists and the evidence of the artists influences made for very compelling conversation.
There was still plenty of light left when they arrived at the campsite. Matt almost missed the entrance even though Spencer was pointing right at it. They had turned down a long narrow road off the main drag. Mostly bare tall trees overhung the road and small piles of icy snow were still clinging to the deep crevices of the trunks. Evidence that winter was being more stubborn than usual. Spring was definitely fighting back though. Green sprouts could be seen on almost all the vegetation and the undergrowth was working its way back up through the layer of dead leaves from the fall.
The campsite's sign, the standard state park type stating Sycamore River Park, was mostly hidden by an old thorn bush, the kind with thin purple branches. Matt hated them because of the wicked sharp thorns, but couldn't help being entranced by the beautiful color.
After a short drive down the dirt road they came upon the entrance shack. It was a tiny tiny building with one door, a window straight out of a toll booth, a pointy roof whose shingles were covered in moss, and whose walls looked like they'd been painted and then repainted by all kinds of creative types. Vivid colors overlapped each other. Past paintings were peeking out from under more current ones. A prominent yellow smiley face sat adjacent to the door. It looked like it has been a stereotypical smiley at some point but someone had added pointy ears, a black bowl cut and a raised eye brow. It had also been captioned by a speech bubble stating "Live long and prosper". Matt was instantly in love with this place.
As they approached a lady stepped out of the door and waved pleasantly at them. She wore absolutely huge purple framed glasses which covered at least half her face. They were tinted purple but it gradiented (is that even a word?) from the top which was near opaque to clear at the bottom. They were also a very strong prescription, because her eyes were almost disturbingly enormous. She was short, around five foot, Matt guesstimated and she wore a thick red flannel jacket, that was at least two sizes too big, so she had sleeves rolled up so she had hands. She had on a long purple tie-dyed skirt and as she stepped forward he saw a glimpse of a bare foot. Her hair was long enough that he was sure she'd have to be careful when she sat down, and was braided into multiple thick strands with multiple beads in each.
Matt rolled to a stop next to her and rolled down the window.
"Good evening." He said with a smile
She smiled back. "Hi! I'm Celeste! Welcome to Sycamore River Park. Are you here for the Barrel Burner?" She seemed genuinely pleased to see them. Matt had been working customer service for years now and could spot a saccharine facade when he saw one. Her enthusiasm was actually genuine.
"Yeah." He said, his smile widening. Apparently her happiness was infectious.
"Excellent! Go park over there and come back. There's some papers to sign, and I need to see your id's and get your wrist straps and name tags. And if you haven't paid yet I'll have to get that." She twirled away from them and kinda dance stepped back into the hut. Her movements were so naturally graceful it almost seemed like she was floating. Matt decided that if faeries were real, she was probably one.
They parked on a grass fringe just off the road behind the hut and walked up. Matt stretched as he got out, arms to the sky. His back was protesting having had to sit still for so long and his legs did a happy chill, grateful to be moving again.
The hut was barely twenty by twenty but the inside felt cozy, not cramped. Inside the tiny hut was an old but comfy looking recliner. a folding table whose wood veneer had seen better days, covered with papers, a Navajo rug, and a couple of floor lamps. The toll booth window was the only window so it was fairly dim inside. On the wall opposite the door was large psychedelic Bob Marley poster. The wall opposite the window had been painted white and was covered in signatures.
Celeste stepped up to Matt and held out a handful of Sharpies. "First things first. All new visitors must sign the wall." Matt felt his eyebrow raise. Spence nudged him and motioned to go ahead. She continued, "Pick a color, any color."
As Matt grabbed the blue marker his fingertip grazed the skin of Celeste's hand. He felt a spark of something, run through his hand, and he jerked it back instinctively. Goosebumps sprung up all over his skin and he felt his breath catch in his throat.
Celeste tilted her head to the side inquisitively. "A blue man huh? Blue's good." She turned and headed toward the table. If she'd felt anything she gave no indication.
That was strange. He'd never felt anything like that before. He shook his head internally, instead of externally like he wanted to, because he didn't want to seem strange. He glanced at Celeste, as she stood next to the table sliding papers toward Spencer who had a pen in his hand. Their backs were mostly toward him. She was standing still but was bouncing slightly on her feet, almost dancing even though there was no music playing.
Celeste glanced over her shoulder, "When you get done with that come over here so we can get you signed in." she said and went back to talking to Spencer.
Matt shook his head, again and again, internally of course and signed his name on the wall.
A few minutes later he was paid for, signed in, had a map of the camp with their site marked with a blue X and had a brief orientation. Spence headed out the door and Matt turned to leave. He felt Celeste touch his hand. Again that shock, but even more prominent than before and it shot all the way up his arm. He jerked again as he turned toward her. If she saw she again gave no notice.
"You almost forgot your name badge." She said and stepped closer to him. She had the pin-on name badge, with his name written on it in blue sharpie, in her swirly and beautiful handwriting, in her hand and was reaching to pin it to his shirt.
Matt couldn't breathe. A lump had formed in his throat. There was something terrible swimming around in his guts. He broke out in a cold sweat. What the hell was this?
Suddenly she and him were the only things in the universe. She was so close. Her scent, something natural, and woody, and floral, and made of the winds, filled his nostrils and then his head. The hut, the campsite, his Jeep, his job, the WORLD seemed so insignificant.
He felt her hands touch his chest as she pinned the his name badge in place. His head swam.
She stepped back and world came spinning back. "There you go. Now we know who you are. It was a pleasure to meet you Matt. Have fun and I'll see you around." She smiled, genuine and warm and turned back to the table to collect their forms.
Matt backed up, almost tripped over his feet, and the door frame, and the steps and stumbled into Spencer.
Spencer shoved him back onto his feet. "Might want to walk forward. Next time I let you fall."
They hopped in the Jeep and headed toward their site.
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