Camping in the Woods
This is a dream I had quite a while back and am just now committing it to blog.
It was in the early Spring and I'd gone camping with friends. It was not too hot from going into Summer and not too cold from coming out of Winter. We'd all decided to go camping because it was the weekend and the snow had melted away weeks ago.
It was the early morning and everyone was still asleep. I'd decided to pack up some things and go for a trek. As I was loading the last of what I needed, I saw that a friend had gotten up to take a quick pee and then go back to bed. They saw me and asked what I was doing.
"Would you like to see something secret?"
They nodded.
"Then get your boots and some water and come with me."
My friend did what I said and we went out of camp, off the path, and into the woods. I'd made a twisty-turny course that didn't seem to make sense to my friend. I'd gone on for a few miles. Just enough away from camp that no one could see where we'd gone. We couldn't hear any of the noise of camp. Everyone was still in bed and we'd just made it over a hill as the Sun was peeking through the trees.
Dawn was breaking and the dew on the grass and the leaves was misting up making a brief fog. I looked and my friend and mimed that they should not speak or make any sound. I indicated that my friend should sit where they were, about 10 feet behind me. I knelt down and started to unpack a few things. Then I looked around, looked behind me and then looked left. I smiled at my friend. They shrugged as if to say "Well, what?"
I pointed to my left. My friend looked confused. I pointed again, made a shape with both hands, and pointed twice, indicating they should look past where they thought I'd pointed. There was a motion in the trees and then a gasp from my friend. I glanced back and glared. "Don't say anything!" I motioned.
Out from the woods, out from the dense grass and over growth stepped a seven foot tall Big Foot. It looked like a Big Foot. It was shaggy and walked with a loping gait cautiously towards me and my friend. I waved the Big Foot to come close and pointed to what I'd unpacked. The Big Foot smiled. It walked up and plopped down right in front me and clapped it's hands together like a small child. The Big Foot was glad to see me again.
I picked up a large toothed comb and started to groom him. I removed the burrs and twigs from his fur with each stroke. What fur the comb wouldn't straighten, I would start to untie. The Big Foot had a lot of knotted fur. He smiled and stayed still. After awhile he seemed to "coo" to indicate he was enjoying being combed. My friend didn't move. And their eyes got bigger and bigger.
When I finished combing through his fur, I pointed to something else I'd brought. The Big Foot looked at what I had and cupped his hands together, holding them to me. He was waiting for a present. I reached down a picked up a honey bear. Popping open the top, I poured a few ounces into the happy Big Foot hands. He smelled his hands and then licked them. And then he smeared the rest of the honey all over his face. It matted his beard and dripped from his ears and eyebrows. He smiled and reached past me to grab a handful of leaves. He dropped the leaves in his lap.The Big Foot started to put the leaves (one at a time) on his face. He continued putting leaves on the front of his head until you could see nothing but eyes, the bump of a nose, and his mouth. He looked at me and I nodded in approval and drew a circle around my own face. The Big Foot smiled at me.
He stood up. Freshly groomed and masked in honey and leaves, he sang. At least, I thought he sang. He made a noise that was not a cry of pain or a warning or a shriek. The sound warbled and went up and down in the way that lullabies do. And then he walked off into the forest and was gone. A few minutes later another Big Foot appeared.
I gave the new guest the same treatment as his brother. However, this one, pasted flower petals from ground to his face. He then, in turn, sang and walked off.
This went on for some time and each Big Foot used a different material to adhere to the front part of his head. Some used mushrooms, or grass, or twigs, or acorns, or whatever they could find that they found pleasing to look at, taste, or smell.
After an hour or so, I'd run out of honey bears and started to pack up. The last of the Big Feet turned before he left and blew me a kiss. Or at least that what it looked like.
My friend that had come with me hadn't moved a muscle. They simply sat there seemingly stone dead. I kneed my friend in the back and said "Get up. They're gone! Time to go back to camp. I'm hungry."
"What was that? Who were they?" they sputtered.
"Exactly who you think they were. And please, do us both a favor and don't tell anybody. They'll think you're nuts and I'll deny everything." I said flatly.
My friend stood there head shaking, trying to wrap their brain around what had just happened. I was already walking back to camp before they came to their senses and started running to catch up.
"Wait up!" they ran up panting.
I stopped and half turned, "Yes?"
"Bigfoot is real? Bigfeet are real!" they said.
"Yes! Bigfeet are real. Anything else, Capt. Obvious?" I turned back around to walk.
"Waitwaitwaitwait!"
"What?" I asked.
"Ok, Bigfeet are real. And I'm not going to tell anybody. I like life on the outside." my friend said.
"Good!" I sighed. "Very good. Good for you. Good for them. Good for everybody. They go on living and so do we. Everybody's happy!" I smiled and started to walk again.
"Ok, waitwaitwait! Bigfoot's real, got that. But..." they trailed off.
"But... what?" I asked.
"What what all that crap with the honey and the sticks and the flowers and crap?" my friend's hand were pointing in all directions.
"They don't wear clothes." I said.
My friend blinked twice at me.
"They don't wear clothes." I said again and started walking.
We were almost half-way back to camp when my friend caught up again.
"They don't wear clothes! What the hell does that mean? I'll walk around all day without any clothes on out in the woods, but I don't glue roots to my head! What the hell?!" my friend was either sweating profusely or crying in confusion. I stopped made my friend drink some water and poured a little on their face. I realized that I'd been mean in expecting my friend to understand immediately.
"I'm sorry." I stopped and picked up my friend. "I thought you'd get it. That's the secret."
"What is?" they wiped off the sweat and stared at me.
"Look, when you want to look you best, you make your hair look nice. Yes?"
They nodded.
"You make yourself look your most attractive. Pick out your best clothes. Put on something that smells good. Maybe put on some make up and go out right?"
They nodded again.
" And then you go out. Looking and feeling your best. And then you go looking for someone to 'be with', right?"
"Ooooh!" my friend finally go it. "So, they made themselves pretty so they could go find......"
"Exactly! You got it!" I offered congratulations. "That's the secret. The big one. I thought you'd appreciate it."
We started walking together smiling at each other. We'd shared a unique experience. A bond that no one else had. We walked back into camp and hand the best breakfast ever.
It was in the early Spring and I'd gone camping with friends. It was not too hot from going into Summer and not too cold from coming out of Winter. We'd all decided to go camping because it was the weekend and the snow had melted away weeks ago.
It was the early morning and everyone was still asleep. I'd decided to pack up some things and go for a trek. As I was loading the last of what I needed, I saw that a friend had gotten up to take a quick pee and then go back to bed. They saw me and asked what I was doing.
"Would you like to see something secret?"
They nodded.
"Then get your boots and some water and come with me."
My friend did what I said and we went out of camp, off the path, and into the woods. I'd made a twisty-turny course that didn't seem to make sense to my friend. I'd gone on for a few miles. Just enough away from camp that no one could see where we'd gone. We couldn't hear any of the noise of camp. Everyone was still in bed and we'd just made it over a hill as the Sun was peeking through the trees.
Dawn was breaking and the dew on the grass and the leaves was misting up making a brief fog. I looked and my friend and mimed that they should not speak or make any sound. I indicated that my friend should sit where they were, about 10 feet behind me. I knelt down and started to unpack a few things. Then I looked around, looked behind me and then looked left. I smiled at my friend. They shrugged as if to say "Well, what?"
I pointed to my left. My friend looked confused. I pointed again, made a shape with both hands, and pointed twice, indicating they should look past where they thought I'd pointed. There was a motion in the trees and then a gasp from my friend. I glanced back and glared. "Don't say anything!" I motioned.
Out from the woods, out from the dense grass and over growth stepped a seven foot tall Big Foot. It looked like a Big Foot. It was shaggy and walked with a loping gait cautiously towards me and my friend. I waved the Big Foot to come close and pointed to what I'd unpacked. The Big Foot smiled. It walked up and plopped down right in front me and clapped it's hands together like a small child. The Big Foot was glad to see me again.
I picked up a large toothed comb and started to groom him. I removed the burrs and twigs from his fur with each stroke. What fur the comb wouldn't straighten, I would start to untie. The Big Foot had a lot of knotted fur. He smiled and stayed still. After awhile he seemed to "coo" to indicate he was enjoying being combed. My friend didn't move. And their eyes got bigger and bigger.
When I finished combing through his fur, I pointed to something else I'd brought. The Big Foot looked at what I had and cupped his hands together, holding them to me. He was waiting for a present. I reached down a picked up a honey bear. Popping open the top, I poured a few ounces into the happy Big Foot hands. He smelled his hands and then licked them. And then he smeared the rest of the honey all over his face. It matted his beard and dripped from his ears and eyebrows. He smiled and reached past me to grab a handful of leaves. He dropped the leaves in his lap.The Big Foot started to put the leaves (one at a time) on his face. He continued putting leaves on the front of his head until you could see nothing but eyes, the bump of a nose, and his mouth. He looked at me and I nodded in approval and drew a circle around my own face. The Big Foot smiled at me.
He stood up. Freshly groomed and masked in honey and leaves, he sang. At least, I thought he sang. He made a noise that was not a cry of pain or a warning or a shriek. The sound warbled and went up and down in the way that lullabies do. And then he walked off into the forest and was gone. A few minutes later another Big Foot appeared.
I gave the new guest the same treatment as his brother. However, this one, pasted flower petals from ground to his face. He then, in turn, sang and walked off.
This went on for some time and each Big Foot used a different material to adhere to the front part of his head. Some used mushrooms, or grass, or twigs, or acorns, or whatever they could find that they found pleasing to look at, taste, or smell.
After an hour or so, I'd run out of honey bears and started to pack up. The last of the Big Feet turned before he left and blew me a kiss. Or at least that what it looked like.
My friend that had come with me hadn't moved a muscle. They simply sat there seemingly stone dead. I kneed my friend in the back and said "Get up. They're gone! Time to go back to camp. I'm hungry."
"What was that? Who were they?" they sputtered.
"Exactly who you think they were. And please, do us both a favor and don't tell anybody. They'll think you're nuts and I'll deny everything." I said flatly.
My friend stood there head shaking, trying to wrap their brain around what had just happened. I was already walking back to camp before they came to their senses and started running to catch up.
"Wait up!" they ran up panting.
I stopped and half turned, "Yes?"
"Bigfoot is real? Bigfeet are real!" they said.
"Yes! Bigfeet are real. Anything else, Capt. Obvious?" I turned back around to walk.
"Waitwaitwaitwait!"
"What?" I asked.
"Ok, Bigfeet are real. And I'm not going to tell anybody. I like life on the outside." my friend said.
"Good!" I sighed. "Very good. Good for you. Good for them. Good for everybody. They go on living and so do we. Everybody's happy!" I smiled and started to walk again.
"Ok, waitwaitwait! Bigfoot's real, got that. But..." they trailed off.
"But... what?" I asked.
"What what all that crap with the honey and the sticks and the flowers and crap?" my friend's hand were pointing in all directions.
"They don't wear clothes." I said.
My friend blinked twice at me.
"They don't wear clothes." I said again and started walking.
We were almost half-way back to camp when my friend caught up again.
"They don't wear clothes! What the hell does that mean? I'll walk around all day without any clothes on out in the woods, but I don't glue roots to my head! What the hell?!" my friend was either sweating profusely or crying in confusion. I stopped made my friend drink some water and poured a little on their face. I realized that I'd been mean in expecting my friend to understand immediately.
"I'm sorry." I stopped and picked up my friend. "I thought you'd get it. That's the secret."
"What is?" they wiped off the sweat and stared at me.
"Look, when you want to look you best, you make your hair look nice. Yes?"
They nodded.
"You make yourself look your most attractive. Pick out your best clothes. Put on something that smells good. Maybe put on some make up and go out right?"
They nodded again.
" And then you go out. Looking and feeling your best. And then you go looking for someone to 'be with', right?"
"Ooooh!" my friend finally go it. "So, they made themselves pretty so they could go find......"
"Exactly! You got it!" I offered congratulations. "That's the secret. The big one. I thought you'd appreciate it."
We started walking together smiling at each other. We'd shared a unique experience. A bond that no one else had. We walked back into camp and hand the best breakfast ever.