Shit! I did it again. Where did it come from? I was so quiet! How did he find me? Calm down. The twig snap was soft. I only heard it because it's night and dead still.
Sound travels well at night. The air is crisp, and the sound reverberates off the trees. It could have come from anywhere. Had to have come from the trail.
He's not on top of me, but he's closer than I'd like. Is he still on the trail? Did he see where I left it? Shit, I should have been more careful; how could I not have been more cautious? Did I leave tracks when I left the trail?
Shit, I mean crap. Mom would smack me good if she heard my mouth right now. Do I run? Crap, holy crap, look for a clearing. If you move, he'll hear you.
Squint. Are there any branches? What do you see? There's a clearing there, I think — stupid fog, why now? Had to happen right now.
Snap. Shit. That was much closer; how is he moving with no sound? You have to go for it. He's getting closer; it's now or never.
Wait, there's a stump; it's dark over there and surrounded by bushes. Oh man, I hope they're not sticker bushes. Even worse, I hope nothing lives under there.
Snakes love places like that, I think, or maybe muskrats? Are muskrats a thing out here? What is a muskrat? Quiet, slowly put your hands down and crawl over there. Don't make a noise.
The ground is so moist. Did it rain lately? How is the ground so wet? I mean, initially it seemed damp, but my knees are soaked. How did I just notice that?
It doesn't matter, slowly make your way to the stump and hide.
"I know you're out here, boy. I can smell your fear!" Oddam started shouting from the trail.
"You been sniffin’ ‘round my daughter an awful lot, and now you’re gonna pay for it!" Chick-click.
Shit, I know that sound. Everyone knows that sound. It's a shotgun. Shit, shit, I mean crap!
What does it matter? He's going to kill me. My mom will never even know I was cursing. Oh, what I wouldn't give to be home, getting scolded for a potty mouth.
Mr. Furly continued yelling, "I see you left the trail boy. Think you're clever? Think you can get away from me? I know these woods like the back of my hand! I'm gonna find you boy, and when I do..."
Thank God he didn't finish that sentence; I really don't want to know what he's going to do when he catches me. With a little luck, I'll never find out.
Almost there, just lift the branch. Man, even the branch is wet. I don't remember it raining. Just slip under it, and slowly let it down. There's the water again, much louder, yet oddly faint. Underground maybe? Where is it coming from?
I don't remember there being a creek here. Concentrate. There is a man with a gun after you, and he has already taken the time to cock it for you.
You made it, now, climb underneath. Tuck up under the stump and don't think about spiders. Holy crap, this is so wet! Was it always like this? It didn't feel that way when I was running, though I didn't think about it.
It's mid-summer. I know it hasn't rained recently, so why would it be so wet? Crunch, crunch, snap.
"I'm coming for you, boy!"
He's not trying to be quiet anymore. Branches are snapping like a bigfoot tromping through the forest.
I'm gonna give Briar the worst swirly if I get out of this! More than a swirly, I'm going to pants him in front of everyone! Pants him and tie him to the flag pole in front of the school!
Think; look around. What do you see? You're on a hill, with large trees all around, hiding behind a stump. The slope goes down ten to fifteen yards, and I have no idea what's at the bottom. Could be anything, and there is water somewhere.
The last thing you need is to fall into the water. To slip on this amazing moss, land in a river, and get sucked away by the current. Seriously though, this moss, even in the dark, is brilliantly green.
Forget the moss. I need to run. Maybe if I hit something, it will be soft. Okay, so I run downhill – then what? There is nothing this way. Get lost in an endless forest?
Where is he? I haven't heard anything for a minute. Why has he gone quiet? You have to look. You have to know where he is. You can do this, Evo. Be brave, just...just do it slowly.
Let me ease up and look over. Almost there. Is that him? Just a little further. With all the fog, I can't tell. It looks like him, but the fog may be playing tricks. A bit further.
Snap Shit, that was me.
The twig snap caused Oddam to speak up, "I heard that, boy. I'm coming for you!"
Snap, crack, crunch.
"I know where you're at now!"
More snapping and crunching, he's heading this way! Shit, what do I do? Do I run, or do I stay hidden? He's getting closer, run! Down the hill, slide, and run. Come on legs; I said run!
Smack. Right in my face, oh that burns, crap! I hope it's not bleeding. Smack. That was my eye, crap. Watch out for that rock covered in ivy.
"I see you, boy! I got you now!" CRACK!
There was the telltale blast of a double barrel shotgun.
Thumpf! Evo hit the ground with the signature sound of a stump hitting soft, moist earth. When his body hit the ground, he stirred up a cloud of spores that enveloped him on contact.
Attempting to move the branches out of his way had prevented Evo from bracing himself. That was the least of his worries.
The spore cloud was thick and shimmery, a beautiful blue and silver. It danced in the flurry of his wake like it had a mind of its own. Evo tried to concentrate, but his vision was blurring, and it was getting hard to think.
Wow, that's a crazy looking flower…
Evo closed his eyes and faded away.
Chapter 2: Discovery
"So, on Mars, there would be a lot more hang time. People might get bored,” Neil spoke in his typical fashion. Chuck laughed. "People get bored while they're out there dunking."
"You would have to listen to the commentators talk about the dunk while the guy is floating through the air!" Chuck was clearly amused at the idea.
"I actually have a joke about that," Neil intervened.
"You have a joke about floating through the air?" Chuck retorted.
Neil laughed and said, "No, no, I have a joke about commentators. It's an old joke, one that I heard when I was a kid."
"Oh really," Chuck provoked. "Well lay it on us, man. What are you waiting for?"
"Okay, so there's this family of potatoes. You know, there are the mom and dad potatoes, and then there's the daughter potato. They're sweet potatoes. So not yams, but actual sweet potatoes."
Neil laughed and continued, "It doesn't matter; we'll say they’re sweet potatoes. So there are your sweet potatoes, and the daughter starts dating."
"Does she go to a hot potato dating service?" Chuck asked.
"So she’s out there dating, and then brings home this Idaho potato. You know, to meet the parents." Neil looked at Chuck and said, "But the parent potatoes aren't happy with the potato she has brought home."
Neil