Episode 37

“Ben?” Connor blinked.  It was like when Jesus came back from the dead—Miah now know exactly how his disciples had felt when he'd walked through the locked door and appeared to them the first time.

Ben smiled bashfully and scratched his head, finding all eyes on him.

Connor walked up to him and searched his face, and then sighed, “It’s good to have you back, man.”

He nodded, looking at Miah with a smile.  Then he asked Connor, “How long have I been out?”

Counting on his fingers, Connor figured, “Two or three days…well, to tell the truth, I’ve started to lose count...At least two, unless you count the day that we weren't there.”

Gail walked over, and Connor said, “Oh—Ben, this is Gail.”

Ben nodded, and Gail gave a smile.

Connor looked around at the forest they’d fallen in, and at the state of their car. “Well, I don’t suppose we could hitchhike our way out of here; that hill’s too steep to climb.”

“So we’re stuck here?” Miah asked dejectedly.  All the excitement of Ben being alive had driven the thought of their car crash from her mind.

He sighed. “Looks like it.”  He looked up at the sky, which had stopped raining, but was still overcast. “Does anyone have a watch?”

Miah nodded.  “It’s five twenty.” She could feel her stomach grumbling. “And I’m still hungry.”

“There's food in the backpack, as I said before.”

“Right.”  Miah headed over to the car to fish it out.

“We should find shelter,” Ben thought aloud.  “It gets cold in the mountains.”

Connor nodded, and the four of them decided to head downhill; it was the only direction left to go.  With any luck, they’d come across a road and hitch a ride to the nearest city.