Ancient History Read Free

of the tent, taking my half-eaten plate of food with me. However, I’d lost my appetite and set the plate on the table by the stove. The enormous room felt tiny, claustrophobic. I walked to the door of the dining hall and stepped outside.
    A light rain was falling. The pines provided some protection. The night was dark. Like being in a closet with no light on. I turned on the flashlight and then turned it off. I just wanted to be in the dark. Alone in the dark listening to the rain fall.
    Light filtered past me and I heard footsteps. In a moment, Garth was standing next to me. I didn’t look at him, just continued staring into the night.
    “Look, Ron, I’m sorry. I really am. I’d like nothing better than to be more than brothers in name only. That’s what I’ve always wanted. As you said, we aren’t getting any younger and what’s more important than family?”
    I didn’t say anything.
    He continued. “If I could undo the past, I would. But I can’t. What I did was wrong. I suppose I wanted to hurt you like you hurt me. But two wrongs don’t make a right. Don’t give up. Please. Let’s try to fix things.”
    I looked at him. All I saw was a face barely illuminated by the flashlight beam. From the tone of his voice, he seemed sincere.
    I let out a sigh. “Okay, Garth. Let’s go in.”
    We walked back to the tent. The flashlight beams forming moving pools of light, which glinted off the little puddles of water on the floor.
    “We can wash the dishes in the morning, when there’s some natural light,” I said.
    “Good idea.”
    We entered the tent. I took off my boots and crawled into my sleeping bag.
    “So they never found the Land Cruiser or the driver?” Garth asked.
    “No. Speculation by the locals was that it was somebody driving through town. No one local or from the surrounding area. Just some stranger. Or maybe strangers. I think there had to be at least one other. Don’t think one guy could’ve offed two strapping young men.”
    “How would the killers have known about this place?”
    “Good question. I don’t think they could’ve. Which makes me think, now that you mention it, maybe the young local fellas were looking for a joy ride or some, back then, illicit fun.”
    “The whole thing seems odd. Doesn’t it?”
    “It does. Although, to me, the oddest part is killing someone.”
    “You’ve never wanted to kill someone?”
    “No.”
    “Not even me?”
    “No, Garth, not even you.” I paused, waiting for him to say something, and, when he didn’t, I continued, “It’s just, I don’t know. A stranger picks up two other strangers. They have sex, willingly or unwillingly, and then the person kills them. It just makes no sense.”
    “We’re sinners, Ron. I know you don’t believe in sin, but that’s what it is. Cain killed Abel. That made no sense either.”
    I ignored his comment. No sense getting sucked into a fruitless religious discussion. Instead, I said, “We are a funny species. We value life and yet we destroy the very thing we value. Makes no sense. We, as a species, make no sense.”
    “We were made in God’s image. It’s sin that’s ruined everything.”
    All I could think was if we were made in God’s image, then He too made no sense. Instead of saying that and getting Garth to mount his evangelical high horse, I circled back around to the beginning of our discussion.  
    “No, they never found the Studebaker or who did it.” I paused and then added, why, I don’t know, “A black car. It was like a black cat. It was those young men’s black cat.”
    “That’s an odd thing to say.”
    “Yeah, it is. The image just popped into my head. Funny how the mind associates things. I think I’m going to get some sleep, Garth. I’m tired.”
    “Sure thing, Ron.”
    I turned over and went to sleep, although it seemed I’d no sooner closed my eyes when Garth was shaking me awake.
    “Ron! Ron! I saw it. The Studebaker! I saw it!”
    “What?”
    “The Studebaker,