Dark Woods Read Free Page A

to do, right, Cal?’
    ‘Right,’ said Cal. There was something about the man which made him uneasy. Something about the way he kept running his fingers through his hair, like he was nervous about something. But then he had just lost his dog, Cal reasoned. And Cal knew that losing something you cared about could do all kinds to a person.
    ‘Listen,’ the man said. ‘I think that’s her. Did you hear it?’
    Cal listened, but all he could hear was the hum of insects and the whisper of the breeze.
    ‘I think I hear it too,’ said Eden, and Cal could see that she was enjoying the new direction the morning was taking. ‘Come on. Let’s go find her.’
    She set off through the trees with the man beside her and Cal followed. After a while the path disappeared and Cal found himself pushing through thick branches as he tried to keep up. The muscles in his legs ached and he realised that instead of walking around the base of the mountain as they had been, they were now heading upwards, leaving the path further and further behind.
    ‘You all right back there?’ called the man’s voice.
    ‘I’m fine,’ said Cal.
    Although they were now in the shadow of the pines, the sun was higher and the air warm and humid. Cal pulled his sweatshirt over his head and tied it around his waist. He leaned against a tree, smelling the fragrance of pine needles and watching a line of ants march up the trunk. He wondered what time it was and whether he should be getting back. Maybe he should have left a note. But then, what did it matter? Sarah might want to be his mother, but the truth was she was just one more stop along a very long road. He would move on and forget about her and Michael, same as he always did, and these few weeks would be no more than a distant dream.
    ‘I’m coming,’ he said.
    When he caught up with them they were waiting on a plateau where the trees thinned out to give a view all the way across the valley to the mountains beyond. A buzzard circled high above them, its jagged calls scratching the sky.
    ‘It’s beautiful, don’t you think?’ said the man. ‘The kind of thing dreams are made of.’
    Cal thought it was a strange thing to say, but then he guessed he was a strange guy, walking around with his sleeping bag and binoculars.
    ‘Any sign of the dog?’
    The man shook his head. ‘All I can think is she must have made her way back to the van. Reckon she picked up the scent of a buck rabbit and couldn’t resist going after it. But I appreciate you helping me out like this, I really do.’
    He scratched his chin and looked down toward the Bitterroot river, silver in the morning light.
    ‘Tell you what. I’ve got a flask of lemonade in the van just crying out to be drunk. Why don’t you come along and help me finish it? That way we can see if old Tansy’s found her way home. What do you say?’
    This time it was Eden’s turn to hesitate.
    ‘I don’t know,’ she said. ‘We should probably be getting back.’
    ‘Of course you should,’ agreed the man. ‘Only problem is, I’ve kind of taken you off the trail a bit. These woods can get real confusing if you don’t know your way around. But there’s a mountain track no more than ten minutes from here, and my van’s parked at the end of it. Why don’t we walk along there, have ourselves a drink and then I can drive you back to the campground?’
    ‘Oh no, I’m sure we can find our way,’ said Eden. ‘We don’t want to put you to any trouble.’
    ‘It wouldn’t be any trouble,’ said the man. ‘You’ve been more than kind, helping me search for my dog, and it’s the least I can do.’
    ‘OK,’ said Cal, picturing ice cubes bumping around in a glass. ‘That’d be great.’
    He looked at Eden and could tell straight away that she wasn’t so sure. But she was the one who’d suggested a walk, the one who had wanted to trek all the way up here to look for a dog. She was the one who had made all the decisions. Now he wanted to show her