this week is still summer camp week at Humor Bloggers dot com and today is scary campfire stories day so heres a true tale about friendship and disregard and mother nature gettin’ a little cranky.
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there once was a scruffy mutt and his companion human. they lived in the big city and went places together, like to the park where they chased ducks and to the farmers market to steal sample fresh foods and they also went camping. one weekend they went camping high in the mountains, amidst the pine trees and lakes and streams and wildlife.

they drove their big four wheel drive across a pristine meadow, doing donuts along the way, and found a clearing to set up camp. the mutt went exploring and found a slow moving marmot out foraging food to feed her babies. he grabbed it and shook it violently by the neck, killing it, then left it on top of a rock. meanwhile the human got out a gas powered saw and cut down some trees to make a larger clearing for their tent, then cut down some more just because he liked it. mother nature didnt approve of any of this behavior and grumbled a bit off in the distance.

the duo went hiking and found lots to keep themselves entertained. first the mutt dug several deep holes in another meadow, not looking for anything in particular, and the human shot at small animals with his pellet gun. ‘Always aim for the eyes’ he said, ‘That’s the most fun’. then they found a beaver dam across a stream and spent the rest of the afternoon dismantling it, sending the beaver family scurrying off into the woods. they took no notice as an offended mother nature continued to assemble storm clouds on the horizon, including a particularly impressive display of lightning.

that evening the mutt and his human were idling by the campfire, feeling satisfied with the days activities and considering what to do the following morning. the mutt thought hed like to drag some of their trash up a trail they had spotted and possibly do some barking to see what he could scare up, and the human revealed he had a can of spray paint and wanted to climb up to a highly visible rock outcropping and paint his name. he flicked his cigarette butt off a nearby tree trunk as they retired into their tent for the night. a fine mist of rain enveloped the campsite and the wind began to pick up, scattering snack wrappers and beer cans that littered the area.

though tucked away inside their tent, sleep was impossible for the pair as the storm grew surprisingly fast, with rising winds that howled up the slopes like an oncoming locomotive. thunder added unnecessary volume to the cacophony and brilliant blasts of lightning preceded the heavy scent of burnt ozone as none of the senses was left undisturbed. frightened by the unexpectedly robust squall, they huddled together wondering how long it would last. a common thought occurred to them both,  could mother nature actually be targeting them?

thunder usually plays catch up with lightning in a storm, that is unless you happen to be at the exact location of the strike, where the two convene with unimaginable impact. this particular tent was ground zero for just such an impact. the blast set branches of nearby trees on fire, scorched the ground for yards in every direction, and left the tent a deflated, smoldering wreck. then, as if ordered to another venue, the storm moved away quickly, leaving branches swaying gently in its wake and wisps of smoke rising toward the clearing sky.

the scene that was moments ago literally hell on earth was now an empty movie set. silent, still, and calm, there was no hint of life anywhere on the mountainside until slowly, a different mood began to descend upon the area. animals that had been too frightened to move, suddenly felt a need to get out of the area as quickly as possible. as they moved in increasing numbers, the rumble and cry of their flight echoed up and down the valley.

then something stirred under the collapsed tent. a low wail began to emerge. slowly, a ghastly creature appeared, half-man, half-beast. the powerful bolt had fused the two into one single, horrifying entity.  it stood awkwardly upright in the emerging moonlight and let out a great bone-chilling howl of agony, knowing now that the fusion had delivered a legacy of everlasting pain to this new chimera.

that horrible creature still wanders these woods to this very day, though both personalities remain distinctly evident. each blames the other for their fate, claiming they were simply going along but had no bad intentions of their own. sometimes in the high country on moonlit nights, as storms rumble in the distance, you can hear its painful howls as it struggles between rage and remorse, begging mother nature for some measure of mercy.