Campers

The scout leader told us, “There are three kinds of campers: those who watch the campfire go out and do nothing; those who watch the campfire fade and just comment about the dying embers; and those who see a need and they search for firewood.” He asked, "Which one are you?" Sammie exclaimed, "I'm the third" so he ran into the dark woods, pulled up a rotting log, and screamed, spooked by a coiled rattlesnake. The leader commented, “There are two kinds of campers who forage for firewood: those who get scared by a snake, and those who get bit.”

From Guest Contributor Michael C. Roberts

Heatwave

They slept in front of stores closed for the day. Others pushed personal belongings in shopping carts.

A young woman missing front teeth stared upward as I passed. I crossed the street aware of an underweight cat doing likewise ahead.

“You have more?” I caught my partner off guard, showing the contents of my opened bag.

“How many you need?”

“At least a dozen.”

“That’s all I have,” he grimaced.

I resumed my mission as the sun lowered into its nighttime place, knowing that at some point I won’t have enough bottles of water to distribute to those in need.

From guest contributor Krystyna Fedosejevs