Chapter 2: Chapter 2: Heeding The Call
Fortunately, I did sleep despite the excitement. In fact, I slept so deeply that I had the most vivid dream I’d ever experienced.
Gran and I were on a road trip in her beloved old camper van. She was driving with the windows down enjoying the breeze just as she always had, the night sky was alight with stars.
“Gran, I miss you so much. You left too soon,” I said sadly to her. “I never got to learn the truth… how will I ever know what really happened to my parents?”
But Gran didn’t respond to my question.
“We’re here,” she said motioning ahead.
I asked again, more urgently.
“But Gran, how will I ever know?”
She smiled warmly.
“Mira, my child… Look up!” she exclaimed, motioning out the front window of the van.
Frustrated, I turned and looked to see what she was staring at.
Ahead of us on the road stood a worn road sign with the moon directly above it. I leaned forward, straining to read the words that were printed across it.
“The Enchantments?” I wondered aloud.
I sat up bolt right from my dream startling Duke, who was asleep with his head in my lap.
“Sorry buddy, I had a crazy dream,” I explained.
Quickly, I grabbed my phone and typed the words ‘the enchantments’ into its browser.
“I’ll be damned…” I said as the most breathtaking images popped up on my screen. “How’s that for hippie, dippie bullsh*t?” I whispered happily and went back to sleep.
***
*The next morning…*
Duke and I woke up early to load the camper van for our trip.
“Okay, but seriously. Where are you going? It’s not safe to just disappear without telling anyone your plan,” Jane noted, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
“Oh my god, you're so obsessed with me,” I quipped.
She glowered at me, unamused.
“Okay, fine, mom! Talk about being overprotective!” I replied with a wink as I texted her the link that I'd found the night before.
Jane opened the link on her phone.
“The Enchantments,” she read aloud. “Woah! This looks absolutely magical.”
“Right? And it’s so close. Why did Gran never take me there?”
“It looks like a lot of hiking… maybe she knew she couldn’t make the trek?”
“Good point,” I agreed. “Well, I better hit the road before traffic gets too crazy.”
I hugged Jane tight and as I released her she held up something shiny in her palm.
“For safety,” she said as I looked at the pocket knife.
“A can opener?” I chuckled.
“It’s better than nothing,” she noted, pressing it into my hand.
“But I have Duke, he’ll protect me,” I assured her while trying to hand it back.
“Mira…Take the damn knife!” she insisted.
“Okay, okay!” I exclaimed, placing it in my front pocket. “Let’s go Duke!” I called, sliding the vans door open for him to hop in.
Duke happily obliged.
“Thanks for looking after the house for me,” I said, crawling into the driver's seat. “Remember not to over water the succulents…”
“Yeah, yeah, you and your damn succulents… I’ve got things under control here. Now go baby bird, go spread those wings,” Jane stated with a laugh.
“Okay! Love you! I’ll text you when I get to my first camping spot… if I have service,” I replied and waved goodbye.
“Love you too. See you soon!”
As we pulled onto the highway, Duke jumped into the passenger’s seat.
I couldn't help but giggle at the look of pure joy on his face as I rolled down the windows and turned up the music, just like Gran would have done.
The drive didn’t take more than a few hours. As I gazed at the scenery, a sense of eerie familiarity washed over me. With massive jagged mountains surrounding me for miles, the view was nothing short of breathtaking.
I pulled up to the ranger’s station to check in and was greeted by a friendly ranger in his forties.
“Morning!” he smiled, leaning into the driver's side window. His eyes landed on Duke.
“Morning,” I said, cheerily.
“I’m afraid I can’t let you enter with a dog. They’re prohibited due to the disturbance they could cause to the delicate ecosystem here.”
As if he’d understood the rangers words, Duke crawled out of the passenger seat and laid his head on my lap. He stared up at the ranger with large puppy-dog eyes, making us both laugh.
“Even if he is ridiculously cute,” added the ranger, smiling apologetically.
“He’s a service dog, does that make a difference?” I asked.
The ranger cocked a suspicious brow, which came as no surprise to me because everyone was trying to pass their pets off as service animals these days.
“I have seizures,” I explained, pulling out my wallet to show him Duke's service dog certification.
“I see,” said the ranger, smiling at Duke again. “Well, then welcome! Are you camping or just doing a day hike?”
“I was planning to backpack in for a day or two.”
“Sounds like a good time, can I see your permit?” he asked.
“Permit?”
“You need a permit to sleep here,” he stated.
“Okay, can I purchase one?”
“Unfortunately, no. They are raffled off in the beginning of the season, pretty hard to come by actually…”
“Good to know…” I said with disappointment. I was really looking forward to hiking in those hills. It was almost as if i was being pulled there by something.
“But you could day hike and then camp at any of the dispersion sites down the road a few miles. Less crowds that way too,” he suggested.
At this, I smiled. “That sounds like a plan. Thanks for the tip!”
“No problem, happy to help,” he nodded.
“Any chance I’ll see some wildlife?” I questioned.
“Oh sure, we have the whole gambit out here, even bears, though they are pretty good at keeping their distance.”
“How about wolves?” I asked hopefully. I’d been obsessed with wolves for as long as I could remember. In fact, as a child I was certain that I was a wolf. But after many years of patient correction from my Gran, I had let the fantastical illusion go.
The rangers brow raised in amusement.
“I’m afraid wolves are scarce around these parts due to their being endangered and all.”
“That’s a shame,” I shrugged.
I thanked the ranger and parked the camper van near the first trailhead. Then, Duke and I set off hiking for the day.
We hiked vigorously for hours to make it to the crystal clear lake that now lay before us.
“Gran would have absolutely loved it here,” I said aloud as I took in my surroundings.
The high alpine settings, with mountain peaks that practically pierced the sky were her favorite. I wished I had packed Gran’s urn with me. This was a great spot for her ashes. But I was in no rush. I had weeks of hiking these hills ahead of me.
Though Jane was right, Gran definitely could not have handled such a hike. At least not in the last several years.
Duke and I rested our legs and had some lunch before making our way back to the van.
Out of nowhere, the hair on Duke's back stood up. He lowered his head and growled angrily, his eyes focussed on something above us in the hills.
“What is it? What do you see?” I asked Duke, staring in that direction, but seeing nothing. “Well, whatever it is, we will get out of its way. We need to get back to the van before dark.” I noted, heading back towards the trailhead.
But I couldn't help shake the feeling that we were being watched and by the look of the hair that was still standing on Duke's back, he agreed.
He stayed glued to my side the whole way down the trail…
What was going on with him?
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone