“Excuses,” says Daniel, but he’s laughing.
“I’m just setting the scene,” I say.“Because one night, I walk a little ways away from the camp to take a piss, and I hear this weirdnoise.It’s this low, melancholyooooooo,like nothing I’ve ever heard in the woods before.”
Everyone’s looking at me.I’m looking at Clementine.
“So I follow it,” I say.“I’m sleep deprived as hell, and my first thought is,that’s the most beautifulsound I’ve ever heard.I think it’s angels or something, like maybe I died and didn’t know it.And I go around this big tree, and suddenly, I swear to God, I see analien.”
Daniel’s laughing softly already, and Silas is grinning.They know the story.Clementine at least looks amused.
“It’s this big, white, imposing, majesticbeing, and it’s got a tiny mouth and big eyes, and I swear to God, it wasglowing,” I say.“I have no idea what to do.I think,they’re here to take me away,and I know that I should run or something, but I’m pretty sure the alien is controlling my mind already, so I just drop to my knees in front of it instead.”
Mandy’s giggling behind her hand, and Clementine is biting her lip, trying not to laugh.
“I’m on my knees, with the alien, for alongtime.A couple minutes, at least, and it’s staring at me, looking around making these weird, soft, strange,peacefulnoises.I start thinking,maybe it won’t be so bad.It seems like a nice alien.”
I pause for another moment.Silas snorts.
“Then, from behind me, a voice shouts, ‘Casden, what inGod’sname are you doing?’”
Noweveryone is laughing.
“I’m so surprised that I nearly fall over, and right at that second, the alien spreads its wings and flies right at my head.I screamed like a little girl,” I finish.
I felt like a total idiot when this happened, but it’s a good story now.
“Porter wasn’t impressed,” Silas says.
“He never is,” says Daniel.
“Especially not with me,” I say.
“You sure you were sleep deprived and not drunk?”Mandy asks.She’s got one leg up on the chair, her elbow resting on her knee as she plays with her hair.
She’s cute.She’s not the make-your-mouth-go-dry knockout that Clementine is, but I’d pick her up in a bar.I bet she’s a fun time when she’s had a couple of drinks.
“I don’t drink on the job,” I say, leaning back in my plastic chair.“That’sa good way to get yourself killed.”
“We make up for it on our time off,” Daniel says, and he and Silas clink their beer bottles together.
“We’ve been invited on a historic pub crawl tonight,” Silas says.“Organized by...who was it?”
“The Homebrewers Club of Lodgepole,” Daniel says.
“Better than a spaghetti dinner,” I say, then glance at Mandy and Clementine, who looks faintly amused.“Sorry.”
“Does a pub crawl mean you’re going tobothbars?”Clementine asks.
“Isn’t the Harried Bear closed right now?”Mandy asks.
“I thought it reopened last week,” Clementine says.
“It looked closed when I drove past the other day,” she says, and shrugs.
Both girls look at us, then laugh.
“Sorry,” Clementine says.“You might be going on a crawl of exactly one historic pub.”
“Want to come with us?”Silas asks her.
