The Invisible Trail by Roy Klipping Chapter 19

 

Chapter 19 

What felt like second that had passed, my eyes opened and for a second, I thought I was nestled in my bed back home.  It didn't take long for my eyes to focus though and my mind started remembering where I was. I laid there for a little while then sat up and crawled my way out of the tent, stood up, and stretched.  I was still feeling kind of tired and thought I must have only dozed off for a few minutes.  I looked up to see where the sun was, but it was cloudy out, so it was hard to tell. It almost looked like the sun was about to set but something was off, because where I think it was looking west maybe it wasn't west after all. I remember a trick my grandpa told me when I was around eight years old. He said if I ever got lost in the woods and wanted to go in a straight line all I’d have to do is look at the base of any tree. He said the moss that grows around the trunk will be the highest on the North side of the tree and he was right.  My brother and I always used to be in the woods back home and I have used this little trick a few times. I walked over to a group of good size pines and checked where the moss was highest. Several of them were all the same so I was pretty sure that I knew where north was, and it was exactly where I had thought it was. I looked back up to the sky and realized it was morning and not going into evening like I had thought.  Puzzled I scratched my head and then looked around, just to get my bearings or something.  I just brushed it off that I must have just slept right through the late afternoon and night. I guess I was tired and emotionally exhausted as well. I walked over to my tent and tore it down and rolled it up, then tied it to my backpack.  I put the satchel inside it and then grabbed the map.  As I started to look it over, the trails were still gone from the map, except for the ones leading North by Northwest. I just wanted to head back but everything behind me was as if it had never seen another person and it sure didn't have a trail.  I thought about following the river back and I could have pretty easily but something inside of me wanted to keep following the trail ahead. I was getting so lost as to what I should do so instead of milling it over anymore and waiting for daylight I got up. I cleared the firepit for any hot coals and then headed up the trail. The morning was cloudy, but the temperature felt perfect, maybe around fifty above, and not a lick of wind.  I was walking and kept looking at the map.  I noticed about five miles up the trail there was a hand drawn cabin or shack drawn in, it wasn't on the map before, at least I didn't think it was. All I knew is if I keep up this path I should be there by mid to late afternoon. My mind started to wander again.  I started thinking of the letter I had read from the lady named Lynn.  I didn’t know how or why but I felt like I knew her.  It's like I can imagine her voice or the way her dress sounded as it brushed against the floor as she walked. I knew the color of her hair by the lock I had found earlier, then remembered pulling it out when I was in that other place. I stopped and reached in my pocket but it……

The Invisible Trail by Roy Klipping Chapter 19

 

Chapter 19 

What felt like second that had passed, my eyes opened and for a second, I thought I was nestled in my bed back home.  It didn't take long for my eyes to focus though and my mind started remembering where I was. I laid there for a little while then sat up and crawled my way out of the tent, stood up, and stretched.  I was still feeling kind of tired and thought I must have only dozed off for a few minutes.  I looked up to see where the sun was, but it was cloudy out, so it was hard to tell. It almost looked like the sun was about to set but something was off, because where I think it was looking west maybe it wasn't west after all. I remember a trick my grandpa told me when I was around eight years old. He said if I ever got lost in the woods and wanted to go in a straight line all I’d have to do is look at the base of any tree. He said the moss that grows around the trunk will be the highest on the North side of the tree and he was right.  My brother and I always used to be in the woods back home and I have used this little trick a few times. I walked over to a group of good size pines and checked where the moss was highest. Several of them were all the same so I was pretty sure that I knew where north was, and it was exactly where I had thought it was. I looked back up to the sky and realized it was morning and not going into evening like I had thought.  Puzzled I scratched my head and then looked around, just to get my bearings or something.  I just brushed it off that I must have just slept right through the late afternoon and night. I guess I was tired and emotionally exhausted as well. I walked over to my tent and tore it down and rolled it up, then tied it to my backpack.  I put the satchel inside it and then grabbed the map.  As I started to look it over, the trails were still gone from the map, except for the ones leading North by Northwest. I just wanted to head back but everything behind me was as if it had never seen another person and it sure didn't have a trail.  I thought about following the river back and I could have pretty easily but something inside of me wanted to keep following the trail ahead. I was getting so lost as to what I should do so instead of milling it over anymore and waiting for daylight I got up. I cleared the firepit for any hot coals and then headed up the trail. The morning was cloudy, but the temperature felt perfect, maybe around fifty above, and not a lick of wind.  I was walking and kept looking at the map.  I noticed about five miles up the trail there was a hand drawn cabin or shack drawn in, it wasn't on the map before, at least I didn't think it was. All I knew is if I keep up this path I should be there by mid to late afternoon. My mind started to wander again.  I started thinking of the letter I had read from the lady named Lynn.  I didn’t know how or why but I felt like I knew her.  It's like I can imagine her voice or the way her dress sounded as it brushed against the floor as she walked. I knew the color of her hair by the lock I had found earlier, then remembered pulling it out when I was in that other place. I stopped and reached in my pocket but it……

The Invisible Trail by Roy Klipping Chapter 18

 

Chapter 18 

Jumping all over the place, thinking every scenario possible, I realized how crazy this whole thing was.  I closed the bag of flour or whatever it was and then stood back up then looked all around and realized the spot where I had walked through was still there. 

Hesitant on what I was going to do, I found myself walking toward the blurry area.  I took one more look around and then stepped forward.  When I did everything turned dark, and without as much of a thought I found myself standing next to a camp fire.  I glanced all around and saw that I was back at my campsite, and my tent and back pack were just as I left them.  

Relieved for some reason but still half in a daze I started to look all around. I noticed something… the sun was up and the way it looked it was around two or three in the afternoon. I turned and looked back towards the blurry area but it wasn't there anymore.  I just stood there in almost like a trance, not really understanding what just happened.  

After a few minutes I made my way over to my backpack. As I reached down I noticed my hands. They were mine again! I mean they weren't weathered or older looking now and my clothes were mine again.  I shook my head and closed my eyes for a second, then opened them. Thank God, I thought.  I am back to being me again.  

I started to go over everything that had just happened. Was I dreaming all this?  Maybe falling out of the tree had me all messed up. As it went through my mind about the tree I remembered that I had lost my watch, so I walked over to the big pine and looked everywhere but it just wasn't there. I even looked up and down the tree in case it had hooked a branch when I fell. Giving up on that, I went back over to my back pack, and opened it up.  Crazy as it sounds I was feeling hungry and I had some snacks and water in there.  I was also feeling pretty tired too and before I knew it I had crawled in my tent and closed my eyes..

The Invisible Trail by Roy Klipping Chapter 17

Chapter 17 

….. a noise just off to the side of me and as I turned toward the sound, I could see something that looked very large in the shadows just below the tree line. I slowly folded up the letter and map and placed it back inside the satchel then stood up trying to be as quiet as possible.  My eyes were focused on the dark spot and I wasn't about to take my eyes off of it either.  I stood there for a few minutes and then shouted, " Who is there? " When I did that, I saw it move but no one said anything back.  I hollered back again, “Hello there!” “I am not here to mess with any of your things.” “I think I'm lost and am trying to figure out where I am." Again, the shadow moved but didn't say anything. My eyes focused harder and the more I looked at it the more I could see the shape better. I took a few steps closer and when I did, I heard the sound of a horse. I stepped closer and closer but moving cautiously because I wasn't sure if it was a horse or if it's owner was with.  As I got closer the horse shook its head up and down and then stepped closer toward me. It was as if it knew me or at least it wasn't scared.  I held out my hand and it walked right up to me and put his nose in the palm of my hand.  He had a halter on but no brace or bit in its mouth.  I grabbed the reins and then walked him closer to the camp. When I did that I could see it had a saddle with a couple bags tied on the back part of the saddle. I stood there looking back into the shadows of the woods thinking all along that soon whoever owned the horse, and this camp site would be coming back. I must have waited a good twenty minutes, but no one came so I started to take a closer look at the horse and what he was carrying. The horse was a grayish color with spots of black mixed throughout its body.  I was thinking when it gets light out, I bet he’s a beauty.  then I made my way to the bags that were tied on the saddle.  I untied one of them and pulled it off the horse and set it on the ground, then did the same to the other one. As I did that the horse looked back at me and I almost felt like it was wondering what I was doing. I chuckled and then gave it a pat on its back side and said, " Don't worry I'm not going to steal anything. I knelt and untied the first pack and opened it up and looked inside. I could see there were some smaller leather bags inside of the bigger one, so I reached in and took one out and opened it up to see what was in it. As I reached inside, I could feel something soft like baby powder or something and when I pulled my hand out of the bag it was white. Not knowing what it was I put it up to my nose and then stuck my tongue and tasted it. I wasn't one hundred percent sure, but I think it was flour. That's when my mind jumped back to the letter I had read. I remember reading that she had asked for James to bring back flour. Could this be what this was?  Is this his horse? Did he maybe fall off or get hurt and was laying somewhere?  My mind was…………

The Invisible Trail by Roy Klipping Chapter 16

 

Chapter 16 

It looked like the same satchel I had gotten from that guy at the gas station.  I paused, thinking it couldn't be, but it sure looked like it. I glanced side to side then back at the satchel.  I slowly flipped open the top and then peeked inside. I couldn't really see all that well so I slowly put my hand inside and felt around. The first thing I felt was some papers, so slowly I pulled them out.  At this point I pretty much collapsed to my knees not believing what I was seeing. It looked like the same papers I had seen before. As I knelt there. I placed the bag on the ground and slowly opened up the papers. Just like before there was the map, the same map.  I paused and looked over at the blurry area wondering how can this be here. When I left it behind and I stepped through whatever this place or time was. I laid the map down and opened the next page. It was the letter I had seen before but hadn’t gotten the chance to see. I turned toward the fires light and started to read, " Dear James, I hope you find your way safely and get a good trade for your pelts.  I will be here waiting for you and am praying you will safely make it back to me as my thoughts will be with you along the way. “I placed a lock of my hair to remind you of me. I know it's silly, but it is all I have to give you. Bless you always. If possible, we are in need of flour and sugar but could get by if you cannot get any. Don’t worry about me here James.  I will make sure the animals are taken care of and the garden will be planted hopefully in a few days.  Be safe.  I Love you, Lynn. “ I could almost see her as she wrote this and as I thought of what she wrote I found myself reaching inside of my pocket and pulling out the lock of hair.  I don't know why but I put it close to my cheek and softly rubbed it and at that moment time seem to stop. There was no sound, but I could hear her writing this letter with every fiber of ink soaking deep into the page. I could see her smile and smell her scent. What seemed like hours that had passed and even though I believe my eyes were open it was as if I were dreaming of a real place, a real person. I could see her but couldn't tell you how.  I felt something inside of me wanting to get back to her, then I heard……….

The Invisible Trail by Roy Klipping Chapter 15

Chapter 15 

Confused in a way I've never felt before, I stood there as if I were somewhere outside of myself. I know this is strange, but it is how I felt. I put the lock of hair back in my pocket along with the compass, then something caught my eye. As I turned my head, I could see a small fire next to a makeshift looking tent. I waited and then listened to see if I could hear anyone. The only thing I could hear were the sounds of crickets or frogs in the distance. I leaned forward and shouted, " Is there anyone here?" and then waited a few seconds but there was no response. I took a few more steps closer then hollered again but still there was no response. I walked closer and closer all the while watching my surroundings and looking back at where the blurry area was. In my mind I was thinking it was some kind of vortex worm hole, but really didn't want to admit it even though everything about me seemed different. I made my way over to the fire and stood quietly looking at the tent. It was grayish white with a flap that covered the front, maybe six feet long two feet high and two feet wide. As I looked around the fire, I noticed a small hatchet that looked old but didn’t see anything else. I looked around again and then cleared my throat hoping to maybe get the attention of whoever’s things these were but again nothing, only silence. I half ways knelt in front of the tent and tapped on the top of it and said," Is anyone in there?”, but again no sounds or movement from inside the tent. I got kind of a lump in my throat and then reached for the flap and slowly opened it. I could see inside but it was almost too dark to see inside because the fire that was going was small and almost down to coals. I closed the flap and then looked around for some limbs to throw on the fire. It wasn't long and I had a nice flame going so I knelt down again and opened the tent back up. Inside I could see there was a blanket laid half crumpled up and something in the far-left hand side that looked like a bag or something. l leaned back on my haunches and then looked around again. I didn't want to have someone come back and catch me inside their tent, but I was curious now as to what it was, so I slowly crawled inside. It smelled damp inside the tent like it had been there for a while. I grabbed the small bag and hurried myself backwards, then turned toward the fires light. I looked down and couldn't believe what I saw…….

The Invisible Trail by Roy Klipping Chapter 14

 

Chapter 14 

Everything went dark and I couldn't breathe. I wasn't sure what was happening though it so was dark.  I stepped forward again and when I did, I was relieved to see trees and the sky. The sun was shining, and I could feel warmth. It was if summer had come.  I stood there looking all around me and as I looked back to where I had just come from the same blurriness was there.  I reached out my hand to feel the area.  I wanted to see if whatever it was, acted in the same way. Was my hand going to disappear again or what?  As my hand was about to touch the area, my eyes caught something on my finger. I pulled my hand back and looked closer. It was a ring placed on my left ring finger. With disbelief as to what I was seeing, I started to try and take it off, but it wasn't budging. I noticed under the ring I had a tan line. What the heck was going on here?  That's when I noticed something else, my hand didn't look the same.  It seemed thicker and more older looking.  I shook my head and then looked closer at both my hands. They were the same. As I was looking at my hands, something else caught my eye. My clothes were not the same! Neither were my boots! Slightly panicky, well more than slightly, I started to examine everything. My pants, the shirt, everything.  I wasn't sure what was happening here.  I reached up and felt my face.  I could feel what felt like a beard. Good God I thought, what has happened.  Did I walk through some kind of time hole or something? I looked down at my clothes again and noticed I was wearing a knife tied on to my waist with a leather looking cord.  I could see something in my pocket, so I reached in and pulled it out. As I did, I was taken back even more.  It was the compass or at least it looked like the same one I had dug out of the satchel.  I checked the other pocket and felt something in there as well. It felt strange to me as my hand touched it. My mind went to a place that made me feel so at ease, and as I pulled it out of my pocket, my motions slowed and again I felt like I knew where it came from. It was the locket of hair that was also in the satchel.