Elijah
Thea and I hadn’t gone camping together in some time.
It used to be one of our favorite pastimes; whenever we had a quiet weekend to spare, I would take Thea out to the national park for a night or two of camping beneath the stars and fishing. Even when she was just a toddler, barely old enough to remember our trips, I would bundle her up and bring her with me, just the two of us.
Lately, we hadn’t had much of a chance for such things—which was exactly why I felt it was necessary to take her now.
We needed to get away. Just for a little while, and then we could address the mess that was our normal, everyday existence. But right now, I just wanted to get out in nature, look at the stars and breathe fresh air. For Thea’s sake.
At least, I told myself that it was fo
