It was deep blue night with soft purple clouds when Dominic decided to go on an adventure. The only sounds he could hear were sleeping people and chatty insects. It was boring. The cabin had no distractions. It was built by hand generations ago by his dad’s people. It smelled old like dirt and soot from long dead fires. 

His room was orderly but showed the fact that it was only temporally his. Dominic was just a visitor in a long line of boys and girls including his dad. He packed his sack the way his mother taught him. This was Dominic’s fifth time in the cabin. His mother would force him to take walks and name things playing a game she made up called, “Can you eat this” He would after say yes, no or after cooking. At first he hated it then he only pretended to. He like being with his mom.

This year she brought his younger sister along. She was the same age he was when his mom started hiking with him, but it was not okay with him. Dominic had asked her,”Why does she have to come? Leave her with dad!” He pointed at the sleeping man on the couch. 

She narrowed eyes at him and lectured him in an angry whisper on how to be a brother and how hard his father worked. Then made him help his sister pack her sack, “Like a child of mine and stop acting like no one loves you enough to teach you manners.” His sister lasted long enough to get mud on her shoe then she had to be carried back to the cabin. It was the last time he was going to be bossed around. Dominic had wanted to go to the end of the trail. His mom said they would go tomorrow but then his sister asked to come too. There was no way he was going to waste time with her. 

He was going to go hiking on his own. He walked out the door flash light in hand and started up the trail. They found his body three days later. It was still warm. His father started CPR and wold not stop until the EMTs pulled him off. Dominic watched them trying to bring him back. He didn’t want to go back. He wasn’t lost and hungry anymore.