Okefenokee
Arnold

Junior got up from the table, “I’m going to walk that meal off,” and he walked away on the far side trail. Some of the small red birds followed along from branch to branch hoping he would give them some seed that he often gathered from the grasses out near the fish traps. He didn’t disappoint. He threw a handful of the seed on the path in front and one behind. The beautiful little feathered creatures with such a wonderful disposition fluttered down and ate the seed while chirping joyfully. The wild animals were his friends. He loved his parents but they were parents. A twelve year old boy needed friends. Grandmom was a friend. He missed her terribly after her heart couldn’t keep up anymore. She told him many times that her heart was weak.

His Dad would say in their old life, that medical facilities would provide medicine for her condition but they would also continuously monitor her. The medications were dangerous without the monitoring. Healthcare was a wondrous benefit. Out in the wild a simple scratch if it gets infected could be a death sentence.

He was looking for his best friend. When Junior nursed a little lonely piggy his parents called him Arnold so the name stuck. It wasn’t like the pig cared what its name was or even if he had a name. Junior had to be careful because the pigs could be dangerous in the wild even though they often saw him interacting with Arnold. Nature is unpredictable. He always waited when he saw Arnold until he galloped toward him making a non-threatening grunting sound.

Junior cut across the heavily traveled path that they used to get to the back side of the island. In order to replace Arnold he needed to go off the path that his Mom and Dad warned was dangerous. They would stay religiously on the safer paths. Junior being an adolescent didn’t always listen. He walked carefully with his eyes darting back and forth along the ground aware that a snake bite could be fatal.

He heard the sound of pigs grunting nearby and small limbs being snapped as the animals passed them in search of food. Some of the wild males weighed hundreds of pounds. He spoke up calling for Arnold, “hey buddy are you there?” knowing that this group might not be Arnold’s clan.

Then a male stuck his head out between some large green leaves showing his dangerous tusks. He saw Junior and advanced with a friendly non-threatening nasal grunt. Junior kneeled down and hugged the pig who was much larger than the last time the two came face to face. He looked full grown. Junior enjoyed spending only a few minutes before Arnold disappeared back to his clan of teenage size piglets. This was his job until they were a little older when they would disperse and raise their own litters.

Junior had a secret place that his Dad and Mom didn’t know about where he could be safely alone. It was nearby and again it was off the path. He had to climb because it was a large live oak and there was a thick branch that ran horizontal which made it a good seat. It was so thick he could lay and nap without falling. He could see far out into the grass wetlands from the height. He used to come there and daydream about seeing an approaching boat. What might that mean. Would it be family danger or rescue in the sense that the evil killer virus had gone and people had returned here for recreation.

Cyndi, “I’m worried about Junior with Grandmom gone.”

Rob, “I know, so am I. Maybe I will go and replace him and see if he needs to talk about it. I’ll take the rifle with me. He loves shooting it when I give him the chance. I want him to learn to use it and be safe around it. So maybe today will be a good time.”

“That’s a good idea. Go replace him.”

Rob gathered the gun and some ammo he placed in a shoulder bag. “I’ll be back,” he started down the trail.

Junior scanned the horizon slowly. Excited by a mark he saw, he squinted from the bright sunshine dome over the openness. Could that be something he thought trying hard to see more clearly the object. He closed his eyes and rubbed them. When he opened his eyes he tried to focus on it again he couldn’t replace it. His mind was playing tricks on him. He wanted to see something making it all too easy to see anything that was not there. He climbed down from the oak tree and started back cross woodland toward camp.

As he walked his fantasies grew like a fire engulfing his thoughts. He thought of having a truck like his Dad’s and driving all over the state. He thought of entering the empty stores where nobody had been since the time of his existence. He could try on clothes and shoes. He could get a rifle of his own and some fishing gear. His biggest hope though was running into other people. Some his age, girls and boys.

A large hornet took notice of him and he must have been to too close to the nest. It started circling him in an aggressive fashion. He new what to do. He had to move quickly away from the nest, but where was it. He looked around but there was no sign. He broke into a run and although he had great speed he would not out run the hornet unless it gave up chase. Fortunately it did. He was close to camp so he walked the rest of the way.

He walked into camp and saw his Mom sitting at the picnic table. “Hi Mom.”

She said, “There you are.”

“Where is Dad?”

“He went out looking for you a long time ago. We worried about you with Grandmom passing and everything. I assumed he found you and the two of you were messing around or something.”

“No, I didn’t see him.”

“He went on the same path that you left on. He should have run into you when you were returning.”

“Well, I wasn’t using the path. I went cross country to see Arnold.”

“You know that is not safe. Did you replace Arnold?”

“Yeah, I saw him. He’s fine.”

Mom, “I guess we better go look for your Father. Something might have happened to him.”