Free A Chance Mistake by Jackie Zack Page A

Thank you for the rain.
    He grabbed his backpack, zipped it shut, and set out warily down the path. What if Shorty and Laces were waiting under a tree until the rain stopped? He certainly didn’t want to meet up with them again.
    The clouds overhead kept their steady journey. The weather changed to a soft steady rain. Small patches of blue sky appeared and disappeared. He reached the area of dark burned trees. The blackbird nowhere in sight. Where the path turned muddy, two sets of footprints were pressed in deeply as Shorty and Laces lumbered through. A bike tire track was visible off to the side. A few paces down the trail on the right, his billfold and phony credit cards lay in tall grass. Guess they had enough brainpower to see the cards wouldn’t work.
    As he reached down to pick them up, he couldn’t help but see the trodden down grass as their steps took them away from the path and up a hill. He shouldn’t risk following them, but his curiosity wouldn’t let him pass it by.
    He stepped up the hill, alert for any sound or clue of their presence. When he reached the hilltop, he knew without a doubt they were long gone. Down below about three football fields away was a paved road. He was almost tempted to go the road but had no idea which direction to take. At least the bike trail led to a village. If he went the wrong way on the road, no telling how long it would take to get to civilization.
    Retracing his steps, and running at an easy jog, he made his way back to where the castle trail met up with the main path. The clouds had built up again, dousing the surroundings in ominous darkness. He stood at the conjunction and took a deep breath. Since his bike was stolen, Dafina wouldn’t have to worry about him riding over a cliff.
    He slipped off his backpack, grabbed his water bottle and took a couple of long drinks while turning around to look at the paths. He stashed the bottle in his backpack. Funny how the three trails were so equidistant from each other. It would be easy to get turned around, nothing stood out as any sort of landmark. But he knew he needed to head to the right to go the village. And he knew which path he came from. A cold sensation coursed down his back. He was pretty sure which one he came from.
    Taking in another deep breath, he set off down the dark shadowy trail as heavy clouds converged, blocking out any bit of light. He strode at a quick pace and wished the sun would re-appear. Traveling in the dreary gloom didn’t give him much confidence that he’d end up in a nice, safe place for the night. Hard telling how long it would take to get there by foot. And hard telling if he was on the right path. Why did he let his mind wander at such a crucial point? The surroundings looked much like the path he’d come from, but he could barely see the trail.
    All he could do was continue on. He’d find out soon enough if he’d taken the wrong way by ending up at the castle again. He only hoped that it wouldn’t get too dark to see the path. Then he’d be in a pack of trouble.
    After hiking up and down hills and going around a turn, he couldn’t believe his eyes. The burnt trees. The same patch of trees that he saw on the way to the castle. Blast! He had gone the wrong way by somehow heading back on the same trail. He made a quick about-face and jogged to help make up for lost time. His leg muscles complained big time. He zoned out and tried to think of something pleasant.
    Hmm. Something pleasant that he liked. What could it be besides hunkering down with his laptop and getting lost in a story that built itself in front of him? Something wonderful—beautiful. His writing come to life. The platinum princess. God help me.
    Dafina. What was she doing now? Conjuring up a new look for Pops? Talking to a Greek god about his goat eating her flowers?
    She didn’t go for Hoover because of his body-builder physique. Kory snorted and gave a short laugh. Well, his muscles weren’t as big as Hoover’s,