Reader’s Digest Canada – September 2019

which had smooth treads, were ill-

suited for the climb. Yoda ran ahead,

while Jean struggled to maintain her

balance. She slipped, dropped the urn

and watched it roll over the edge of the

hill and tumble into a gully. Jean crept

her way to the slope’s side. She spotted

the urn, barely visible in the under-

brush. She hated abandoning it, but

the steep hillside was too dangerous to

navigate. She eventually made it to the

top of the crest, where she saw nothing

but trees and more hills. She’d been

gone from home for a few hours, and

it was getting dark.

Jean reached for her phone to call

her brother. No service. Thirsty, she

needed water. She randomly picked

a route, pushing her way through

underbrush and branches that cut and

pricked her, until she came upon a

small creek. She and Yoda drank deeply.

As darkness fell, Jean was struck by an

awful realization: she would be spend-

ing the night in the woods.

She’d heard stories about people

who had died in the park, including

one who had been mauled by a bear.

Just stay calm, she thought, forcing her-

self to focus on the task at hand.

First things first—she needed a place

to sleep. She spotted a downed tree,

about two metres in diameter, that had

fallen on a big rock next to the creek.

The space beneath was large enough

to shelter her for the night. She crawled

under the log and lay there. Yoda snug-

gled close, warming her as the temper-

ature dipped into single digits.

An experienced camper, Jean wasn’t

frightened by the forest’s strange noises

or creepy-crawlies. But her predica-

ment did keep her awake. To distract

herself, she thought about the dinner

she’d planned but wouldn’t get to eat:

noodle soup with pork and vegetables,

and fresh cherries for dessert.

And she thought of Jack. Jean recalled

the first time she’d laid eyes on him.

Armed with her MBA, she had applied

for a job at a San Francisco bank where

Jack was vice-president. After she was

hired as an assistant vice-president,

Jack took her to lunch to congratulate

her. Shortly thereafter, they began to

date. Thinking about Jack calmed Jean,

and she decided that if she could make

it until daylight, she’d find her way out.

AT DAWN, JEAN left the shelter, forging

her own trail through underbrush with

Yoda trying to keep up. At home, Yoda

had the run of nearly five acres, where

he chased deer and explored. But this

adventure was different. The bushes

were high in many places, and he had

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reader’s digest

42 september 2019