by Natasha L. Kohlhoff Polak

Created on: August 25, 2010

"The path has to be here somewhere!" Kasee groaned, stomping her foot in frustration.  "We've been wandering through this brush for hours!"

I sighed, closed my eyes, and counted to ten in my head.  Kasee really had a way of trying my patience, even if she was my cousin.  I loved her dearly, but sometimes she could be really whiney.  Like today. 

"Kasee," I said, "it's only been an hour, and the only reason why we didn't get to the trail yet is because we had to take a shortcut.  Remember?  The trail we were walking on had a bunch of felled branches in the way so we kinda couldn't stay on it."

I paused, standing in place, and scanned the area.  I could hear the steady trickle of water nearby.

"Bren, where's the map?" Kasee asked with a frown.

"It's right here," I declared, reaching into my pocket to retrieve it.  I waved the map with a flourish, then pointed to where it indicated Potato Creek.

"Ok, so we were on trail 7, and the map's showing the creek runs through underneath it.  So we should be coming to a bridge, right?" Kasee took the map, then glanced from it to me.

I nodded.  "Exactly.  See, that wasn't so hard.  Since we took a left to leave the trail, and went straight, we should be able to meet up with the trail again to the right.  I'm sure we'll see the bridge soon."

Kasee shrugged.  She walked on ahead of me, then stopped to look back at me.

"C'mon already!" she called, waving. 

As if I were the one to hold us up!  I rolled my eyes.  Our adventures together were always...interesting.  If it weren't for the fact that our parents took a week's vacation together each Summer, we probably wouldn't have ever liked one another.  But, as with any family, you get stuck with who you have, and you learn to make the best of it.  Don't get me wrong - I do love Kasee.  She and I do have some great laughs together, and the stories she can tell...she never runs out of things to talk about.  But there are times when I prefer a little quiet reflection. 

Since our parents decided to go golfing for a good part of the day, Kasee and I decided to visit the nearby park, and hike through the woods.  At the time, I thought it would be fun.  Now I wished I could have come by myself. 

"Umm, Brenda, are you SURE there's a bridge?" Kasee called as I joined her.  The creek flowed up ahead and to our right.

I stifled a chuckle and peered over her shoulder to look at the map.  "Yeah, see the icon?  That's what it is, all right." If the picture of a bridge didn't clue her in...well...heaven help us all.

"Well, I don't see a bridge over here.  Do you?"

At that, I couldn't help the grin that spread to my face, and looked around, expecting to prove her wrong.  But wait - I didn't see a bridge, either.  Ok, so this was a little weird.  Where WAS that bridge?

"Hmmm," I replied, nervously biting my lip.  Could it be that there was something we both missed when we took our detour?  Surely this place wasn't THAT big that we wouldn't be able to figure out how to get out!  After all, I was certainly more capable of reading a map than Kasee.  Something wasn't right.

"Brenda, tell me we're not lost," Kasee whined, stepping on my last nerve.

"We're not lost in the woods!" I snapped.  But I wasn't so sure of that anymore.  Heaven help us, indeed.

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