Lost at Running Brook Trail by Sheryl A. Keen

this place as a base. We go and look for something that we know for sure can be eaten. But we come back here. We can’t walk aimlessly around like yesterday or no one will ever find us. So what do you say?” Elaine said.
    Miriam and Susan nodded.
    “Kimberly?” Elaine said.
    “Whatever; you seem to have it all figured out.”
    “We should leave something here, like an identifying marker that will tell people that we were here, just in case.”
    They tried to come up with ideas about what to leave.
    “Got it,” Miriam said. “The sweater Susan’s wearing.”
    “Sure,” Kimberly grumbled, “leave my possession.”
    “I’d leave mine too,” Elaine offered, “but it’s black, so I don’t know if anyone will see it from far away. But they may see the pink in that sweater.”
    They left the two sweaters hanging on shrubs and headed off on a path that led them a little above the cave and to the left.
    “We have to really take note of where we’re going and how we’re going to get back.”
    “Maybe we should drop some bread crumbs then,” Kimberly said.
    “I could do with bread,” Susan said.
    The grassy path they were on seemed not to have been travelled lately. There was a path, but it was overrun with weeds. They heard it before they saw it—the roar of a waterfall still out of sight. It was farther up the road, but not by much, because the rush was right in their ears. And then they saw it, curtains and curtains of water, falling over a wall of rock to a circular pool carved out below.
    “I can wash my beautiful face.”
    “I can fill my water bottles so I don’t die from thirst.”
    “I can rest.”
    The waterfall and the pool gave them a sense of calm. Tucked off at the side of the road, it wasn’t a huge waterfall by any means, but there was still a great deal of power coming down with the gushing force. The pool below had no bottom that they could easily see; only froth and mist appeared with the constant beating down of the water. They strained to see its depth but were unsuccessful. Because they couldn’t see the bottom, they did everything carefully. Kimberly stayed far away to reach into the water’s screen and wash her face and arms. Elaine and the others filled their bottles, careful not to stand too close to the edge of the pool.
    “It’s getting really hot now.” Elaine wet one of her rags and wiped the back of her neck.
    “Yeah, it moves from cool to hot so fast in this place,” Miriam said.
    Kimberly’s hair was wet from having just washed it again. She had used no shampoo, obviously afraid that Miriam would make good on her promise.
    “We aren’t going to find food here,” Susan said. She looked off into the distance. She felt hungry, frustrated and powerless. When were they going to get out of this situation? The water thundered in her ear, and its noise irritated her because the sound played on her emotions. What was she doing out here? The water had allowed them to wash and refresh themselves, but she felt as if she was right on the edge of death. She wasn’t going to say this to the others because they would think that her silly imagination was leading her again. But Susan was sure of what she felt. She looked into the cloudy pool and felt herself drowning. Maybe that was what hunger did to a person. She had to turn her thoughts away from the water.
    “We’ve got the most important thing.” Elaine held up a bottle of water. They stared into the cloudlike invisibility of the pool. It was a little disconcerting not knowing the depth. For all they knew, it could be as shallow as a bathtub or as deep as a sinkhole. Everything felt a little out of their control.
    “At least we have a landmark for when we come back,” Elaine said. “We can hear and see it.”
    They heard the waterfall in the distance as they continued their search for food. The roar became softer and softer with each step until it faded away like a forgotten memory. So far they had found nothing that