The Many Deaths of Samish 2.1

Sam Brown looked skeptically at the canteens in his hands.

“Come on, Sammy!” Lara slung a third and fourth canteen over his shoulder and around his neck, then planted a kiss on his cheek. “The river’s only a half-mile down the trail – there’s no way you can miss it.” She glanced back over her shoulder at the couple setting up their tent, then lowered her voice. “Do this for me, kiddo. There’s nothing to worry about; they moved the last bear out of Missouri four years ago, and I taught you how to watch out for snakes. Just don’t hurry. We need a little time to settle in here.”

Sam peered at the other couple – Lara’s new friends from work. Dawn and Andy, wasn’t it? His memory wasn’t the best, but Lara had been teaching him tricks to remember names. Dawn looked up from the tent stake she was holding, saw him watching her, and winked.

He swallowed and turned his eyes back to his wife. “Sure, Lara. But keep your phone handy, just in case, okay?”

“Just in case,” she agreed, and she slapped his butt to send him off down the trail.

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