beneath the macho exterior , gruff voice and a rough manner hid a sensitive soul..
it had been a long day today...long but exciting ,tough but terrific.
Vinnie had been out camping with his mates , he had climbed up a steep hill without missing a beat ,he had dropped down the
rock face in record time....through out the day
he'd had been leading from the front.And doing it well.
now the last log had died glowing red in the bonfire ....
the songs had been sung,the stories exchanged, the backs patted, the ghost story told..
the doors were all closed ,the wind howling along the jackals or was it only the jackals and no wind?all his mates were snug in their sleeping bags..so was he ,or seemed to be or should have been!
he could not sleep.
he could hear the wind wailing in the
trees , he could see strange shadows on the walls of the wooden lodge ,he could feel his heart thumping....ghosts...lost souls....intangible monsters and all the things that go bump in the night were lurking slinking roving rambling prowling around ready to grab attack assault maul him if he moved a limb.he knew it .he could feel it.
he was awake and lonely in his wakefulness.his throat was dry and he needed a drink of water.but...he was in the attic of the lodge and the water was down the stairs..
he would die of thirst...
he would die of fear...
he tried to wake one of his friends , he grunted ,turned over and would not wake up...not at all.
perched on the top of the mountain,in the morning ,he had been scared but he had forgotten about his fear once he had taken the first step up!
he recalled it, he was scared now but maybe he would forget his fear once he would take his first step down.
he was trembling but he got up ..
he would definitely not die of thirst...
he thought and this thought brought a smile to him....and he was downstairs.
