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I was dying to hear about Tom's talk with the guards, but I knew it was smart to wait until we were as far away from that fence as possible. We walked until it was nearly dark. "Tom, I'm exhausted. How much further are we going?"
"We should be OK now," Tom said. "As soon as I find a spot, we'll stop." We walked a few more minutes. He pointed through the trees to a small clearing. "We can set up the tent in there."
When I shrugged out of my pack, I remembered the feather. "Tom, I forgot all about this. I walked off to see what it was that fell when that shadow passed over. It was this." I held out the feather.
"That's impossible," he said. "It looks like a bird feather, but there couldn't be a bird that big. It's just not possible."
"Whatever passed overhead was huge. I wish we could have gotten a better look at it. What happened with the guards?"
"I was looking through the binoculars at the fence and didn't hear them until they were right beside me. I was afraid you'd come back. It was smart of you to stay away. They pointed to the sign and asked me what I was doing out there. I told them I was just hiking. I said I was trying to decide whether or not I'd found the right woman. I asked what all the secrecy was about."
"What did they tell you?"
"All they would say was that beyond the fence was government property."
"Did they tell you to leave?"
"They suggested it would be best if I kept my distance from the fence. They asked if I took any pictures. I showed them the recent pictures on my phone. They seemed satisfied. I headed back down the trail and, they continued on with their rounds, I guess."
We tucked the feather into the tent for safe keeping and sat down with our MREs. "What do you think is going on out here?" I asked.
"I'm not sure. I can't believe there's a government installation out here that no one knows about. I've lived here my whole life, and my family has been here for generations. I just can't see how this is possible. How could they have built anything out here without someone noticing."
"What do you think this has to do with Uncle Harry?"
"I don't know."
We both sat quietly lost in our thoughts. I had the feeling there was more to this story. I wished Uncle Harry had just told someone what was going on. And then there was the giant feather that could only have come from a giant bird. I wanted to scream in frustration. I didn't understand any of this.
Every once in a while, as we starred into the fire, one of use would make a comment. "We'll have to go through all of this in detail with Chance and Jim," Tom said. "Now that we know the government’s involved, I'm glad Jim's a lawyer."
I agreed. It seemed like the more we learned the more serious this was. It was good that it wasn't just Chance and I anymore. I couldn't understand why Uncle Harry wouldn't have involved more people.
After more silence, I asked, "Do you think that fence was keeping people out or keeping something in?"
Tom didn't answer right away, I could see he was thinking about it. He pulled out his phone and swiped a few times. He held his phone out, showing me an image of the fence. I guess my question showed on my face. “I took it after the guards moved on.”
"I'm no fencing expert, but with that razor-wire on top, I guess both. Did you recognize either of the guards?"
"I've never seen them around."
"How is that possible out here? Is there a town closer than Wilkins’ Gap?"
"Wilkins’ Gap would be closest, but we might want to talk to folks we know in the surrounding towns. They've got to be getting supplies somewhere, even if all their staff lives on site."
Later when we were settled in the tent, I asked, "Do you think the guards were tracking us. Is that who I heard earlier today?"
"Could be, though they seemed to be patrolling the fence line."
I stretched out in my sleeping bag, and this time when Tom leaned over, he did kiss me. I was a nice kiss with just a hint of heat. Not inappropriate at all, but more than just friendly. Yep, that's me over analyzing everything, as usual.