Fourteen

With the sun’s glow quickly fading, Rich, Dave and Billy headed back down the trail toward their camp. The air was cooling off. They could feel their footsteps on the light coating of pine needles that dusted the forest floor. Suddenly, Rich stopped in his tracks.

“Hear that? Somebody’s coming.”

“Who… Who’s coming?” Dave asked. He and Billy stopped short of running over Rich where he stood. All three of them peered down the switchbacks lacing the hillside they were descending. They could hear footsteps and raised voices. It sounded like somebody running.

“There, down there. Can you see them coming up the switchbacks?” Billy hissed.

“Yeah, two.” Rich confirmed. “Look at them go.” Rich watched their progress through the pines. “They’re coming right up here. Heh, they look like ninjas!”

“What the fuck, ninjas?” Dave laughed and then caught a glimpse of the running strangers now only just a couple switchbacks away. “They’re wearing black face!”

“Minstrel show!” Billy shouted. “Hey minstrel-show, we're right up here! Come up and do the cakewalk!”

“Ninja minstrel-show… who are they?” Rich wondered. It appeared to be a man and woman who had haphazardly applied black face make up to their arms and legs. He tried to get a better look but his eyes started to water, “What’s the deal with this fog, or smoke? It’s seriously hurting my eyes.”

“Hey! A man’s voice issued from the smudgy black face of one the ascending minstrels.

“Hey what?” Rich shouted. He turned to Billy and Dave and remarked in a whisper, “Why does this kind of weird shit always happen on acid?”

“I don’t know man, I thought you might have planned this.” Dave had stopped laughing and grew increasingly nervous. This was seriously weird shit happening. Seriously weird shit Dave instinctively sensed he might need to make a hasty exit from. The ninja minstrels made it to the switchback directly in front of them. The taller male ninja minstrel sunk to his knees panting heavily. The slightly smaller, female ninja minstrel ran past him. She was coming for them. They all knew it at that point. The ninja minstrels ran up the trail to find them.

“YOUR CAMP’S ON FIRE!” The female ninja minstrel shrieked. “YOU GOTTA COME DOWN HERE AND HELP. THE ENTIRE CAMPGROUND IS ON FIRE!”