A glossy pamphlet rests on the old table in front of you. It seems ridiculously vivid against the gloomy and sparse furniture in your tiny apartment. Bright colors call out to you, proclaiming adventure in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park that straddles the border of North Carolina and Tennessee. 

How did this even end up in your mail?

You sit back and regard the pamphlet thoughtfully. National Parks are supposed to be beautiful and just a little wild. Wild is the exact opposite of your life right now. You make a face as you imagine your boring little cubicle in the sea of boring little cubicles.

An ocean of worker drones to do the corporate queens work for her. You never imagined that your life would go like this, from one boring day to the next. The money isn't terrible, but it isn't  great. In fact, it is just enough to keep the lights on and some basic foods in the pantry.

Shaking your head, you imagine the week of vacation time you have somehow managed to scrape up. You've never touched it. Maybe...

The pamphlet winks at you in the dim fluorescent light. 

Food will clear up your head. You get up and make yourself some mac and cheese, basic and filling. You've already had it five times this month, and it is only June 8th. After your stomach is full, you find the pamphlet still sitting on the table. 

It still waits for your answer. What to do?

You decide to sleep on it. It's a big decision after all. For now, the bed calls your name and you slide under the sheet obligingly, closing your eyes to let sleep take you.

[ Go to chapter: One ]