Stranded in the Wilderness/Mouse
From Create Your Own Story
Your green eyes stare back in contempt. Your whiskers twitch in agitation. You slam your head down on the steering wheel, right between your arms. You're an honor roll student -- you're a genius when it comes to every subject there is! You had prepared with everything you thought you'd need: ample stocks of rations and snacks, flint and tinder in swaths, camping gear, hiking gear, a myriad of books of your choice, flares, water, backup batteries... And yet, you overlooked the simplest necessity of them all on a trip - the gas.
Admittedly, you try to assure yourself, it's not entirely your own fault. You glance at the busted gas dial before you, stuck just before half a tank. Maybe you should have noticed earlier than this, but the fact of the matter is you didn't. And now you're stuck out here, in the middle of the woods. Alone. Great.
After a few more moments of wallowing in the failure you've brought yourself, you bring yourself together and assess the current situation. As it stands, there's no sense sitting around waiting for someone, since you let the only friends who'd care know you'd be gone by yourself for several days. And you can't exactly make a camp here where there's nothing nearby. Stepping out of the car you came here in, you can see the rough dirt road that stretches north and south along the forested slope you currently find yourself. It's rough, unkempt, and you doubt any more than one person drives up it a year. Come to think of it, it's more of a surprise your car survived the road.
Out to the west, over the thick pines covering most of the mountain pass, you can see a massive lake, glistening in the sunlight. A few scattered clearings are visible higher up on the opposite mountainside - out of the question for now. Back the way you came up the trail, far down back at the base of the valley, you see nothing but trees. Scanning the horizon, there's not a single man-made structure, not even a cell phone tower - but you doubt you'd get a connection out here anyway.
