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watch. Almost nine o’clock. Panic. What if the birds had flown?
    Actually, he didn’t notice the cold until he moved, but when he tried to get up, he realized just how stiff his body was. Frozen stiff. Last night, after he had returned to the car, he had run the engine with the heater on high until the interior heated up, not caring how the noise affected the people in the adjoining campsites.
    That warmth had allowed him to go to sleep. It had long since dissipated. When he made it to a sitting position, he considered what to do first. Based on yesterday’s experience, that was obvious. He walked to the nearby restroom, trying to ignore tempting odors of food and drink wafting from nearby campsites. He had nothing to eat with him, except the remains of a bag of peanuts.
    Since Penny’s campsite was on the other side of the campground, there was no chance of running into her or Gary. He washed his hands and face in the icy tap water, wet his hair, and ran his fingers through it. He took handfuls of water and reached up under his clothes to wash his armpits, in lieu of using deodorant. The cold shocked his body into full wakefulness.
    Then, ignoring the inquisitive looks of a couple of other men who had the unkempt and slightly soiled appearance that campers always had, he placed his mouth under a faucet and drank as much water as he could consume. He could picture all manner of stuff dissolved in the metallic-tasting liquid, but it might be the only breakfast he would get.
    Alfred returned to his car, walking among the tall pine trees and inhaling their fragrance. It reminded him of a trip his family had taken to the White Mountains of New Hampshire when he was a boy. Some of the sun’s rays found their way through the foliage, descending to the earth in parallel lines. They were heating up the air. The campground was alive with activity. Children ran about, and adults drank coffee at their picnic tables. His hunger pangs returned. He must stop thinking about eating.
    He was faced with immediate decisions. Should he drive to their campsite and risk having them notice his car, or should he walk? He was quite sure he could walk the distance in five minutes by daylight, now that he could see where he was going. That also meant five minutes getting back to his car when they left.
    Neither alternative was appealing. He drove to the entrance, instead. Once there, he parked his car near the office where several other vehicles sat, keeping his eyes glued to the rearview mirror. After a few minutes he remembered that he had seen some snack food for sale in the office last night.
    He got out of the car and covered the few feet to the door of the office at a trot. Once inside, he glanced out of the window every few seconds as he picked out several bags of chips and nuts and paid for them. Back in the car, he opened a bag of chips and started to munch on them. With his other hand, he opened the glove compartment and pulled out a map.
    Alternately looking at the mirror and the map, he ate with one hand and used the other hand to hold the map as he tried to figure out where they might be headed. The minutes dragged by, and no VW appeared. Why was he so sure they were still in the campground? A map of the campsites was posted in front of the office. He had at least been smart enough to note the number of their campsite last night. He got out of the car and found the number on the map. It was close to the entrance.
    He walked along the side of the narrow campground road, keeping out of the way of the vehicles of families who were departing to explore exotic Lake Tahoe, or gamble in the Nevada casinos. He spotted the green car through the trees. No need to go any closer. He saw Penny as she walked around the car, and his heart gave a bound. She was dressed in shorts and a sweatshirt. She and Gary were packing up. Their tent had disappeared. Only a stove remained on the table. They were about to leave.
    Alfred scurried back to his car.