The Face of Earth Read Online Free

of pine teased her nostrils. She listened with enjoyment to the chattering of the birds and chipmunks.
    Hours later she came across a charming lake tucked among large granite boulders. The south side consisted of a silty beach, and the west side boasted a tall granite cliff against which the water rhythmically slapped as the wind-generated waves rolled gently across the surface. An old rowboat pulled halfway up onto the opposite shore bobbed with each ripple.
    Karina wondered how a boat had gotten this far into the wilderness. She waded for awhile, cooling her feet in the lukewarm water. When she finally resumed her hike, her pack seemed heavier, but she knew she was close to her campsite. According to the topographic map, it wasn’t far from this lake. She arrived there within ten minutes and gratefully set her pack down on the east edge of the mountain meadow. She pitched her tent right next to the trees, so that the early morning sun wouldn’t wake her. A chipmunk sat on a log and watched her expectantly as she set up camp.
    A rivulet meandered through the meadow, adding its tinkling waters to the melody of the mountains. A tiny old cabin rotted at the north end. That might explain the rowboat, except that the rowboat appeared to be in better condition than the cabin. Karina’s shoulders were sore from the weight of the pack and her legs ached from the strenuous exercise. She ate a quick dinner of jerky and ramen before retiring to bed, too tired to bother changing out of her clothes. The wildlife quieted as the sun set, and she soon fell fast asleep.
    Thunder boomed through the night like the rumble of a hungry giant’s belly. Karina bolted upright in her sleeping bag and banged her head on the flashlight she had hung from the roof of the tent.
    “Damn!” she swore as she crawled to the door and unzipped it. Rubbing her sore forehead, she looked out into the dark forest. Lightning lit up the sky briefly before everything plunged back into darkness, but the moment was long enough for Karina to see the trees whipping in the rising wind. She counted her heartbeats as thunder sounded a few seconds later. With the next bolt of lightning the thunder was simultaneous.
    Karina had heard enough. She crawled out of the tent and yanked on her boots. She stuffed her gear into her pack and dropped the tent in record time. The noise and fury of the storm surrounded her, but no rain fell. As she was lashing the tent to the frame of her pack, she felt the hair rise on the back of her neck. A second later lightning hit a tall pine across the meadow. The thunder was deafening. The dry upper branches burst into flame, immediately spreading to the other trees in the high winds.
    Karina shouldered into the straps of her pack and cinched the waist belt. Then she charged up the trail like a pursued deer. Behind her the fire was growing, casting a yellow glow on the path in front of her. She ran as fast as she dared over the uneven ground, breathing heavily. Lightning thundered above her, lighting the path every few seconds. With the heat at her back intensifying, Karina ran to the small mountain lake she had passed half a mile back. She recalled the old rowboat moored in the dirt at its edge.
    Around her the pines were swaying and moaning, then crackling as the fire consumed their needles. She picked up speed as the ground evened out near the lake. The silhouette of the boat bobbed half in and half out of the water. She ran to it, pulling off her pack and throwing it into the bow. She heaved the boat into the water a few lengths before climbing in and rowing toward the opposite shore. Reaching the middle of the lake, she paused and looked back at the fire. It consumed the forest at a horrifying rate. The black clouds refused to part with their moisture, leaving the trees at the mercy of the flames.
    Seizing the oars, Karina glanced toward the opposite shore. She almost dropped the handles as an orange glow appeared among the yet unburned