THE 2 AM stillness shatters. A zipper rips. Stepping out of the tent, she fumbles with an old Coleman lantern. It hisses to life in a bright bubble of eerie light. A huge dark snake is illuminated casually sliding up the path to the campground bathhouse. She sprints to the pickup, drops the tailgate and assumes a lotus position in the bed. She meditates on how soon daylight will come and if she can hold it that long.

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