Journal Entry: August 29, 2026
Filling my water bottle from a fountain in a town someone forgot to name. Germany on the border of France. Judging from the trail markers.
My compass sits on a French tourist map lined up with due North. I hope.
The high tension wires will send it spinning.
Trying to remember where my grandfather was stationed.
“Dropped behind enemy lines .”
Keeps popping into my head.
That would be my uncle.
Wrong country, wrong war.
He was a paratrooper in Vietnam.
Crazy enough to jump out of a helicopter.
Crazy enough to volunteer.
Twice.
They say it runs in the family.
A car pulls in the drive across the street.
Mom jumps out , runs into the house without turning in my direction.
The daughter, a toeheaded youngster is heading to the garage to do what she can to help bring groceries inside.
She sees me and looks confused.
I smile and give a short , two finger salute.
She smiles and waves
Dad notices she is outside and quickly steers her by the shoulder towards the door.
Everyone inside and i realize I am scaring half of Europe to death with my backpack and bedroll and too long , too old for this shit, hair.
My thoughts wander to the past and the future and back again.
The wind blows the map onto the ground. Doestoyevsky’s, The Idiot, turns out to be heavy reading but not a great paperweight.
The threat of thunderstorms draws me back to the present.
Folding the map and hooking the compass to my beltlloop, checking to be sure it’s packed.
Walking past the family house , turning back to watch the thunderclouds approaching.
I see the young girl in the upstairs windows, watching, worried.
I smile and give another two lingered salute.
She smiles and waves,.
She only wanted to be sure I am okay.