The Smuggs Chronicle, Part Fourteen

Haibun

Fourteenth Day: August 31, 2013

We sit on the swing overlooking Rum Runner’s Hideaway. The mountain reservoir sits still in the late morning. We await the opening hour when Mira notices that the Port-O-John is missing.

A call to guest services confirms our suspicion. Rum Runner’s has already closed for the season.

echoes of laughter — only the meadowlark singing

The summit of Morse Mountain looms overhead. Frankie sits on the ski lift exit platform with Jack, a boy he met at camp, and a girl whose name he forgot. We teamed up with the Rum Runner’s Hideaway Hike for their last leg as a consolation for missing Rum Runner’s last day. The guide snaps a photo of us on the platform.

last heavy pant … smiling before Madonna Peak

An afternoon of shuffleboard, indoor mini golf and the obstacle course at the fun zone. Leftover shrimp, vegetables and pasta. The last of the Ben & Jerry’s. And an evening watching Everybody Loves Raymond.

perfect transition to home … rinsing the last ice cream bowls

read from the beginning: Pre-Smuggs Insomnia, the Prequel

more by FRANK J. TASSONE

photograph by Christoph Bentsston Lissaldle

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