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starting a fire before the others showed up. Seated on our blankets, we shut off the radio and tuned into nature’s own special brand of acoustics. I lit a Bob Marley joint I’d rolled on the way up. It took me the better part of twenty minutes to roll it: the monster consisted of ten papers and almost a half a quarter of pot.
    Connor put out his hand. “I’ll light that bad boy up for you, old man.”
    I handed the blunt to my friend and tossed him my lighter. The buck was passed around our small semi-circle several times before it simply had to be put out.
    An hour passed. Then we heard vehicles labouring their way through the last stretch of road. Connor and I staggered to our feet and ran to greet the new arrivals. I broke open one of our flares and waved it. Horns went off in response and everyone rolled down their windows as if on cue. Like a chorus, the occupants broke into excited war cries and screams. They parked beside us and joined the party, camping gear in one hand and beer bottles in the other.
    All the tents were erected around the crackling fire, which offered us light, warmth and, of course, the means to cook, which came in handy once the munchies had taken hold. Hot dogs, popcorn, sausages, and toast were prepared: someone even cooked eggs and bacon. Fire really meant life, but it had to be respected: it was a force, and an unpredictable one at that. I knew how quickly something good could turn bad.
    Wincing, I shook my head to derail such thoughts. Why be so morbid? I was with a solid group: many of us had been friends since the sandbox. All were the best kind of people, the type you’d want to spend your last time on earth with.
    Kevin showed up at ten, and with him came someone especially unexpected. Uninvited was a better word, and for good reason: no one wanted to babysit a drug fiend during one of the best party weekends of the summer.
    Jake.
    Kevin explained sheepishly that he’d felt bad for the guy. “He was just sitting there on your front porch, wondering where you had gone. I would have lied right off if other shit wasn’t on my mind. Anyway, he looked so pathetic I panicked and figured ‘what’s the difference’, and invited him to come up with me. I had no passengers, so I thought maybe it would be nice to have a little company, but the fucking guy slept the whole way up here.”
    I started to laugh. “What were you thinking, man? Connor! Could you fix Kev a strong drink? He’s had a long drive.” A thumbs-up sent Kevin hurrying gratefully toward him.
    Sonny arrived a little later with Tom and Sidney. Tom was a good guy. Not much to look at, or so the girls told us, but a stand-up person, pale, thin, with ears that stuck out a little too far. He and Connor had known each other since kindergarten, but I met him only two years ago. A shy kid, Tom made you feel kind of awkward in a one-on-one situation. He and Sonny got along well, though. We figured that Sonny liked having someone to protect, and guys like Tom just seemed to attract bullies through no fault of their own. Suffice it to say that no one in our school had the nuts to insult Tom to his face, knowing full well they would incur Sonny’s wrath.
    “ Hey, Joel.” Sidney approached. He was a handsome, light-skinned African-American with a bulldog build and infectious smile. Two days ago he had returned from England after taking part in an exchange program. The ‘bloke’ our school got in return was cool and the ladies loved the accent, but we missed having Sid around last semester.
    I slapped him on the shoulder and helped myself to a pint from Sonny’s cooler. We spent several minutes comparing the finer points of foreign women. Then nature called, so I excused myself and headed for the woods. I was still bleary-eyed, so unbeknownst to me, I walked through the fire’s smouldering edge, emerging with a lit shoe. Not noticing the small flame burning a hole in the toes, I continued to the edge of the trees to relieve