My jeans were finally getting dry, and I crouched down. Carl placed an itchy blanket over my shoulders. My head dropped to my knees, the sharp stench of dried pee coming up from between my legs. I closed my eyes. My arms and legs were like weights pushing into the sandy ground. Then behind me, I heard soft footsteps. I lifted my head. A familiar voice. Telly! How had my dad found me? I was so tired I could barely keep my eyes open, but I felt his hand move down over my back.

“Thank you, sir,” he said to Carl, and shook his hand. “Thanks mightily for looking after my boy. I’ve got him now.” He clutched my hand like I was a toddler and I drifted up and followed behind, full of relief. His red truck was idling in among the trees. I wondered how he’d managed to drive it in there. He tugged open the door, put a towel down on the passenger seat. “Let’s get you home and cleaned up,” he said.

“Home?”

“My home. After what Gloria did, you think I’d ever let you go back there? She’ll just have to accept it whether she likes it or not.” We drove through empty streets and pulled up to a house on a hill. His place was bright and clean and smelled of oranges. I changed into flannel pajamas, and Telly put another log on a fire. Water from a fish tank gurgled. A lady I didn’t recognize hugged me. “It’s nice to finally meet you,” she said, and pointed to a large brown dog. “Don’t mind her. That’s just Girl.”

“Her name’s Girl, too?”

“Sure, it’s a common name,” she said. I felt the dog’s paws on my chest, wetness gliding over my cheek, my eyelids. Telly came closer, and nudged me. “Hey, buddy. What trouble should we get up to today?”

I startled awake. Telly and that lady and his perfect house evaporated. The dog was licking my face and the man, Carl, was tapping me gently on the shoulder. The fire was out. The creek tumbled along. Frogs burped, and some birds were chirping. Morning had arrived. The light was hazy gray. I stretched and the blanket fell away. My neck and back were sore and stiff, but I was all right. I was okay.

“Sun’s coming up,” Carl said. “Shouldn’t you get back to your sign, Magic Boy?”

“I guess so.” I liked that he called me Magic Boy. I’d just survived an entire night in the woods with a stranger. That made me kind of a magic boy in my mind.