Suddenly, Sam was sitting on her rear end. She’d tripped over a log. She sat for what seemed like a long time. She was incredibly tired. All she wanted was to curl up and go to sleep, but she knew she couldn’t do that. Alpha tugged at her muddy jeans, urging her to her feet. Sighing deeply, she struggled to her feet and staggered forward, Alpha in the lead.

Sam turned her thoughts inward, playing a game with herself that she’d played when she was a child and longed for a fairy godmother who would grant her three wishes. Back then her first wish was for unlimited wishes. She tried to recall what she’d wished for. Silly things to be sure. A new bike, a sparkly party dress, a pony, a best friend, a boyfriend who would tell her she was the prettiest girl in the world.

She’d given her fairy godmother a name—Anastasia—and she talked to her on a regular basis, mostly in times of stress. She hadn’t played the game in a long time. Maybe she should give it a shot. Or was she too tired even to think of a wish? “Hey, Anastasia, it’s me. You still in the wish business?” Alpha stopped and turned to look at her as he waited for her to catch up to him.

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” Sam muttered to the dog. She turned her thoughts back to her wishes. With only three wishes she had to be extra careful. Maybe she needed to postpone something this serious. To a time when she wasn’t so tired and could think coherently. Nah, I need these wishes right now. I want everyone in the world to be safe and happy and free of disease. I want a cure for every disease known to man.

Two down and one to go. The last wish was always the most important. What did she want more than anything in the world? Should she make a selfish wish? If she did that, it would be like trying to make a pact with God. If You do this for me, I’ll do that for You. No, selfish was out. “Help me here, Anastasia,” Sam muttered.

Since there wasn’t going to be a reply, Sam called to Alpha, and said, “I need to sleep for a while. She isn’t going to answer me.” She gave the dog a drink and two beef jerkys. She was asleep within seconds, her windbreaker her pillow, the pine needles her bed. Alpha sat guard.

Pappy looked at his father and back at the closed-circuit television monitors. “I should go after her, Pop, but I think she needs to do this on her own. To prove something to me. What the hell did I do to her?” he asked miserably.