"Great, I'm lost!" I sighed, then looked around at all of the trees, each one different, but enough alike so I couldn't tell which ones I had passed before.
'No,' I mentally corrected myself. 'Make that doubly lost!'
I had been trying to take a shortcut through the countryside, trusting my GPS to find the way, when, unexpectedly, the GPS had died. The screen had suddenly brightened, filled up with garbage, then... well, it was as if the batteries were dead. But the batteries had been new (heck, the whole unit was new!) and the thing had come with an optional plug for the cigarette lighter. (And, yes, I tried that, and, no, it didn't work.)
And, of course, my cell phone didn't even get a hint of a signal. Must have been the rough, hilly terrain.
I'd kept on the same heading, figuring I would hit a town sooner or later. Instead, the road had plunged into a dense wood, and the shoulders had all but vanished. Then the over-sized drink I had got at the last gas station hit my bladder, and I had pulled over (as best as I could) and gone a little way into the trees to relieve myself. Turning to head back to my car, my foot had caught on the remains of a barbed wire fence, causing me to lose my balance, and next thing I knew I was flat on my face with the taste of decomposing leaves in my mouth. Yuck.
Working my way back to a fully upright position, I looked around, only to find out that, wow, the trees were a lot closer and the undergrowth a lot thicker than I had realized on my way in. And the road was still deserted, so I had no "passing traffic" sounds to follow back. On top of all that, the ground was damp (had it rained recently? Maybe...), so I couldn't even tell where I had pissed! Ultimately, I just picked a direction, and headed that way.
And headed that way.
And headed further that way.
Walked even more, and hoped I was still headed in the same direction...
...and now I was in a clearing of sorts, with the sun going down, facing perhaps the ugliest tree I had ever seen. Gnarled branches black against the crimson sky, tattered leaves scattered upon the branches. And what looked like a misshapen apple hanging from one of the branches... ...and the last food I had eaten was a doughnut-like thing from the filling station. My stomach growled.
Tentatively I approached the tree and gave the apple(?) a tug. It came off easily, and, turning it over and over I studied it in my hand. Well, it was apple sized. The surface had dark and light patches-- the failing sunlight made colors hard to distinguish, but it might have been red... It smelled, well, it didn't really have much of a smell.
I hesitated a moment, then took a small, experimental bite, ready to spit it out if it tasted "wrong". It didn't. The fruit tasted wonderful! Kind of like an apple crossed with a pear, with a hint of something else tossed in. Cinnamon, perhaps?
Before I could think, I was wolfing the whole thing down. Not even the stem was left! I licked-- sucked-- the juice from my fingers. How could something which tasted so good be bad?
Looking around, I once again realized I didn't recognize where I had come out of the trees. Sighing, but now no longer as hungry, I plunged back into the forest.
...and, much sooner than I would have expected, came out on the road again. It seemed like, after having thrashed around in the woods for maybe over an hour, I had found the road again after less than five minutes! And my car was just a few yards away.
Climbing back into the car, I felt a sudden wave of exhaustion wash over me. I could barely keep my eyes open long enough to close and lock the door, then recline the seat. I was out as soon as my eyes shut.