February Puzzle: Plot Holes
Read this short story below
A woman, early 30s with big bags underneath her eyes, stepped out of her car onto a small parking area at the edge of a forest. While most of the surrounding area was hilly at best, to the east she saw a row of jagged mountains. This would be her destination, close to another road where she could take the bus back to her car. She checked her backpack one last time: rations, water, a pot for cooking, her mobile phone, clean clothes, a lighter, a small tent and a sleeping bag. It wouldn’t be the most comfortable hike, but that was sort of the point: she wanted to separate herself from modern society, just for a few days. In a week, on the 30th, she would have to present to four of the higher-ups at the company she worked at: Sarah, Mike, Josh and Fredrick. This prospect had stressed her out so much that she had planned a multi-day hike, an activity that she hoped would bring her relaxation. The only thing she didn’t like was the fact that she would be going alone. She had asked around if anyone wanted to join her: Her aunt, her niece, a high-school friend, but nobody was available this week, so camping alone was what she settled on.
She saw on the map that she’d downloaded on her iphone that following the river would eventually lead her to the mountains that she had picked as her ending destination, so she did. Still, despite having the river as her guide, she kept impulsively checking her phone every few minutes to see if she was going the right way. She traveled through the forest, seeing squirrels, salmon, various types of birds and even a deer that quickly shot away as she approached. As dusk broke and the sun began to disappear behind the mountains, she arrived at the top of a hill which she decided would be her place to stay for the night. She set up her tent, made a fire and cooked a simple meal. The night made her reflect on her future. Why was she so stressed about making a good impression on her higher-ups? It wasn’t like she really cared about the job anyways. It had been her parents who had set her up within the company, so scared their only child would go jobless that they pulled some strings to get her a cozy office job that was so easy it killed her soul. She wished they’d stop pampering her. It made her feel useless. With that thought running through her head she drifted into sleep.
The next morning, she opened her tent and breathed in the cold February air with a smile on her face. Something had changed within her. She didn’t know what exactly, but at the very least waking up in the middle of the forest had imbued her with some semblance of hope for the future. She continued her journey along the river for another one and a half days until she finally reached the foot of the mountains. She checked her phone again just as she had done so many times before these last few days, but this time something was different. The phone had service. She must have connected to the cell tower of a nearby village. She had several voicemails. They were from Mike. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then threw her phone into the river. And she smiled.