Remnants of Their Presence
Caleb’s fingers brushed over the items with reverence. Among them lay a photograph, its edges nibbled away by dampness. The image was a family, or friends, smiles wide, immortalized against the backdrop of the very river they stood by.
The reverse side held a date, not old enough to be harmless, yet not recent enough to ease their minds. Beside it lay the remains of a campfire, its ashes cold and conquered by a layer of fresh moss, suggesting a hasty abandonment, or perhaps a hurried escape.